This post covers teaching your child to safely ride the ski lift or chairlift.

Riding the chairlift is an exhilarating feeling, and your child will want to do this by themselves on their first day! We recommend strongly that you avoid using a chairlift to the top of the mountain until you are sure your child can ski down safely. This avoids any unnecessary fear associated with learning to ski.

If your child is ready to learn to take on the Chairlift, keep reading below:

What to do before your kid’s first time on the chairlift

The best time to teach your child how to safely use the chairlift starts days before you actually get on the snow.

Watch a video together on riding the chairlift

One of the first resources we like to use is a simple video about how a chairlift. Here’s a great version for kids from Colorado Ski and Snowboard Safety:

Practice what you will do before you get on the chairlift

— Make sure your child can move safely through the lift line without falling over or worse, dragging you over!

— Talk about how to ride a chairlift, and ideally, find out if your ski resort has an old chair they have placed on a hill to help teach young skiers how to enter and exit a lift. Important topics to cover are where to point your skis when getting on and off the lift — hint, it is directly forward in ‘french fries’ to avoid getting tangled.

Tell the chairlift operator it is your kid’s first time

Tell the lift operator at both the bottom and top of the lift that you have a rider who is new to lift riding. They will slow down the lift to allow you more time to enter and exit.

Entering the gates of the Chairlift

When you enter the gates, put your child on the same side as the Lift Operator, so the lift operator can see and assist if there is a problem. Also, as you look over your shoulder to await the chair, face your child and give them a small boost to get on the lift. Both of these tips are covered visually really well in this video from Level 9 Sports:

Hold onto your kid on the chairlift

Hold on to your child! Kids are slippery and unpredictable, so I like to keep at least one hand on them at all times on the lift.

Is your child starting to say, “daddy I’m big enough to do this myself!”? If so, then you need to do the ‘sneak hold’. Reach around the back of the lift and grab ahold of their jacket through the slats in the chairlift. Secret Safety Sleuthing! Bonus points if your child is wearing a jacket with a handle, which makes this super easy and effective.

How Kids Safely Ride the Chairlift

The most important safety rules to impart to your child are:

1. Sit all the way back in the seat
2. Put the safety bar down
3. No horseplay on the lift
4. If you drop something, let it fall

Each of these 4 rules combat issues that might cause a child to slip off their seat. Falling from a lift is a catastrophic event, so make sure to reinforce these rules with your kids as often as possible.

When to know your kid is ready to safely ride the chairlift with a friend

Your child is going to want to autonomy of riding a lift by themselves or with a friend. This is a big step for most kids, so feel free to treat it accordingly by making sure your child earns this right.

Your child should have the following skills and plans in place before considering riding a lift without a parent:

1. Successfully navigate the lift line, getting on the lift, and getting off the lift without falling
   1. This likely goes without saying, but if your child has challenges moving through the lift line, or their skis get tangled up getting off the lift regularly, then they are not ready to independently use the ski lift.
2. Be able to ride the lift with no horseplay
   1. This is so important. I recommend the first several times (and occasionally after that), checking in on your kids by riding behind them to see what they are up to on the lift. This might sound like hovering, but watching your kids in action on the lift will tell you a lot about their ability to ride safely while they have their friends nearby.
3. Be confident in your kids’ ability to find you again
   1. Ski mountains get really big really fast if you’re new to navigating them. Make sure your kids have a plan on how to reunite with you before they head off to a lift with friends. More on that to come in Tips and Tricks.

That is the wrap up for teaching your child to ride the chairlift safely. Let me know your experiences and don’t forget to thank your lift operator for all they do helping kids get on and off lifts safely every day!

Thank you for reading.  Please follow our blog below to receive emails on new posts to help you teach and equip your child to ski with you successfully!

I earn an affiliate credit for items purchased when accessed through the links on this post. None of these manufacturers have provided incentives to me for these endorsements or reviews.