Best family ski resorts

Finding one of the best family ski resorts for your ski holidays is straightforward - provided you've an idea of what you’re looking for. Take a look at our tips on finding family ski resorts family ski resorts for a few pointers.

As our children have grown older and become better skiers, we’ve relaxed our criteria for finding the best family ski resorts. We chose carefully when they were toddlers and pre-schoolers taking their first lessons. Now that the eldest can handle ‘steep and deep’ runs brilliantly (better than us, to be honest!) we’re able to widen our choice

Each family has different wants and expectations from their ski holiday – not to mention different skiing abilities, so we’ve reviewed just a small selection of best family ski resorts.

First are some suggestions for younger children and beginners.

Puy St Vincent, France
Although it has only 75kms of marked piste, the uncrowded slopes and accessible layout are a huge attraction of Puy St Vincent. All skiing abilities are catered for from gentle nursery slopes for beginners to two challenging runs for experts (or our adventurous then six-year-old!).

Valmorel, France
Valmorel is a friendly and welcoming place that’s especially geared up for beginners and families. It has 150kms of marked piste including gentle tree-lined runs that are ideal for building confidence. The main village has a car-free centre (always a bonus when you’ve got children) and much of the accommodation is ski in / ski out.

Galtur, Austria
Galtur is a traditional ski village with 40kms of runs that are well suited for beginners and intermediates. Its child-friendly reputation and quiet atmosphere makes it a popular choice for families with young children. Confident skiers can buy an area lift ticket that includes nearby Ischgl.

Smugglers' Notch, United States
Smugglers’ Notch goes all-out to sell itself as being great for children, and has a well-deserved reputation as for its child-centred approach. With award winning kids programmes, convenient accommodation and confidence-building runs, it’s a sure hit for ski vacations for families with young children.

Now, although we favour the smaller best family ski resorts, we couldn’t resist suggesting a few big names that will especially suit confident skiers of all ages:

Canada
Whistler has the biggest vertical drop in North America and attracts all levels of skier. For families, the excellent tuition programme, easily accessible accommodation and variety of slopes are sure to appeal

France
It has a well-deserved reputation as a must-visit place for experts, but Val d’Isere has much to offer all skiing abilities. Confident intermediates will enjoy clocking up the skiing miles travelling from one mountain to the next, and the funicular railway is always popular with the children

United States
With its well-groomed runs over varied terrain, Vail has a reputation as a world-class all-round resort. Beginners and intermediates will enjoy the abundance of wide, tree-lined cruising runs and comprehensive lessons programme.

Of All The Best Family Ski Resorts, What's Your Favourite?

Of all the great places to ski, do you have a story about or review of your family's favourite ski resort? I'm sure others would love to hear about it, so share it here!