14 reasons William and Kate will still be able to go skiing - even once a family of five
Taking the family to the slopes is hard enough when you have one or two children. Even ski fanatics the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have only managed one long ski weekend as a family since becoming parents. But add a third child into the mix - as the Royal couple will this April - and a whole new set of organisational and monetary headaches comes in to play.
From holiday packages and hotel rooms to lift-pass deals and high-speed quad chairlifts, family ski holidays are set up for foursomes. As a mother of three myself, my own bugbear is that few hotels cater for families with more than two children.
Even self-driving is more challenging - when a family room sleeps only four and you’re forced to pay for two rooms, that cheap overnight stop to break the journey to the Alps may seem an unjustifiable expense.
We’ve been known to stretch the truth by saying our youngest is still in a cot (he’s seven), then smuggling him in with an airbed after check-in.
Quite apart from the cost, which admittedly may not be an issue for William and Kate, there’s the ski resort logistics. Two of you, three littlies – the maths doesn’t work on the hill. Who goes solo on a two-person chairlift? Who copes alone on the T-bar? Who has to toboggan by themselves?
After two ski holidays à cinq, we’ve done the research. Here’s what you need to know if you’re taking the tribe.
1. Book early
Family and connecting rooms in hotels and chalets are like gold dust during peak ski season; if you don’t want to split the family in two, booking early is essential for five. Not only will you bag the biggest rooms, you’ll usually get the best price. Flights are nearly always cheapest when booked early too. Sign up for alerts from airlines to get the heads up as soon as flights are released.
2. Consider self-catering
If that third child is threatening to price your family out of the ski holiday market, self-catering could bring the price back within reach. My quick search in March for three-star packages to snow-sure Tignes in France during Christmas week 2018 (including flights and transfers) found a self-catering option at around £400 cheaper per person than a catered chalet, and £500 cheaper than a hotel.
Plan meals ahead to save stress when you get there. If driving, fill every space with breakfast essentials, on-mountain snacks and frozen meals for the first few hectic days (do not refreeze!).
3. Or, let chalet hosts take the strain
If the thought of cooking and cleaning on top of everything else threatens to tip you over the edge, do it the Royal way and let someone else look after you - the cost may be well worth it for the added holiday freedom. Staying in a chalet or chalet-hotel makes for a lower-hassle holiday and, if you go with family specialists such as Esprit, Mark Warner or Ski Famille, there’s access to child care.
Even simple services like collecting the youngest from lessons helps when you can’t be in three places at once. Cooked breakfast, afternoon tea and a three-course dinner is included, often with unlimited wine. Inclusive packages also help you budget by taking the guesswork out of how much you’ll spend in resort.
4. Train them well
Parental juggling on the ski hill is similar to the juggling families of five have to do at theme parks, where one adult/one child ratios are the norm. Manage expectations when skiing together, making sure children understand they need to be patient, stay together and allow for differing abilities. Pick wide cruisy pistes, ensuring the kids are in front of you so you can keep an eye on everyone. For après activities it’s best to steer clear of those that need a one adult to one child ratio, like tobogganing, unless you can rope in an extra adult.
5. Take grandparents/friends/the nanny
When there are two of you and three of them, evening up the numbers by holidaying with another adult - or two - helps lighten the load, especially if (like the Royals) the kids are all under five, or the whole family are ski virgins.
6. Make sure you sit together on flights
Don’t assume that because you’re a family, you’ll be seated together. If the plane is busy - and let’s face it they usually are in school holidays - it’s quite possible you’ll be split up. And when your family isn’t divisible by two, it’s even more likely someone could end up alone. Minimise the risk by checking in early or pay extra to pre-book seats.
7. Make the most of the baggage allowance
You may have a lot of kit to take with three kids - but you don’t have to pay for an extra bag. On most airlines, children from age two have the same free checked baggage and hand baggage allowance as adults, so forget cute mini backpacks for the littlies and make the most of it.
8. Get in the car
Once your youngest hits two, you’ll be paying full whack on flights for five. If you’re willing to take the pain of a long drive to the mountains, you’ll not only save some cash but can stuff the car full of kid-paraphernalia and food as well as your ski kit.
9. Get the best hotel deal
Once your youngest is out of a cot, most hotels won’t allow more than four in a room, no matter how willing you are to sleep the youngest top-to-toe or bring an airbed. Forking out for two rooms can double the cost of an overnight stay and, unless kids are older, most families don’t want to be split up anyway.
Smuggling one of them in isn’t great for sticking to fire regulations, and big family rooms are rare, so the best bet is to look for discounts on the second room. At Sofitel most suites only accommodate a family of four but some hotels in the chain knock 50 per cent off a second room over a weekend. Novotel offers 50 per cent off a second room for two children.
10. Factor in lift passes
Lift passes for five make up a large chunk of the cost of a winter holiday, so choosing a resort with good deals can save a lot. Children may ski free up to ages four or five - but in some resorts (such as Zermatt in Switzerland) it’s up to age nine. Most places offer reduced rates for younger children, but some also give discounts for teenagers.
Family passes are most common in France and can work out well, with everyone in the group, including adults, paying a child rate. They’re usually based on a family of four, so for a family of five, always plan to get a separate pass for the youngest, as it will be the cheapest.
The family pass offered in the Trois Vallées resorts in France (Courchevel, Méribel, Val Thorens) is a notable exception - it’s available to families with up to seven children.
The International Ski Federation (FIS) keeps track of global prices for lift passes. Compare prices and discounts at snowkidz.com.
11. Get ahead with mountain navigation
Leading the gang around the mountain is stressful if you don’t know where you’re going. Lessons will help the children even they’re competent skiers or snowboarders, and leave you free to spend a morning doing reconnaissance, getting to know which pistes you’ll enjoy together and which lifts to avoid for example, without the worry of keeping tabs on everyone as you do it.
12. Ask for help on lifts
When you need an extra pair of hands, to watch out for your child on a chairlift for example, don’t be afraid ask other adults - most people don’t mind in our experience. On drag and chairlifts shout ahead to the lift operators when approaching the top as they will slow down the lift to avoid mishaps.
13. Holiday with another family
Going as a group (especially if your friends have fewer children) will bring costs down, keep the kids entertained and mean there are extra adults to help. Airport transfers may work out cheaper and easier when you travel in a large party, their children may be able to share bedrooms with yours, and you’re likely to get a better per person price on accommodation.
14. Shave £££ off the food bill
Mountain restaurants can be expensive when there are two of you, let alone five. Thankfully, more resorts now have easy access picnic rooms where you can eat your own food (which could be shop- or chalet-bought sandwiches if you don’t want to make them) without shivering on the slopes. Swanky Le Lodge in Val d’Isère, France, which opened for the 2016/17 ski season, up the mountain near the nursery slopes is a good example of how resorts are upping their game.
Alternatively, heading down to the resort village for lunch can shave a little off the lunch bill, as can venturing out of resort central to cheaper eateries in the evening. Order savvy and choose dishes to share tapas-style to avoid wasting food.
