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Your guide to Ski-ing with children from Carhire3000
Car hire France, Italy, Spain & Canada

9. Wengen, Switzerland

Height: 1274m
Airport: Geneva (225km, approx 3 hours), Zurich (150km, approx 2.5 hours), Berne (66km, approx 1 hour)
Season: early December - mid April
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Wengen is particularly popular with families, due in part to its stunning location beneath the Eiger – the views along the valley here are simply breathtaking.

The resort is fairly quiet and traffic free – most tourists arrive via the cute mountain railway – which makes a safer environment for children.

The ski school in Wengen is highly thought of and there are excellent English-speaking instructors. 

Families will particularly enjoy the gentle nursery slopes which can be found close to the centre of town whilst intermediate skiers have 213km of pistes to enjoy across the Jungfrau ski area and can choose from gentle runs to more challenging routes.  The quickest way to the slopes is via the cable car behind the sports centre but arrive early as queues can be lengthy during the school holidays.

Although there is little in Wengen for more advanced skiers, the area is famous for the Lauberhorn Ski World Cup Run and more challenging runs can be found in nearby Murren.

However, there are plenty of other activities on offer within the locality including tobogganing, ice skating, snow shoeing and bowling.  Children are also bound to enjoy the funicular railway – the highest in Europe.  There is a good choice of shops, bars and restaurants offering informal après-ski but overall the atmosphere tends to be fairly quiet and relaxed, offering a perfect haven for families.

There are also a number of good restaurants to be found on the slopes and non-skiers can join the rest of their party for lunch by taking the picturesque Wengernalpbahn railway.

10. Steamboat, USA

Height: 2130m (ski altitude 2130-3224m)
Airport: Denver (166 miles, approx 3.5 hours)
Season: November - April
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Located in the heart of the American West, Steamboat is one of the world’s foremost ski resorts - laying claim to more Winter Olympians than any other town in North America.  It’s clear that skiing has a long history amongst this historic ranching community and the town itself has recently celebrated its centenary. 

Steamboat, USAThere are 164 trails over 3000 acres to cater for a broad range of abilities – reached via an impressive collection of high speed chairlifts and gondolas.  And Steamboat continues to invest in its infrastructure and facilities to maintain its status as “Ski Town USA”.

There are gentle beginner’s slopes to build confidence (the Headway slopes were upgraded last winter) and there are plenty of intermediate runs in the Sunshine Bowl for improvers. 

There are excellent beginner’s programmes from the ski school and the children’s programmes are recognised as some as the best in the USA – designed to give high levels of personal attention to small groups. One-on-one tuition is possible for a more tailored approach as well as speciality clinics for those who want to improve particular skills.  6-15 year olds can take part in a range of specially designed programmes to build their confidence and enhance their skills whilst younger children (6 months – 6 years) can enjoy the supervised activities at the Kiddie Coral DayCare.  There’s even a “Kids Night Out” programme in the evenings should you want a romantic meal for two!

And with 5 children-only lifts, two dedicated teaching areas, Magic Carpet lifts and a children–only terrain park with its own lift, Steamboat is designed to make your family skiing experience as pleasurable and as easy as possible.

Downtown Steamboat offers a good choice of shops and restaurants as well as a taste of the “Old West” whilst, just 8 minutes away via shuttle bus, the more modern resort can be found at the foot of the ski lifts.  And after a hard day’s skiing, how about relaxing your aching muscles in the natural hot springs in the Old Town or Strawberry Park?

There are plenty of other activities in the locality too including horse-riding, hot air ballooning, ice skating, dog sledding and sleigh rides.  Older teens (and parents!) may enjoy operating the powerful bulldozers and excavators at “Dig This” whilst younger families are bound to love the snow tubing at Howelsen Hill.

More destinations for a family ski holiday

This is just a small selection of popular family-friendly ski resorts and obviously much depends on the age and ability of your children.  The Alps are a popular family ski destination and the resorts of Val d’Isere, Bad Gastein, Val Gardena, Zermatt and Saas Fee all come highly recommended also – all boasting good ski schools and a wide range of activities in the locality. 

Also worth considering is Bulgaria which is becoming increasingly popular, offering a more economical choice for a family holiday.  The resort of Bansko offers good childcare facilities with a non-ski crèche and children’s ski school whilst Borovets is Bulgaria’s oldest established ski resort and boasts an excellent ski school with English speaking instructors and gentle beginner slopes.

But if you fancy travelling a little further afield and the North American resorts have caught your eye, Copper, Breckenridge and Banff are amongst some of the most family-friendly destinations.

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