Father & Daughter Ski Weekend in April

Meet Hugo and Hattie. Hugo is our Sales and Service Director who has been with Ski Solutions for over 17 years. He’s also a family man and recently took his daughter Hattie to Val Thorens for a Daddy / Daughter mini-break. Here’s what he had to say about his trip…

A Father & Daughter Easter Ski Escape to Val Thorens

I promised my 8 year old daughter, a budding skier with 4 weeks experience, a short ski trip during the Easter holidays. The inevitable question, where to go for the best snow in late April? This is actually an easier question to answer than you might think. For the last 4 years, the snow levels in high French ski resorts have been superb, with large dumps of snow in the last two weeks of April not being uncommon.

I travelled over the Easter bank holiday to Val Thorens in France, staying at the superb Koh-I-Nor Hotel, situated at the top of the village, next to the slopes. It’s a 5 star hotel that easily suits a variety of travellers, from couples looking for a luxury spa hotel, to a father/daughter mini break.

We were given a family room which offered a light and spacious area to sleep and relax. The separate area with a single bed meant my daughter and I weren’t on top of each other, certainly appreciated by her! The west facing balcony looking over the slopes was a huge bonus, unlike most of the winter months, in April you can actually sit out on a balcony and feel warm!

We stayed on a B&B basis to keep our options open for all other meals. Breakfast is what you’d expect from a luxury hotel, plenty of variety, great produce, and lovely service. Ideal for topping up a hungry 8 year old before a challenging day on the mountain! Although the spa isn’t extensive, it covers all the major areas with a large sauna, jacuzzi and hammam available along with a good size pool.

The resort was busier than usual due to a huge dump of snow leading up to the weekend, however, it wasn’t a patch on what you might expect from New Year or Half Term. If the Easter weekend falls earlier in the year, you can expect very quiet slopes in high resorts such as Val Thorens or Tignes. Although it felt a little busy, lift queues were still only a minute or two, and the slopes were quiet enough for a parent to not have many concerns about their child zipping around the blues and greens.

You should expect to pay a reduced price for a lift pass when travelling in the last two weeks of April. With the whole area open and all lifts operational, it’s some of the best value for money you’ll see all season. In the same vein, I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of mountain restaurants. You can certainly pay a lot for food on the mountain, but the quality of food matches the price. Equally, it’s easy to find a cheaper bite to eat if your travel companion isn’t keen on 2 hour lunch feasting on steak and drinking rosé!

In short, Val Thorens and the Koh-I-Nor offered everything I could want from a short ski break in late April. I couldn’t recommend it highly enough.

To find out more about family skiing in Val Thorens at Easter, please call our ski experts on 020 7471 7700.