Keen on a ski holiday but don’t think you should go with a baby? We took our first at 8 weeks old and found we still had a great time
“You’ll never make it”, they said. “There’s no way you’re going to come”…
Background
We’d heard a lot of this. Some extended family were all planning a ski trip to Switzerland for Christmas. It was happening only 8 weeks after the due date for the birth of our first child, Savannah. There was a room spare in the chalet for us, but nobody seriously thought we were going to make it. We were determined though. It’s always great to be able to prove everybody else wrong!
I should point out that we had been on lots of ski holidays before. Some even with family. We’ve visited resorts all over the Alps. On this occasion we were heading for Switzerland, but we’ve also enjoyed some great trips away in France, Italy and Austria. For anyone looking for inspiration for somewhere to go, expect to enjoy a top family ski holiday in the Ötztal Valley, in Austria’s Tyrol.
This would be the first such holiday with a child of our own though – our first family ski holiday. I should also probably say that we actually snowboard, not ski. You get the idea though.
We’d decided early on that flying maybe wasn’t the way to go, so we were planning to drive. We’d allowed a couple of days either side for the journey and thought that a road trip across Europe might actually be a nice way to extend the holiday, while also giving us a chance to take in some of Europe’s best Christmas markets along the way. We were also aware that we would need lots of regular stops with baby, as they are not meant to be sat for too long in a car seat. Other than that, we had no idea what it would actually be like with a newborn baby, but thought we’d give it a go anyway. What could go wrong?
One reason for driving was so that we could take all of the paraphernalia that babies require along with us. So, we loaded the car to the rooftop and set off from our home in Nottingham, UK, heading for the Alps. Here follows our experiences of making such a trip with an 8 week old baby.
The Drive
Switzerland is a fair old drive from the UK. It’s not impossibly far though. We decided we’d stop overnight and take two days in both directions. After taking the Eurotunnel across to Calais, we planned to drive through Belgium and Luxembourg (not just for a cheap fuel fill-up, it’s a place worth visiting in its own right, with some interesting history and must-see castles in Luxembourg), then down through France to Strasbourg, before ending up for the day in Colmar. We would then get to Switzerland the following day. For the return, we would reverse the trip, but aim to do more driving on day one, reaching Mons in Belgium for an overnight stay.
For the most part the drive was actually pretty smooth going. I don’t know if we just have easy babies, but I have always found that as long as they are fed and thoroughly winded, they will usually just fall asleep in the car. Only once when we got stuck in traffic did we have to endure a period of sustained crying. With regular extended breaks we managed the trip easily enough, seemingly without ever overly stressing the baby. See our hints and tips for travelling with babies for more on how we did this.
Colmar, France
On the way down, we chose Colmar, in the Alsace region of Eastern France, for an overnight stop. I must confess it was a bit of a ‘pin in the map’ scenario – I knew nothing about the place but it seemed to be in about the right location for us. It turned out to be a really cute little place, with a beautiful medieval old town of traditional half-timbered buildings. Its legacy of previously being a part of neighbouring Germany shows in the town’s architecture and character.
Being during the run up to Christmas, the town looked really pretty, covered in lights and Christmas decorations. There was also a decent Christmas market to browse. I think they’ve tried to make more of a feature of this in recent years. I see that this year they now have no less than 6 different Christmas markets, with one dedicated to gourmet local food. Sounds yummy.
If you’re looking for inspiration for other places to go elsewhere for some festive gift shopping, also take a look at this great round-up of Christmas markets in Europe.
If looking for an overnight stay in Colmar, a good option is the Hotel le Marechal, occupying a historic building right in the heart of the old town, in an area known as ‘Little Venice’, due to the abundance of waterways. Overall, Comar turned out to be a pretty special little place to stop in, full of Christmas charm. We got lucky.
Falera, Switzerland
This was our destination for our ski (or snowboard!) trip. We’d stayed in this little mountain village before. It’s a beautiful Swiss village, complete with cute church and prehistoric standing stones. We’d even stayed in the same chalet before, so we knew what to expect. Casa Vieli is a big traditional wooden chalet, perfect for large families. It lacks any of the modern features of modern ski chalets – no saunas or monster TVs here – but makes up for it with creaking stairways and historic charm. It also comes with a more welcoming price tag!
The village of Falera is a part of the larger Flims Laax Falera ski area. It can sometimes struggle with snow cover lower down, but otherwise is a cracking ski area – one that most people (particularly Brits) don’t seem to know about, despite its decent size and facilities. Falera is great because it has its own chairlift to access the resort, never with any queues. Every January, the resort hosts the Laax Open, Europe’s biggest snowboard event in the calendar, with riders from around the world competing on the slopestyle and halfpipe courses. The pipe itself is the largest in Europe.
