I got so many requests for tips for skiing with little kids as I shared our winter vacation to Park City on Instagram, so I thought I’d compile all my tips for skiing with kids and toddlers. We’re now seven years in (well, six since we didn’t put James on skies until he was one), and have learned quite a bit about how to introduce your kids to skiing and how to teach toddlers to ski over the years. Our oldest, who is 7, can now keep up with us on most trails, our middle is just learning the ropes in earnest, and we just put Brooks (1.5 years) on skies for the first time, so we’ve gotten some good practice teaching littles to ski and learned some valuable tips along the way. Now, I want to preface this by saying it’s hard full stop. Getting little kids dressed is hard enough let alone all the ski gear and equipment and picking them up when they fall or convincing them to stay in ski school with complete strangers when they just want to go home, but now three kids in (and one who just started skiing with us this year!), we’ve learned a lot that I honestly wish I knew from the start with James. So here are my top tips for skiing with kids and toddlers.
1. Keep expectations low. They may totally reject it. You may get them all dressed and on the mountain only to have them refuse to stand up. They may call you 20 minutes after you drop them at ski school. They may love it one day and hate it the next. It may take 20 times on the mountain or years before it clicks. But one day it will and it’s worth it, I promise.
2. Stay on or as close to the mountain as possible or get there early and park super close. Carrying kids and ski gear is awful. You’ll be sweating and cranky by the time you get there, and trust me, they’re going to want to be carried after walking ten steps in those boots. Make it as easy on yourself as possible. Book a ski in/ski out situation if you can. I definitely think this is a place to invest. But you can definitely make it work even if you’re not staying on the mountain — a lot of resorts run shuttles to drop you off at the base of the mountain.
3. Let them play with and try on the equipment ahead of time. The more excited they are the better. Sometimes a unicorn or shark helmet is all you need to get them on board.
4. Follow the two day on, two day off rule. Little kids can’t ski five days in a row. It’s too much. We follow our Disney world pattern – two days of skiing and then a day off that’s low key and less scheduled (just swimming or movies or exploring town).
5. Dress them right. Get good waterproof snow pants and parka and mittens. If it’s cold, make sure they have enough layers but don’t overdue it on warmer days. Dress them like you would yourself is really a good way to approach it. Light layers and a good jacket, snow pants and mittens are key. Here’s my favorite ski clothes for kids.
6. Hydrate. The altitude and skiing and hours outside can dehydrate anyone quickly but especially littles who may not be used to the altitude. We stick to water for drinks in our house, but I allow juice or Gatorade on ski days, partly as a bribe and partly to help with dehydration and altitude. Regardless of what you give them to drink, make sure they’re constantly hydrating, especially those first couple of days after you arrive and before/after skiing.
7. Keep it short for littles. I know it’s tempting to stick them in ski school all day so you can ski, but it’s expensive and frustrating when you get a call an hour in from ski school saying they refuse to ski anymore or are demanding to go home. You don’t want to overdue it and turn it into a power struggle and something they hate doing. Thirty minutes to an hour with an instructor or mom and dad is a good start for 3 and 4 year olds. If you do ski school at that age, I recommend doing a 1/2 day and doing no more than two days in a row. If you are with friends, consider splitting an hour- or two-hour long private lesson for the littles and build from there. As they get older, they can handle a half day and then a full day of ski school. But we have learned the hard way that too much when they are still little usually ends up with them refusing to ski and frustrated kids and parents. Spend the money on a sitter or kids club to avoid overdoing it.
8. The magic carpet is your best friend. It’s redundant and can be hard on your back, but all those laps on the magic carpet will pay off.
9. Make it a game. Have them chase you. Pretend they’re riding the magic carpet in Aladdin or they’re Elsa in Frozen. Do the pizzas and French fries. Toss Skittles in front of you for them to pick up, make an obstacle course, have them trace your skies. Anything to make it fun!
10. Invest in ski school. Ski school is crazy expensive, but it’s worth every penny if you want your kids to learn to ski. It’s hard to teach your own kids — you need to have a lot of patience, some tricks up your sleeve, and a kid who is on board with their parents bossing them around. Like math and writing, I’ve found that ski school is best outsourced. They have more fun and ramp up faster. You can do weekly lessons during winter months at local ski mountains that have programs that tend to be more affordable and/or just stick them in half or full day lessons on vacations. We’ve found that a few full day lessons during a vacation was a game-changer and that the local mountain lessons helped get them comfy and gave them practice.
11. If all else fails, bribe with cookies and hot cocoa. Take a deep breath. And remind yourself that the exposure alone helps. It can feel like you’re making no progress but eventually you will be skiing with your kids and it’ll all be worth it!
Okay, those are my top tips for skiing with kids and toddlers. Any I should add?
Comment