Charlotte, one of our Reservations Consultants, fell in love with skiing as a child in the UK on trips to the dry slope ski centre. When she was 13 she took her first ski trip to Les Arcs and in 2006/7 she worked a season in La Praz, the lowest part of Courchevel.
This year she went on a family ski trip with her daughter to La Rosière, a friendly resort in the Tarentaise Valley with its own ski area, plenty of activities for children, and lots of places to eat out.
Here’s what she thought…
"I took the Eurostar train from Ashford to Bourg Saint Maurice. It was a great journey, we took our iPad and packed lunches. My travel tip would be to opt for premier seating because you get more room! There’s a café on board which is reasonably priced, but if I think it’s still a good idea to take snacks if you have little ones.
I love the views in La Rosière which overlook the whole valley. There’s also lots of other things to do than skiing and there’s loads of places to grabs food quickly which was really good for my child who doesn’t like sitting still!
I always feel safe skiing in La Rosière. The runs are long so you don’t have to keep starting and stopping. I really liked the mixture of runs – there are wide open runs in Italy but also pretty tree-lined runs in La Rosière. It’s really easy to ski into Italy too – I skied from the centre of La Rosière to Italy in an hour! My favourite ski route was taking the Tetras then the Rouvinettes and ending with the Fontaine Froide.
We stayed in Lodge Hemera where the staff were really friendly. As a single parent of a first time skier I think next time I'd opt for Cîmes Blanches, just because it’s quieter and next to it is a magic carpet and a very nice sledging area. But the swimming pool and Jacuzzi were my favourite thing about Lodge Hemera, those and the staff!
Taking my child on her first ski holiday was an amazing experience. For other parents taking their child on the slopes for the first time I would say, make sure you pack a snack for ski school, and it’s ok to ask the ski instructors questions. It really was great to see how quickly children can pick up skiing!"
QUICK TIPS: LA ROSIÈRE
Best place for food: Pizza takeaway at Au P’tit Creux
Best place for a food shop: Carrefour Montagne
Best place for children: ski school at the ESF and the swimming pool. "She literally loved it, couldn’t get enough! I had to drag her out of it!"
Best non-skiing activity: Ice hockey rink. "We went to the match which is on every Wednesday this year. It was really good fun!"
