The Holy Grail - Cheap Family Sking Half Term or Easter 2016

Hi there I'm a ski junky searching for the impossible - a cheap family skiing holiday at half term or Easter.
We drove to France (Flaine) last year & had a great time but it was really busy.
I was wondering about Italy but that would mean a flight & transfers as the current Mrs won't drive any further than flaine.
Do we go back to flaine (is it the best we could do) or has anybody got any suggestions?
Totally open to anything. If you've got a ski apartment & chalet I quite willing to let you adopt my kids so long as I can have visitation rights whenever they go skiing.
Help!!!! :!: :!: :!: :!:

ag3jlh wrote:Hi there I'm a ski junky searching for the impossible - a cheap family skiing holiday at half term or Easter.

Hmm, cheap you say? Half-term is a challenge (certainly not impossible though!) but Easter's no problem.

Start with this :- do NOT go where everyone else goes! 8)

ag3jlh wrote:Do we go back to flaine (is it the best we could do)

Er... Flaine's on-mountain prices are right up with Courchevel in the "let's assume everyone's a Russian billionaire" levels of pricing; you can get good deals on accommodation for Easter but not much chance for half-term (and it is always busy on peak weeks). Great skiing but not somewhere I'd choose for high-season.

So, probably just about anywhere else would be better if you want to save money and avoid the throngs... :lol:

If you're fixed on half-term then look at the lesser-known ski areas (e.g. anything not in Crystal's brochure) or satellite villages (e.g. think Morillon rather than Flaine, Medassier rather than the centre of La Clusaz, Les Contamines rather than Chamonix, etc.). If you're happy to drive as far as Flaine then there are a whole bunch of smaller resorts within an hour from there that you could look at instead.

How old are your kids, and how much of a ski area do your family need? Young and less confident children (and adults) often prefer a smaller area that they can become familiar with quickly; smaller villages - in general - will be cheaper, friendlier and less crowded.

If you have a choice of either time, and budget is a priority, then Easter's a much better option. Also, if your kids are small/young then the longer (and, usually, sunnier) days will work for you.

We spent the Easter week in Champoluc last season and that would tick your value and crowd boxes perfectly; everything very reasonably priced and empty slopes apart from Easter Sunday itself (and the skiing's good).

HTH, but there's a mass of options less crowded and cheaper than Flaine at half-term. 8)

I would ditch the 'Current Mrs', get a 'Future' Mrs, and drive to Italy.

Shame, it really is not that much further to drive to Austria, Italy or Switzerland. And if you miss France, considerably cheaper as the other motorways do not have the tolls.

Do not always take the distance as the reason for not doing it. If you use either google maps or via michelin to plan the route, you will often find that the slightly longer journey in terms of miles, is just as quick to drive due to better roads.

Les Contamines is a good call. Good snow record so Easter would be a good option.

Les Contamines is a great resort, with both great piste skiing and plenty of offpiste and pretty snow sure through to mid April. Also make staying in St Gervais a good option which is a great little spa town.

I'd go for Easter. UK half term is French half term so French resorts will be busy. Also, if you opt for a small French resort you may have problems getting an English-speaking instructor (should you want lessons in English). Italy and Austria less busy at half-term (but I haven't checked when Fasching is in 2016).