What are the World's Most Recommended Resorts for Teenagers?

So you have just about sussed skiing, however want to push yourself even further? That’s where we come in – especially for you, (undeniably, with help!) we have picked out some the best ski resorts for those of you who want a challenge, or just to take part in some non-skiing related activities, such as tobogganing or snowmobiling. With resort heights varying from 4,278ft in Austria to a phenomenal 9,600ft in the USA, what really does it matter? You’re on a mountain either way!

1. Now, a great place to start off is at Les Deux Alpes, France. This resort has been ranked amongst the highest in Europe, with a great variety of slopes to choose from, suitable for all levels of skier. When thinking about resorts for teenagers/intermediate skiers, you know you want a challenge! At Les Deux Alpes, you are given that opportunity - specifically for the more advanced skiers, there are some exhilarating off-piste runs. It is recommended that hiring a guide for a trip to the off-piste mecca, La Grave is even greater of an experience! However, if after you have finished your skiing for the day, and you just fancy going around the town to have a look around, you will find that Les Deux Alpes has a fantastic atmosphere, a great selection of shops, an outdoor pool and ice rink, and a grand choice of lively bars and restaurants. We asked AJ from Igluski which resort he would suggest as an intermediate skier “Les Deux Alpes is the king of the resorts for Teens. The whole place looks like a skater park. There’s a world class Terrain Park that attracts all the youth who hang out all day.”

2. Remaining in France, at a snow range of 1550-3550m and a resort of 6069ft in height, Val d’Isère is considered by many to be the world’s greatest ski resort, as many have found it very difficult to fault. The resort offers some of France’s best ski runs with the best après-ski to follow – just about perfect! The après-ski is hard to beat, and is renowned by the great choice of lively bars and the famous ‘Dick’s Tea Bar’.

This resort being linked to another, Tignes, forming the ‘Espace Killy’, which is one of the most varied ski areas in Europe and just happens to make this combination a true skier’s paradise.

3. Now over to both Morzine and Avoriaz – still in France! These two resorts make up the majestic Portes de Soleil area reaching an enormous 650kms of high altitude slopes, however couldn’t be more contrasting and similar all in the same. Morzine is a picturesque old-style Savoyard town, with an unspoilt centre allowing the town to be filled with character and charm. Then there’s Avoriaz; characterized by its stunning, modern architecture, having no disruption from traffic, and offers doorstep skiing and has a brand new swimming pool leisure complex which is said to be, “the most impressive Water Park in the Alps (Aquariaz) that attracts the kids”, however not forgetting about the highly recommended ski park which just happens to be in Avoriaz, the Burton Stash is said to be, “the best natural terrain park in France”. – both quotes by AJ from Igluski.

And if you’re looking for great après-ski, you have come to the right place! With its fun and friendly atmosphere, it’s a fantastic resort to meet new people or to stick with the ones you came with, and never fail to have a good time, whilst enjoying your stunning surroundings.

4. St. Anton, Austria being centered within the Arlberg Ski-Circus, has been highly recommended, as well as being one of the top ski resorts in Europe! Daniel Robinson, aged 18, summarised St. Anton, telling us, “there’s a lot going on in the town, and it usually has really good snow conditions”. Many others consider the resort to be firmly established as it has a large ski area with fantastic skiing and runs for skiers of all abilities. As well as in St. Anton, these runs are spread onto the neighbouring villages of St. Christoph, Lech, Zürs, and now Warth resulting in a total ski area of 340km.

The ski area is known to have unbelievable views, and the thing that is so great about this resort, is that you are in for definite consistent snow every winter. Whether on-piste, off-piste or cross-country skiing, you can be assured of a whole snow sure winter wonderland. If you feel like you need to take a quick break from skiing during the daytime, there are numerous non-skiing activities you may want to consider. You can choose from the following: tobogganing, ice-skating, ski shows (Wednesdays only), and even squash, climbing, tennis or bowling!

