Skiing with Young Children

A guide to introducing young kids to the sport of skiing.  This article appeared in ordinaryjoegear.com and is being reprinted with permission of the author.

By Mark Scott

This is the time when if you are lucky you have started your ski season and if you are like me you are excited to start another season on the slopes. Why start your children early? The big reason is simple, to spend time with your child. It will give you time to talk on the lift and spend time enjoying a great sport together. I started my son skiing when he was 2-1/2 that first season was a late winter so it was warmer and it was an introduction to the sport to see if he would like it and want to continue. I didn’t start him too young because it would make him a better skier, I’m sure that if I had started him later, at say 5, he would more than likely be at the same place he is today which is a beginner snowplow. Skiing is a passion for me I have skied most of my life, I feel at home at a hill on snow and was excited to introduce my son to it.

What will make your child’s introduction a success? There are several key points to a successful ski experience. In no particular order here are the points that will help make the transition a fun and enjoyable experience.

• Helmet: Do not skimp on the helmet, your child is going to fall and more than likely hit his head. If you don’t want to spend the money on a helmet most hills will rent them. If you don’t want a used helmet they can be purchased for reasonable prices.  We have all hit our head before and it hurts no matter the age so make the investment.
• Equipment: Ski and boots can be rented and I would suggest this for the first time so you know if your child wants to continue. The choice is used or new; you have options, used you can get from a swap or ask at the hill. New you also have options, also a lot of stores have a purchase with a 2 year half back program so that at the end of two years you return the equipment and they give you half back toward the purchase of new equipment. Or buy them outright. I have done a blend of both over the past couple years, I purchased used skis and new boots, and I have purchased completely used. Remember that no matter what option, the equipment when he has outgrown it will have a good resale value. Your young child will not need poles for awhile so don’t waste your money.
• Hill: This is a place that is dictated most of the time by what is available to you if you are fortunate and have several choices then here is what you should look for. Your child is a beginner so look for a hill that has a large percentage of green runs. They don’t need to be long or have big flat run outs. Look for kid friendly ski lifts, like; carpet lift, handle tow, rope row, chair lift. Also look for a hill that has a good half day adult rate, and a free or low child rate.
• Clothing: make sure that you dress them properly for the weather, just because they are little doesn’t mean they shouldn’t wear layers. Layers are the key, invest in polyester underwear, and then layer according to the weather. Do not get your child bundled up for the drive, this is causing them to sweat and then that sweat will conduct cold. Best thing to do is leave them in lighter layers until you get them ready in the resort. Make sure you put on a fresh pair of socks, you don’t need two layers of socks; just make sure they are dry. If your child has cold feet another option is ski socks (I have never used them) or maybe their boots are not fitting them correctly and causing poor circulation. Hands mittens are warmer then gloves and since they don’t need their fingers, mittens are the best option. Invest in a pair of gloves/mitts for skiing; don’t use the gloves they wear everyday to the hill or the ones he used the night before to play outside. These mittens need to have a good insulation, and some water resistance. Goggles are optional but the kids will want them since everyone has them, kid goggles are cheap and will last for a lot of seasons.
• Instructor or self instructing: This decision can be dictated by the policy of the hill some hills will not teach kids that are under certain ages, some will but as a private instruction which can be expensive. But since they are new most of their skiing will be bunny hill and that is something you can take control of until they are old enough to do lessons. The most important thing is to keep them safe, you need to ensure that they are not going to hit or run into anything or anyone.
• Skiing aids: This is an area that as a parent I have changed my opinion. As an instructor and before children I felt that the use of aids were bad and should never be used. But as a parent the use of aids helps to keep your child in control, and for both of you to enjoy your day more since he is being independent and you can relax a little bit. The aid I use is a tip aid that ties the skies into a snowplow, this encourages proper technique and also keeps a good posture. Other aids may not do this, so think about the aid and make sure that it is still accomplishing this goal.

The most important thing to remember is that the reason you are starting them skiing, which is to have fun as a family, so always remember keep it fun. Watch your child; you know them best, when they are getting tired take a break. I would normally only ski ½ day with my son and it wasn’t until the end of his third season that he wanted to ski longer. Hope you found this enjoyable and will get out this year with your child.

Mark Scott is an Ontario-based outdoor enthusiast with an interest in good quality affordable gear.  He maintains a blog devoted to that subject at ordinaryjoegear.com