There’s nothing like healthy competition to get kids motivated. Take them to one of the annual youth skiing events in Val d’Isère to give them a gentle push.
If you’ve got older children who love nothing more than pointing their skis downhill and getting to the bottom of the mountain in the shortest possible time, then you might just have a future Winter Olympian on your hands.
Feed that passion, and show them just how quick young skiers can go, at one of the most fast-paced events in Val d'Isère: the La Scara International Junior Alpine Ski Racing Competition.
Held this year on 4 - 6 April at the Val d’Isère Slalom Station, La Scara has developed from a small local junior’s race into one of the key events in Val d'Isere with around 1,400 young skiers competing last year.
From Local Race to ‘Children’s World Championship’
Begun around 30 years ago as a race for children living in Val d’Isère and ski clubs from the local area, the popularity of La Scara grew and grew until organisers were forced to accept its position as an important international race, a ‘Children’s World Championship’.
Today the race is one of the most important events in Val d'Isère and makes up part of the circuit of races used by young skiers to qualify for selection into their national teams. As a result, French children (male and female) are asked to qualify before they are allowed to compete in the ‘international races’.
Although this is still predominantly a French event, with around 1,100 French skiers, it attracts young skiers from across 28 nations, making up an international contingent of around 300 competitors.
The After-Party and Parade
Once all the racing is done it’s time to party – a chance for the kids and teens involved in the races to let their hair down and celebrate.
The La Scara Party, held on the main street in Val d’Isère (or in the Sports Club if the weather is bad), is more than an award ceremony – it is a party where the dedicated young racers can have some fun.
Kicking off at 4pm with a Scara Mini Olympics held in the Val Village, all the racers are invited to take part in a range of fun activities including target shooting, archery and even arm wrestling.
At 5.45pm, the Nation’s Parade takes place through the resort from Dolomite Square to the podium on the main road where the winners will be given their medals and their prize. (If you’ve got kids yourself then you may not be surprised to discover that the prize these skiers are working so hard to get is not money, but their own weight in sweets!)
The street party carries on until 8pm with music and celebrations that everyone can join in. Coming, as it does, at the end of the skiing season in the resort, this celebration is one of the events which finishes up the winter season in the resort.
La Scara is one of the key events in Val d'Isère that will give your teens the chance to see some of the world’s future World Cup skiers before they have made it onto the world stage, and who knows... it might even inspire them to become one of them!
How to Get to Val d’Isère
There are four airports close to the resort which all offer flights from the UK: Grenoble, Geneva, Lyon and Chambéry. Direct transfers from any of these airports to your accommodation can be booked with Shuttle Direct via our online booking system. With a selection of well-rated group or private cars, you are sure to find a transfer to suit your needs.
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