BEST FAMILY SKI RESORTS IN THE ALPS
Destinations That Will Create New Skiers
Best Family-Friendly Ski Resorts in the Alps
Known as the “cradle of skiing”, the Alps are where mountain villages became winter destination resorts, offering skiing, ice-skating, sledding and tobogganing, among other relaxing pursuits at world-class grand hotels, over a century ago. That tradition continues today, with some of the world’s best ski schools, diverse alternatives to ski school lessons, and the historic villages that could only be found in the Alps. These are some of our favorite family-friendly ski resorts in the Swiss and French Alps, but we can also recommend other resorts in Italy and Austria as well.
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Zermatt, Switzerland
Zermatt truly offers skiing for all abilities, from the vast easy cruising trails at altitude to numerous kids’ zones like the Wölli park at Sunnegga, and the seemingly endless off-piste runs and even heliskiing for experts, this is our top recommendation for families with diverse ski abilities and goals. With a large selection of luxury chalets and apartments plus the very family friendly Mont Cervin Palace 5*, conveniently located in the center of the historic village. And for non-skiers, there is plenty to keep you entertained, from the Gornergrat train to 3100m (also great for kids, especially the toboggan piste at Rotenboden), to the new Klein Matterhorn 3S Gondola to 3800m, to the Matterhorn Museum. Kids under 9 ski for free, always a bonus. And everyone can meet up at one of the 90+ pon-mountain restaurants to recount the tales of their day, skiers, experts and novices, and non-skiers alike.
Megève, France
Megève is a paradise for families and intermediate skiers, with its idyllic medieval village lined with cobblestoned streets, and seemingly endless intermediate groomed slopes covering more than 400km over 4 distinct resorts. And for families of varying abilities, you will likely find untracked powder just adjacent to the groomers. Megève also is home to many of the best mountain restaurants in France, most of which can be reached with the bare minimum of skiing. The new Four Seasons Hotel Megeve (opened Dec. 2017) is the only hotel directly on the Mont d’Arbois slopes, offering ski-in ski-out accommodations.
Off the slopes, the chic pedestrian village is home to a fabulous sports center – Le Palais, with separate indoor pools for adults and children, saunas, steam room and hot tubs, an Olympic standard indoor ice rink, indoor tennis, climbing gym, library and more. Non-skier activities include horse-drawn sleigh rides, dog sledding or visits to a reindeer farm. And with a transfer of only 1 hour and 15 minutes from the Geneva Airport, Megeve is the easiest connection in the Alps.
Crans-Montana, Switzerland
Crans Montana offers several diverse kids’ parks which are very easily accessible for families with young children learning to ski. The Merignou lift has the “easy snow park” slope just beside it, so you can have a fun run with some high-five’s to give and bumps to jump. “The Snow Island” on the golf course is the family meeting place in winter: snow-tubing and sledding, button (poma) lifts, and a magic carpet for novice skiers. For the more experienced, other more technical slopes like the “Boubi Rombaldi” piste that is used for the ladies’ World Cup downhill awaits. Crans-Montana has the “family-skiing” designation, that guarantees a lot of other non-skiing winter activities for families as well.
Gstaad, Switzerland
If you are looking for easy cruiser skiing, quintessential Swiss scenery, and world-class luxury hotels, then the Gstaad-Saanenland region is the place for you. The region boasts 10 different ski areas, ranging from the tiny single-lift Wasserngrat (home to the infamous Eagle Club) to the Glacier 3000 region at the top of the Col du Pillon, the highest ski access in the Gstaad Mountain Rides resorts. Despite its ritzy reputation, the region has remained genuinely Alpine and down-to-earth, and celebrates the Saanenland’s tradition of agriculture alongside the 5* hotels and billionaires’ chalets. For families, it presents a great opportunity for first-time skiers and novices, with kids under 6 skiing for free, and the ski schools offer pick-up and drop-off at your hotel or chalet, which makes a big difference given the spread-out nature of the skiing. And for sledding enthusiasts of all ages (who is too old for sledding?), nearly every ski area has dedicated toboggan runs, one even totaling over 8km, from Wispile to Gsteig!
Courchevel, France
One of the particularities of Courchevel is the variety of luxury ski-in/-out properties, which is rare in the Alps, and a bonus for families. Gentle green slopes wind through the different neighborhoods of the resort to join the Chalets and Hotels. For beginners, the domain offers a lot of mellow slopes like the “Jardin Alpin” which is totally served by magic carpets. The “Western Skipark” takes you slalom through tipis and fun cowboy-themed obstacles. It’s situated at the arrival of the “Ariondaz” gondola at Moriond. If you want to get some altitude and escape the base area, take the gondola “Verdon” & “Vizelle” to arrive at more than 2700m. From there you can enjoy the piste “Creux” down to “Prameruel”, take the “Gravelles” chairlift with the special security chairlifts for children, and back down to Courchevel 1850.
Verbier, Switzerland
While known as an off-piste and expert skiers’ paradise, Verbier is also a fantastic place for skiing debutantes and amateurs to hone their skills. Not to mention the wide selection of some of the Alps’ most stunning large-format luxury chalets (both catered and self-catered), perfect for large groups and multiple families to stay together in style.
