Friday 02 December 2011
It's a clean sweep for France in our Best Ever Ski Resort Award, but there's also a good showing for Austria and a wide geographical spread, with Switzerland and Canada also getting a look in.
For this first award in our Best Ever Awards Scheme, we asked our ski expert Nick Dalton (The Times, The Daily Telegraph, Good Ski Guide) to draw up shortlists of 10 nominees for both categories – children 7 and under, and over-7s.
For the shortlist, Nick’s focus was on resorts that really get children skiing. He weighed up factors such as the number of beginners’ slopes, how close the slopes are to accommodation, whether there are moderate slopes to progress on to, and whether resorts are traffic-free. A strong panel of judges from the ski industry then shared their knowledge of ski resorts around the world to pick a winner. The winners all receive a woolly hat with an exclusive Take the Family’s Best Ever Awards Winner Badge, and both the winners and the runners-up will receive a certificate.
Take the Family Founder Andy Cook said: “Our idea was that parents need a bit of help to sift through all the information thrown at them about holidays – and deciding where to go skiing can be one of the most tricky decisions. So these awards are trying to come up with a genuinely useful and definitive view of the best ever places to take your family.”
The winners are as follows:
SEVEN AND UNDER
Winner: Alpe d’Huez, France
Runners Up: Saas Fee, Switzerland, and Lech, Austria
OVER 7S
Winner: Flaine, France
Runners Up: Whistler, Canada, and Obergurgl, Austria
Said Valerie Serpollet, Press Officer for Alpe d'Huez Tourism:
“Alpe d'Huez is very proud to have won this award. Indeed, each winter, the resort makes every effort to improve the welcoming of children (and parents!) by developing activities, products and special offers adapted to their needs and desires.”
Pierre Claessen, director of the Flaine Tourist Office, commented:
“We are very happy and proud that Flaine has been voted the Best Ever Ski Resort for Children aged Seven and Over in Take The Family’s Best Ever Awards. The British market is our first foreign market, this recognition is very important to us and the work we do.
Thank you all for the confidence in the ski resort of Flaine.”
Martina Jamnig of the Austrian National Tourist Office told us:
“We are very proud that two Austrian resorts – Lech and Obergurgl – are runners-up in the Best Ever Ski Resort for Children awards, especially as Take the Family is the UK’s biggest family travel website and supports parents in finding the best places to take their children. Both resorts have a great deal on offer for families, from the kids' club and the babysitting service in Lech, to the reduced-traffic zones and banned night-time traffic in Obergurgl, ensuring a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere for all guests."
Speaking for Saas-Fee Tourism, Pascal Schär said:
"We are very pleased about the runner-up award in Take The Family's Best Ever Ski Resort Awards because it is our smallest guests in particular who are the greatest and above all free-est VIPs – up to the age of nine, they can even wreak havoc on the slopes for free when accompanied by their parents. In the Saas Valley, children have top priority and by paying close attention to kid-oriented details, everything is undertaken to make the eyes of our 'small VIPs' shine with delight."
And Tourism Whistler's President & CEO, Barrett Fisher, told us:
"We are honoured to receive this reward. Whistler prides itself on being a family-friendly destination with adventure for all ages."
The judges were Ian Davis, product direct of Crystal Ski, the UK’s biggest ski specialist, with 28 years of experience of delivering ski holidays around the world; Andy Perrin, who started as a ski rep and is now CEO of Esprit Ski, which offers family ski holidays in France, Switzerland, Italy and Austria; Helen Samson and Penny Taylor, marketing co-ordinators for outdoor clothing company The North Face; and Vanessa Fisher of the Ski Club of Great Britain, a not-for-profit club offering snow reports, ski experts, discounts and other benefits.
There'll be more of Take the Family’s Best Ever awards to come in the future, including Best Ever British Beach, Best Ever European Campsite, and Best Ever Airline for Families. For more information please contact Annette MacKenzie: annette@pickledpepper.net.
