I have yet to meet – or raise – a child who is so excited for the first (or second) visit to a ski school. I’m sure those kids exist, but let’s just say that for a certain age, ski school tears are at least as common as a runny nose.
With our two daughters, we have had years of experience with many private ski schools and ski coaches in many countries, trying to teach them ourselves, and have spent more money together in the process. which I never dared to sum or say aloud.
Our goal was not only to teach them how to ski, but to make them love skiing, so the investment was well worth it, but we had some adventures in the process.
For us, getting young kids skiing has resulted in a variety of outcomes, from “Best Ever, I Love Skiing!” to the aforementioned tears and even reports that include, “Um, your daughter ran away from ski school for a bit today.”
As usual with many of the things we tried with our first child, I think we were “too much, too early” with some skiing-related activities.
That said, every child is different, so what is too much for one child may be right for another. With over a decade of snowy ups and downs under our snowshoes, here are my thoughts on the right age to start skiing for kids.
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Ski school starts at 2 and a half years old
Although this has been halted for a few seasons during the pandemic, many large mountain regions offer babysitting services for babies as young as 8 weeks old. Practical ski school programs, where you put on your skis and go on the snow, have started so far for kids around 3 years old. But more and more children as young as two and a half years old are being included in some ski program that combines fun.
I think the best ski learning programs for 2 to 4 year olds are usually those that include a mix of indoor and outdoor time.
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For example, snow block (inside Aspen, Colorado, area) only one Program for 2 and a half to 3 year olds giving them access to a private study area just outside the indoor Treehouse play area. They take an hour of skiing lessons every morning; otherwise, they are in the house having fun and resting in the afternoon.
In the Deer Valley in Utah3-year-olds can receive a combo model that includes indoor playtime along with a private ski lesson.
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I’ve seen some very, very young kids, maybe no more than 2 years old, go down the mountain with their parents, but those kids have parents who are much better at skiing than I am – and they probably live near the mountains.
In other words, if you’re a family that skis once a season, I recommend ignoring the 100% chance that your 2-and-a-half year old is actually skiing on his own. Honestly, most 3 or 4 year olds who only have one ski trip per year probably won’t Actually skiing, but that doesn’t mean you should avoid any form of skiing instruction.
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Avoid real ski school until your child is ready
In addition to combo programs, many mountain regions offer childcare (sometimes in cool places as mentioned earlier). The tree house at Aspen Snowmass) for children until they are 5 or 6 years old, such as at Kindergarten in Keystone in Colorado. With these solid non-ski options, I strongly advise against diving into a real ski school if your kids are hesitant. Your 3-year-old is most likely ready and excited for ski school, but if that’s not the case, don’t try.
Getting the privilege of learning to ski will be fun for your kids and it will certainly be expensive for you. If your preschooler isn’t excited, skip the all-gear and cold-weather drama and don’t risk spoiling their skiing views.
Instead, opt for mountain childcare until your child is a little older and ready to learn the joys of skiing or snowboarding. (They also might not like taking care of the kids without you, but at least they don’t like skiing.)
As eager parents, we pushed our first daughter’s ski school before we were sure it was ready, and she really showed us who the boss was. when she ran away from the ski school that day. We then move on to a very expensive private lesson on our next ski trip to counter that experience.
If you really believe your 3 or 4 year old is ready for real outdoor ski school, make sure they have potty training and can get through the day successfully without take a nap. Consider half-day options for these kids.
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The magic ski age is about 5
Some kids learn how to legally ski outside the ski school’s magic carpet hills as early as 5 years old, but for the most part, it will be local and more frequent mountaineers or just kids with innate physical ability to pick up items faster than average.
All in all, the magic age for skiing is almost 5 years old. Given the opportunity, and at least three consecutive school days, a kid around 4 and a half to 5 years old can get the basics of hearing, turning, stopping, and managing lifts enough to get out of ski school. corral and on the open green track.
For most kids who go on a ski vacation once a year, any lessons before that age are really just to entertain them and give them something to do while their parents and siblings hit the mountains. That said, with private lessons (things are always worth valuing because they might surprise you), both of my kids escaped the ski school corral at about four and a half years old.
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If you can, private lessons are worth it
If you want to speed up the learning process when you think your child is ready, you can’t miss private ski classes. Fair warning: Individual lessons can be very expensive. However, they were much less painful than when I broke my knee trying to teach my first daughter to ski alone.
Most mountains offer 1-on-1 private lessons or family lessons to keep the whole family together. A few years ago, we made a family private lesson option at Breckenridge in Colorado to keep our three youngest cousins (ages 3 to 6) together for half a day of learning. This saves them from worrying about ski school because it’s all together, and it ends at noon, so they can take a nap in the afternoon. They had more practice than they had at the ski school because the group was small.
That private family lesson is more expensive than a ski school, but not that much when you factor in three kids benefiting.
Also, we went ahead with a private lesson in Winter Park, Coloradoso don’t downvote this idea until you’ve done the math.
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If a full-day private session is out of your budget (it can range from $800 to $1,000 in the big mountains), don’t despair.
An hour-long private lesson, such as in a smaller mountain we enjoyed in Maryland, can cost around $100. Other mountains offer discounted two-hour lessons in the early morning or late afternoon, which could be a good time for a young skier.
Alternatively, small group lessons with only three to five children, such as those at Breckenridge And Beaver Creek in Colorado combining the lower price of a group ski school with more individual attention and the same instructor every day, can be a good compromise.
In fact, this year we were lucky enough to go to Beaver Creek as our 7 year old was the only kid in her Max 5 class, so we basically had a private lesson with price of a small group lesson.
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bottom line
I know firsthand that you really want your little one to learn to love skiing as soon as possible.
But the reality is that just because ski schools are for young kids, that doesn’t mean all kids are necessarily ready to start skiing or even just being out in the cold all day without a parent. at such a young age.
Many children who ski only occasionally during the holidays are best served as young as 2, 3 or even 4 years old with childcare in the mountains or in a program that incorporates indoor play and outdoor skiing time.
As kids cross the threshold to study or get close to kindergarten, ski school success rates go up dramatically – even if they’re only going up the mountain once a year. Regardless of your choice, the most important factors at a young age are for them to have fun and stay safe.
Remember my kid who dropped out of skiing at age 4? She is 13 years old now, black skiing and loves the sport even though she lives in snow-free Texas.
The best age to ski and learn to ski will vary from child to child, but if you’re patient, you’ll arrive at the exciting promised land.
