A Different Kind of Ski Holiday

For our family, this holiday was never going to look like the typical ski trip.

My son Jesse is 5 years old, autistic and non-verbal. His sensory needs means wearing ski gear is completely off the table for now – we couldn’t even win the battle of snow boots, eventually settling on a rotating combination of his favourite Hungry Caterpillar wellies and Vans trainers throughout the week. Not always ideal in deep snow and icy paths.

Ski school – the centrepiece of most family ski holidays – simply wasn’t going to happen.

But that was exactly the point of the trip.

I’ve been skiing since I was five years old, and like many lifelong skiers I’d always imagined teaching my own children one day. Those early morning drop offs to ski schools, the proud moment when they link their first turns, guiding them down their first blue run. Over the past few years I’ve realised that picture-perfect version of a family ski holiday isn’t our reality.

What I hoped we might find instead was something different – our version of the perfect ski holiday.

Chloe, my wife, was pregnant and unable to ski this year, so the trip needed to work for her and Jesse as much as it did for me. My parents joined us too – Jesse’s Nanny and Granda – turning it into a rare three-generation holiday together. They helped with luggage, childcare, and gave me someone to ski with. More than anything, it gave us time together that family life rarely allows.

Planning the trip raised one big question: does a ski holiday make sense for a family like ours?

To answer that, I needed some help. Working with the incredibly kind and insightful team at Peak Retreats, they advised us on the resort of La Rosière, and helped make it all happen in a way that best suited the needs we explained to them – from the journey, to the accommodation and getting us in direct contact with the team at La Rosière, they went over and above to help this holiday be set up for success.

Travelling Differently

Even getting to the Alps required a different approach.

Flying can be overwhelming for Jesse, so we chose to travel by train instead. The journey took us from Peterborough to London Kings Cross, then on the Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord. From there we crossed the city to Gare de Lyon before boarding the SNCF train to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, followed by a private transfer up the mountain to La Rosière.

Door to door, the journey took around fifteen hours. It’s undeniably a long travel day, but for Jesse this long journey turned out to be far easier than our previous flying experiences.

Instead of being confined to a seat and having to wear a lap belt at forced moments, he could move around when he needed to – wandering down the carriage to visit his Nanny and Granda, who were travelling in another section of the train, or heading to the café carriage for a change of scenery. At our table he lined up his toy farm animals and had us sing Old MacDonald while he picked the right animal from his bag.

Watching the countryside roll past the window kept him entertained in a way airport terminals never could.

Eurostar were particularly helpful for passengers with additional needs, offering a separate check-in and security line along with a designated waiting area before boarding.

That said, train travel comes with its own challenges.

The transfer between Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon turned out to be the most stressful part of the entire journey. Navigating the Paris metro with ski bags, suitcases and a stroller is far from easy, especially when lifts are difficult to find and escalators can’t be used with luggage. Even with plenty of time allowed, it was the one part of the trip that felt genuinely hectic.

Still, the journey overall felt calmer than flying – and Jesse seemed to cope with it better than any of us.

By the time our transfer vehicle arrived in Bourg-Saint-Maurice, we had already been travelling for more than fourteen hours. Jesse often struggles in unfamiliar cars, something we’d learned on previous trips. Thanks to the team at Peak Retreats, we had been able to send the company some information about Jesse beforehand and got for photos of the van so we could show him what to expect, so this transition went a lot smoother than we had expected. A small detail, but it made getting him into the car seat much easier.

Thirty minutes later, winding up the mountain road through the dark, we arrived at La Rosière.

Preparing for the Adventure

Preparation can make or break any family holiday, but for parents of neurodiverse children it becomes even more important.

Before we left, we showed Jesse photos of the journey – the trains, the apartment, the mountains – explaining that we were going on an adventure with his Nanny and Granda. Visual preparation like this helps him understand what’s coming next.

We packed carefully too. Favourite toys came with us, along with a laptop loaded with Monsters Inc – his favourite bedtime film – and enough chargers to keep his iPad running during long travel days.

We also packed some of the basics for Jesse’s safe foods so we wouldn’t be stressed about finding the right options once we arrived.

Again, small details, but they make a big difference when you’re travelling with a child who experiences the world differently.

We stayed in Les Eucherts, one of the two main areas of La Rosière, in a two-bedroom apartment at CGH Les Cimes Blanches. Having a self-catered apartment made a huge difference, and is something we look for on any family holiday.

