All You Need to Know About Children’s Ski Lessons in Val Thorens

We’ve got the low down on children’s ski lessons in Val Thorens and everything else you need to know to ensure the kids enjoy their holiday and therefore so can you.

Ski Schools

Val Thorens has a great choice of Ski Schools, most of whom offer children's lessons and there are a handful of Private Ski Instructors who can also take small groups of children or individuals.

Meeting Points

Ski school meeting points tend to be at the bottom of the ski lifts in each of the different sectors of Val Thorens or Les Menuires and some Ski Schools or Private Instructors can meet you at a location of your choice, you just need to ask if they offer this service.

Great Beginners Area & Fun Space

We are blessed with a superb beginner area in Val Thorens with 11 green runs and 29 blue runs. This gives beginners the chance to explore the whole area rather than repeating the same runs again & again. There are 4 magic here carpets which are entirely free to use.

There is an ‘Espace Junior’ green run area for children to find their ski legs, accessible from the top of the Deux Lacs lift. Next door to the Espace Junior is the Fun Slope which is suitable for big kids as well as younger ones. It is a 900 metre course with interactive props such as tunnels, bridges, berms and a trail of giant foam hands to high five.

Bringing the babies along?

Don’t be intimidated if you’re on holiday with very wee ones, free buses around Val Thorens are child-friendly and allow easy access around the resort, although because Val Thorens is the highest resort in Europe, it is advised to not take any children under the age of 3 on the lifts. Altitude sickness & equalisation problems can occur & at a very young age children may not recognise or be able to communicate that they are feeling unwell.

But there’s plenty to do on the ground with the little ones! If you fancy a stroll, the Belleville Valley has some stunning walking trails. The Plan d’eau near the Bruyere district of Les Menuires is worth the bus ride. It is a relatively flat nature reserve, offering a variety of trail loops & lengths. To warm up try Restaurant Les Sonnailles at the entrance. Free maps are available from the Tourist Office.

Lift Passes for Little Ones

Kids under 5 ski for free, but they still need to get a lift pass for access onto all the lifts. Kids under 1m25 must be accompanied by an adult on the chair, no more than 2 kids per adult (one on either side).

Where to eat with the kids?

Try Café Face West near the tourist office which has easy access for skiers & walkers alike. La Maison on Rue de Caron is child friendly (despite the lack of high chairs & baby changing facilities!) and they make great pizzas.

360 Bar (there is a big knife & fork sign on the top of the building) make a great waffle & are conveniently located on a green run making it accessible for the whole family. 360 Bar is situated just above the entrance of the Moraine & Portette chairlifts, on the terrace outside of the Chalets the Thorens. From the resort you can take the Cascade chairlift, the 2 Lacs or the Funitel Peclet to get there.

Chalet de Caron make great hot dogs & are located a gentle ski down the Cairn blue piste, at the foot of the Cime Caron lift. Folie’s To Go at La Folie Douce do also great sweet & savoury snacks to eat while you boogie. Find more restaurants in Val Thorens.

What else can the kids get up to?

If you’re looking for some afternoon and evening activities for the kids, Val Thorens has plenty to offer.

Watch a movie at the highest cinema in Europe, Le Lac Blanc Cinema. They have two showings per day, one at 5.30 pm and the other at 9 pm. On bad weather days, an extra show is added at 2.30 pm. There is a Bowling lane near the tourist office, with 8 lanes & bumpers available for children. There is also a games room with billiard, pool and snooker tables as well as video games, table football and air hockey.

Sledging on the 6km long run (the longest one in France) which is accessible from the Funitel Peclet lift and starts at the bottom of the Glacier de Peclet. The run is open everyday from 10:00 to 15:00 and on every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings. The Sports Centre has lots of indoor facilities for children; swimming pools, bouncy castles, trampolines, soft play ball pits, tennis, football, volley ball, squash courts, ping-pong tables, badminton courts and basket ball courts. For something a bit different, go for dinner in a yurt at Le Chalet de la Marine or try snowmobiling or snowshoeing, which would be quite an adventure for families with older children.

Also check out what is going on for the week you’re there. When you arrive in your resort ask your reps or head down to the tourist office to find out what’s on during your week in Val Thorens. With different activities/entertainment each week it’s good to get your finger on the pulse so as not to miss out. From Elf shows and Santa’s parade during Christmas, to an on-snow music concert for New Year to torchlight descents throughout the season, there’s often something special going on in resort.

Be Mindful of the Weather & Altitude

Families should be aware of the cold, but sunny weather Val Thorens often experiences and consider that children are more susceptible to temperature changes than adults. Children need to be dressed in suitably protective clothing to protect them from getting frostbite or sun burn. Plenty of layers to deal with sudden weather changes, waterproof shells, warm snow boots, good quality gloves, hats & helmets, category 3 or 4 UV sunglasses/goggles & SPF50 sun cream are all highly recommended.

Val Thorens is the highest ski resort in Europe at 2300m, so although people are comfortable at village altitude, parents should be mindful of using the high altitude lifts with young children. The highest lift accessed peaks are Pointe du Bouchet (3220 m) and Cime de Caron (3200 m). The rapid ascents & sudden drop in air pressure can play havoc with young children’s ears who are unable to equalise their ears as easily as adults. And note that it takes longer than the average week long ski holiday to fully acclimatise to the altitude.

Find ski and snowboard hire in Val Thorens.

Thanks very much to the team at New Generation Val Thorens for this article.

New Generation Val Thorens Ski School Info

Children’s group ski lessons with New Generation run Monday-Friday (with an optional Sunday add-on) from 9am until 1:30pm for 5 or 6 days. This includes an all important refuel stop and allows the group to explore the slopes of Val Thorens without any time constraints (and allows you time to explore too!). There is also an option to extend the lesson to two full days on Tuesday and Thursday. This is a great option for kids who want to socialise and make new friends all whilst improving their skiing steadily with daily progress.

Lessons run from beginners to Freeride level ages 4-13 (please specify level and age when booking to ensure the best fit group). For children age 4-5 we have shorter group lessons that run for two hours and start at 11:30 when the temperatures have risen and the snow has become more forgiving for little people. Their Groups are limited to 6 children, with a helper when there are 3 or more. This ensures they get plenty of individual attention.

Or opt for private kids lessons that give one on one experience, or the lesson can be shared amongst a few children of the same level, where they get 100% of the instructors attention. The instructor can tailor the lesson exactly to the need to your child, or children.

The meeting point for our Val Thorens Ski School is outside the Montana Restaurant at the top of the Musarainge magic carpet. New Generation ski and snowboard instructors are easily identifiable in their bright blue uniforms.

See you on the slopes!