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Planning a Ski Trip to Val d'Isère with kids ? A brutally honest half-term mum diary

  • Feb 21
  • 4 min read

Wondering if it’s a good idea to go to Val d'Isère with kids, how ski school works, and what medal day really looks like?


Here’s a brutally honest family ski diary from a mum of three — snowstorms, ski school nerves, melted cheese, and ski medals included.


1. Day 1 – The Saturday journey: Arriving in Val d'Isère with kids


A few months ago we decided skiing is “such a good family investment”...


  • Heathrow resembles a Decathlon explosion. Every British child under 14 appears to be wearing ski goggles indoors.


  • Arrival in Geneva: smooth.

  • Car hire: less smooth.

  • Mountain drive: picturesque in theory, mildly terrifying in practice — hairpin bends, towering snow walls, and dangerously detailed discussions about melted cheese.


  • Child 1: calm. Excited. Mature. All at the same time.

  • Child 2: analysing snow depth like a small meteorologist.

  • Child 3: car sick halfway up. Fondue jokes suddenly less funny.


  • We arrive triumphant.

  • Chalet cosy (flat, actually. Despite the agency photos suggesting Alpine Versailles).

  • Children feral.



2. Day 2 – The Sunday Ski School Reality


  • Val d’Isère ski school is military-level efficient.

  • ESF jackets everywhere.

  • Tiny ski humans with maximum credit card damage.


  • Child 1: determined to get his 3rd star.

  • Child 2: skiing beautifully but pretending not to care. It begins…

  • Child 3: too small to ski. Furious about it.


  • Snow conditions: extraordinary. Fresh powder. Instagram heaven.

  • Visibility: questionable. Borderline scary.


  • By 4:30pm, hot chocolates at Cocorico.

  • Leave before 5:30pm.

  • That’s when the teen après-ski crowd rolls in — and Child 1 suddenly decides he belongs.

  • Family mood: hopeful.



3. Day 3 – The Monday Snowfall Apocalypse in the French Alps


  • It snows. And snows. And snows.


  • Val d’Isère under heavy snowfall is undeniably magical — chalet rooftops powdered white, church tower dramatic — which makes it slightly awkward that British parents are Googling: “Is this normal?”“How to locate my car under 5 feet of snow?”


  • Some — many — lifts close.

  • Ski school reorganised.

  • Children delighted.


  • We attempt La Folie Douce at 12am.

  • Parental nostalgia for former party versions of ourselves collapses immediately.

  • Children unimpressed.

  • We retreat at 12:07am.


  • Crêpes consumed in industrial quantities near the Front de Neige.

  • Weight gain: +1kg.



4. Day 4 – The Tuesday Cabin Fever - What to Do in Val d'Isère with kids When You Can’t Ski?


  • Blizzard conditions.

  • Outdoor skiing limited.

  • Indoor energy unlimited.



  • Child 1: restless but handling it well.

  • Child 2: building Olympic-level snow forts.

  • Child 3: constructing a snowman larger than himself.


  • Evening excitement: the ESF Show and fireworks.

  • Evening disappointment: the ESF Show and fireworks cancelled due to weather.


  • Collective sigh.

  • Additional hot chocolate.


  • Father quietly coaching eldest from 7am.

  • Mother quietly eating pain au chocolat from 7:05am.



  1. Day 5 – The Wednesday Blue Spot


  • We see blue sky.

  • Excitement.

  • No — it’s a runaway balloon drifting heroically across the valley.

  • End of excitement.

  • Back to the slopes.


  • Child 1: brilliant morning. Focused. Confident.

  • Child 2: steady and smooth. Quietly impressive.

  • Child 3: briefly “forgotten” at the crêpe stand for 90 seconds while parents debated lift strategy.


  • Father pacing slightly.

  • Mother contemplating third crêpe.


  • Mood: fragile but functional.



  1. Day 6 – The Thursday Nerves


  • Snow lighter.

  • Spirits mixed.


  • Child 1: pushing hard. Some beautiful runs. Some frustration.

  • Child 2: consistent. No drama.

  • Child 3: announcing he will “win everything next year”.


Dinner conversations:

  • Father: edge control analysis.

  • Mother: second fondue.

  • Weight gain: +2kg.


  • Today: remarkably uneventful.

  • Tomorrow is medal day.



  1. Day 7 – The Ski School Medal Day in Val d’Isère


The ceremony


  • ESF instructors: heroic and slightly intimidating.

  • Children lined up, smiling a little too bravely.


  • Child 1: So close — consolation medal, tears. (Mother also suspiciously blinking a lot.)

  • Child 2: passes. Smiles. Shows his medal to Child 1. Re-tears.

  • Child 3: receives his “I Love Val d’Isère” medal with enormous pride. Fully convinced he has won the Olympic Games.


  • Father still discussing edge control.

  • Mother officially +3kg and emotionally supported by cheese.

  • Eldest now proudly wearing his medal anyway.


Phew.




  1. Day 8 - The Packing & Silent Panic of how to Leave Val d’Isère At the End of Half Term


  • First task of the morning: Locate the car.


  • Father in operational mode.

  • Jaw set.

  • Unilateral command structure.

  • No appeals accepted.


  • We shovel.

  • Silently.


  • Descent: queue after queue after queue.

  • Like waiting for the only ski lift that’s open.

  • Except this time we are the lift.


  • From plane to bed.

  • From Alpine cheese to English tea.



What We Learned from Val d’Isère with Kids


Val d'Isère with kids gave us:


  • Snowstorms

  • Crêpes

  • One third-star heartbreak

  • Crêpes

  • Cheese overload

  • Crêpes

  • 3 ski medals.


  • Ski medals you promise to keep safe.

  • Ski medals you will absolutely forget about in 11 months.

  • Ski medals that will cause emotional breakdown next February.


Which is exactly why we created our personalised ski medal holders — designed to keep ski medals safe long after half term is over.



PS: And yes — next year we are absolutely coming back.







 
 
 

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