Hubby came home looking like he'd won the lotto; clutched in his hand was a small brochure.
"It's the Aldi snow sale!" he said, leaping about like a child.
Let me make this clear: we don't usually get excited about junk mail. But, coming from working class backgrounds, we've always considered skiing to be a rich folks' sport.
How could we afford the gear, let alone the lift tickets? Well, all that changed when Aldi started its once-a-year sale, of thermal jackets, boots and gloves.
So, now the kids aren't going to freeze to death – as I almost did after drunkenly building a snow cave during my misspent youth – you're all ready to hit the slopes. That is, after you rob a bank.
A week in the Australian skifields can be more expensive than almost anywhere else in the world; frankly, it was cheaper in the French Alps.
However, there are some decent deals, if you travel at the start or end of the season.
Five nights accommodation and breakfast for a family at Thredbo's Black Bear Inn costs just $850. For something more luxurious, try Thredbo Alpine Hotel, which is $2748 for the same period of time. Kids can get free passes, with some adult lift and accommodation packages, in June and September - and you can save 20 per cent on lift tickets by buying them more than seven days in advance.
If you want everything, Kosciusko Chalet Hotel at Charlotte Pass offers food, accommodation, lifts, lessons, hire, and transport from $1699 for adults and $864 for children.
In Perisher, the Matterhorn Lodge is all-inclusive, complete with equipment and clothing hire, from $4344 per family. Our NSW favourite, Perisher Valley Hotel, has a midweek bed and breakfast special from $149 per person per night (kids are cheaper, at $99). A 5-day lift, lesson and hire bundle at Perisher costs $518 for an adult and $401 for a child.
We love Falls Creek in Victoria, because of the funky village feel and fabulous restaurant scene. A three-day weekend deal at Pretty Valley Ski Lodge is $1400 for a family, including all meals, plus equipment and clothing hire. Kids staying at Trackers Mountain Lodge get free skis/boots/poles or snowboards/boots with each hiring adult, during the first week of the school holidays. QT Falls Creek has 50 per cent off deals, early and late in the season.
New Zealand skifields used to be much cheaper but a weaker Australian dollar means it's about the same price.
A 10-day Wanaka family ski package, with accommodation, car hire and lift tickets, at Treble Cone or Cardrona, is $4920 for a family, while the
best value is at Mt Hutt, with 7 nights accommodation in an apartment in Methven, five days lifts, transfers and food for $2850.
In the lovely Heritage Hotel Queenstown, you can get a week's stay in a two-bedroom suite, four days ski pass, plus car rental, from $895 per person (children are at a discounted rate).
So, perhaps you don't need to win the lotto to go on a family ski trip. Then again, you might, if you have an accident; make sure you check the fine print on your travel insurance.
*These prices are for a family of four, with two adults and two children. Families come in all shapes and sizes, but most packages only cater for 2+2.
