Skiing

Specialist Reports Activity Holidays Skiing Starting Skiing and Lessons 

• Four or five years is reported a good age to start but you need to make sure the experience is enjoyable or it won't take. Indeed, go too early and you may put the child off for life. Some experts reckon seven is a safer starting point. Some operators, bowing to a certain amount of pressure from parents, do offer sessions for three years up, but point out that some children are stronger and more enthusiastic than others.



• Ideally pick a time of year when it won't be too bitterly cold. Before Christmas, April or even May might be best for a first time, though changing weather patterns do mean that there is less guarantee of snow at either end of the season than there might have been. If you do opt for these dates, received wisdom is that the western Alps get most of the weather first and high altitude resorts should get the best snow.
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• Consider whether the child is mature enough to be happy alone with relative strangers, physically competent to handle skis, and whether capable of handling his or her own clothing, including mittens, googles and boots. Then there's the little matter of bladder control in the cold.



• Find out about any ski school before you sign up your children. If well run they are a good way for your children to meet others and have some fun learning. If not they can leave your child cold, friendless, and convinced that they are incompetent.



• For English speakers, best of all are English-speaking classes organised by your tour operator, often with instructors hand-picked from the local ski school, rather than with instructors who offer translation into English if required. Though French and Austrian children's ski schools have a good reputation, the presence of locals in the group is likely to mean that instructions in English will come second or not at all. Scandinavia countries generally offer good standards of English, though temperatures will often be lower than in the Alps. In North America this is not an issue and in addition resorts have excellent facilities for children, lessons are flexible, and skiing is particularly safe. However, it does involve an eight-hour flight.



• Think about whether you want to ski with your child or children some of the time. If you do, unless your tour operator offers half-day lessons (and some do), in Europe at any rate private lessons may be more suitable as half-day lessons run by schools are often rather ad hoc. Alternatively, in the US it seems that two-hourly lessons are more the norm so this might be preferable.



• If you can't find school lessons which you are convinced will work, the private option really comes into its own. Although more expensive, the teacher will be better focused on your child or children, possibly more fun, and is almost certain to get them learning much faster. If you can't run to entirely private lessons, see if you can combine some private with some ski school sessions. (But note that if you all want to learn together, a private instructor for joint lessons shouldn't cost more than individual ski school lessons.) The best operators at finding a suitable private instructor are those who specialise in just one or two resorts and who therefore know the people individually.



• If you do opt for group lessons, go along to watch unannounced. That way you will find out if the teacher is bothering with details like how to re-do bindings when the children fall over, or indeed bothering to talk to all of the children present.



• If you are not going to attend the class with your child, ideally look for childcare which will do this for you, encouraging children who feel less happy with the teaching and/or their own skills and achievements.



• If your child is eight-plus and hasn't skied before, consider taking them for a few sessions on a dry ski slope in the UK to learn the basics, rather than have them struggling on the spot when the real skiing can be a lot more fun. But do remember to reassure them that snow is a lot easier than a dry ski slope surface.



• If you are planning to attend ski school as well it's worth ensuring that your lesson times coincide with those of the children's classes.



• Note that there is a school of thought which advises against snowboarding for children under the age of 8. This is because there is a steeper learning curve than for skiing, the falls are often harder, and growing kids may not be quite so in tune with their body (and its increasing dimensions), and therefore not so able to master the physical knacks required.


• Whichever way you do it, provide plenty of treats and stop once the younger ones are bored and/or cold.

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