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Why go during half term?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@therock, truth
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
well...i live in Germany and taking the children away from school outside the holidays is simply not possible (restricted from the law)
So we have the following choices : 23 Dec till 08 Jan, one week usually End of February and Easter....

End of February is the worst time...traffic, full, too expensive....
We choose to go at Dec or Jan and during the Easter holidays

But if i had a choice then definitely Mid Januar and End of March

PS a few years ago during the "Pfingstferien" (two weeks Holidays usually end of Mai start of Juni) the prices from Friday (last school day) for flights were almost 70% lower as at Saturday (first day of Pfingstferien). So many families said that the kids are ill and booked tickets to fly at Friday....they didnt knew that the police was there and did controlls to some families with kinder at school age....they have to paid from 1.000 till 2.200...according to where the school is.... Skullie Skullie
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
As a parent to young kids (6 & 3) this thread makes interesting reading as we learn to navigate the restrictions of school holidays knowing we have 15 years of this to come!

Personally we have no intention of taking ours out of school to go during term time - although have friends that do and fully understand why (cheaper and quieter)

Given we're only one year into this we are still learning the pros and cons... but feel we lucked out last season by taking the kids to Trysil in Norway during Feb HT.

It's not a resort we would ever of considered pre kids but for them it was awesome with great instruction (yes the 3 year old did some basic sliding), an easy transfer, and some really fun non skiing activities to do. Downside is the ski area isn't huge but sufficient for a week. Also the apres was pretty much non existent but then alcohol is $$$, which together contributed to coming home refreshed from a weeks skiing!
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I like Christmas in a ski resort, and we did loads of Christmases in the mountains. The deal was that skiing is expensive, so kids don't get loads of tat - just a super holiday. The snow IS a bit hit and miss but there's generally enough. I suppose it depends how you feel about the "traditional" Christmas in the UK. That seems to mean eating too much, drinking too much, watching too much telly and spending FAR too much. None of those appeals to me - Christmas Day out on the slopes is like any other day, including ski school lessons.

So, to summarise, I like spending Christmas in a ski resort because it saves having to spend it in the UK! But that all made sense when we had our own apartment. Before that, we found Christmas packages very expensive, and New Year is manic. So we took the kids out of school in the cheapest January weeks. But taking kids out of school is more problematical now.

If I HAD to go skiing at half term, I'd go to Italy.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@Dk7, plus 1 for Trysil. Norway isn't necessarily too expensive - eating out and alcohol are. Check when the Danes and Swedes are on their winter breaks - Trysil will be busy those weeks
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You'll need to Register first of course.
We stayed in Salen one Feb half term and had intended to drive across to trysil for a day as lift pass was valid to do so. Decided in not to when it came to it Smile

The girls still say how magical that place was and how they would like to go back again one time.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@NickyJ, any tips you have on Salen would be great. We're in Trysil in March and will likely do a day trip to Salen.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@therock, we always ski at Easter with the family and I love it. Long days, lunches outside, beers in the sun. Beautiful! That said we always choose to go high (Val Thorens, Belle Plagne, Avoriaz etc) to maximise our chances of good conditions.

We're going at Feb half term in 2024, as it's GCSE year for our eldest so Easter will be solid revision time! It gives us an opportunity to explore ski areas that we wouldn't normally get a chance to explore - and might look at somewhere a little more off the beaten track like Valloire.

I have been at Feb half term quite a few times with my brothers family, and I never found the pistes overly busy tbh (it was busier but nothing that affected my enjoyment).
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 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@Handy Turnip, you've obviously been going to the wrong (?right?) places if you've never found the pistes to be overly busy Smile
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
It's the lift queues that I can't stand.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@dobby you are right. There were a lot of Danes in Trysil this HT as our trip clashed with their holidays (tbh i didn't think to consider nordic holidays prior to going Embarassed ). A few longish lift queues but nothing compared to a 3V bottleneck at new year and the pistes never felt busy.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
I find spending the December holidays in a ski station incredibly depressing. Would much rather be at home with friends and family. And the snow is hit or miss. You'll never get totally skunked in mid-February, at least. April, well, the holidays here in France tend to be toward the very end of most stations' season -- but ideally, had we no children, I'd ski in April, and in a few years, that's just what I'll do.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
The reality with school age kids (assuming you don't sneak them out in term time) is you only have 5 or 6 weeks for a family ski holiday depending how their school holidays mesh with when key dates (Xmas Day, NYD, Easter Sunday) fall in the calendar.

While we are beginners at navigating Feb HT, (we obviously used to avoid it like the plague), work used to, (10+ years ago), dictate no hols in Jan/Feb/March so I've done several pre Xmas/NY/Easter trips and experienced the pros and cons of those. My thoughts...

Pre Xmas week. Cheap(er) but realistically need to head high or risk poor snow. Pistes can be gloriously quiet. Have had amazing powder days. But weather can bleak, days are short and the chance of lunch on a sunny terrace almost nil.

Xmas week. Never skied then. Family politics to navigate but keen to try once the kids are older and the Santa myth exposed... if only to avoid the extended family Toofy Grin

NY week. Expensive and busy but more snow sure than pre Xmas and it is a fun time to go... however the fun factor of spending NY in the mountains is now offset by dealing with the kids while hungover. Chance of lunch on sunny terrace still virtually nil.

Feb HT. Expensive but most snow sure option to try lower resorts/somewhere drier/something a bit more left field. Need to consider how your HT meshes with continental holidays on where to go if you want to try and minimise lift queues and busy pistes/restaurants/transfers. No experience on sunny lunch terrace chances... they definitely didn't happen in Trysil... but imagine significantly better than December/Xmas/NY.

Easter. Pre kids could book late and chase the snow. With ski school/kid care availability to consider the reality is book earlier and high or risk poor snow. Weather often glorious. Have had powder days (but it doesn't hang around). Late long lunches on sunny terraces help offset skiing sometimes effectivley being over by 2pm (and icy pre 10am before the sun has worked it magic). Pistes/lifts can be quiet but can also be busy if everyone is forced high - Val Thorens/Avoriaz i'm looking at you.

Basically its pick your poison... or just abandon the kids Toofy Grin

Anyway we are fortunate enough to be trying two options this year.

Heading to Les Gets for NY week. Got a decent deal with a family TO (suspect the ridiculously early bundled flights on Boxing Day were a factor). It's a long time since I've been over NYE so intrigued to see how it will work with kids in tow. Expecting it to be busy. Not looking forward to that part... or getting up silly o'clock on Boxing Day!

Then HT we are off to Alta Badia in the Dolomites. Thankfully the week prior to Fasching/Carnaval. Never skied there before but I have been in the summer so I know the scenery will be stunning and food great. Excited to try somewhere new that we always used to dismiss as a poor snow risk in our pre kids preference of early to mid March holidays.
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