Our instructors are carefully selected from the French ski school ESF, however their English is excellent and they are brilliant with children. We use our local knowledge to help you make the most of your holiday and this often proves to be more cost effective than large group lessons. If you’d like us to book your children’s ski school requirements for you, please complete this form. We do however advise that you read the ‘Ski School Facts’ document first.
Lessons are from 9.30am - 12.00noon from Sunday to Friday except during the busy weeks in mid/late February and early March when lessons are from 9.00am - 12.00noon. The ski school charge is 320 euros per child for the 2024/25 winter season and there is a maximum of 6 Chilly Powder children in a class.
If you wish to request ski school pick-up and drop off for your children, please ensure that this form is accompanied by our Childcare Booking Form as we can only provide this service for children who are registered in our Kids Club.
Please make an accurate recording of your children’s ski ability on the form below. All children will perform a short ski test on their first morning to determine which ski group they are allocated to.
SKI SCHOOL FACTS
Chilly Powder Ski School helps you to book the best tuition for your ski holiday at the most economical price. We look at all the ski school requirements of all our guests during the week of your holiday with us and we make small, private groups from those requirements. We’ve offered this service to our guests for years now and we understand that you might have some questions about how it works.
What are my options for lessons?
You can share private lessons with other Chilly Powder guests but there are other ski school options here in Morzine. Prices and times differ between ski schools. You can book lessons independently on all of the websites below. Please be aware however, that we can only offer pick-up and drop-off facilities for your children if they are booked on to our private lessons or if they are attending the Village des Enfants in Avoriaz.
www.esf-avoriaz.com www.ecoledeglisse.com
www.avoriazalpineskischool.com www.mintsnowboarding.com
At what age can my children learn to ski?
We can only book private lessons for children who are aged between 4 and 15 years old. Children older than 3 years of age can be enrolled in the Village des Enfants in Avoriaz. This is a ‘ski kindergarten’ which teaches children the basics of skiing in a fun learning environment. Bookings for the Village des Enfants can only be made directly using the website listed above, however pick-ups and drop-offs can be arranged if your children are spending their afternoons in our Kids Club.
Unfortunately children younger than 3 years of age cannot begin learning to ski. If your children are spending their afternoons in our Kids Club, we’ll take them out in the snow as much as possible. Our nannies will take them sledging, on the merry-go round or building snowmen in our garden. It is important that you provide our nannies with lots of warm, outdoor clothes for your children during their time in the Kids Club. Unfortunately our nannies are not able to begin teaching your children to ski, in accordance with French law.
If you wished to try teaching your own children to ski, you can hire equipment for them from our list of recommended companies here in Morzine. There is a beginner button lift* and ski area right behind the chalet or a ‘magic carpet’ lift on the beginners slope in Morzine, which are great fun if your children are very young.
What do I put down for my children under the ‘Ability Level’ section of the Ski School Booking Form?
Ability Level 1
They know how to: Nothing! They have never put on skis before
They will learn how to: Toddle on skis
If they pass they will get: Piou-Piou badge
Ability Level 2
They know how to: Slide and snow-plough stop
They will learn how to: Snow-plough turn, side-step and how to do the Herringbone
If they pass they will get: Ourson badge
Ability Level 3
They know how to: Snow-plough turn, side-step and how to do the Herringbone
They will learn how to: Snowplough turn and bring skis parallel while traversing
If they pass they will get: Flocon badge
Ability Level 4
They know how to: Snow-plough turn and bring skis parallel while traversing
They will learn how to: Snow-plough turn, end turning sliding, and straight line while traversing
If they pass they will get: 1st Star
Ability Level 5
They know how to: Snow-plough turn on GREEN slopes, end turning sliding with parallel skis
They will learn how to: Parallel ski and do rounded side slipping on BLUE runs
If they pass they will get: 2nd Star badge
Ability Level 6
They know how to: Parallel ski and do rounded side slipping on BLUE runs
They will learn how to: Improve parallel turns, control speed, & all different kind of curves, large turns, & wedeln
If they pass they will get: 3rd Star badge
Ability Level 7
They know how to: Parallel turn, control speed, and do all different kind of curves, large turns, and wedeln
They will learn how to: Ski on all types of snow, adapt speed and turns to the slope, and wedeln on steep slopes
If they pass they will get: Etoile de Bronze badge
Ability Level 8
They know how to: Ski on all types of snow, adapt speed and turns to the slope, and wedeln on steep slopes
They will learn how to: Ski on all kinds of snow and grounds, start doing completion, slalom, and wedeln
If they pass they will get: Etoile d’Or badge
Where do your instructors come from?
