How to teach your toddler to ski….
Not many people might be thrilled at the above prospect, given that one of the main attractions of going on a skiing holiday is to place your treasured offspring into the capable hands of an instructor, where they will learn the ropes, and you will get to ski/enjoy the mountains/have a bit of peace and quiet (tick the box that most applies to you!). Then you just need to go and collect them when they are worn out, happy and hungry at the end of the day.
If like us however, you leave things to the last minute AND pick a week when a lot of the “baby” instructors are off sick, and then get turned away from the only school that might have possibly taken him (as your toddler is three not four) (tick the box that most applies to you!) then these tips might help you teach your own tiny future Eddy the Eagle the basics, without a) going bonkers in the process, or b) putting him or her off for life…
- Ski Accommodation (with or without children) – You could of course (unlike us) be a little more organised when searching for ski chalet rentals! Head over to Tempston Luxury for a huge selection of catered and non-catered properties, perfect for groups with children! They’ll be able to advise you of the best ski runs, best ski school and also prepare dinner early for children. If you require a nanny, let them know and they’ll book one with their free concierge service! They’ve told us that their luxury Courchevel 1850 chalets really are something special!
- Double check that you have everything you need for the day. This includes sun cream, drinks, plenty of layers that you can add or take off according to how “too hot” or “too cold” your child is.
- Make sure that your toddler’s ski boots are on the comfortable side, rather than too tight and restrictive. Whilst you don’t want them to be so loose so that they risk breaking an ankle, it’s hard to tell how well they can fit, and a toddler (having never worn ski boots before) probably won’t tell you whether they feel OK or not whilst you are in the shop. The last thing you need is to get all the way to the top of a mountain and for them to refuse to wear the boots!
- Tiny children often do not have glove compatible hands. We had many a gondola journey up the mountain where the Three Year old would somehow squeeze four fingers into one finger of his glove, or completely ball up his hand and refuse to put any fingers into any part of the glove. Mittens are essential toddler ski gear to keep tiny hands warm and protected when they fall over, which they will inevitably. This makes for a much less stressful time all round. I also suggest investing in two pairs of snow mittens so that you can swap what will be an inevitably icy soaking wet pair for a nice warm dry pair half way through…
- Snow suits have my vote over two piece outfits any day for small children. If my three year old is anything to go by, he much prefers to wear something less bothersome, and less likely to expose his midriff and get full of snow when he falls over… Whilst on the subject of clothes, do have a trial run before you even leave the country, whilst hand me downs are great from friends and family, don’t assume that they will fit into something just because their age matches that in the label (yes I am talking from experience here!).
- Helmets are completely essential and should fit properly. I am still amazed at the amount of people you see who don’t bother as if they are in the firm belief that they have some magical force field around their cranium. Whilst on the subject of ski helmets, comfortable goggles that your small person doesn’t mind wearing are definitely a must to prevent from snow blindness in both senses of the term – from the sun, and too much snow in their eyes in a blizzard.
- Don’t bother with poles. There will be people who will undoubtedly try to shout this one down, but in the first few weeks of your child’s skiing life, they honestly do not need them. I was taught to ski with them, and I am sure they hindered my progress. A small child’s centre of balance means there’s no need for them until they can proficiently ski. Some people might also find it helpful to get the toddler to hang on to their pole and for them to pull them along whilst their tiny person gets used to being on skis (as Mr R did at first).
- Snacks, snacks and more snacks. What’s worse than a miserable toddler? A miserable hungry toddler. Have plenty packed around your person. We tend to take those camelback water packs, as you can carry a lot of fluid this way and no-one gets dehydrated which is really important.
pinching some of his big sister’s water…
- Make sure your small person has plenty of contact information for you about his person – I stashed away plenty of business cards, and mobile phone numbers in all pockets of the Three Year Old’s snow suit just in case….
And now you can begin…
- Choose to go out on a nice day. You will be not be thanked if it’s wet cold and miserable. Opt for a warmer sunny day if you are lucky enough to have them (as we were).
- Start with a relatively flat and empty piece of piste. The last thing you want is for hoards of people to be cutting you up, and you definitely don’t want to start with something on too much of a slant… Encourage them to slide each foot forwards whilst they get used to the whole sensation of being on skis on snow.
- Practice stopping by teaching them the “pizza wedge” (snow plough) keeping the tips of their skis together, and don’t even attempt to talk to them about turning until they are a lot more confident. When you do, get them to follow you as you make large slow turns.
