United Kingdom
All three of my children have learned to ski in the Cairngorms. It's a good place to start with them young as the funicular railway takes them to the beginners slopes at the top of the mountain which usually has some snow and there is a cafe/restaurant for hot chocolate and food when they get cold. If the snow is poor or wind up the mountain prevents the lifts operating then there are lots of other things to do in or near Aviemore such as walking (Roithemurchas estate), mountain biking (Bothy Bikes), dog sledging, seeing the reindeer herd, visiting the Scottish wildlife park, swimming (at the Holiday Inn) or going for a tree top walk through an elevated pathway, so it's not all full on skiing. My son broke his arm snowboarding there and he was treated at the GP's surgery as they have X-ray scanning facilities on site rather than having to trek to Inverness to discover if anything is broken. The children got a taste for skiing there and now want to venture elsewhere and can ski/board all day but it's a great place to start with kids who may not want to ski all day everyday and want a range of other things to do as well.
Cairngorm Mountain Railway: www.cairngormmoutain.org
Roithemurchas estate:
www.roithemurchas.net
Bothy Bikes:
www.bothybikes.co.uk
Highland Wildlife Park:
www.highlandwildlifepark.org
Landmark Park:
www.landmarkpark.co.uk
Google map: bit.ly/Q7chkp
Just off the A9 at Carrbridge, 23 miles south of Inverness, the 30-acre Landmark Forest Theme Park is a great outdoor activity place for kids. It's got loads of forest and nature trails as well as a watercoaster and a working steam powered sawmill. There's also a wildlife feeding area which is known to attract the ever elusive red squirrel.
www.landmark-centre.co.uk
Tel: 0800 731 3446
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