How parents can ski all day – even with a four-month-old

A family ski holiday sounds fun right up until you’re the one wrestling tiny boots onto reluctant feet at 8am, then trying to fit in a run of your own before lunch. Skiing with young children is one of the best kinds of family holiday there is but it can also be one of the most tiring, which is why so many parents end up asking the same question before they book: who is going to look after the kids while we actually get to ski?

Luxury travel specialist Scott Dunn has spent more than 40 years building an answer to that question and this winter its Explorers childcare programme covers more of the Alps than ever. The offering now brings together a purpose-built Explorers Kids Club in Courchevel, a world-renowned luxury ski resort, a brand new Explorers afternoon childcare club in Méribel and Val d’Isère, two of the most famous French ski resorts and an Explorers Private Nanny service that can be booked across four resorts, designed for children from four months old right through to eleven years old.

The balance every family is after – time on the slopes, time apart, without guilt attached to either – looks a little different in each resort this season. Here’s what’s on offer with Scott Dunn this winter.

Children skiing with instructor

Family-friendly ski childcare with Scott Dunn Explorers

Most childcare in Alpine resorts starts at age three, which leaves parents of babies and toddlers with few options beyond taking it in turns to ski. Scott Dunn caters to children from four months old and builds a bespoke activity programme around each child’s age and the resort they’re staying in, rather than running the same schedule everywhere. 

Younger children get a slower pace and a settled routine, while older children move through a fuller programme built around trying new activities, exploring the resort and doing more on their own.

Kids sledging

Explorers Kids Club at the Portetta, Courchevel

For families staying at the Portetta family hotel in Courchevel 1650, the Explorers Kids Club is exclusive to Scott Dunn guests and takes children from four months to seven years. 

The week is built around a balance of indoor and outdoor activity, with aqua motion sessions and surf simulators, climbing, slides and bowling alongside sledging, snow play, farm visits and plenty of hot chocolate and crêpe trips that tend to be the highlight of any ski holiday. There’s also a ski school drop-off and pick-up service built in, so a long lunch or an extra run doesn’t mean rushing back to collect anyone.

Find out more about Portetta Courchevel Kids Club

Two child skiers

New Explorers Afternoon Club in Méribel and Val d’Isère

New for winter 2026/27, Scott Dunn has launched an afternoon Explorers Club for 6 – 11 year olds in Méribel and Val d’Isère. The team collects children straight from ski school, takes them for lunch at a local restaurant, then leads them through an afternoon of activities across the resort, from climbing walls and swimming to sledging and snow biking, before returning them to the family’s accommodation at the end of the day.

For parents, it removes the usual scramble to get down the mountain in time for the ski school pick-up and turns what’s often a lost afternoon into extra time on the slopes.

Find out more about Explorers in Meribel & Val d’Isère

Scott Dunn Explorers Private Nanny Service

Explorers Private Nanny service across the Alps

For families who want childcare shaped entirely around their own routine, Scott Dunn Explorers Private Nanny service is available in Val d’Isère, Tignes, Courchevel and Méribel, for children from four months to eleven years. 

A private nanny can get children ready for ski school and take them to the morning drop-off, freeing parents to catch the first lift, take a slower breakfast or fit in a morning at the spa. They’ll then collect the children after lessons, walk them back to the chalet or hotel, manage lunch and take them off for an afternoon of activities in the resort, meaning the ski day never has to bend around nap times or lesson pick-ups. For younger non-skiers they will seamlessly follow each child’s routine, including naps and feeds in your hotel or chalet, with a curated selection of toys and a week-long itinerary of age-appropriate activities, carefully crafted to match their age and interests.

Find out more about Explorers Private Nanny service

Skier on mountain

Why you should choose Scott Dunn for your next ski holiday

Beyond the age range, it’s the detail that families tend to notice. Scott Dunn supplies nappies, wipes, sleep rooms and nutritious snacks and lunches within their Kids Club as standard, so there’s less to pack and think about. 

Child-to-carer ratios are kept low across every club and each family is supported by a dedicated Family Ski Specialist and Guest Concierge team before they travel, plus an in-resort Guest Relations Manager once they arrive. 

The added behind-the-scenes support means a ski holiday with young children stops feeling like a logistical nightmare and starts feeling like an actual holiday, for parents included.