The living room gave Jesse space to play with his toys and watch TV, while the kitchen meant we could prepare familiar meals instead of navigating restaurant menus every evening. It also allowed us to sit together for a meal while Jesse played nearby in a space he felt comfortable in – something that rarely happens when eating out.

Discovering the Mountains

Jesse had seen snow before, but this was his first real experience of spending time in it.

At first he approached it cautiously, naturally – being on a mountain surrounded by snow is alien to most. Then he discovered his own ways of having fun with it – stomping small clumps so they exploded, jumping into the deeper powder at the side of paths, and just laying on the harder packed stuff was hilarious to him – that is until until his socks got wet, which of course meant they had to come off – not ideal when out in the snow…

We were walking along the forest path between Les Eucherts and La Rosière village when Jesse finally decided it looked more fun to walk than be in his stroller, he immediately ran into the deeper snow off the packed trail and sank almost to his knees. A huge grin across his face, he jumped in again, and really started to find his enjoyment in where we were.

The sled run in the woods quickly became his favourite place in the resort. He started cautiously, riding down the hill with one of us squeezed in the sled with him, before growing confident enough to go on his own. After a few runs he decided sledging wasn’t even necessary – running down the slope was just as entertaining.

Watching him completely absorbed in his own version of mountain fun made many of the stresses of planning the trip feel worthwhile.

Standing there watching Jesse run back up the small sledding hill, I realised something I hadn’t quite admitted to myself before the trip. For years I’d been quietly mourning the ski holidays I thought we’d never have – the version where your child follows you down their first green run or proudly shows off what they learned in ski school. But watching him laugh as he threw himself back into the snow, it became clear that those expectations had been the wrong measure all along. This wasn’t the ski holiday I once imagined, but it will be the one I long for. Jesse’s grin on that sled hill, a core memory that will never leave me.

Beyond the Sled

The games area at Via Ferrata quickly became one of Jesse’s favourite indoor spots during the trip. Jesse made a beeline for the motorbike racing game almost immediately, which has become “our” game whenever we stumble across one.

Sitting side by side, gripping the handlebars and leaning into imaginary corners – for such a brief moment – it’s a shared interaction that I absolutely love having with him (and I’m sure he enjoys it, too!).

Around the rest of the arcade he moved with that mix of curiosity and excitement, not sure which machine to play with next.

For the adults, it was also a welcome chance to slow down a little. With Jesse happily bouncing between games, we could have a drink, chat, and join in with him whenever he called us over to show off his latest discovery.

The upstairs bar at Via Ferrata ended up being another unexpected favourite. During the quieter parts of the week it was never overly busy, which meant Jesse could bring a couple of toys along and happily explore the space. It gave us the rare balance you look for when travelling with a young child – somewhere that still felt like a proper place for the adults to sit, have a drink and some food, but without the sense that kids were out of place there.

Back at the apartment, the pool at CGH Les Cimes Blanches became one of the real highlights of the holiday. Tucked away with wide windows looking out towards the mountains, it had the kind of view you rarely expect from a hotel pool. Most of the time it was quiet too, which made it feel almost like a private retreat.

For Jesse, who loves being in the water, it became somewhere he wanted to go every day. Often he’d grab his float and hand it to us – his way of telling us that swimming time had arrived, whether we were ready or not. Chloe ended up spending the most time there with him, since she wasn’t skiing either, it became their shared activity during the week.
Whenever the rest of us joined them, those pool sessions quickly turned into some of the most special moments of the entire trip. Another core memory locked in.

When the Gaps Show

But it would be misleading to pretend the trip was entirely effortless or overwhelmingly successful.

Beyond swimming and the occasional short outdoor activity, there simply wasn’t a great deal for Jesse to do. There were long stretches of downtime – days where the options started to feel limited for both Chloe & Jesse, and the guilt of this trip being selfish from my point of view really ramped up.

Some of that was simply down to the weather. High winds swept across the mountain on several days, making it difficult to stay outside for long periods. When skiing isn’t part of your routine, those conditions quickly narrow the list of things you can do.

The resort does have some great indoor activities, but not many of them worked for us. Activities like bowling, ice skating and general kids clubs work for many families – but for us, it didn’t tick the box and left us wondering what else we could do to stave off boredom, and avoid too much screen time.

It was a reminder that most mountain resorts are still designed around skiing first, with non-skiing activities added later rather than fully built into the experience. When your child relies on movement, play and stimulation in specific ways, those gaps become difficult to ignore. It’s a lesson learnt – research into these options more deeply; you can’t simply work on assumptions and hope for the best.