5. Last but not least, we head back to France, over to Flaine. Phenomenal sights surround the resort as it is placed right at the heart of the amazing ‘Grand Massif’, with over 265kms of fantastic ski runs. As a large, varied ski resort of 5249ft in height, Flaine is known for it’s fantastic snow conditions and promised sunshine along with the popular 'Jam Park' being the ideal place to practice your tricks and watch the pros too, with beginner through to advanced lines in a huge, open space.

This resort has everything to offer – everything being a fantastic skiing experience, picturesque surroundings, and a lively nightlife, with the high altitude ensuring reliable snow conditions throughout the season.

Other suggestions made on Little Skiers' facebook page, include:

·       Whistler, Canada – renowned as the number one ski resort in North America, sitting side by side with Blackcomb Mountain, combined having a vast selection of 100 runs in total, averaging a whole 10m of snow each winter season!

·       Les Menuires, France - situated between Val Thorens and Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, and is just a great choice for those skiers want 3 Valley skiing without breaking the bank! Go down to the village and you will find a fantastic range of restaurants, bars, shops and nightclubs.

·       Châtel, France – also another resort within the Portes de Soleil, is Châtel.  With a mixture of ski runs for skiers of all abilities, this resort is perfect when thinking of pushing yourself that little bit more. With a fantastic selection of bars and restaurants and a good après-ski atmosphere, ski holidays in Châtel are perfect for everyone!

Feel free to add your suggestions!

May Johnson, July 2014

Friends of Chernobyl's Children (FOCC) Vale of Belvoir visit

Who are the Friends of Chernobyl's Children?

FOCC are a registered charity started in 1994 by founder/director Olwyn Keogh MBE. The impact of just one little Belarusian child coming to stay with her, initiated the beginnings of this fantastic charity. Ever since FOCC began, the charity has spread nationwide and currently has 31 charities throughout the UK. All their energy is devoted to raising money to bring children, who are at risk, to the UK for one month annually. FOCC mainly focus on children with disadvantaged lifestyles from orphanages or broken homes. For these children to be able to come from difficult social situations, FOCC ensure that these children acquire all the care that they aren’t getting back at home.

What happened in the Chernobyl incident?

It all began on the 26^th April 1986, and just like that, Chernobyl was back on the map. The Chernobyl incident was, and still is, the World’s worst nuclear accident – releasing 190 tons of highly radioactive waste material into the atmosphere, exposing the people of Chernobyl to radioactivity 90 times bigger than that from the explosion of the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

When the UN conference meeting came around, Belarusian scientists stated this to be "the greatest international ecological disaster in the history of humanity". We now know that it will be at least 24,000 years before the land is safe and when no person will suffer for any longer.

FOCC Vale of Belvoir – Bottesford

The FOCC Vale of Belvoir group began 12 years ago in 2002, based in Bottesford, Leicestershire. During this time, they have hosted two groups of Belarusian children, with the current group being hosted coming from the Mogilev region. FOCC have welcomed these children with open arms.

The children arived on Saturday and have a started a jam packed programme of informal activities. They have visited Downtown already to get new shoes and will be visting The Maltings Dental Practice and Specsavers who generously allow annual checkups for each child, the children are given any dental work or glasses free of charge.  They will also receive immunity boosting vitamins and minerals not for just the visit but to take home.

When not out and about taking in part in all of these fun activities, with an overwhelming favourite of swimming, this year the children are housed at Bottesford Cricket Club in order to spend quality time together, relax and to work with their interpreter.

Also, with thanks to the National Trust, the children have been able to visit castles such as Tattershall and other local business like us here at Little Skiers and at Little Jacks Garden Centre and Farm in Bottesford have welcomed them for day visits. 


Visit to Little Skiers

13 children arrived Wednesday morning and we had a whirlwind of trying on and choosing ski jackets, ski pants, hats, gloves. scarves and thermals all to take back to brave the cold winter of -40.  

