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Family skiing - worth waiting or book now?

20th October 2014 Print
Stubai Gletscher

For most families, bound by school holidays, skiing during the Easter holidays represents the best value for money, in comparison to Christmas and half-term school holidays. With most schools breaking up on Friday 27th March and Good Friday falling earlier on 3rd April, the choice of where to ski is broader with many resorts at that time still looking forward to another few weeks of the season.

The tourist boards across the Tirol region are offering some great incentives to help families enjoy the most competitive prices next Easter, including free lift passes for under 15s and discounts on accommodation, rentals and ski schools. It no longer pays to play the waiting game for the best deals, whether you choose to book through a tour operator or direct via the tourist board. Availability is key and for the best airfares it’s time to secure that skiing holiday now.

Alpbach – Ski Juwel for Families

It’s been two years since the Alpbach and Wildschönau valleys were linked by lift to create the Ski Juwel. Now offering a combined ski area of over 100km, the Ski Juwel is one of the 10 biggest ski areas in the entire Tirol region. The SKI & FAMILY ALPBACHTAL offer starts from €899 for a family of 4, based on 2 adults and 2 children (up to the age of 15), and includes 7 nights in a self-catering apartment and a 6 day Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau ski pass. Be clever with flights and rather than opting for a classic Saturday-Saturday duration, travel one day later on Sunday 29th March, where currently flights are a more respectable £250 per person. Families and children are well taken care of in the Alpbach Valley, with dedicated children’s areas and valley lifts in Reith, Alpbach and Kramsach. All guests also receive a free Alpbachtal Seenland Card, offering numerous benefits and discounts. Use of the local ski bus network, a weekly sport and outdoor programme, as well as entrance to various attractions and discounts on shopping and restaurants are generally included.

Alpbach Tourist Board (alpbachtal.at)

Free lift passes in the Wilder Kaiser

The Wilder Kaiser resorts of Söll, Ellmau, Scheffau or Going have a special offer for families during the FamilySkiWeeks, where every child under the age of 15 is entitled to a free lift pass for the 90 lifts and 280 kilometres of piste when accompanied by a parent (valid from 14th March until 12th April 2015). The ski school and childcare facilities in each resort in the Wilder Kaiser work well for families, with Scheffau also benefitting from on-mountain childcare. It’s not the most efficient use of time dropping the children off at ski kindergarten then having to make your way up the mountain. In Scheffau you can head to the top station of the Brandstadl lift as a family, enrol the children at the Schneepiraten KidsClub and get straight on the slopes. Apres-ski takes on a different meaning when it comes to a family holiday but the Wilder Kaiser region ensures everyone is entertained with Alpine curling, horse-drawn sleigh rides and tobogganing. A 7 night stay in a self-catering apartment in Scheffau starts from €600 for a family of 4, based on 2 adults and 2 children sharing. Accommodation can be searched on the Wilder Kaiser tourist board website here. Flights to Innsbruck are available with easyJet and British Airways from Gatwick and with Monarch from Manchester.

Wilder Kaiser Tourist Board (wilderkaiser.info)

Neustift – free ski & boot hire and tobogganing

The resort of Neustift is ideal for families and spring skiing at Easter, thanks to its location and proximity to the Stubai glacier. There are some quiet beginner slopes at Elfer but most of the action is at Stubai, Austria’s largest glacier ski area, a 20 minute bus ride down the valley. There are a total of 110km of snowsure slopes to explore, as well as excellent childcare facilities. The Ski Club Micky Maus takes children from 4 – 14 yrs and there is also a non-skiing kindergarten for children from 3 yrs old. Crystal Ski (crystalski.co.uk) has 7 nights at the 4* Alpenhotel Tirolerhof on half board, with prices starting from £2332, based on a family of 3 in a triple room, departing on 28th March. Price includes flights and resort transfers. In addition guests benefit from free ski and boot hire, free toboggan hire and children up to 10 years old receive a free lift pass.

Aside from skiing children can learn a bit of geography too exploring the new ice grotto on the Stubai Glacier, which will open for 2014/15. At an altitude of almost 3,000 meters, near the Eisgrat lift station, a new ice cave lies 30 metres beneath the ski slope. Created in collabration with glaciologists from the University of Innsbruck, children can learn all about the origins of the glaciers; how and when the individual layers of ice are created, why glacier ice shimmers blue and what is meant by glacial milk.

For more information about Stubai visit stubaier-gletscher.com

Obergurgl – free ski hosting, children’s rental and lift passes

For a family skiing holiday the top priority is convenience, with accommodation close to the ski lifts, as well as full day ski school facilities, snow-sure slopes and a generous network of runs. Take your family to one of Austria's highest and most snow sure resorts, Obergurgl, with the leading family ski specialist, Esprit Ski , who offer a comprehensive range of child care for children aged 3 -12 years.

Esprit Ski (espritski.com) is offering the enviably placed Chalet Verwall for £1,029 per adult and children from £514, this excellent chalet provides a real “home from home” for families and ensures great skiing with easy access to the slopes. This price is based travelling on the 5th April and includes return flights from Gatwick to Innsbruck, transfers, free wifi, use of the sauna, free ski hosting and seven nights catered chalet accommodation with a cooked breakfast, afternoon tea, children’s high tea and 4-course dinners with complimentary wine. Esprit Classic Child Care is available from £215 for a week of exclusive ski lessons.

For more information on the Tirol region visittirol.co.uk or keep updated at facebook.com/visittirol

More Photos - Click to Enlarge

Stubai Gletscher Obergurgl Esprit Ski Kids Ski School on the Wiedersbergerhorn TVB Stubai Tirol Wilder Kaiser