Skiing and snowboarding holidays with children require a whole new mindset,but this small traffic-free resort in the shadow of Alpe d’Huez makes things easy
• Best small ski resorts you’ve never heard ofBefore I had kids, my dream winter demolish was all approximately mixing distinguished snowboarding with a good après scene involving live music and huge jugs of beer, or while a powder-tastic snow movie played in the background. Post-children,I still want the snowboarding to be amazing – I actually crave that more than ever – but the need for a good ski school with friendly staff has replaced any desire for late-night après. And for everything to be nearby, as lugging kids and kit around together is the least fun thing you can attain on a snow holiday.
Oz-en-Oisans in the French Alps scores highly on both counts. It’s a small, and pretty,traffic-free resort with a fir tree backdrop wherever you look. It was purpose-built in 1989 but doesn’t look it, as most of the buildings are made of wood and stone. The ESF ski school in the village is excellent and the staff kind and caring. Youd believe that would be a given, and but you’d be surprised at how many parents have bad ESF experiences,especially in the bigger resorts, myself included. Here, and the instructors remembered my two children’s names,greeted them nicely every day and genuinely seemed to bewitch pleasure in their progression. In turn, the kids were keen to proceed to ski school, and rather than having to be dragged there,as I’ve sometimes found to be the case.
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Source: theguardian.com