WE HAVE officially entered ski season, and with that, experts have revealed the best spots for young families to escape to.
Skiing as a child-free grown up is VERY different to when you have kids in tow, when the number of blue ski runs, ski schools and hotels that actually allow kids in the spa become more important than the quality apres ski.
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Flaine is known for having great ski slopes for both beginners and expertsCredit: Alamy
Fortunately, experts at Crystal Ski have rounded up the best spots for young families and they include a lot more than just snow.
Flaine, France
Set within the Grand Massif area, Flaine is known for having great ski slopes for both beginners and experts.
There are even scenic runs, such as Les Cascades, which is accessible from Geneva.
Crystal Ski also offers Crystal Childcare, so if adults want to head off-piste themselves they can do with their kids in good care.
Families can also head off ice skating, bowling or venture off on a dog sled ride, according to Crystal Ski.
The resort features a number of high-quality apartments, many of which have their own swimming pools.
The accommodation is then only a couple of minutes from the slopes.
A seven-night trip from January 10, including flights, to Flaine costs from £494pp.
Passo Tonale, Italy
If you prefer the Italian Alps, then head to Passo Tonale, which has a “relaxed atmosphere and just one main road – so you’ll quickly find your way around the accommodation, restaurants and shops,” according to Crystal Ski.
The resort also has Crystal Childcare too.
The resort itself is supposed to be one of the best places for children to learn how to ski as it has a great ski school, as well as 62 miles of quiet slopes, perfect for practicing on.
For little ones, just about getting to grips with their skis, there are more gentle runs and there is even an inflatable slide and tubing.
This super family friendly spot goes one step further on Wednesdays though – as families can get together for races, face painting and even a kids’ torchlit session.
The area is also home to a number of significant World War I sites where battles occurred.
A seven-night trip from January 10, including flights, to Passo Tonale costs from £540pp.
Passo Tonale, Italy, has 62 miles of quiet slopesCredit: Getty
Hundfjället, Sweden
Hundfjället is a popular ski destination found in the Salen mountain range.
In fact, it is one of the shortest transfers to any ski resort at 15-20 minutes according to Crystal Ski.
Slopes at the resort feature all skill levels, but if you are an expert you might want to try the black slope named ‘The Wall’, which is Sweden‘s second steepest ski run.
Families can also head to Trollskogen (Trolls Forest), which is a tree-lined run with singing trolls along the way.
There are eight children’s ski areas, including a dedicated children’s learning area that features fun obstacles.
Other fun activities for kids include snow tubes, ice karts and mini snowmobiles.
And there is resort-run childcare and babysitting too.
For when families aren’t on the snow, they can head to the Experium Leisure Centre where they will find an adventure pool and spa.
A seven-night trip from January 18, including flights, to Hundfjället costs from £814pp.
Hundfjället, Sweden, has snow tubes and ice kartsCredit: Alamy
La Plagne, France
Back over in France is La Plagne, which features 11 purpose-built ski resorts with traditional villages.
According to Crystal Ski, it is one of the top resorts in France and has a great ski school.
And there is even an ice grotto with sculptures, ice skating and an igloo village.
A seven-night trip from January 25, including flights, to La Plagne costs from £430pp.
La Plagne, France, features 11 purpose-built ski resortsCredit: Alamy
Ruka, Finland
Ruka in Finland is like a real winter wonderland, according to Crystal Ski.
Think traditional log cabins, snowy scenery and ‘marshmallow trees’ (pine trees but covered in snow so they look like giant marshmallows).
Lots of accommodation in the area can be found right by the slopes and the resort is only 25 minutes from the airport.
Ruka even has the biggest beginner area in Finland, which means this spot is great for perhaps more cautious kids.
There is a Rosa & Rudolf Family Park too, which has “magic carpets and fun obstacles”, says Crystal Ski.
Other activities that can be found at Ruka include dog sledding, reindeer safaris and snowmobiling.
A seven-night trip from January 18, including flights, to Ruka costs from £369pp.
Ruka, Finland, has the biggest beginner area in FinlandCredit: Getty
Obergurgl, Austria
Obergurgl is a high-altitude Alpine Village found in Austria, that is home to a hidden gem ski resort.
In fact, it is the highest village in Austria which means there is usually a good snow covering.
At the resort you will find a great ski school and quiet slopes ideal for perfecting your skills without worrying about others whizzing by.
Once more confident, skiers and snowboarders can head on the Audi Quattro fun slope.
When off the slopes, the village itself is a vibrant destination at spots such as Josl Keller, where there is often late night dancing.
