Cost of living: How to do a family skiing holiday on the cheap in the French resort of Les Contamines

Swapping a luxury chalet for bunkbeds and shared bathrooms can make for an affordable (and surprisingly enjoyable) snowsports break, finds Rachel Ifans

Les Contamines’ quiet ski area (UCPA)

Having spent two years unable to ski, I found myself feeling differently about the prospect in early 2022 when borders opened and Macron finally said my son was allowed to ski without taking a test every morning before we got on the lift. (We can barely get him up in time to boil up some porridge and eat a banana, so how on earth would we have traipsed to the pharmacy for an LFT on the daily?)

The climate crisis and the Covid-enforced travel break reset my priorities; it’s made me want to feel better about my travel choices. As a result, our family ski holiday needed an overhaul. First, I hate the exclusive nature of skiing and the air of privilege – sorry, but it makes me feel icky to follow the entourage of designer Moon Boots marching through the airport departures lounge. Second, I now want to be as green as possible with my holidays and give my money to not-for-profits where I can. I want a ski trip that is affordable, authentic and local, one where the money goes back into the ski region itself and where I “do” skiing like the French do – which, for the avoidance of doubt, is not a catered chalet run by an English family from the Home Counties. I’m starting to rant, but you get the idea…

A whole heap of googling later, I found Action Outdoors, a company set up in 2004 by two British men who wanted to offer inclusive ski holidays to young people at affordable prices. Action Outdoors doesn’t run its own holidays; rather, it’s the British travel agent for a not-for-profit French organisation called UCPA, which was set up 65 years ago to get young people outside and doing sport. Most ski weeks in UCPA centres are for 18 to 45-year-olds, but there are a few family weeks during the season too.

Getting schooled in off-piste by a ski instructor (David Robertson)

So far, so good. UCPA ticked my authentically French box, my not-for-profit box and my ethos box, so we booked an all-inclusive week in the small resort of Les Contamines, bagged a Eurotunnel crossing and a motel and off we went. Again, more boxes ticked, with driving being a greener travel option than flying and far fewer Moon Boots to encounter on the way.

Les Contamines is a small ski resort at the foot of Mont Blanc. The town is just a few kilometres up the hill from chi-chi St Gervais, and it’s really just a main street with a few small supermarkets, a church, a couple of pharmacies and a handful of restaurants and bars. The UCPA centre is well placed for town but the télécabines are a five-minute bus ride away. The buses are free and regular, which is handy because, although the distance is only 900m, we all know it can feel like 900 miles when lugging ski kit and walking in ski boots.

The ski area is big enough for a week and very good for beginners and intermediates. That said, it’s got a few good blacks and lots of off-piste to keep experts happy. The landscape is lunar and rolling and, although you’re above the treeline, the humps and bumps mean it doesn’t have the exposed feeling of places like, say, Flaine. The pistes are wide and open; we couldn’t believe how quiet it was in February half-term and sometimes we could have sworn there were more trees dotted around us than there were other skiers. We knew they were there somewhere because we saw them at the lifts at the beginning and end of the day, but how the mountain swallowed them up was a glorious mystery we never solved.

Sometimes we could have sworn there were more trees dotted around us than there were other skiers

We had perfect snow and were able to push ourselves further because of it. All four of us managed in the top-but-one – ahem, “advanced” – group and were boosted by the blacks and proud of the powder progress we made.

On the first ski day, everyone in the centre is allocated their ski groups, ranging from total beginners, through intermediates to advanced and expert, and there were also specialist groups for people who wanted to off-piste only or to try their hand at ski touring.

We were in a group of 12 skiers – a mix of kids, teens and adults – and the vibe was friendly and supportive. To be honest, I tried to get put in a lower group on the first day because I was training for a marathon at home and determined not to get injured, but I was told it wasn’t possible – so I stuck with my gang and I’m glad I did.

A four-bed room in the Les Contamines centre (UCPA)

My husband and I had fallen into the routine of getting the kids ski lessons for years while we developed bad ski habits by ourselves but, due to the all-inclusive nature of UCPA, we had no choice this year but to take the lessons too. It was a winner: we learned a lot from our 12 hours of lessons and the kids loved skiing with us all day too. We also got to know the area quicker and discovered off-piste trails we’d never have braved alone.

