It’s well-known that February half term is the most popular week to go skiing, with families trying to fit in a visit to the slopes during the school holidays. While family time on the snow is brilliant fun, what’s less enticing, is over-crowded pistes and long lift queues. It is, however, possible to escape the crowds with the right choice of undiscovered ski resorts. Read on to discover the quietest ski resorts at half term.
Les Menuires, France
If you are looking for the quietest ski resorts at half term, but don’t want to compromise on size of ski area, Les Menuires ski resort is a fantastic choice. The resort has direct access to one of the world’s largest ski areas, the Three Valleys, with over 600km of piste. Often overlooked for the likes of Val Thorens, Méribel and Courchevel, the village of Les Menuires sits at 1,850m, just below Val Thorens and has its own ski area, comprising of 160km of beginner-intermediate runs.
It goes without saying, that if you venture into the wider Three Valleys, you’ll find the slopes are very busy over half term. However, around the lesser-visited Les Menuires, the slopes remain fairly quiet. This creates a family-friendly environment, where children can learn to ski in the local area, away from the crowds. In fact, the French tourist board has awarded the resort the ‘Family Plus’ label, for its family-friendly offering. Ski schools, children’s clubs, tobogganing and husky rides are all part of the fun.
Claviere, Italy
Located in the Milky Way ski area, Claviere has brilliant uncrowded slopes locally. If you buy a full lift pass you can ski an impressive 400km of slopes. The terrain is perfect for beginner and intermediate skiers because of its gentle nature. In addition, the pistes are in great condition because of the ski resort’s snow-sure location and high altitude of 1,350m-2,823m. The short queues and quiet slopes are very appealing to those that want a relaxed ski trip.
Off the slopes, the village has brilliant restaurants that are influenced by French and Italian cuisine, because the ski resort is so close to the border. The après is very low key but you can have a civilised drink at the classy hotel bars in the area.
Trysil, Norway
Norway ski resorts are fantastic for family-friendly winter holidays, with all sorts of activities on and off the snow for a magical week. Despite this, compared to the Alps, you’ll find some of the quietest ski resorts at half term here, with blissfully uncrowded slopes.
Trysil is Norway’s largest ski area and has regularly been voted Norway’s best family resort. The resort is home to over 70km of pistes, full of varied skiing with cruisey blues, tree skiing and wide-open bowls. Trysil has a unique area known as Knettsetra which is a hub for all skiers at lunchtime, helping to create a really vibrant atmosphere.
The majority of accommodation is ski-in ski-out which makes getting everyone onto the snow a relatively straight-forward affair each day. The après-ski scene is fairly laid back, and the families will love the water park at the Radisson Blu.
Wengen, Switzerland
Wengen is an attractive, pedestrianised village that oozes charm and offers a remarkably warm welcome. It’s easy to see why families love it here. A traditional mountain railway takes you up into the magical village. Situated in the spectacularly scenic Jungfrau ski area, the views over the Eiger are incredible. It’s one of the quietest ski resorts at half term and certainly one of the most magical.
Families looking for something a little special will love the peace and quiet here. Wooden chalets, cosy mountain huts and beautiful tree-lined pistes make for the perfect Alpine retreat. Off the snow, try out one of the resort’s tobogganing runs. Or for something a little different, have a go at curling on Wengen’s natural ice-rink.
Westendorf, Austria
The resort of Westendorf is one of Austria’s quietest ski resorts at half term. However, by no means does it compromise on ski area. The ski resort is part of the SkiWelt – one of Austria’s largest linked ski areas – with over 280km of piste.
The village itself is very family-friendly with fantastic nursery slopes for beginners, right above the village. There are excellent ski schools here that make a real effort to ensure learning to ski is fun. Parents can feel confident leaving their children in ski school and heading off to explore the wider SkiWelt area. The slopes across the area tend to remain quiet and are unintimidating making this a great area of intermediates too. The mountain restaurants are mostly family-run and more than welcoming. Plus, there’s the added bonus of being easier on the wallet than French and Swiss resorts.
Would you like to find out more about the quietest ski resorts at half term? Get in touch with our ski experts for a more undiscovered ski resorts on 020 7471 7700.
