Teaching Kids to Ski: 6 Rules
By following these simple rules, your kids should progress quickly and learn to love skiing.
1. Ski when the weather's nice. The first season, skiing should be done when the weather is decent. You don't want to subject your kids to extremely cold or wet conditions. The first few mountain experiences should be fun. If they're cold or wet they'll associate skiing with being miserable and they won't want to go again. This may mean you don't take your kids skiing until spring conditions arrive later in the season.
2. Don't force your kids to ski. If they don't want to hit the slopes, let them horse around in the snow first. Build a snowman or have a snowball fight. The first season we were constantly negotiating with our boys telling them we'll spend a half hour building a snowman then we'll spend an hour skiing. By the second season they weren't interested in snowmen anymore, they wanted to ski.
3. Hot chocolate breaks work like magic. We stop for hot chocolate breaks at least once each ski day. The kids associate this treat with skiing and it gets them even more excited to hit the slopes knowing they'll end up with a steaming cup of hot chocolate.
4. Play games while your skiing. Play follow the leader or make airplane noises. Have your kids try to spray you with snow when they stop. If you make skiing about having fun and not about learning to ski they'll progress much quicker.
4. Avoid putting your kids into ski school. I know this sounds counterintuitive, but I have found most ski schools don't teach much skiing to new skiers. Obviously if you don't know how to ski yourself you'll have to put the kids in ski school, but you'll spend a lot of money and may not get much return.
Ski schools, can be good for kids that have a couple seasons under their belt because they'll be skiing with other kids, but for new skiers, I wouldn't recommend it. Let me explain:
We put my youngest into ski school when he was 4. The instructors worked with him on a hill that was nearly flat. Even if his skis were pointed straight down the hill, he would barely move. They tried to teach him how to stop by having him make a wedge with his skis, but making a wedge is difficult when your basically standing still.
I watched this until the lesson was over. When I picked him up from ski school he was frustrated and didn't want to do anything associated with skiing. The instructor said he needed more time in the ski school.
I disagreed and took him up the lift where he could generate some speed. On his first run down the bunny hill, he was able to turn, stop and do all the things he couldn't do in class. He was beaming with pride.
He simply needed a steeper slope. It's much easier to make wedges and turns if you have some speed. We waved to the ski instructor as we sped by her.
5. Have your kids ski with other kids. I've already touched on this, but doing this is a great idea and will improve they're skiing dramatically. When they're with their peers they're having fun and trying to keep up with one another. If you have timid skiers putting them with more aggressive skiing kids will usually solve the problem.
6. Show your kids that it's OK and even fun to fall. During our first season my oldest was pretty nervous about falling. My older brother alleviated that fear when he intentionally fell in front of my boys. They laughed and laughed and even commented that they were better skiers than my brother.
It immediately took the fear of falling out of the equation. I still intentionally, (sometimes unintentionally) fall in front of my kids. It never ceases to make them laugh hysterically. The more dramatic you make the fall the better.
If you follow these 6 rules and have some patience your kids will become excellent and eager skiers.
Published by Chris G.
I am a veteran kayak instructor and raft guide. I currently work in health care. Recently i've been training for and competing in olympic distance triathlons. View profile
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21 Comments
Post a CommentI found the majority of the article spot on. Like others I was a ski instructor for several years in my younger days, and the ONE thing I take away from being an instructor as THE most important aspect is FUN! It does not matter if they learn anything, as long as they want to come back and do it again.
That said, I also disagree with your advice about lessons. Sounds to me like one bad lesson and you judge the whole cabal? Different resorts, different kids, different teachers, different class dynamics none are equal. I took my 3 yr old for her first day last friday, and plan to again on Saturday. I am working with her, but after a few more trips with me I plan on putting her in a class, as you state, having other kids is good motivation. Well? Where better to find other kids than a class, plus as I learned teaching my wife to snowboard, the dynamics may be better with a teacher than with dad. Most of your advice seems spot on. Just disagree about painting ski schools with
To Jim J. (Guest) 12/17/2010 - where are you teaching? I would love to find a ski instructor who uses Hookease.
We just came back from Okemo ski trip with a 8 year old - she was scared to death at the end of the Village Run green trail. It was kind of steep for green... it got me thinking what to do to bring my daughter up to the next level of skiing. Thank you for writing this Chris G. I do understand your comment on the ski school - I have my doubts on how useful they are. It also depends on the instructor. Some are better than others. I looked into the hookease and plan to purchase it. It's not out in the market yet.
Good insight. In response to the training device comments,our ski school has looked at both products online. The overall consensus was that copilot fell in to the category of an additional harness system while the Hookease system seems to be a product that allows the operator to utilize his poles to help position the beginner in to the correct skiing position. I would consider using Copilot if I was teaching a beginner to telemark ski. According to CoPilots website, you pull back on the beginners uphill ski to make a turn. A beginning ski should not have their uphill ski pulled back. We agree that the problem with all harness systems is you can't push a rope. We placed an order with Hookease and look forward to using this product. We hope it works as well is it looks like it does in their videos.
Great guidelines! Professional ski instruction is essential but there can be better ways than the magic carpet bunny hill routine to get off to the right start. Here's a terrific tool for parents: CoPilot Ski Trainer (www.gosnowcraft.com) Innovative and simple approach to initiate first-timers. Check it out!
I personally believe in ski schools. I have found a new ski training device that is amazing, its called Hookease. I hope that our school will adopt this revolutionary technology. See www.hookease.com. As a parent I will use it, and according to their website, it looks like several ski schools and professionals have started to adopt this technology. Have fun!
Where are you taking him to ski school? I love having my son since age of three ski the Canadian Rockies with great instructors and have a great time! I also ski with him however we have a hard time getting him to leave the ski school. My husband and i are avid skiers and get time with each other. When going to a ski school we check it out completely before registering our son! He loves it! It is where you going? I find this bad advice...
Not taking a new skier to a ski school seems like not taking a sick child to a doctor. We are trained professionals and work really hard on safelt teaching children. Teaching them yourselves could be dangerous as you dont have the proper equipment. It takes time to teach and the first lesson is often just a measure of skill. Don't discurage others from the dedicated teachers who want to keep your child safe and having fun. Lessons take time.
Well, Chuck...Believe it or not there's a difference between kayaking and skiing. As far as my credentials i'm a level II PSIA instructor and back in the day spent 12 years as a kayak instructor, I think I qualify as a "real" veteran. I'm not surprised by your comments since you're just trying to validate your profession.
good luck
I find it hard to believe you list your credentials as a "veteran" kayak and rafting instructor yet you advise against professional ski instruction. You give no credit to really what your child learned in that first lesson - the fundamentals that made it possible for you to help he or she to advance to the next level. I find it laughable that you describe that your child as somehow having a magic epiphany of turning , stopping and the ability to ski faster once they left the confines of this "unnecessary lesson" It sounds like to me quite a bit must have been accomplished in that first lesson. The first lesson usually is the the most difficult for any beginner whether it be in skiing or kayaking- they are completely unfamiliar with the forces, sensations and balances required and a first lesson from a professional is the most efficient way for any child to learn. As a "real" veteran ski instructor I have spent many hours of lessons fixing bad techniques learned from unqualified pa
You all should look into a tool called the "Ski-Pal". www.ski-pal.com It's a tool designed to be used with young skiers and snowboarders. Even ski schools are using them.