Skiing with a 17 month old?
Ski resorts plus children under the age of two don’t mix. You’d be forgiven for thinking that this is in fact law given the multitude of mountain activities that bar children under the age of two.
Disproving the theory
So, equipped with our 17 month old son, my wife and I set out to disprove this theory. Our mission did not start well as we searched for suitable toddler friendly activities, play-groups with similar aged children, kids-clubs happy to take little children and much more besides. Doors were shut in our faces wherever we went. Activities aren’t designed for little ones, people understandably don’t set up play groups when on holiday and Kids Clubs don’t want the responsibility of looking after toddlers. Things did not look promising.
Mountains and villages made for children
The mountains and small villages dotted along their slopes are made for little children. This is not just a throw away remark. These villages are invariably home to strong communities unsullied by big brands and broadband and as such children are incredibly satisfied with their lot.
Visiting local farms
Every day we visited local farms where we fed sheep, milked cows, watched calves and lambs being born and saw eggs and honey being prepared for sale. Farmers, whose mother tongue was a local Alpine dialect were always delighted to show us around their barns or to let our son sit on their tractors. Sign-language was a great means of communication for all involved.
Peaceful walks and a natural hot spring
We found immaculate local swimming pools and a natural hot spring. These places were uniformly fresh and clean and as welcoming as a swimming pool could be for little ones. Walks into side valleys away from the pistes were a revelation. Forest paths passed fascinating frozen waterfalls which later in the season turned to roaring rivers. The wildlife was incredible, ibex, chamois, marmot and beautiful birds. These birds became so accustomed to our walks that they eventually accepted crumbs from our hand.
Fantastic sledge runs
The Alps has a network of fantastic sledge runs. Some of them are admittedly pretty hairy but we found one which was over five miles long, involved an exciting train ride corkscrewing up the mountain side to get to the start and a steady descent through stunning scenery… and that’s before we even started with snowmen.
Look beyond the resorts
Forget the plastic toys at the Alpine Kids Clubs, look beyond the edge of the ski resorts and you’ll find places that will make you and your little ones very happy indeed.
