You are off and running. Teaching your kids to ski with nothing but smiles and rainbows. Let’s keep it that way with these simple tips.
Arrive and stay well fed while skiing
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and this goes two-fold on the hill. Your child is going to be expending a ton of energy — taking in new sights, learning, physically moving, regulating temperature, etc. Make sure they have the fuel they need to avoid bonking.
Plus, it is a good idea to bring several snacks with you. Unless you are able to stand up from the breakfast table and saunter over to a ski lift, there is likely a time delay between breakfast and skiing. Keep this in mind and consider diving into a granola bar from your jacket pocket on one of your first lift rides to keep energy levels up.
A good lunch is paramount if you plan to do any skiing in the afternoon. Although it hurts my optimizing soul to take a leisurely lunch, your children will thank you for it. Savor some hot cocoa and lay around the lodge (or outside) a bit and take a rest. You’ve earned it!
Use bribery and rewards to keep your skier excited
We are not much of a snack family except on the ski hill. We use Black Forest Gummies, and they do great as they aren’t particularly bad for you and they come in small sizes. We typically wait until the kids remember to ask for them (about 2-3 runs in), and then we offer one at the top of each hill while we talk about what skiing we’ll do.
We also make hot chocolate and put it in thermos and share it during lunch. It ends up that we each get about half a ‘resort-sized-cup’ of hot chocolate, and that tends to satisfay everyone. Here’s the link to a thermos similar to the type we use. This treat makes lunch something to look forward to for the kids and makes ski days special.
Keep your child dry
Keep your kids dry by investing in waterproof clothing and bringing a second pair of gloves/mittens. I can almost guarantee that your child’s gloves will be soaked by the end of a couple hours of learning to ski, so bring a second pair. Make sure both pairs are waterproof and train/encourage/bribe your kids to keep them on their hands!
Pick nice days to ski
It is wonderful to learn to ski when the sun is shining and the wind is calm. When your child is battling the elements, it is really hard to focus on learning a new skill. If possible, choose your ski days tactically and focus on days with the best weather. If you’re stuck on the hill during non-ideal weather, ask an instructor or ski patroller where you can go on the mountain to experience less of the elements. Often there are great hide-a-ways on every mountain with windbreaks that can help you and your kids stay warm.
Also, if you can’t pick a perfect day, don’t forget to bring a face covering. This will likely be mandatory this winter, but even if it is not, protecting your child’s face from the wind and cold will help tremendously. And, don’t forget to keep goggles on at all times while you’re skiing.
When are the nicest days? It varies by resort and year, but as you start to get into late-March and April, ski resorts are typically warmer with longer days and softer snow. These may not be idea times for your ski vacation, but they are a great time to teach a beginner how to ski.
Don’t forget to rest while skiing
Skiing is tiring for everyone. For kids, it is particularly exhausting due to all the learning they are adding on top of the physical exercise. Make sure you are taking breaks. Breaks don’t need to mean going all the way back into the lodge though. They can be as simple as making a snow angel in the woods, or playing Simon Says with your skis off. Be creative and make sure to take breaks to keep the positive energy moving!
Those are the 5 tips we share with parents of new skiers. What did I miss? Any tips you can share with the community? If so, please put them into the comments below.
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