- Once they are used to having skies on their feet head for the magic carpet lift (if you have one at your resort). Once they are happily sliding about, any area with a magic carpet is gentle enough for them to start with. The Three Year old LOVED everything about the magic carpet experience, from being transported upwards to skiing back down. Mr R and his older siblings came down with him holding his hands at first until he got the hang of it. Whilst on this subject, if you are not on skies, but accompanying your small person anyway, please be careful how you leave the magic carpet at the top. Being transported along and suddenly being chucked off on to icy snow without skies resulting in falling over and squashing your once enthusiastic tiny person is not going to be a great part of your day (even if you can both laugh about it now!!). I suggest you walk up the outside and catch them as they come off at the the top!!
- Once they gain enough confidence to go it alone without any pole or hand holding, (and you are good enough to ski backwards – NOT me by the way, Mr R can do this, I have enough problems skiing forwards) encourage them to make a pizza shape with the front of their skis, and keep their hands on their knees with their heads up so they can see where they are going, and away you go! Don’t obviously attempt anything to ambitious and I wouldn’t bother with any chair lifts at first either.
- Make every session into a game, and keep it fun, and most importantly, don’t try to do too much in one go, skiing is exhausting enough as an adult, so for a tiny person it’s even more so. Give up when they’ve had enough and they won’t mind going out again!
Hopefully at the end of the day you will have a small person that looks as happy as ours did…
- Enjoy the fact that you’ve taught your small person the basics, and should they carry on practising they can thank you in the future for having taught them another valuable life skill (and thus avoiding having to endure any horrendous French Ski School at the age of 23 like I had to!)…
Finally, you might also find this post helpful if you are planning on taking the whole family! Enjoy!
PS. Whilst there are many toddler skiing aids out there to help, from reigns (back saving!) and little clips to keep the ends of skis together, an instructor I was speaking to said not to worry about these too much as they can cause children to become reliant on them…
Catherine's Cultural Wednesdays says
Great tips especially the poles and mittens. Even as a grown up I prefer mittens as they keep my hands warmer.
Emma says
Me too! Thanks Catherine!
Erin Gustafson | Oregon Girl Around the World says
Spent several winters with wee ones between my legs teaching “pizza” and “french fries!” Ha! We had a little backpack number with a handle for helping the little get up on the chair and it stored two long leashes of sorts that you could kind of steer them once out from under your legs. Helped us for sure. Can’t remember name of it – been many years! Thanks for sharing your tips and tricks and good attitude. Cheers from here. #FarawayFiles
Emma says
That sounds great. I need one of those things to help you get off the chair lifts, I have had so many accidents on those things! :D
Nicky@Go Live Young says
Some great tips here. Our boys are well past this now and probably better skiers than me! Ours learnt from 3 and it’s so much easier if you learn when you’re young. Thanks for joining #fearlessfamtrav.
Emma says
My older two learnt at 4 and 6 but in lessons and they were better than me from day one as well! :D Thank you! :)
Angharad Paull says
Amazing tips! I’d love to take our kids skiing while they’re young and this makes me think it is much more do-able than I had imagined. #fearlessfamtrav
Emma says
It’s definitely much more do-able than I imagined too! Thanks Angharad! :D
Jenny - TraveLynn Family says
Revisiting this from #fearlessfamtrav and you’ve really inspired me to take my boys skiing. Nest season is the season to make it happen! I would have put them in ski school every day, but you’ve inspired me to just have a go teaching myself. Although… it’s been years since I’ve been skiing and my boys will probably be teaching me!
Emma says
Do it Jenny!! Thanks so much for commenting, let me know how you get on! :) x
Annette, Four Acorns / Quatre graines de chêne says
This is a great post, love the humour in it! I have also taught my 4 kids the basics of skiing, and I’m quite proud of it. When they are that young, it’s all about the sensations, I’ve found. Proper lessons are lost on them. They need to get a taste for it – very much like riding a bike for the first time. It looks like your wee man is well on his way already. Well done!
#FarawayFiles
Emma says
Thanks so much Annette! It’s such a special thing to do isn’t it? :) x
Clare (Suitcases and Sandcastles) says
There are some really helpful tips here, Emma. You could save a lot of money by teaching your kids to ski yourself. We’ve always been put off skiing by the cost so money saving tips has to be useful for lots of people. Your son looks like he had an amazing time. Thanks for sharing on #FarawayFiles
Emma says
Thanks Clare, you don’t have to spend a fortune to enjoy a good skiing holiday, but whilst classes for the three year old might have been slightly more relaxing, it was actually a really lovely thing to watch! :D xx
Trish says
You are very wise! Sensible tips here. And a gorgeous little toddler for me to look at!
As a family of non-skiers, we packed Rory off on a school trip to Italy when he was 11. He wasn’t keen to repeat the experience so I do feel guilty that it probably wasn’t the best way to be introduced to skiing.