These visits happen yearly but the charity needs donations to fund these visits as there is nothing from the Government.  It makes a whole lot of difference whatever the donation. Donate here at https://www.justgiving.com/foccgb/ by making either a single donation, monthly donations, or by hosting a fundraiser event.


May Johnson, June 2014

How to measure and fit a skiing helmet correctly

Measure your head correctly:

The starting point for selecting the right size is measuring the circumference of your head, a finger width above the eyebrows (the head size range is given in cm)

Correct positioning:

Make sure that the helmet is positioned levelly on your head. The helmet should not sit too far back on your head, which leaves the forehead unprotected, nor be pulled too far down over the forehead, where it can affect your vision.

Adjust the size properly:

With the adjustable sizing system (IAS system), you can fully customize the size of your helmet. To do so, place the helmet in the proper position and turn the dial at the back of the helmet clockwise to make the helmet tighter, counterclockwise to make it looser. The helmet should basically fit, the size adjustment should only be for fine tuning.

Firm fit: 

You can test if your helmet sits firmly by shaking your head lightly with the chinstrap open. The position of the helmet should not change! An optimum fit is required for the helmet to fulfill its safety function 100%.

Adjusting the strap system: 
a) Remove the comfort cushion on the chinstrap.
b) Close the ratcheted closure.
c) Set the length of the chinstrap by pulling on the outer strap.
The chinstrap should fit tightly, but should not hinder your breathing or swallowing!
d) Reattach the comfort cushion.

Full range of mens skiing helmets, womens skiing helmets, girls skiing helmets and boys skiing helmets as well as infant skiing helmets available on-line at www.littleskiers.co.uk with fast worldwide shipping

Australia: Skiing With the Family?

The skiing regions in Australia are on the Great Dividing Range, which is the main range of mountains running along the east coast of Australia.

Australian ski slopes tend to be relatively short so while there is excellent cross country skiing the downhill resorts that we are used to in Europe there are only really two states in Australia with ski resorts.

In New South Wales there are the resports of Perisher and Thredbo and in Victoria, Tripadvsor recommends Falls Creek, Mt Hotham and Mt Buller as good places to start.

Perisher

Perisher is widely considered as Australia's premier skiing resort in Kosciuszko National Park in South Eastern NSW, and is Australia's biggest alpine resort. This resort is the combination of 4 separate resorts:
Perisher; BlueCow, Smiggin Holes and Guthega with the ski lift allowing access to all four ski resorts.

Perisher Ski Map

With 47 lifts over 3075 acres, the ski runs are divided into beginner 22%, intermediate 60% and advanced runs at 18% so it is the ideal resort to spend a week skiing with the family.

Opens Saturday 7th June 2014 until Monday October 6th 2014

Thredbo

500km south of Sydney is much smaller than Perisher and opens the same weekend on June 7th.  It has the longest ski run in Australia at 5.9 km but with only 14 lifts over 480 acres it is more limited than Perisher when it comes to skiing.

Falls Creek

An Alpine style modern family resort it is situated 300km from Melbourne adjacent to the Bogong High Plains which forms part of the Alpine National Park. Falls Creek’s Village is located at 1600m above sea level while the resort ranges in elevation from 1210m to 1842m. With 14 lifts over 1115 acres this is a fair sized resort with short intermediate runs.

Aussiesnow.com.au have a brilliant website that goes into a lot of detail about the skiing and snowboarding resorts in Australia.

If you are heading off to the slopes for the first time with your family shortly then have a look at our "What to Pack" page  This article goes into what you really need to take and what added extras really help when taking young children for the first time.  Click on the PDF packing list and you can print the summary list off and add any extras and start planning!

Little Skiers ship regularly to Australia and New Zealand and use a fully tracked courier system so if you need some funky designed ski jackets or ski trainer reins to help teach your kids to ski then have a look at Little Skiers - the bonus for Australian customers are a large amount of stock is on sale as our season has ended!

