Skiing for complete beginners- talk to me please.

[wisterialanes]

DC started secondary school this year and came home today and announced that we are the only family not going skiing over half term . So, would like to give it a go but several complications, not sure if they can be overcome or not....

One DC has ASD/dyspraxia so jumping on/off the chairlift wouldn't be possible. Is there anyway around this? I saw in a video people holding onto a rope thing and being pulled up the slope, do these exist everywhere?

Any suggestions on where to go for a cheap first time ski holiday? Is Sierra Nevada good in December? There are always cheap flights over Xmas to Malaga and I like the idea of being able to go to the sea on the same holiday. Do you have to actually ski on the holiday or can you just sledge or play?

All suggestions/advice greatly appreciated.

[cestlavielife]

You can do what you like. But if you don't use the lessons ski pass etc it's expensive.
Try and get to a snow dome place for beginner sessions.
He will need to use lifts etc but let him try

[cestlavielife]

ski2freedom.com/en/skiing-with-disabilities/autism

[cestlavielife]

You can go to a ski resort and not ski.
Up to you

[cestlavielife]

www.thesnowcentre.com/snowsure/news/ineverknewthatskiingwouldhelpmyautisticchild

[Muchtoomuchtodo]

I'm pretty sure that you're not the only family to not be going skiing this half term!

[SheepAreSuper]

If you're keen on skiing next winter I'd suggest having a look at taster or learn to ski sessions at you closest artificial slope.
Just a few sessions will teach them how to move with skis on and the basics of skiing and will potentially familiarise your dc with magic carpets, rope tows and/or button/poma lifts.

Some local councils have various sport related sessions designed for young people with disabilities including ASD so it's worth looking at whether yours offers something.

I don't know anything about Sierra Nevada but you could get in touch with a ski school based there to explain your requirements and see what they could offer you and your DC.

[wisterialanes]

Thanks a lot for all of the advice and links. I've done a bit of a search and we only have the conveyor belt ski lessons near us, so rapidly going off the idea....Might travel to one of the snow dome type places and let the dc have a 'ski day' instead.

[allertse]

I am not an expert on ASD/dyspraxia, but I would have thought a chairlift might be easier to manage than a drag lift.

A chair lift you move to stand in the right position, and the chair comes around and kind of scoops you up, whereas a drag lift requires a certain amount of coordination to grab it at the right moment.

If either of those aren't an option, resorts also have gondolas and cable cars, which are more enclosed and require less coordination. Some resorts have more of these than others - you can look at a map of the resort to check how many lifts of each type they have, and where they are in relation to where you are staying.

[TheHodgeHeg]

I've been doing lessons on a treadmill ski slope and it's great fun! Especially if you've no experience of real snow so have nothing to compare it to. Plenty of kids at the place I go to and they all seem to love it. It's warm, not too wet and you get loads of time on the "snow" without having to go back up to the top.

[mamaryllis]

We have over 50 youth with disabilities, including over half with ASD, skiing and riding every weekend. I know a gazillion kids with varying levels of function who manage chairlifts with no problem at all. For those who need a little more time (and there is no ‘jumping’ anywhere - you literally stand up or sit down) you can just ask the lifty to slow the lift down for on and offload. Super easy.
Honestly.
If you are that worried, look for a resort with adaptive lessons. We have both lessons and volunteers who will ski with people who need addditional support.

[Aftershock15]

If it’s just dc1 who wants to ski, why not send them on a school ski trip? I love ski holidays and for our family they tend to be our big holiday but if you have never felt the urge to ski and you think it would be difficult for your other dc (although I agree with pp that this shouldn’t stop them skiing I can see it would take more organisation) maybe just let dc1 try it.