Chalet 1802 - Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

Fancy a family skiing holiday in 2012? With the best ski resorts increasingly realising that skiers of all ages enjoy hitting the slopes, family ski holidays are becoming more and more accessible. Some keen skiers are now as young as three years of age, and are seen heading out to the lift with their parents for a skiing session. This confidence is due to the high quality of the instruction that is now available for children.  Families are further encouraged by some great entertainment that is provided for all ages at the resorts.  Childcare provision is also available at some of the top ski resorts, allowing parents to have some quality time on their own during the evenings.

1. Snowshoe Mountain, in West Virginia, is one of the top skiing destinations in the world. Not only will you find some of the best skiing conditions available; excellent accommodation for luxury holidays can be enjoyed in the platinum suites. Besides fresh powder and slopes perfect for every skill level, the activities include tubing, snowmobiles, terrain parks and even a Big Top carnival for hours of warm indoor fun.

2. Aussois, in France’s Maurienne Valley, offers not only skiing, but also a beautiful village, featuring attractive slate and stone-built houses and activities that appeal to the whole family. In addition to skiing, wildlife safari snowshoeing and sledging on inflatables will entertain children and adults alike.

3. Switzerland’s Veysonnaz in the 4 Valleys area offers the gentlest slopes nearest to the lodges, making it easy for parents of young children to keep an eye on the smaller skiers, while more experienced snow-lovers will want to head to the higher slopes for a stiffer challenge.

4. The resort in the Dolomites in Val Gardena, Italy, welcomes children to a family oriented resort tailored to a family’s slower pace. For more experienced skiers, Val Gardena is part of Dolomiti Superski, providing more options to challenge stronger skiers.

5. Les Gets, France is a picturesque resort with some unusual activities available, including paragliding and dogsledding! Friendly, caring day-care facilities are available for those too small for the slopes, and older children will be thrilled with Les Gets’ gentle beginner to intermediate slopes.

6. Snowmass, in Colorado is Aspen skiing at its best. Fancy an overnight adventure, camping in the mountain wilderness? Snowmass is the place for you. As well as guided overnight camping, Snowmass offers mountain biking, paintballing, fishing and many other activities that are sure to appeal to the entire family.

7. Northstar, in Lake Tahoe, makes our top-ten list with its live music, ice skating and, for the more adventurous tourist, bungee jumping. Geocaching has become popular in recent years in the United States. Geocaches’ visit websites, where coordinates of a hiding place are revealed. They then follow the directions to locate hidden “buried treasures” left by other enthusiasts.

8. Badrutt’s Palace is one of St. Moritz’s most attractive locations for families with children. Whether your offspring is a toddler or is in the upper grades, there’s an activity to keep them entertained. The trained staff members are child-friendly and the children are even welcomed with a gift.

9. A Husky dog park, a goat farm and a treetop playground adventure make Les Houches in the Chamonix Valley one of the top ten family-friendly resorts. Oh, yes, and the skiing is also excellent.

10. Finally, Breckenridge, Colorado rounds out our top-ten countdown with its classically luxurious resort which has had 50 years to perfect its catering for families.

Chalet Sous Les Bois has been featured in The Telegraph as one of the best 12 chalets for gastronomes in the alps: http://tgr.ph/nWqmLY.

Pretty chuffed to feature and the chalet is now priced the same as Schuss on a per person basis and can be booked on a per room basis as well.

If you’re heading to Chamonix skiing this winter then it’s a good idea to have a look at the ski area before you arrive. The last thing you want to be doing is trying to navigate your way around the ski resort ‘blind’ on your very first morning.

Chamonix is unlike a lot of ski resorts in that the various ski areas are primarily not interlinked. This means that you need to either catch a free bus or drive to and from the various areas.

As many of the areas cater for different levels of skiers, and are best suited to different weather conditions, having a grasp of the ski areas will save you a lot of hassle. Here’s the link for the Chamonix piste map 2012.

Chalet Sous Les Bois has made it though to the shortlist of The UK & International Property Design Awards 2011. The awards are hosted by leading interior design magazine design et al, and reward the best in interior design from around the globe.

The voting is open to the public so please head to The Design Awards and vote, it will only take a minute and would be a great help. Thank you…

Buying a vehicle for a chalet company is a nightmare. You’re limited by the fact that they have to seat 8 guests plus a driver. So that leaves you with a choice between minibuses or Landrover Defenders. Just what is the best vehicle for your Chamonix accommodation?

Now Landrover Defenders are nothing if not design classics. I honestly think they look great and are fantastic off road. We couldn’t have a better vehicle for the snowy drive at Chalet Schuss. BUT they drink fuel, and their design, although classic, hasn’t been updated in 40 years – and they are soon to be out of production as they don’t quite meet EU safety regulations (if you’re in them you’re fine, it’s whatever they hit that isn’t).

That leaves us with minibuses. Renault traffics are terrible. There, I’ve said it. Never buy a French manufactured car. The fuel economy is good, the luggage space great, but that’s about it. They’re plasticky, and just fall apart to the touch. So they’re a no no.

That leaves the Mercedes Vito, more expensive, German and made in Spain – so I’ll have to give that a miss. Or the VW Transporter, more expensive, German and, well you get the idea.

However, my problem may have been solved by the Geneva Motor Show. Why limit myself to Defenders and minibuses. So I’ve come up with three possible solutions, now I just need to trade in the Traffics and start saving.

For The Farmhouse I’ve opted for a Brabus iBusiness Mercedes Viano. Yes it’s a minibus, but it has been adapted by Brabus to suit the needs of the traveling skier. It is a veritable multimedia lounge on wheels, complete with gadgets such as the iPad, MacMini, iPhone and iPod with a 3.0-liter V6 CDI Brabus engine and a top speed of 155 mph.

For Sous Les Bois I’ve chosen a slightly more refined option. Less gimmicky than the Brabus, but equally as comfortable with many additional features and a snip at €492,602

“The Maybach 62 includes many luxury features such as fully-reclining rear seats, Maybach 4 zone climate control, tinted-windows, infrared-reflecting laminated glass all round, AirMATIC dual control air suspension, display instruments in rear roof liner (showing speed, time and outside temperature), folding rear tables (left and right), BOSE Surround Everywhere sound system and a refrigerator compartment.” Wikipedia.

For Chalet Schuss I think we’ll stick with the ever reliable Landrover Defender – with a few modifications of course…