For the youngest and first-timers, the Les Esserts “magic carpet” lifts on the gentle slopes of the golf course offer a great area to learn the basics. Then the Poma-lifts of Le Rouge and Les Moulins, right in the middle of town, and accessible from many chalets are a good step-up before moving up to the big mountain. Finally, the area of Lac de Vaux and La Chaux are the domain of easy cruisers for the ski schools and private instructors. Once they have the hang of it, skiers can “graduate” to the upper alpine, and traverse the entirety of the 4 Valleys ski region with ease on well-maintained groomed pistes. Other activities include night-time sledding from some of Verbier’s best mountain restaurants (fun for all ages), a kid-friendly climbing gym at the sports center, and kids’ aprés-ski at the Milk Bar, for a shake or dessert reward for a great day on the mountain.
Arosa, Switzerland
One of our favorite under-the-radar resorts, Arosa is in the Graubunden canton, not far from Davos, but at the end of an isolated valley accessed by a beautiful train ride, a great way to arrive with children. Their offer for young skiers is exceptional, especially if staying at the Tschüggen Grand hotel, where you start your day on the roller-coaster-like Tschüggen Express lift, directly from the hotel to the kids’ ski area and nursery slopes. Gentle groomers await, and if you are lucky enough to visit during the full moon, there is “Moon-Shine” (mondschein) skiing, lit only by the moon on the upper mountain, but the return to town by auxiliary lights as well. Sledding is as popular as skiing at Arosa, and don’t forget to visit the Bear Park, where they have created an alpine refuge for rescued bears, the official mascot and symbol of the valley.
CONTACT US for info on a custom family ski trip in the Alps.
Trips:
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Verbier Family Skiing - Freeriding for the adults, nursery slopes for the debutantes, and everything in between. Verbier is not for experts-only, as their family-friendly offers are some of the best in the Swiss Alps, not to mention luxury catered chalets.
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Zermatt Family Skiing - One of the largest resorts in the world, with terrain for all abilities - and the best part, is that the upper mountain is novice-friendly with glacier slopes that are mellow and gentle, for skiing under the Matterhorn no matter your experience.
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Crans-Montana Family Skiing - On the sunny side of the Rhône Valley, Crans Montana is known for summertime and golf, but also for wonderful family skiing, luxury hotels, and views stretching from the Matterhorn to Mont Blanc.
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Family Skiing Overview - There's a reason that the Alps are called the Cradle of Skiing - it all began here, from modern ski technique, to alpine resorts and grand 5-star hotel hospitality.
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WHAT WE DO
Epic Europe is a luxury experiential adventure travel operator based in the Swiss Alps.
Epic Europe specializes in private bespoke itineraries for small groups. Experiencing the best of each region, from interacting with the local people and enjoying authentic regional food and wine, as well as time-honored traditions and festivals, to recreating in the alpine landscape, and truly understanding why the Alps are the birthplace of adventure travel. From custom ski, hiking, or cycling trips to building in city tours, cultural itineraries, or gastronomic discovery, these award-winning, multi-dimensional trips are tailored to our clients' wishes every time, and are not packaged tours. From Switzerland, Italy, and France's Alps, to world-class cultural cities and larger towns, Epic Europe can design a tailored adventure that fulfills your every need.
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"A day of heliskiing in Italy culminated with a sunset run off the Breuil saddle of the Matterhorn - one of the most thrilling runs of my life - and we left our tracks in a place where they remained for a week afterward, reminding us of the best day of skiing in our life!" - WG, CT USA
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"I have done trips in the Alps and surrounding regions with Epic Europe for the past 4 years, and every one has been unique and surpassed the last. The experiences that they deliver due to their personal relationships are a window into the real life in these incredible locations, and they share these friendships with us." - K.B., CT USA
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"I would have to say that Verbier and Zermatt might be the best places I have ever ridden a mountain bike, and I couldn't imagine going without the help of Epic Europe's guides. It was a dream trip for sure." - B.S., PA USA
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"Epic Europe has coordinated several corporate events for us over the past 5 years, and I cannot imagine a more professional operation to handle all of the details. From a team-building event for 50 people in a 17th-century castle atop a mountain pass, to marketing conferences and catalog shoots, their knowledge of the best locations in the Alps is second-to-none, and they are as good as it gets at being creative." - E.P., Lugano CH
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"Hiking in the Alps has always been on my bucket list, but I wasn't sure that a typical trip was my style. Epic Europe designed a custom route for our group, staying in the best little inns and hotels, and we felt like we had the trails to ourselves. I will come back again and again to explore new trails with their guides every year that I can!" - R.B., NY USA
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"Our family spent last Christmas in Zermatt on a bespoke Epic Europe ski trip. The special thought and care that they put into our holiday made it our best yet." - L.M.; CA USA
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“The team at Epic Europe created the most incredible trip for us, where everything came together seamlessly, and we never had to think about what came next - it just magically happened as if it was meant to be. That takes real talent, and they make it look easy." - B.N., WY USA
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"Epic Europe's custom road biking trip that they put together for my buddy's bachelor party was great - the right combination of killer rides, great hotels, and outstanding restaurants. Great guides, and overall a perfect trip." - A.S., London UK
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