I’m a ski fanatic and I’ve been begging my partner John to embrace the piste since we met.
Fast forward 10 years of pleading and we hit the slopes in France with three kids in tow.
We opt for April, low season which is more affordable yet the snow was still awesome.
I’m excited, Brigitte Bardot’s iconic 60’s shoot inspired a throng of celebs to visit the famous Three Valleys region.
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An A-list paradise, The Beckhams, Emma Watson and George Clooney have all skied here.
We stay at family friendly Les Menuires, the ski resort in the Belleville valley of the three Valleys between Saint-Martin- Belleville and Val Thorens.
Les Menuires resort has incredible peaks.
Mont de la Chambre rises to a height of 2,850m, whereas the legendary Pointe de la Masse and its new zone stand proud at 2,804m.
This is a popular summit amongst fans of virgin slopes and breathtaking views.
Les Menuires is a gateway to the 3 Vallées - the most famous and largest ski area in the world - and provides you with access to eight resorts, 600 km of pistes (85 % of which are over 1,800 metres in altitude), 50,000 metres of drops and some of the most iconic summits in the Alps, such as Cime de Caron (at 3,200m), Saulire (at 2,700m) and Mont du Vallon (at 2,952m).
We fly Aer Lingus from Dublin to Geneva and then get a transfer to Les Menuire with Alpine Fleet.
Shared transfers work out cheaper around 80 quid a head depending on low or high season.
When we saw our snow covered Pierre de Vacance residence in Reberty we had a snowball fight, ohh the thrill.
Food is expensive, about 25 quid a head and a tenner a head for kids to eat out, but the supermarkets are great, Carrefour do fabulous meat and fresh veg.
I get excited by simply smelling the baguettes and camembert.
You can tailor make your ski holiday to suit your budget, the main event is the skiing, leave the eating out to the Beckhams.
We had a fully equipped kitchen at our Pierres & Vacance residence, a coffee maker, microwave and oven.
The cutesy little dining area had an Alpine chalet feel and the rooms were cosy.
Pierre & Vacances is incredible for kids with a beautiful play area near the reception packed with toys and a brilliant pool which gave an alternative to skiing.
The sauna was a must after the skiing and whilst I’ve stayed in ski hotels across Europe, for ski holidays with kids an apartment is essential.
Intersport was right across the road from the residence and picking up the equipment on day one was an adventure in itself.
If you’re skiing for the first time with kids, I recommend doing a few lessons in Ski Club Ireland in Kilternan before getting on the plane!
Even just so your little ones get used to putting on the boots!
Our apartment was a three minute walk from the Oxygene ski school meeting point.
“Ski in ski out” accommodation is pure luxury.
If you do have smallies it’s worth paying a bit extra to be closer to the action.
The ski instructors at Oxygene ski school are uber professional.
They took such great care of our little girls for their ski lessons.
My girls had 18 -year- old instructor Enzo Robini, he had the patience of a saint.
Studying to be a sports instructor he also had lots of babysitting experience.
Four-year old Eila was crying on day one. I was panicked but as soon as I returned from my lesson Enzo was building snowmen with her.
The beauty of the ski instructors is they understand the needs of your kids.
Enzo was so good that we got him for extra hours to give the girls private lessons.
Within three days they were zipping down the slopes and looked like mini pros.
They even got a medal on the last day which was the absolute highlight.
I went along for one of their lessons and Eila declared to Enzo in the gondola: “ Are we going on the red and black wides?”
Chuckling he explained that these runs would be “too difficult.”
Oxygene works with all levels, I had an incredible instructor Francois Brunel who’s been instructing for 28 years.
He took my group off piste and we skied all Three Valleys.
My partner John and son James were in agony for three days at ski school but by day four the process clicked and they were tackling red slopes.
For the real adventurers Oxygene offers Handiski, Ski touring, Telemark, Snowboard taster, Freestyle ski or snowboard, 3 Vallées Ski Guiding, Snowshoeing and even Paragliding.
Oxygene’s business manager Daphne Wyssocq school told us: “Nobody's left out, we work with all levels.
“The maximum number in the group is eight.
“It’s not always easy with the little ones.
“When the kids see the parents, they can become a bit needy.
“They know that the parent is close by and they want to sometimes see their mother or father.
“It can start making him cry or you know, so we prefer that the parents go skiing, they have fun and we mind the kids.”
We really enjoyed taking a trip to Le Break, an activity centre in the middle of La Croisette with a stunning pool and soft play area.
The free shuttle is a god send.
We even got to sample a yoga class for our aching backs for yoga ski week.
For a real treat we dined in Le Capricorne in La Croisette where I had the most mouth watering fondue.
Burgers and les frites were a winner with our kids.
The scenery looking out at the snow capped mountains was a sight to behold.
My top tip for skiing with kids is to be realistic, you won’t have eight hours a day skiing on the mountain.
Plan a morning in ski school for the whole family and then once you regroup after lunch you can have more fun off the slopes.
Their little faces building snowmen and zipping down the baby slopes was something I will cherish forever.
Fact Box
Pierre & Vacances 0870 0267 145
A seven-night self-catered stay at Pierre & Vacances’ Premium résidence Les Alpages de Reberty in Les Menuires, in a two-bedroom apartment sleeping up to six, arriving 18 April 2023, priced from €962 per apartment.
Flights and transfers are not included.
Aerlingus.com for flights to Geneva
Alpinefleet.com for transfers to Les Menuires.
Les Menuires Ski School | Oxygène Ski & Snowboard School (oxygene.ski)
https://www.facebook.com/OxygeneSki
https://www.instagram.com/oxygeneskischool/
https://www.tiktok.com/@oxygene_ski_school
Ski Hire - www.intersportrent.com
An adult’s six-day (seventh day free) ski rental at Intersport Reberty 2000 starts from €150 including skis,helmet, poles and boots.
A six-day adult with Les 3 Vallées pass costs €360 per person
A six-day Family ski pass with Les 3 Vallées (two adults and two children aged 5-17) costs €288
Visit lesmenuires.com/en/tourist-office
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