We book ESF instructors to teach our private lessons. They all speak brilliant English and are excellent with children. The ESF instructors work together to ensure that your children are always in the correct group for their abilities and our group sizes are always 6 or less. Our lessons take place between 9.30 and 12noon from Sunday to Friday. This is slightly different from the standard ski school hours to give you more time in the morning for a family breakfast and to bring your children back to Chilly Powder for their lunch if you have booked our childcare. During the busy weeks in late February and early March, the lessons are slightly longer, commencing at 9am until 12noon.
Beginner Ski Area for Winter
There is a button lift and beginner area at the bottom of the Crot run, just 50 metres behind Au Coin du Feu.
Where are the lessons and how do the children get there?
ESF ski lessons start and finish directly outside the cable car in Avoriaz. Again, we can provide a drop-off and pick-up service if your children are booked in to our Kids Club. Unfortunately our instructors are not able to collect and return your children to the chalet.
The Village des Enfants is in the centre of Avoriaz, a fifteen minute walk from the top of the cable car. Our nannies can drop them off and pick them up from the Village des Enfants if you have booked Chilly Powder childcare for them. If not, then we can of course provide you with directions to the Village des Enfants if you wish to collect them yourself. Please also be aware that we do not accept any responsibility for any equipment that your children take with them to their ski lessons. Skis and poles should be returned to the chalet each day after lessons with your children, however we are not responsible for any equipment that might be lost in transit.
How safe is the drop-off and pick-up service for my children?
Our nannies will only drop children off to their designated ESF instructors, all of whom they know. ESF instructors will only return children to our nannies, all of whom carry a Chilly Powder identity card and wear Chilly Powder uniform.
Why do you use the French ski school rather than the British ski school for children’s lessons?
ESF provide Chilly Powder with the best private lesson prices all season, which we then pass on to you. ESF also operate from the best meeting points in Avoriaz, making it more convenient for you. Many people have heard bad rumours about ESF lessons and they wonder why we use them here at Chilly Powder. The group lessons of the other ski schools in Morzine tend to be much larger than our lessons and by using ESF we can specify which instructors we’d like to use from our list of favourites.
When do we pay for our lessons and how much to they cost?
If you book lessons independent of Chilly Powder, you will have to queue and then pay for your lessons on the first morning of your holiday. If you choose our ski school service, we will charge 310 euros to your card at the start of your holiday.
How do you decide how many and which children go in each ski group?
We ask you to complete your ski school request form in advance of your holiday. We will then look at the number of children enrolled in to ski school for a particular week and we will reserve an appropriate number of ski instructors to make small private ski lessons. The ski instructors determine which particular children are allocated to each individual ski group on the first morning of lessons, after a short ski test. Although we ask for an idea of your children’s ski ability on the booking form, the instructors have the final say on which children are in which groups in order to encourage the progression of all children. Please note that we’ve often experienced situations where parents have incorrectly recorded their children’s ski ability in order to get them in to groups with their friends or siblings. Our ski instructors have the final say on which children are in which ski groups so we ask that you correctly record ski ability on the booking form.
I really want my child to ski with their siblings / friends. How can I guarantee this?
As mentioned above, our instructors will determine which children ski in which groups on the first day of their lessons. This ensures maximum progression for all children but it does not guarantee that your children will ski with their friends or siblings. If you wish to guarantee that your child skis with their friends or siblings, regardless of their ski ability, then this is no problem at all. We will book an individual ski instructor specifically for your children or group and the charge for this will be shared between the number of children that you specify for this group.
Can I be around while my children have their lessons?
Curiosity will get the better of you and you’ll want to see how your child is progressing. It you want to watch from the sidelines, try to do so discreetly. Children sometimes get distracted or upset when they see their parents watching them. Please note that if you have booked a drop-off service for your child, and then you choose to accompany them to one of their lessons, you will still be charged for the drop-off service.
Can I get a refund if my child doesn’t like their ski lessons?
This is at the discretion of ESF and in the very unlikely event that this happens, we will need discuss your concerns with the instructor and the ESF office.
Can I book adult lessons with you?
We recommend the British Avoriaz Alpine Ski School for adult lessons, either as part of a group or for private lessons, and you can book these lessons using the web link above. A representative of the British Avoriaz Alpine Ski School will visit Chilly Powder on a Sunday evening to discuss any lessons requirements our adult guests might have, although we do recommend that you book your lessons in advance of your holiday.