Missing the skiing mountains? what about summer sun in the Alps...

As the ever increasing obesity epidemic gathers pace not just in the UK, but globally, so too does the notion that something needs to change. According to the latest official NHS statistics, 65% of British men are now overweight or obese, compared with 58% in 1993, and the figures for women have risen from 49% to 58% in the same period.  Coupled with this is the fact that almost a third of children aged between 2-15 are now clinically obese. But what exactly can be done to slow, and eventually revert, these concerning figures?

Well, contrary to popular opinion, a family summer holiday is emerging as the fashionable antidote to a healthier lifestyle. However, rather than plumping for a lazy fortnight at the beach, Brits are now swapping their golden sands haven for a more active adventure in the mountains. 

The Esprit Sun programme is a new and vibrant summer holiday experience aimed at young families looking to incorporate both relaxation and high energy action into a fantastically fun-filled summer getaway.

With unrivalled child care services spanning over 30 years, Esprit Sun can testify to having unravelled the magic formula to a successful trip abroad, as our impeccable record of recruiting only the best in childcare expertise has seen us become one of the leading family holiday operators in the country.

Aided by a plethora of immaculately furnished accommodation in Italy's Lake Garda and Belle Plagne of France, a host of exciting outdoor fun and games for fresh air enthusiasts awaits. The children can run wild in our flexible SunSquad Club for a day of kayaking, rock climbing  and circus skills - all of which is supervised by our highly reliable Esprit Rangers. Should you wish to scrap the idea of pre-prepared sandwiches, you can opt to sign your children in a for a full day of child care which includes a supervised lunch. 

Safe in the knowledge that the little ones are having the time of their lives learning to make kites and honing their beach volleyball techniques, you will have the opportunity to explore and sample a taste of either Mediterranean bliss or mountainous charm.

Lake Garda is an endearing lakeside town tucked away in an idyllic and historic corner of Italy, with walks to the castle atop the hill a possible activity as well as day trips across to the Mecca of romance - Venice. Our other sought after destination is Belle Plagne; the attractive village on the edge of the Vanoise National Park. It is set amongst rolling green pastures and pine woods, with panoramic vistas of the mountains all around. The resort is also benefited by leisure excursions including a spot of white water rafting and a day trip to Europe's cleanest lake in Annecy.

Also on offer is a family outing to Europe's eighth most popular theme park: Gardaland Park and Gardaland Sealife Aquarium. With its burgeoning variety of roller coasters, log flumes and shows, there are activities for all the family and the good news is that Esprit Sun is offering a free family ticket to all families staying at the Hotel Parc between the 7th of July and the 23rd of August.

If, however, all the excitement of an outdoorsy summer holiday gets too much for some, Dad's will be delighted to hear that a number of our properties will be showing England's World Cup games live from Brazil. Hopefully there will still be Three Lions matches on the box for those of you who book after the 24th June!

Whichever resort you decide to sojourn this summer, rest assured that you will have glorious fun orchestrating your very own family adventure from start to finish. Even if you need a good sit down upon returning to Blighty, take comfort from leaving behind the crowded beaches for mystical woodland and entertaining lakeside games as it might just change your perspective on future summer holidays...

Written by Samuel Balls – Esprit Sun

To book your own Summer Adventure please visit the Esprit Sun homepage or call their friendly reservation team on 01483 791919.

Top 3 Skiing Accessories for Children

When taking your children skiing, there is a huge array of skiing accessories available from helping you teach your children to ski, important safety equipment to small useful gadgets.

At Little Skiers I get to see the huge range that is available each year and I have used a number with my own children.  Over the years there are a few that really stand out and that I get good reviews on.  In part one, I review the accessories I found most useful with my two young children and in part 2 I will look at some smaller best selling accessories.

