Parallel Trails is all about family snow and mountain adventures. We are passionate about skiing and families who love to ski. And families who love summer mountain holidays. This ski travel website aims to help you enjoy the perfect family ski holiday. It includes tips and advice so families can enjoy skiing holidays in parallel with their children - the team behind Parallel Trails love to ski as a family so we know how good it feels to go skiing with your children. Parallel Trails is an independent ski travel site for the family ski market, offering practical and honest articles on family ski holidays and family skiing. Why don't you join us on our online family snow & mountain adventure. © Parallel Trails 2019
Boot Room
SunGod Revolts Goggles - £95
British eyewear brand SunGod put you in charge of the design of your next ski goggles with their custom Revolts. SunGod was launched off the back of a successful kickstarter campaign in 2013 and the company - based in London and Verbier – now offers a range of durable and high quality ski goggles and sunglasses.
The Revolts are an interchangeable, fully replaceable goggle. Designing your own on the website is easy. First select one of the three frames, then add in one of 10 strap options and complete with your choice from the six different tints of lenses.
Sungod’s own 4KOSnow polarising technology means you get lenses that enhance contrast and increase clarity in a wide range of conditions. Whichever personal choice of lens you go for you get 100% UVA and UVB protection.
Parallel Trails co-founder Gayle Turner-Moore road-tested a pair of Revolts during February half term in the French Pyrenees.
“I went for the Matte White frame with the Metal Patch on White strap and Snow Pink lens. The finished design, as well as the shape and style complemented my helmet and sat well on my face.
“The silicon backing on the straps means the goggles are really grippy and never feel like they are likely to slip off or move around.
“I found the Snow Pink lens an excellent all-rounder. They coped with all the different light conditions we faced in the Pyrenees, including from heavy cloud to bright sunshine in the space of one ski day.
“The Revolts look classy on the slopes and certainly feel and perform like a much more expensive goggle. It is also nice to be wearing something a little different, more exclusive than the brands everyone else has.”
CALLING ALL SKI GEAR MANUFACTURERS - do you have great products that should be appearing in our Boot Room this season? If so get in touch now! Email us paralleltrails@hotmail.co.uk
Drysure Extreme boot dryers - £29.95
Sometimes when you go skiing you end up in a place that doesn't have a really effective boot room. In the past the option was to balance your boots on top of radiators and hope for the best the next morning.
How about investing in a pair of Drysure Extreme boot dryers instead? These brightly coloured, boot shaped products do not use batteries, electricity or heat to dry your ski boots. And they're compact enough not to take up loads of room in your boot bag.
Inside the Drysures are specially designed silica oxide bead bags which target areas like the toe and heel where sweat and moisture builds up - helping to reduce bacterial and fungal growth which improves the odour. The guys behind their clever design believe they are 12-times more effective than air drying.
And they are reusable and should absorb up to 10 days' worth of moisture before needing to be fully reactivated (which is a simple process of taking the bead bags out of the plastic casing and heat them in the oven for one to two hours). You can ensure they work at maximum potential by storing them in the resealable pouch to stop them absorbing moisture from the air.
Parallel Trails tested out a pair of the Drysure Extremes on a recent trip to the French Alps. Leaving them overnight (the instructions suggest eight to 10 hours) in a pair of ski boots, in regular room temperature, worked an absolute treat. The next morning there was no trace of any residual dampness from the previous day's ski. Impressive stuff.
And with the two younger members of the Parallel Trails' team - Seb and Ollie - training once a week at their local dry slope, we can see a year-round need for the Drysures. Whether it's the slope misting system or typical English rain, the boys often come back from training with wet boots. Usually their boots sit out by a radiator for most of the following week, air-drying in room temperature. But after their last session, we used the Drysures on one pair of boots and the next day we were able to bag up the boots.
We think for just under £30 the Drysure Extreme are a worthwhile investment if you are a skiing family. You'll use them more than you think as they can be just as effective in walking boots or trail running shoes. You can order them direct from the Drysure website:
Huski - from €7.50pp
With an HQ in Bourg St Maurice, alpine food delivery service Huski currently operates to 257 resorts in the French Alps. Not come across them yet? Well think Cook with altitude! In fact the Huski team has an exclusive tie up with UK-based Cook to be able to deliver their meals too (good news if your little ones are fans of their grub). The idea behind the doorstep delivery service came from two skiing friends as they rode a chairlift. So it really is designed by skiers for skiers.
So what is it? Huski is an online store with a wide-range of meals, drinks and services. The Huski drivers deliver daily, direct to your chalet or apartment, to take the hard work out of your family skiing holiday and to give you more time to enjoy the mountains.
As a guide to the costs for a family of four – a classic skiing dinner of Lasagne al Forno is €30 (€7.50pp) while Beef Bourguignon is €34 (€8.50pp).
Parallel Trails used the service for the first time while staying just outside Samoens. Our delivery driver Gordon was friendly and chatty and a very good ambassador for the service. He arrived a little later than initially we were told, but Bourg to Samoens is quite a drive. Importantly though he kept updating us by text on his progress - so it was all fine.
The food was simple to cook and packaged similar to Cook dishes in the UK. We had ordered the Tartiflette (€12.50pp) and it was bursting with really authentic flavours. Rich, creamy and cheesy. Equally importantly (with two growing teenagers who are fast skiers) it was really filling, satisfying and enjoyed by everyone after a full day's skiing. The cornichons and cold meat selection that arrived with the delivery was the perfect little accompaniment to the main dish.
Huski certainly seems to be a very slick operation - no hassle and the to-the-door service is excellent. If you are a self-catering skiing family it is definitely worth considering, either for all your evening meals or as a special occasion dinner during your holiday.
And if you’re out in the Alps now or getting organised for your February half-term family ski trip – then Huski is currently offering a 15% discount on its Savoyard range, using the code G73NEWYEAR.