Surrounding the slopes are also a number of great hotels, many of which also have good family facilities such as playrooms.
A seven-night trip from January 10, including flights, to Obergurgl costs from £618pp.
Obergurgl, Austria, is the highest village in AustriaCredit: Getty – Contributor
Zell am See, Austria
Also in Austria is Zell am See, a town located on the edge of Lake Zell.
The ski area is home to one of the biggest ski schools in Austria, says Crystal Ski and a number of fun runs including Schmidolin’s Dragon Park.
For something even more thrilling, there is also an alpine rollercoaster which is a 0.8-mile-long toboggan track.
Or if you fancy something calmer, head off on a horse-drawn sleigh ride through the town.
In the town there is a variety of places to stay, including half-board hotels.
And in the wider area you could also make a trip to Sigmund Thun Gorge, which is a natural gorge carved by the Kapruner Ache river.
There are a number of wooden walkways and bridges which visitors can explore.
A seven-night break from January 24 with return flights to Zell am See costs from £362pp.
Zell am See, Austria, is located on the edge of Lake Zell and has a number of fun runsCredit: Alamy
Soldeu, Andorra
Finally, over in the small landlocked country of Andorra, you will find Soldeu, which is the best resort in Andorra for families, according to Crystal Ski.
The resort is part of the 130 mile Grandvalira area and there is a gondola that takes visitors up to the ski school and nursery slopes.
The green and blue slopes are then beautifully lined with trees.
There is also El Tarter which features a number of obstacles.
In the village itself, there are a number of hotels that have swimming pools and kid’s clubs.
And thanks to the small size of the village, you won’t have to walk far before you’re on the gondola.
There’s a number of spots to grab a bite to eat too in the warmth, such as Restaurant la Cort de Popaire, which has a cosy wood and stone interior.
A beginner-only week trip from March 1 to 8 in Soldeu costs from £1095pp and includes return flights, transfers, seven nights’ accommodation, breakfast and evening meals, ski or snowboard lessons, lift pass and equipment hire.
Nothing but dirt and dry, brown chaparral rolled beneath skis and snowboards dangling from a chairlift at Big Bear Mountain Resort on Friday, as forlorn adventure seekers joked they should rename the place “Big Bare.”
Unseasonably high temperatures even left the impressive array of high-tech artificial-snow makers below mostly useless, their fans spinning idly in the warm breeze.
“The word I’ve been using is “abysmal,” said Cameron Miniutti, 29, who was riding the lift in a light cotton shirt, with the hot sun glinting off his ski goggles. “This is, for sure, the toughest start [to a season] I’ve seen.”
Similarly bleak panoramas can be found at ski areas across the American West so far this year, but especially in California, where a wet November gave way to one of the driest Decembers in recent memory.
People visit Big Bear Village on Sunday, with no snow in sight.
As of Friday, the state had only 12% of the snow that’s normal for this time of year, and only 3% of what water managers hope for in an average year, according to the California Department of Water Resources.
Which is why water managers — and skiers — are hoping for a Christmas miracle as an enormous atmospheric river takes aim at California this week. The soaking rains may threaten coastal cities with flash floods and nightmarish traffic, but they promise sweet relief for snow-starved thrill seekers from Lake Tahoe to the San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California.
Mammoth Mountain, the tallest commercial ski resort in California, could get up to 7 feet of snow this week, according to On the Snow, a website that tracks conditions at ski areas.
Resorts on the north end of Lake Tahoe could see up to 5 feet, and even Big Bear could get 3 feet, assuming the temperature stays below freezing, according to the website.
That’s important to everyone, even nonskiers, because roughly a third of the water California relies on each year for drinking, farming and fighting wildfires accumulates as snow in the mountains during the winter and then gradually melts through the spring and summer, when the state can otherwise be bone dry.
Many California ski areas were forced to delay opening this year, and even those that got the lifts spinning have had to confine skiers to only a handful of runs, often on man-made snow.
That has been this case at Big Bear, where a thin strip of artificial snow snakes from the 8,440 top of the Bear Mountain Express chairlift to the base at just over 7,000 feet. While crews worked diligently to rake the fake snow over exposed rocks and patches of bare dirt on Friday, skiers and boarders scraped by like traffic on the 405 Freeway.
“It’s crazy,” Miniutti said, “I mean, I can’t even imagine what this is like on a weekend.”
And the range of abilities of people crammed onto the same run creates its own, unique kind of “obstacle course,” Miniutti said.