When the snow is good there are also plenty of decent freeriding opportunities. Whether you’re most at home in the powder or the park, it’s a great resort for all. A roughly 50/50 split between skiers and snowboarders also ensures a refreshing lack of skier snobbery often experienced elsewhere (nobody tutting when your board overlaps their skis on a chairlift!).
Unfortunately, as the years go by, Switzerland seems to be getting more and more prohibitively expensive. That’s a real shame as, otherwise, it’s one of my most favourite countries anywhere in the world to visit. Away from ski holidays and in the summer, the snowy mountains transform into wild flower meadows with gushing waterfalls, full of incredible scenery to explore. These 5 top hikes around Wengen really showcase what a summer spent in Switzerland has to offer.
Ski Holiday with a Baby
Obviously, with a baby, our ski holiday experience was different. We expected it to be, so that came as no surprise. It was still excellent though, so a baby shouldn’t necessarily put you off this kind of holiday. Rather than be on the slopes together, my husband and I instead took turns. Some days that meant doing half days each and swapping over at lunch. Some days we both went up onto the mountain, taking the baby with us, then swapping more regularly.
One trick that we used then (and have repeated many times since), was to just buy one ski pass for the week. Nowadays, the modern electronic keycard passes rarely have photos, so can be easily swapped. I’m not sure if this is strictly above board, but it has always worked for us. You’re never cheating the system with more than one person using the lifts at one time, so I see no harm in it. The other person can then just buy a pedestrian pass to bring the baby up on any days they want to join you. We’re now very used to strange looks as we pull up with a pram to get on the ski lift!
One day during this particular trip, we even experienced a strange phenomena on the mountains where ice crystals blowing into the air created the illusion of numerous rainbows and inverse rainbows in the sky. It was an incredible sight, quite like anything I’ve seen before or since. After an enjoyable week all round, including a large family Christmas day, it was time to return home.
Mons, Belgium
Again, somewhat ‘pin in the map’ planning for our overnight stop on the way back home. Wanting to get some distance under our belts, we drove as far as Belgium before we stopped, opting for Mons as a place to stay. Maybe all towns in Europe are nice at Christmas time, or maybe we got lucky again, who knows? Anyway, Mons turned out to be another great option for a place to stay – another one that we would never have thought of otherwise.
Although after Christmas, the market in town was still going strong. There were dedicated stalls for Belgian beers and sparkling wine. This was my kind of market. For a quirky overnight stay, Martins Dream Hotel is located in a former chapel and has fun, atmospheric rooms that are also close to the city centre.
Our Thoughts on the Trip
We had a blast. As keen snowboarders, even with a baby, this was always likely to be the case. We were determined not to miss out. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, after all. All too often people seem to use babies as an excuse to not do things. I’ve come to realise that babies are in fact incredibly adaptable. I guess, not knowing what is going on comes as an advantage!
As well as learning that this type of holiday is possible (and indeed enjoyable) with a small baby, I also learned that babies actually need a lot less stuff than you think they do. As I said earlier, for this trip we travelled with a car full to the roof. Two years later, we would repeat this trip to the same destination, with the addition of another new baby, our second daughter, Aurora. On this occasion we opted to fly, taking a baby and a 2 year old away with only hand luggage on the plane. I guess you learn to streamline.
Well, I hope you enjoyed reading about our first trip away with our first child. I guess it’s significant for us as this is where our family travel adventures all began. If you’re ever worried about going on a holiday with a small baby, whether road trip or flight, don’t be. Having children should never hold you back. I’d love to be able to say with authority, “get out on the slopes and rip it up!”. Just as well you haven’t seen me snowboard…
I think it’s great to just get on and do stuff with small children. Looks like a lovely holiday and a good compromise with family around. My other half has never wanted to ski so I’ve always sneaked off and left him with the babies (and the bathwater). #KCACOLS
Babies are pretty adaptable and I wish we had done more when my eldest was a baby. Your holiday sounds like it went really well, stunning photos especially the rainbows on the slopes. Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next time
I’ve never understood why people don’t travel with kids. Other than expense, there’s no reason – and they’re cheaper when they’re littler…That rainbow shot is amazing!!! WOW!! #KCACOLS
Such awesome photos! I love how you do so much stuff with your baby, so cool! 🙂 #KCACOLS
You’re my hero!! Great post and lovely pics. Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next time”
I really enjoyed reading your post. I would love to go on a family ski trip. Yours looks like something out of the movies, you should write a book if you haven’t already! #KCACOLS