Chilly Powder Ski School
Chilly Powder Ski School helps you to book the best tuition for your children during your ski holiday at the most economical price. We look at all the ski school requirements of all children during the week of your holiday with us and we make small private groups from those requirements, depending on the age and ability of your children. We've offered this service to our guests for years now and parent's have found it to be the most effective way of teaching their children how to ski in a fun and safe environment.
If you have already booked your ski holiday with us and are ready to make a Chilly Powder Ski School request for your children, please click here for our booking form. Please ensure that you have read the information below before you complete your form.
Here's how our ski school works...
What are my options for lessons?
You can share private lessons with other Chilly Powder children, but there are other ski school options here in Morzine and Avoriaz. Prices and times differ between ski schools and you might find the following websites useful:
You can book lessons independently on all of the above websites. Please be aware however that we can only offer lesson drop-off and pick-up facilities for your children if they are attending our ski school or the Village des Enfants in Avoriaz.
At what age can my children learn to ski?
We can only book private lessons for children who are aged 4 or older. Children older than 3 years of age can be enrolled in the excellent 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 crèche.
Unfortunately children younger than 3 years of age cannot begin learning to ski. If your children are spending their afternoons in our crèche 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 crèche. 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 ‘magic carpet’ list on the beginners slope in Morzine, which is great fun if your children are very young.
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 February half term weeks, the lessons are slightly longer, commencing at 9am until 12noon.
Where are the lessons and how do the children get there?
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. 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 crèche. Unfortunately our instructors are not able to collect and return your children to the chalet. 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 ski bibs.
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 with no mark-up. 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 specific which instructor 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 pass your credit card details on to ESF and they will charge your card for the agreed amount in the week before your holiday. The cost of the instructor is split between the numbers of children in each group. It is for this reason that we ask you to specify your requirements for children’s ski school as soon as possible. This allows us to determine how many children can be allocated to each ability group and therefore the ultimate cost.
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, you will need to 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 Saturday 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.
Click here to complete our Chilly Powder Ski School booking form.
- Chilly Powder in Morzine-Avoriaz has 27 reviews
BP 116, Morzine 74110, France
UK Tel: 020 7289 6958
France tel: 00 33 45074 7521
Fax: 0033 45079 0148