I grew up skiing, and 100% believe that the earlier someone learns to ski – the more comfortable they’ll be on the slopes for the rest of their lives. If you ever get a chance to watch Jade and I go down the same run, you’ll see what I mean…
Our first attempt at teaching Augustine to ski was at 2.5 years old. Several experts have since told me that we tried too early, but I believe that even though she wasn’t zipping down the greens in diapers, getting on the slopes that first time and the subsequent years since have each given her a chance to get comfortable on the slopes. This is really my frame of mind for teaching kids to love winter sports – it’s a process that takes awhile and might not pay off the first season.
With that in mind, here are my tips from the four year journey from toddler-on-the-slopes to ‘dad I wanna try moguls’ ::
Keep in Mind: For me, the highs are totally worth the lows.
Ski School
After the first lesson on Copper Mountain, I decided I could teach Augustine myself. I couldn’t. I was either teaching her bad habits (like relying on me to hold her up) or being too protective and not letting her figure things out on her own (ie. Fall down).
Augustine got steadier and a bit more confident in the basics after 2 back-to-back days at ski school. (Most ski schools recommend 3 days for kids – and I probably agree with that if you have the time/money)
Now, all ski schools are not created equally.
Price – When you’re looking for ski school, look around for local/smaller mountains. Going somewhere like Park City for ski school is much more expensive than other mountains, and when you’re just working on French fries/Pie, I haven’t found too much difference between these lessons.
Register Early – especially during high season and weekends, schools sell out, even on small local mountains.
Full Day vs. Half Day – Ask About the *time on the slope* difference between full day and half day. We found several ski schools did ‘slope time’ and then ‘drawing time’ and we would get more *ski time* if we just did a half-day.
Wardrobe Management – For younger kids, talk to the ski school about helping with gloves/jackets and make sure they handle diapers if you’re kid isn’t potty trained
Weather – Personally, since these are group classes, I wouldn’t send my kid on an extreme weather day. Really this boils down to – if they are uncomfortable, there might not be someone to help each individual or the kids might not speak up.
Gear Rental – Check to see if rentals are provided or if you need to come with equipment. If rentals are provided, see if you get them for the full day so you could go skiing together after class.
Walk Away – Find a hiding place if you must, but just get away from your kids and let them learn. We tried watching a few times and it gave Augustine a reason not to just suck it up.
Season Passes
We’ve found getting a season pass makes the per day fee much lower. Which has been huge for us with Augustine. Sometimes she’ll only do 1-2 runs and be done. With a season pass, that’s fine…there’s always tomorrow. Plus, young kids’ season passes are way cheap. Keep in mind, some mountains let kids ski free up til a certain age – so check out your destinations in advance.
Season Rentals
If you’re planning on going on more than one ski trip during the year, try and get season rentals. They’re roughly the same price as 3-4 days of standard ski rental and you never have to go get sized again. If you are renting your skis on the mountain – pick them up the night before
On the Slopes Together
- Get a Worm – Worms are short, elastic clips that screw onto kids ski tips and keep their skis together. They’re pretty standard for beginner skiers and really easy to take on and off.
- Look for Magic Carpets – Many mountains now have public magic carpets available to anyone with a ticket. The lines for these are usually shorter than chairlifts (especially in the early morning and late afternoon) and the slope is very gentle.
- Find Long Runs – For us, one trick I’ve used is to get Augustine to the top of the mountain or on the longest green run on the mountain (bonus points if there is a mid-mountain lift). This way, even when she’s *done*, she still has to get down the mountain – which means more ski practice.
- Take Breaks – Look for rest areas or pull to the side as you go to rest. For us, our breaks are when Augustine gets to eat snow, so she has this burst of fun several times down the mountain.
- Ski Alert – Greens are the most dangerous runs on mountains. Whenever I ski with Augustine, I’m either 4-5 feet behind her to block anyone from running into her or if I’m in front of her, my eyes are about 60 feet up the hill.
- Let Them Fall – This was really hard for me to get used to at first, but once I let Augustine fall down (within reason) she got tons more comfortable on the slope. (I did catch her though if she was really picking up speed). Falling down also became a chance to eat snow – so it was a win/win.
Bring a Day Pack
I haven’t met a parent on the slopes yet that didn’t benefit from a day pack. Here’s what I have in mine:
- Snacks (always more snacks)
- Water bottle
- Whatever layers were *too hot* for Augustine
- Extra face and neck gear – just in case
- Shoes (so we don’t need to rent a locker)
Consider Going with Friends
We’ve noticed that Augustine is more interested, more resilient and in general in a better mood if she’s on the slopes with a friend. For young skiers, this can be a challenge because kids are at all different levels, but joining another family and heading to the slopes one way to increase your kid’s time on the slopes and overall enjoyment – just be prepared for more horsing around.