Another small but surprising challenge came from the apartment building itself.

The main reception area closed between midday and late afternoon, which meant the lift down to street level was unavailable during those hours. The only alternative was either a set of stairs or an icy hill outside. Normally it wouldn’t matter, but it meant Chloe couldn’t easily take Jesse out on her own with the stroller during that part of the day.

Small details like that can shape how your days unfold and mess with premade plans – whilst they could still get swimming during this closure, thanks to being on the same level – it meant they couldn’t access the village without help. It’s a niche problem that not many will face, but it’s one of the examples of how the smallest of details can have a real impact.

Skiing in Smaller Windows

While the trip wasn’t built around family skiing in the traditional sense, obviously a key reason for coming here was to get out on to the slopes as much as time allowed – whether skiing alone, or with my parents.

There’s something I’ve always loved about exploring a resort solo – moving at your own pace, not worrying about losing others and making route decisions on the fly; it really takes away that pressure you feel when skiing with others.

One of my favourite solo circuits ended up happening by accident. I started the day with the aim of skiing over to the Italian side; but instead of using a piste map to plan my route, I just hopped on the lifts I assumed would take me there – I was wrong. But, it led to a loop I’d be happy to repeat over and over, a mix of blues, reds and stunning views.

I began by heading up the Plan du Repos lift towards Roc Noir, warming up the legs on the Belette blue run before climbing higher to Fort de la Redoute. At the top sits a small historic fort and a café serving strong espresso, a much needed fuel stop before dropping into the leg-burning red run of Lac.

From there the mountain opens up. A ride on the Moulins lift leads towards Mont Valaisan at nearly 2,800 metres, where the views stretch across the Alps to Mont Blanc. The descent back towards the village links together a series of long red runs that seem to roll endlessly through the mountainside.

It’s the kind of skiing that reminds you why you fell in love with the sport in the first place.

Other days I skied with my parents. After spending much of my childhood skiing together, sharing those slopes again at this stage of life felt unexpectedly special.

The wide Tetras blue run near the Roches Noires lift became our favourite place to lap. It’s the sort of slope where everyone can find their own route to enjoy – wide enough to find your preferred line – big swoops or carved turns both suit on here, with an added bonus gentle rollers if you feel like playing a little

Halfway down sits L’Antigel, a slope-side bar that calls you in for a quick beer stop when you need it, but also nice enough to stay for lunch. Simple moments, but ones I’ll remember for a long time.

Letting Go of Perfect

We won’t be rushing to book a ski trip again next year. The balance just wasn’t quite right for Jesse and Chloe, especially when the weather closed in and the limited non-ski options started to show. The classic version of a family ski holiday – the one I grew up with and always imagined passing on – isn’t the one that fits our life. But something else happened instead.

There were moments that felt perfect in their own way. Watching Jesse run down the sledding slope in the woods, laughing as he realised sprinting was even more fun than the sled. Long stretches in the hotel pool with mountain views through the windows and Jesse jumping into the water over and over again.

And for me, there were moments on the mountain too: skiing with my parents again, something I hadn’t done properly in years. After a childhood spent skiing together, sharing a few runs again at this stage of life felt unexpectedly special.

So no, it wasn’t the ski holiday I once imagined having with my children. But if the last few years of parenting Jesse have taught us anything, it’s that sometimes the most meaningful experiences come when you stop chasing the picture-perfect version of things and start recognising a different kind of perfect when it appears.

And this trip, in its own way, had plenty of that.

What We Learned From Our Trip

Planning a Ski Trip with an Autistic Child

• Prepare visually: photos and picture cards can help children understand the journey ahead.
• Pack familiar comforts: favourite toys, films or devices can help maintain routine.
• Choose flexible accommodation: apartments with kitchens make meals easier to manage.
• Build extra time into travel days: don’t get caught out by tight transfer times, potentially saving that 30 minutes is not worth the stress.
• Accept that plans may change: flexibility is often the key to a successful trip.
• Work with a travel agent and speak to the local tourist office: these people are experts in their field and will offer invaluable support throughout.

Tips for Train Travel to the Alps with Children

• Notify Eurostar in advance about additional needs to access priority check-in and quieter waiting areas.
• Allow plenty of time for the transfer between Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon in Paris.
• Buy metro tickets in advance where possible.
• Bring activities and toys for long train legs.
• Build buffer time into return journeys in case of delays.

 

The post A Different Kind of Ski Holiday appeared first on InTheSnow.