Rachael Waite talks family ski holidays

I speak from experience – a vast amount of experience…

Having qualified as a nanny in 1992, I have 7 ski seasons under my belt. Now I am the Childcare Manager for VIP SKI and have been for the past 12 years, I also have two children; Thomas and Olivia. 

Thomas was a mere 4 months old when we enjoyed out first family ski holiday 9 years ago in Val d’Isère and there was no questioning whether we would miss out on our annual trip. Having children is most definitely not the end of your skiing career; call it the start of skiing ‘en famille’ 

It’s about sitting down before-hand and finding out what you and your little ones want to get from the holiday – do you want a chalet or hotel holiday, will you be travelling just as a family or with others, what is your resort preference, do you need childcare and ski school?   

My 12 years with VIP SKI means I have been fortunate to ski in all of our resorts and stayed in many of our chalets and hotels. Here are my thoughts on the difference a hotel and chalet holiday bring to the whole skiing experience.

I am a great advocate of the ‘Family Chalet Holiday’ and as VIP SKI have a great selection of smaller chalets, there’s no pressure to round up a large group of people to fill the chalet to capacity. A catered chalet holiday gives you the personal space that you require when taking babies and young children away. 

As soon as your host welcomes you though the door, that space is yours, your children have the freedom to roam around and you don’t have to worry about following them, clearing up the trail of destruction they leave behind them. A chalet holiday means you don’t have to go to bed when your children do, because it’s fine to leave them in their room on their own, it is a home from home. A chalet holiday allows mum to take time off from the ‘household chores’ such as cleaning, making beds, cooking (yes even the children are catered for) and gosh you even get a wake up drink each morning (although I cannot guarantee that your children won’t have woken you before-hand). 

Here’s the best bit, for that extra indulgence, to ensure you actually get to enjoy that time on the slopes VIP SKI offer a Private Nanny Service to cater for all your childcare needs as well as an evening babysitting service. The nannies can care for babies as young as 12 weeks to a child aged 12 years, the service is unbelievably flexible. There’s no need to feel guilty as you walk out the door each morning, applying sun block and checking for the 10^th time you have your sunglasses and gloves, because trust me, your children have got a day of exciting activities planned with their simply fabulous nanny.  

Having only ever skied in France, last winter, with a little persuasion from the hubbie we took our first ‘non chalet holiday’ and stayed at the Hotel Montjola in St Anton.  I won’t lie, I was stepping out of my comfort zone and was sceptical, especially as I wasn’t able to take to the hill (Achilles injury from previous ski trip, but that’s another story). That said I wanted to try the VIP SKI ‘hotel’ experience and visit Austria, and as the children were 9 and 4 we thought it would be more fun for them – knowing that there were other families booked into the hotel the same week.

The week exceeded all expectations!  The hotel had such a relaxed feel to it and the staff (host, kitchen and management) set out to ensure that every one of their guests needs were catered for.  We met so many like-minded parents and it meant that socially it was great and of course the children made friends too. With chefs catering for every dietary need and the hotel hosts taking care of making the beds up each morning, it was as relaxing as staying in a chalet.  

There are bedrooms with extra kid’s beds and a selection of rooms that can be sold as suites, which offer more privacy.  For those travelling with young babies, a mini fridge can be put into your room for the duration of your stay to store bottles and the night feed can be warmed at reception by the night porter…. don’t worry he won’t bat an eyelid. 

Here’s the best, bit not only do VIP SKI offer their fab Private Nanny Service at the hotel, but there is also the Montjola Kids which caters for ski aged children aged 3yrs+.  Those wonderful nannies also run a Cocoa Club in the evenings.  Imagine being allowed to enjoy a ‘grown up dinner’ knowing that your children were being well cared for by a professional.  For those children who do like to sleep, the hotel rooms are secure and a handful are ‘baby monitor’ friendly, so weary little ones can be put to bed to allow to dine with a peace of mind.  

Whether you choose chalet or hotel, we promise to make it easy for you. We’ll provide cots and highchairs, linen, sterilisers, change mats and potties, bed-guards and stair-gates, toilet seats and steps.  Purees or solids, dairy free or nut allergy, vegetarian or just plain fussy – our Chalet Hosts and Chefs have experience it all. You don’t even need to pack nappies and wipes; they can be waiting for you when you arrive. 

9 years on from that first trip, Thomas is cruising down blues and reds and negotiates black runs with a confidence that I just don’t possess.  Not one to be left out and always in tow is our youngest Olivia (now 4) who had her first experience on a pair of skis in April of this year, it was a delight to watch her excitement ‘skiing for the first time’. I do not doubt she’ll be at her brother’s heels before long.

I am here to chat any time, send me an email to childcare@vip-chalets.com or give me a ring on 020 8870 1719. I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.