Aibu to Think that it Will be easy enough to go on a ski holiday with a 5, 7 and 8 year Old, without putting the kids in ski School?

[danishkids]

We Will go on our first ski holiday ever on Saturday and I’m really looking forward to it. But the more I chat with friends/family, the more people are making me nervous. We are 2 adults, my husband and I. I have only ever been on skis for a few hours when I was 16. My husband has skied a few times.

Everyone I talk to tells me that I’m
Crazy and that it’s impossible to teach 3 kids at once. That it will only end up
With irritated children and parents. Am
I crazy to think that it will be fine? Or am
I just having wishful thinking?

Do you have any tips for first time
Skiers? Especially with kids? Any good techniques to help the kids learn fast?

I’m exited about this holiday, but maybe I shouldn’t be?

@Walkingalot

Shout 'Bend ze knee's' lots. Actually, could be quite a good family bonding session. One of you goes uphill (further as days go on etc) with the kids. Let them go down, one at a time to the other parent. Job done. They will soon get the hang of it, they're kids! If they are keen, sporty, they will get the hang of it far easier than you. I hope you all have a great time!

What's Plan B when the catching parent can't stop the child? If it was that easy then their wouldn't be a whole industry related to ski schools and lessons.

I really hope Op takes on board the comments to get proper lessons. We can all see that the current plan is an accident waiting to happen.

OP good luck. I know you've been upset by people saying you are crazy but that's because skiing is dangerous.

It would be like me thinking I could take a gang of children who've never ridden a horse before on a riding holiday because I've watched a few YouTube videos and have the right gear.

I've ridden all my life and I would not do that in a million years. I could maybe teach one child to ride but over months and years and not three at once in a place where other people would be merrily bombing about at speed.

The only way I could see it working is if you and your husband don't ski at all and dedicate the holiday to them nailing them absolute basics. Like putting on skis, going uphill and stopping.

To put it into context OP.., would you do that? Take them on a riding holiday where people are galloping and jumping when they know how to put on a pair of jodhpur boots and do up a hat?

Or white water rafting? Hang gilding? Mounta climbing. Skiiing is more dangerous that all of those.

Is your name Bridget Jones !?😱

I cant even manage to style my hair properly after watching youtube tutorials. I have all the necessary equipment to hand in my home, I dont have to hire it. I try to style my hair several times a week. I wouldn't be so arrogant to assume that I'd be proficient enough to teach someone how to style their own hair.

I had lessons when I wanted to learn to ski 30 years ago, and many more since, but only from proper instructors. I ski one week a year. I am happy with having a proper 1 2 1 lesson to refresh my ability. It makes the week more enjoyable. The only assistance I got from exH was what he liked to call constructive criticism (note: ex-H).

Also, I've just googled the cost of doing a ski instructor course in Morzine. It's 190 hours. And costs from £9k.

Isn't there a saying along the lines of "if it was easy, everyone would be doing it"?

@danishkids

The resort we are at only has the option of 5 day ski school for the kids, so we cannot just choose a few hours unfortunately.

Regarding if I know how to put on the boots, walk up
The hill etc. yes I have been skiing once before. Otherwise I will research it

Not sure where you are going but even in the smallest resort there will be a lot of different ski schools that you cannot see/book online that will offer private lessons ( we have seen it in Bulgaria,Poland, Austria- lots of small independent places). Just go for a walk when you arrive and book an hour or two for family/ individual lessons for first few days. