The Mountain Journal
Long-form writing on the resorts, hotels, and rituals that make a family ski holiday memorable.
guides
We love Zermatt in December; it's a great month to sneak in an early season ski holiday, experience the festive magic of this iconic resort, and benefit from quieter slopes and some of the best prices of the season.
21 August 2026 · 4 min read
destinations
Learning to ski as a family, with children at different levels and a week that still needs to work for everyone, is harder to plan well than it looks. These eight resorts each make a strong case, with something for all tastes.
10 August 2026 · 5 min read
destinations
They share the same 305km lift pass and you can ski between them in a day, but skiing in Lech and St Anton are not the same week. Here's our take on which Austrian resort suits which kind of family.
3 August 2026 · 7 min read
destinations
Switzerland's shortlist for families is fairly short, but the quality is second-to-none. These five resorts cover the main decision-making territory, from car-free glacier towns to the most theatrical ski resort in the Alps.
16 July 2026 · 6 min read
destinations
France gives British families more choice in ski holidays than anywhere else in the Alps. It's tough to know which resort will best suit your family though. Here are the seven we'd put forward, who each one works for, and what to expect when you're there.
14 July 2026 · 8 min read
Torchlit descents, a children's party before bedtime, fireworks over the Croisette at midnight. Courchevel 1850 does New Year as a prestige event for all ages. Here's a few details about what New Year in Courchevel looks like.
9 July 2026
destinations
Two of the best New Year ski holidays in Switzerland, and two completely different ways of welcoming the year in. One is built around a famous, electric party. The other is quieter, car-free and built around the Matterhorn. Here's how a family chooses between them.
30 June 2026 · 5 min read
guides
Cortina has the most beautiful mountain setting in the Alps and some of the most enjoyable skiing on the continent. It is also, if we're being honest, not the resort for every kind of skier. Here's what the mountain actually delivers.
29 June 2026 · 6 min read
destinations
Val d'Isère has never had a reputation as a family resort, and for families with young children, that's fair. But for families with older children and teenagers who can actually ski, something shifts. This is about that shift.
12 June 2026 · 8 min read
destinations
Both are serious resorts, both are expensive, and both come up the moment a skiing family starts looking beyond the Three Valleys. The question is which one actually fits as they're more different than they first appear.
11 June 2026 · 7 min read
destinations
Snowsure, sunny, gentle enough to flatter any child, and quietly better value than its glossier neighbours. Cervinia is the luxury family ski holiday discerning families tend to find later, then return to. Here's why it's worth knowing about.
28 May 2026 · 6 min read
The complete family ski holiday packing list, with everything you'll need for babies, children and teenagers, plus a free printable checklist to tick off
20 May 2026
family tips
February half-term is the busiest week of the British ski calendar. It does not have to feel like it. A practical guide to where the crowds actually go, where they don't, and how to plan a half-term week that feels like a proper break instead of a school-run on snow.
8 January 2026 · 9 min read
destinations
The most expensive resort in France is not the obvious choice for a family ski holiday. After ten years of going back, we put together the case for why it might be the right one anyway, especially if you're choosing one big week and want it to count.
28 December 2025 · 8 min read
destinations
Of all the resorts we have written about, Lech is the one we recommend most often to families with children under ten. Here is exactly why, with the practical details that matter.
18 December 2025 · 7 min read
guides
Potentially not everyone in your family wants to ski. Cortina is one of the few alpine resorts that is genuinely worth visiting whether or not you're a skier. Here we explain why a non-skier can have a brilliant week in Cortina and everything it has to offer non-skiers.
4 December 2025 · 6 min read
guides
They share the same lift system and roughly the same skiing, but the experience on the ground is quite different. We break down which Three Valleys resort suits which kind of family week, with a few practical pointers we wish someone had given us early on.
20 November 2025 · 6 min read