You have to concentrate on not crashing into people in front of you — many of whom are absolute beginners, tumbling to the snow for no apparent reason — while praying the very good skiers and snowboarders you can hear racing up behind you will somehow avoid mowing you down.
People ski and snowboard at Big Bear Mountain Resort on man-made snow on Sunday.
“There’s, like, the best snowboarders in the world and people on their first day right next to each other,” Miniutti said.
But under the circumstances, Miniutti had nothing but admiration for the mountain staff for keeping the run open despite the seemingly impossible weather.
“I’m still having a blast,” he said, “it’s absolutely worth coming up.”
Devon James, 24, from Pasadena, felt the same way. He was warm in long sleeves, which he took to wearing after wiping out in short sleeves a week ago and “getting cut up.”
One day lift tickets at Big Bear cost more than $150 this season. At fancier resorts, like Mammoth Mountain, they can easily climb to more than $200 per day. So most serious skiers buy season passes for just under $1,000 that are good at many mountains across the country and around the world.
But that means they feel compelled to get their days in, no matter the conditions.
“I mean, that’s kind of the whole game, right,” James laughed. “I’ve got to get at least eight or nine days to get back to even.”
Skiers and snowboarders navigate bare areas at Big Bear Mountain Resort.
Miniutti, who is originally from Massachusetts, and learned to snowboard on the freezing, icy hills of New England, still prefers the alpine experience on the West Coast.
Even when there are legitimate winter conditions at Big Bear, he loves hopping in his car at the end of the day and driving home to Los Angeles, where it’s seemingly always 70 degrees and sunny.
“I can’t really beat that,” he said, “I’m not complaining.”
It’s never too late to book a ski trip for early next year, and there are plenty of all-inclusive package deals available across a list of desirable European destinations
There are some great deals available to book a ski holiday for January (Image: Getty Images)
Amidst the Christmas chaos, many of us start planning our trips for 2026, with skiing being one of the most popular holiday activities during the first few months of the year. However, by the time you factor in your ski pass, they can become notoriously expensive. Happily, there are four European resorts that start from just £320 per person, with everything included.
A booking website called Heidi allows travellers to search for their desired skiing package holiday with any dates or locations they prefer, bringing up the best deals. Users can also choose specific filters for a package, such as beginners, advanced, families, large ski areas, apres-ski, or opt for a short transfer.
To help holidaymakers find the best deal for booking a last-minute ski package holiday for January, Heidi has revealed their most affordable deals, including those from their most popular destinations. The packages include a three-night stay for two in January, with flights, accommodation, transfers and lift passes all included.
These are the most affordable package deals for January 2026:
1. Bansko, Bulgaria – £320pp
Sunday, 18 January – Wednesday, 21 January
Includes: Three nights B&B at Hotel Dzhangal, return London – Sofia flights, airport transfers, two-day ski lift pass
2. Les Houches, France – £332pp
Sunday, 11 January – Wednesday, 14 January
Includes: Three nights’ accommodation at Les Campanules, return London – Geneva flights, airport transfers, two-day ski lift pass
3. Zakopane, Poland – £342pp
Sunday, 11 January to Wednesday, 14 January
Includes: Three nights B&B at Hotel Nosalowy Dwór, return London – Krakow flights, airport transfers, two-day ski lift pass
4. Arinsal, Andorra – £350pp
Tuesday, 13 January to Friday, 16 January
Includes: Three nights’ accommodation at Sant Gothard, return London – Barcelona flights, airport transfers, two-day ski lift pass
Heidi noted that for those who don’t want ski passes included in the package, prices are expected to be even cheaper. Travellers can also search ‘anywhere’ on the Heidi website for further deals if they’re flexible on their location.
Co-founder of Heidi, Marcus Blunt shared: “If you’re not restricted to school holidays, go skiing in January – it’s off-peak and therefore usually the cheapest time and the slopes are quieter. Snow conditions are great in January, so you can also choose from lower altitude resorts, which can be cheaper than some of the bigger, higher-altitude resorts.
“If budgets are tight, go for a long weekend or short mid-week break. It may sound obvious, but with 4 or 5 nights instead of a full week, you still get lots of skiing in, but it really brings the overall cost down. If you’re flexible with your dates, use our flexible dates search filter – you could save hundreds by flying on mid-week days versus over a weekend.
“Everyone loves a bargain, but our customers prioritise getting great value over just the lowest price. Price matters, of course, but getting the quality experience they want for their money – with flexibility, convenience, and peace of mind – matters more. That’s where Heidi helps travellers make smart choices.”
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