What age should children learn to ski

Much will depend on the child and their abilities and we have all seen the three and a half year old wizz down past us and put our long practiced techniques to shame.

Conventional advice is that a child learning to ski should be at least four or five and probably old enough to be at school and used to listening to a teacher. The child should also be have the ability to wear the ski boots and a good level of co-ordination.

If you really want your child to start very young you should think about private lessons. Like driving teaching your own children can be difficult although the French seem to appear to do it with great ease. It can be very cold and a private lesson is intense so limit lessons to short periods. If your child does not seem to be enjoying it do not push too hard as you do not want to put them off a family ski holiday for life. Private lessons for younger children are more expensive and a ski school will normally do a minimum of two hours for a private lesson. Any more than that is probably not a good idea anyway.

Children's ski school

Most children's ski schools will accept children in group lessons from 4 or 5 years old. They make learning fun. Check that the instructors are native English speakers which are best for young children unused to dealing with accents. check also that there are likely to be other English speaking children in the lessons as this will make a difference. Children love to meet and relate to other children and will enjoy making friends in the snow as much as on the beach.

Morning lessons are best as you have all rested overnight. If you are all getting lessons try to co ordinate the lessons so that you are all finished in and around the same time. Think about lunch as sometimes it is better fro the children to have had their lunch at the school so you can have a full morning on the slopes.  

Make sure you have the appropriate winter sports family travel insurance and that this covers all members of the family including the children. Getting equipment right is important as well so check our kids ski equipment and kids ski packing guide.

What is the right age to bring a baby on a family ski holiday?

There seems to be a difference of opinion as to the appropriate age to take babies to ski resorts. Some operators advise against taking very young babies and others welcome them. Extremes of cold, even brief exposure can threaten a young baby’s health and bright sun reflected off the snow can damage delicate eyes. You are best to take medical advice if your baby is very young and always protect against the sun and cold.

Skiing as a Family

If all the family are beginners you are likely to all be tired after the morning session as learning to ski is very tiring for both adults and children alike. Accidents are more likely to happen when you are tired and especially if you have young children you are best to try to take a break and do something different in the resort such as walking, throwing snowballs or just reading and relaxing. Quiet time is important as well as good old fashioned family snow fun.

Be fully prepared for your children to be better than you by the end of the first week. Children have much better balance than adults. They are nearer to the ground, have a better cenre of gravity then us and getting up after a fall presents fewer problems.

It is important to recognise that children can vary a great deal in terms of physical abilities, concentration and levels of skill. Repeating the same exercises over and over again will lead to boredom so try to make learning fun eiether as a family or if you are experienced and teaching your children for the first time.

Children will need help getting on and off the ski lifts and make sure everyone knows the dangers of not following the instructions for safety on the lifts and gondolas.

Courchevel seems to have solved the problem of how to keep small children safe on chair-lifts. Children in ESF ski school classes are now going to be issued with a special waistcoat with an electro-magnet on the back. This locks onto a similar magnet on the back of the chair-lift for the ride up making it impossible for the child to slide under the safety bar. On arrival at the top the magnets release automatically. The system was tested on one lift last winter and this season they should be widespread.

Finding gentle slopes where children can get used to skiing is important. For older children involve them in the process of finding runs on the maps and even the youngest child can tell a green from a blue run on a map. A bit of rivalry between parents and children is always great fun as long as you remember to let them win sometimes!

Take plenty of high energy snacks and something to drink with you and take regular breaks with goals such as we will stop for a break at the end of this run or when you see the next sign post.

Before you set out for the day do double check that you have everything and then check again! Bring an extra hat and gloves if you can as children can lose these easily.

Remember that children get cold quickly so always make sure they wear safety helmets,  are properly dressed for the conditions and that you do not leave it too late to get down your last run as they may well be tired and progress can be slow.

Before you go if you live near a dry ski slope try to get a lesson or two for the family. This will get you all familiar with the equipment and get a feel for skiing.

You will find lots of family friendly travel tips and advice in our research and advice section to help you book the right family holiday. Check out also the experiences of other parents and travellers in our parents forum and add your own experiences as we are a great believer in real parent's experiences as the best measure of whether somewhere will suit you for your family holiday. 

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