The instructors are employed full time by UCPA. As a result, you get a much more engaged vibe and you’ll often find your instructor at the centre for a spot of apres-ski in the evening. David at Action Outdoors was passionate about the importance of the instruction: “Lessons are a huge part of the ethos of UCPA; the mission is to encourage a combination of sport and social, so it’s fundamental to the offering.”

Les Contamines is one of UCPA’s smaller resorts, but what it lacked in kilometres, it made up for in quality and quietness of pistes. It was a breath of fresh air for a family that has always avoided skiing at February half-term for fear of death-by-lift-queue. UCPA has more than 20 ski centres in the French Alps and Action Outdoors works with 12 of them. From Chamonix to La Plagne to Serre Chevalier, all the big ones are there, and the centres differ in star quality and size, so there really is something for everyone.

Lessons are a huge part of the ethos of UCPA; the mission is to encourage a combination of sport and social

Action Outdoors

So the skiing got a big tick, but what about the rest of it? It felt like a risk staying somewhere with dormitories and – cue horror movie music – shared facilities at our age. Rooms come in fours, threes and twos and we got a two-bunkbed room for the four of us. We had a sink and shower in the room and a balcony, patio doors and a view facing the mountains.

Even having known that the sleeping accommodation would be basic, I’m ashamed to admit a heart-sinky moment or two when we first saw the room. It certainly was basic – “It’s like the place we stayed on the school ski trip!” my daughter’s delighted voice rang out as my husband and I eyed each other nervously – and the bunkbeds creaked and wobbled as my son tested them out by bouncing. The four lockable metal wardrobes added to the hostel vibe and it took a few deep breaths, fake smiles and “It’ll be fine – we’re hardly ever in here, after all” assurances before we all settled down.

In reality, despite annoyances like wrongly shaped pillowcases and fitted sheets that didn’t fit, the room worked fine and we loved being that close to our teens for a week, aware, as we parents are, of time trickling away before our eyes and our holiday years with them coming to an end.

Picnic lunches are part of a UCPA all-inclusive holiday, or you can choose a hot lunch in the centre (Adam Ifans)

The showers were always hot and we only had to wait to use the loo a couple of times over the week. Like everything UCPA, there may not be bells and whistles but everything works well (apart from the pillowcases, that is).

The dining room was big and already loud with fresh and hungry holidaymakers when we got there on our first evening. By day two, we had the system sorted – divide up and source a table, jug of water, basket of bread, cutlery and condiments between you, and then it’s entrée+plat+dessert time.

When I tell you that UCPA food is high quality, just know it’s a massive understatement. The French do mass catering like we can only dream of in the UK, and the kitchen team fed 270 people the week we were there, surprising and delighting us with crowdpleasers such as lasagne, meatballs, ratatouille and frites, and surprising us with Moroccan fish, mussel curry, Savoyard specialities and trays of perfectly cooked medium-rare tuna steaks with a Mediterranean drizzle on top. The salad bar was heaving with cured meats, tomatoes, mozzarella balls, artichokes, fresh lettuce and grated carrot, and every evening there were homemade tarts to demolish and plates of cheese to devour. It was heaven, and all at an incredibly affordable price.

UCPA’s evening meals are plentiful and great quality (UCPA)

At lunchtimes, you can choose to come back down the mountain for a hot meal (not many do) or you make yourself a picnic to eat on the slopes. There were even nice touches when we got back from skiing each day, including a crepe party, cheese fondue, vin chaud and daily cakes.

Food aside, we were impressed with the whole centre: from the slick check-in, the quality and smooth running of the ski-boot and kit hire, the happy and welcoming vibe from all the staff and the evening entertainment you could join in with or ignore. It’s hard to sum up what makes it so special, but for me it’s probably the Frenchness. For David, it’s the history as well: “It’s an institution. I met my wife on a UCPA holiday and that’s not unusual; many marriages and relationships have been born in a UCPA dorm! JC, the manager of the UCPA in Les Contamines, is a case in point. His parents met and worked at a UCPA and now so does he – and he’s engaged to a woman he met here too!”

Travel essentials

Getting there

Rachel took the Eurotunnel from Folkestone to Calais, staying in Ashford Travelodge for one night before crossing the channel.

Staying there

UCPA Les Contamines is a fully catered centre in the Mont Blanc region. Ski equipment and storage are all on site and lift passes are provided at the centre. The centre also has in-house spa (jacuzzi, steam room and sauna), an indoor climbing wall and a games room including pool table, plus wifi (albeit patchy). There are a range of packages available; a Family Half Time Ski break costs £716pp.