• SKI HARNESS: I first saw skiing reins being used on the slopes in 2008 in Austria with my 3 year old

Lucky Bums Ski Reins

and set about finding one for us as well as stocking it for Little Skiers.  I chose the Lucky Bums Ski Trainer and it has been a consistent best seller since.  It is robust with 2 easy buckles at the shoulder making it simple to get on and off.  The reins are long at 7’, which I found to be a perfect distance for my child to ski in front of me.  To start with I used them to help her turn by gently pulling on the side she needed to start her snowplough turn.  It controlled her speed when the slope suddenly got a bit steeper but the rest of the time it was slightly slack.  When she fell over the handle on the back made lifting her up easy: you literally lift up high and their legs and skis just untangle!  It also proved invaluable on the chair lifts.  I would pack the reins into the backpack, and when the chair lift came to me I used the handle to lift and pull her back into the seat.  I thought I would only use it for a few years but she only just stopped using it when she was 7 yrs. old.  It was perfect for when she skied the much steeper parts of blue runs as I could stop her at any time if she started speeding off. As they grow in confidence they do tend to speed off very fast so this is great to control those moments!  I also used them to pull her along those hated green flat sections.  There are a few copies of this but the Lucky Bums Ski Trainer is the most popular brand used in USA.
Recommended: Lucky Bums Ski Trainer: the handy backpack is a simple yet really handy feature.


• TODDLER BEGINNER SKIS. These were the best things ever!  After putting my son too early

Lucky Bums Toddler Skis

into ski school and him absolutely hating it, I decided I wouldn’t start my daughter until she was older and had already started school.  She was desperate not to be the only one not skiing so armed with a pair of toddler skis we explored Flaine.  As they are light I put them in my rucksack and when we found a snowy hill (Flaine has great beginner green areas with slopes and hilly areas around the hotels) we simply strapped them onto her normal snow boots (I didn’t wear my skis) and I ran alongside her.  She learnt the snowplough position, to balance and we had such good fun.  When she’d had enough they were easy to take off and then we would go off to find the next place, ride in the gondola or go and have a hot chocolate.  We had such fun together and she progressed fast when she started ski school and now aged 8 she skis with us all day – leaving me in her snow spray….
Recommended: Lucky Bums Beginner Skis.  These have adjustable plastic bindings, (which easily accommodate a boot up to about size 1), they encase the heel securely and they have a funky design!


• CHILDREN’S SKI GOGGLES vary quite a bit; generally if you buy from a trusted brand the quality is sufficient for a week’s skiing.  A basic pair will have a single lens and as long as it has air vents it shouldn’t fog up.  If you want a bit more reassurance then a double lens creates a thermal barrier and combined with an antifog coating and air vents ensures that the goggles will not mist up.

If you want a few more features it may be worth spending a little bit more and invest in a pair of goggles that will last quite a few years.  Previously, my son wore a mid-range pair from Trespass (under £20), which worked well but when we went spring skiing in Tignes, he really struggled with the bright glare from the snow.  I gave him my Bollé goggles with a citrus dark lens and he was so much happier and comfortable skiing in the bright sun.  Bollé also sell a modulator lens in adult ski goggles that adapt to the different light conditions without changing the lens.
Bollé Kids Ski Goggles come with a choice of two lenses: Vermillion lens which is suitable for part cloud and part sunny conditions and is a good all-rounder with 37% VLT (visible light transmitted through lens or the Citrus dark lens which is suitable for full, very bright sunny conditions (17% VLT).
Finding goggles for the smallest in your family is not easy, I found the UVEX Snowy pro are an excellent choice for infants as the frames are more flexible and soft to the touch to ensure a good comfortable fit on small heads.

In part 2, I will review and recommend useful smaller accessories.

This post was written by Tess Bradshaw, Director of LittleSkiers.co.ukLittleSkiers.co.uk and busy mum to two little skiers; Sam aged 10 and Amelie, aged 8