#farawayfiles
Emma says
That did make me laugh. At least 11 he was probably slightly less embarrassed about the whole thing. I was 23 and usually in a group lesson with a bad hangover, whilst being yelled at by a miserable instructor and with tiny toddlers speeding past us! Thank you. x
Mary @AsturianDiary says
This is a really brilliantly useful post Emma. Such a great skill to teach your children. I only wish I had learnt at such a tender age myself!
Emma says
Me too Mary, and I am sure it hurts much less when you fall over! Thank you. x
Ariana - World of Travels with Kids says
I’d love to teach my children to ski!!! this is so useful, it makes sense as i read along. #fearlesstravelfam
Emma says
Thanks so much Ariana! :)
Annabel Kirk says
This is such a useful post! I’m very impressed that you had the patience to teach your little one. The more I read about small kids and skiing, the more I’m in two minds about it. I haven’t skied for about 10 years and I recall always being very cold and tired at the end of the day so I’m not sure how much I’d enjoy it needing to look after two cold little people as well as myself! But, I love the mountains so I know we’ll do it eventually…! #fearlessfamilytravel
Emma says
I promise you it will turn out better than you might imagine it could! It was something I thought “oh no, we have no choice to do this here or he doesn’t go at all”, but it was so so sweet to watch! :D Thank you! :)
Lydia C. Lee says
We went with lessons but man are they fearless, and learn so quickly!! #Fearlessfamtrav
Emma says
They really are so fearless! :D Thanks Lydia!
stephanie says
I really wish my parents had taught me to ski as a child – it’s so much easier to learn when you’re young and fearless! x
Emma says
Me too. No hope in my case, as my parents weren’t/aren’t skiers, but it was blinking horrible learning at 23/24 with babies whizzing past you! :D Thanks Stephanie! x
Kara says
Oh bless, I am desperate to take mine skiing but my skiing knowledge is a bit rusty, so hopefully the instructors won’t be off sick ;)
Emma says
I don’t know what was wrong with them, flu or something! Typical! :D x
Kate says
Some really great tips here, thank you so much!
Emma says
Thanks Kate
Rebecca | AAUBlog says
I really want to take my kids – such a good idea to get them into it before they get a little fearful x
Emma says
Totally. I think that’s my problem now, I know how much it hurts to fall over! The rest of them are fearless! :D Thanks Rebecca
Sarah | Boo Roo and Tigger Too says
I’d love to take the children skiing, I think my youngest would be most likely to pick it up the easiest as the older two aren’t as coordinated.
Emma says
It’s amazing to watch how fearless the teeny tiny ones are! Thanks Sarah!
Becky Jarratt says
I’ve never been skiing. My children would LOVE to go, so we may be following your tips sometime!
Emma says
I hope so Becky, let me know how you get on! :D
Midlife SInglemum says
I have to admit that I didn’t read the words as we don’t ski and if we were to ski, I’d need to teach one middle-aged mother and one tween. However, those photos of the toddler on skis is the cutest thing I’ve seen in a long while.
Emma says
Aw thank you. He was so determined bless him! :D x
Jenny says
Such great tips! And we’ll done little dude. Can’t wait to take my boys skiing!
Emma says
Thank you! They make you feel rubbish about your own abilities, trust me! :D x
Sam | North East Family Fun Travel Blog says
Love your tips – especially about packing snacks. I honestly wouldn’t think about this but it makes complete sense x
Emma says
Thanks Sam. Blackmail if nothing else! :D
Katja Gaskell says
Firstly, well done! I know how much work it can be to teach a toddler to ski (which is why I outsource – haha!). I’m with you on the no poles and all-in-one ski suit. I saw quite a few families with reigns or those clips for the skis but I’ve never tried them either. Great tips!
Emma says
Thanks Katja! I am lucky enough to be married to a bit of a ski expert, so it had to be a pleasure to teach his toddler himself surely? (!) :D x
Nell (Pigeon Pair and Me) says
It sounds as though you all managed really well, despite the squashing! These are great tips – my two are past this age now, but who knows, one day I might be teaching my grandchildren…….
Emma says
Who knows!! Thanks so much Nell! xx
Cathy (Mummytravels) says
I couldn’t help laughing a bit at some of the don’ts but some really great tips here – I have friends whose kids learned to ski at an early age and it makes such a huge difference… although I can probably only ski fractionally better than my daughter who’s never even tried!
Emma says
It’s safe to say that all of my family are now much better than me! :D Thanks Cathy! x
Claire at Tin Box Traveller says
What a challenge! It sounds like you did an amazing job…and I would have fallen off the magic carpet too :)
Emma says
Not my finest moment! :D Thanks Claire! x