Avoriaz and the Portes du Soleil of which it is a part is promoting itself as the only resort in the French Alps to offer child pricing right up to age 15.
Most French resorts make children pay the full adult price from age 11, although many big areas offer family discounts when three or four family member buy the same kind of ticket together, which in some cases extends child discounts up to age 16 or even 18.
However Avoriaz, like other French resorts, does ask families to pay a high price for children, compared to most other countries from a young age – around 70% of the adult price. So a child as young as five will need to pay 178 Euros for a six day Portes du Soleil pass, most than the adult price at some smaller areas. The adult price for a six day Portes du Soleil pass is 237.50 Euros this coming winter.
The Portes du Soleil has a number of resorts appealing to families including British families favourite Les Gets and Avoriaz which is car free and home to the new Aquariaz tropical mountain top water park.
Working out family ticket pricing continues to be a conundrum almost as complex as working out energy suppliers for British families.
Swiss resorts tend to have the most generous deals for kids with children free to age 8 – 10 at many resorts and then paying 50% or less of the adult price until age 16 or 18 at most resorts. The only problem is the strength of the Swiss Franc often makes the adult price and other in resort expenses very high.
Austrian and Italian resorts tend to be more generous on child pricing than French resorts, letting children ski free until 6 or 7 and offering greater discounts to a later age through childhood.
Behind the headline price figures many resorts offer low season deals for families, especially when they book accommodation direct. Going back to Avoriaz the resort is to offer a combined ski and Aquariaz tropical pool admission ticket from 29 March to 6 April 2014, priced at €156 for adults / €114 for children, around 35% less than the usual Portes du Soleil pass.
Then in the Easter holidays there's a free 6-day ski pass and Aquariaz pass for under 12s with every one week adult ski pass purchased at the time of booking accommodation. A family apartment for 4 people is priced from €462 for the week of 12 to 19 April.