If taking the kids out of school during term time isn’t an option for you, then have you considered an Easter ski break? Skiing during the Easter holidays has become increasingly popular over the last 5 years and makes an excellent alternative to a Half Term or New Year break.
Spring skiing conditions lend themselves well to a family ski holiday. Typically, 
in April, the snow is best in the mornings and can get a little softer in the late afternoon. So, get the kids booked in for morning lessons and you can enjoy your skiing while the snow is good and the little ones are learning. Compared to the busier half term and New Year holidays, the slopes will be much quieter and you won’t be facing huge queues for the lifts, so you can really maximise your slope time. Next, you can enjoy a leisurely lunch on the mountain and some sunny family skiing / snowball fights / sledging in the afternoon. There’ll be no complaining of being too cold – just remember to apply plenty of sun screen and remove your goggles at lunch to avoid embarrassing tan lines!
If you choose to ski at Easter, you’ll save on the cost of accommodation – compared to half term, you’ll find that all types of accommodation are significantly cheaper for the Easter holidays, so you can take the opportunity to stay somewhere really lovely, for less! Easter prices at Chalet Virolet start from just 795 euros per adult and 595 per child for 7 nights on a half board basis. Or rent our lovely self catered apartment Le Wetzet – prices start from 1750 euros per week.
Here in the Portes du Soleil, ski pass prices are also reduced at Easter. From the 1st April onwards, your Les Gets/Morzine pass is 15% cheaper (a saving of 30 euros per adult and 23 euros per child).
So for a school holiday ski, with a reasonable price tag, why not give Easter skiing a try? Contact us if you’d like us to help you arrange your next brilliant ski holiday!
January is a brilliant choice – with quiet slopes and no queues for lifts you can really make the most of your time on the hill. If you have friends who ski a lot, they’ll invariably have lots of advice, which can be helpful, but they are also likely to talk at length about snow conditions and how you must consider this, which may be confusing! As a rule, if this is going to be your first ski holiday, you really don’t need to worry too much about the snow – whatever the time of year, there will be enough for you, as a beginner, to learn to ski on and to ski all week to your level.
supermarket shopping, cooking or eating out in the evening when you are tired! If you choose an independent chalet rather than a big company, you’ll also benefit from direct contact with the owners before and during your stay, who will be very happy to help you arrange all aspects of your holiday and answer any questions you might have. Remember that, as a complete beginner, you DON’T want ‘ski in ski out’ accommodation (you can’t ski yet!) but do choose somewhere that’s walking distance to the slopes or easily accessible by bus/car. 
staying for a week – book into ski school every morning. Depending on your budget, you can go for a large school or a smaller independent company, where your class will be smaller. If there are a few of you, then you could go for a small private group lesson, rather than joining an existing ski school course (where you’ll be with other learners). Whichever option you choose, you’ll have your afternoons free to spend together and practice what you’ve learnt so far. If you’re on a short break – book some private lessons for at least your first 2 days – either one to one or as a group if there’s a few of you. Having a dedicated instructor will give you the best chance of getting up and skiing in as short a time as possible. Again, depending on budget, you can choose a large school or an independent company. If you’re coming to Les Gets, check out our 
you book your ski lessons as sometimes a free or discounted lift pass is included in the lesson price. How do you know which pass to buy? Well, most ski resorts in Europe are part of a larger ‘linked’ ski area (for example Les Gets/Morzine is part of the larger Portes du Soleil area). If you’re a beginner, you will not need to buy a large area pass – in this example, just the Les Gets/Morzine pass will give you enough range for your first trip.
service you receive and quality of kit. As a beginner, you need somewhere that will look after you and ensure your kit is well fitting and comfortable. This is where, again, it really is best to choose independent accommodation who will help you with this and can also usually get you a good discount! It’s also advisable to use a hire shop where you can leave your kit overnight, so you don’t have to carry anything back to your accommodation each night!
It’s always worth asking friends if they have anything you can borrow – there’s no point buying your own kit until you know you’ll ski again! And rather than buying new, Ebay is great for picking up barely used kit. Getting the right gear for your first ski trip needn’t be complicated or expensive.
ing to stay alive. This was an exercise in keeping your nerve just as much as strength!
Now that the snow has completely melted, some of our favourite mountain walks are also accessible, so Fidji is delighted. One of the best is the hike up the Chavannes, round the Rosta bowl and back down to the village. The walk crosses lots of pistes and passes lots of lift stations that we visit regularly in the winter and it’s really interesting to see them in their summer greenery.
of agreeing next year’s menu ALWAYS starts with a debate about Tartiflette. For those who haven’t tried it yet, Tartiflette is the local speciality here in Les Gets – everyone seems to have their own recipe (Jen adds one secret ingredient :>) but basically, it’s made with potatoes, onions, lardons, cream and the local cheese Reblochon – typically served with locally sourced charcuterie and a crisp, fresh salad to cut through all that cheese. Really, what’s not to like? This dish was born to be on a chalet menu – traditional Alpine fare with lots of skier friendly carbs! And we can say confidently that our guests LOVE Tartiflette (the veggie mushroom version too) – plates are ALWAYS cleared and seconds always taken. When choosing a dish for a chalet menu, we think it needs to be comforting, delicious and interesting whilst appealing to a wide variety of people – in our experience, Tartiflette certainly ticks all of these boxes.
weekly pungent aroma of melting Reblochon. The fact is that both of us have developed a massive aversion to both the smell and taste of Tartiflette – a VERY inconvenient truth when you live in a village where every restaurant oozes melted fromage and every shop is bursting with ‘I love Tartiflette’ products! To boot, it also clings to a casserole dish like a snowboarder to a button lift and beats the dishwasher EVERY time!
In year 2, we removed Tartiflette from the menu – I couldn’t tell you what we replaced it with because it lasted all of 2 weeks. It turns out that when a repeat guest asks ‘so when is tartiflette night?’ the correct answer is basically any day of the week. The WRONG answer is ‘we actually took it off the menu’ and can only end in a mad dash to the village to buy an emergency wheel of Reblochon, whilst furiously peeling a couple of kilos of spuds.
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