Family Skiing Reviews
Why I
choose Les Gets
by Catherine Barker of Pure Mountain Holidays.
With the wealth of options available, it's often a tricky task deciding
which ski resort to choose for your ski holiday, especially when
there's the children to consider! More often than not, the checklist
tends to go something like this:
Is the snow good?
What are the runs like?
How long are the transfers?
How good is the ski school?
How child friendly is the resort?
What is the childcare like?
Are there any apres ski activities for the children?
It can be quite an ordeal for any parent to find a resort that ticks
all those boxes. Well, Les Gets does this and more.
Situated an hour away from Geneva airport, Les Gets is a 12th century
farming village that has grown into one of French skiings best kept
secrets. Although parts of the ski area sit at a moderate altitude, its
northern aspect means that it often gets better snow than many other
French resorts that are higher. This factor, along with the abundance
of north-facing slopes, ensures better quality snow that lasts late
into the season.
So what's the skiing like? Well, the local Les Gets/Morzine ski area
contains 48 lifts servicing over 120km of pistes. One of the best
features of this stunning area is its ability to cater for skiers of
all levels and abilities. The terrain varies from wide, gradual
motorway runs to sumptuous powder fields and steep, funnelled couloirs;
whatever your preferred modus operandi, there will be something here to
suit you.
And if that's not enough the village of Les Gets is perfectly situated
for exploring the Portes du Soleil ski system in its entirety. With
over 650kms of piste to choose from, the vast Portes du Soleil is the
largest ski area in Europe, and is perfect for skiers of all abilities.
Encompassing picturesque tree-lined runs, large open bowls and
expansive free-ride areas, there is plenty for everyone in this
little-known ski utopia.
What about the little ones? Happily, Les Gets places great emphasis on
the safety of children learning to ski in a fun and social environment.
In fact, the resort has recently obtained the
‘P’tits Montagnards’ standard by Ski
France Organisation, which requires that an extremely high level of
care is given to the welcome, safety and well-being of children on
holiday here.
|
With
this in mind, there is an area dedicated solely for the use of 5-12
year olds, It is all themed around Trappers and Indians, with Wigwams,
Snakes eggs and many other themed objects. There are two lifts serving
runs including bumps and banked coners so the children can learn to ski
whilst having fun. Conveniently, the area is near the top of the
Chavannes bubble lift, so meeting up for lunch is easy peasy, and
there’s no need to travel all the way back down the
mountain.
Another
great feature of Les Gets is the emphasis that it places on family.
There is a large number of events that the village organises, which the
family can watch and even participate in.
Every Monday at
5pm there is a fireworks show and a torchlight descent by all the ESF
instructors. A large copper cauldron of mulled wine is heated over an
open fire to keep you warm while you watch and If you’re
looking for
other activities, there’s a lovely floodlit ice rink which
stays open
until 10pm, a cinema and an intimate two lane bowling alley which makes
you feel like you’re on the set of an old 1950s movie!
And
childcare? The local nursery is Les Fripouilles which welcomes children
between the ages of 6 months and 4 years, in the Maison des Gets.
Qualified staff supervise the children during indoor activities
(drawing, painting, water games, story-telling, etc.) and as they
discover the joys of snow in the little garden. And for the older
children Le Club des P'tits Montagnys (ESF) welcomes young skiers, aged
4 to 12, before or after their ski class. In complete cooperation with
the ski instructors of the Ecole de Ski Français, the team
of qualified
staff will involve your little champions in indoor or outdoor
games,depending on the weather conditions:games in the snow, sledding,
walks, games, reading, videos, indoor activities…Your
chidren are
welcome even if they don’t ski.
So that's just a taste of
why we love Les Gets, and it was for these reasons and many more that
we chose Les Gets as our base and why parents have been coming back
year after year.
For more info on Pure Mountain please see their website at www.puremountainholidays.com.
|
