The Newman Kids' Sl<iChallenge

RebeccaNewman is a mum on a missionto help her young family risebeyondthe world of bluesand greens and embracemountain life

asking to be bashed.

Both kids quickly grew in confidence and ability. Yes, the snow lower down became tracked out by our second week. But a couple of lifts from the main station took us to a fantastically chalky area. "One of my favourite things was the jumps in the Pixel zone," said Luke of a region on the way over to Val Thorens, whose slalom track was also a hit.

iiskied ONLYreds today." It was when both kids came back having skied Mount Vallon, a peak with a long red descent I had on my own bucket list, that I realised we were making progress. Like so many families, our ski holidays had been kiboshed by the pandemic, so we had decided to come to Meribel for three weeks to see whether our Elsa, 9, and Luke, 7, could rise beyond the world of blues and greens.

We arrived in time for Christmas -and my goodness Meribel does Christmas well. Think twinkling lights and boundless entertainment: fireworks over a torchlit ski descent (which the kids could join), live music, stilt dancers and the sure crowd-pleaser, Father Christmas on his sleigh, throwing chocolates out into the throng.

But, of course, what we'd come for was the skiing. We'd chosen Ecole du Ski Francais -initially cautious of their erstwhile strict reputation. But friends had told us great things, and while the class sizes are bigger (up to 12 in a group) they are also half the price of others we looked at. Verdict? Excellent.

Elsa and Luke spent their first week together in the Two Star group, cautiously zigzagging the blue slope, working on linking 10 parallel turns. Their teacher was a vivacious local called Emma (who, like all the coaches with Anglais groups, spoke fluent English). "Really, the most important thing," she said smiling, "is that they have fun".

Afternoons were pure joy. For the first few days, the Inuit Village featured largely: just above Meribel centre, it's a zone with Inuit-style tents and activities such as face painting and ice fishing -also a charming trail set with animal statues and a huge gong just

.a.Skimission accomplished! Thekidseven nailedtheirfirst blackrun

There is, of course, a wealth of entertainment beyond the slopes: favourites included pony riding, ice skating, and a memorable snowshoe expedition leading to a picnic chocolate fondue. And let's not forget lunch: my pick was the tartiflette at Les Pierres Plates at the top of the Pas de Lac lift, on whose sunny terrace we ate our (mainly cheese-based) Christmas dinner.

By the third week Luke was throwing himself into everything (if cleaving to snow plough, hence still in Three Star). Elsa had moved to Bronze, her teacher Phillipe Lau a world champion at telemark, really encouraging her carving. "I liked the teachers," she told me, "and I was really proud when we went down my first black". "Me too!" chimed in Luke, after our family followed Elsa down an icy black at speed. It was that moment, towards the end of a hugely enjoyable holiday, realisation dawned: for our next intensive ski trip, the improvement goals would be less centred on the kids, more on their mother ...

Factfile

Skiliire: lntersport(intersportrent.com)stocl<s well-fittedbootsandtop-notchskis,which youcanswapfor freeshouldconditions change,fromaround€8 perdayincluding skis,helmet,polesandboots.

Liftpass: Buya ThreeValleypassfor a familyof four for sixdays,andhaveyouradultpassfor thesamepriceasa kids'pass-€259pp. Seeskir1ass-meribel.com

Oneof the oldest,andstilloneof the best,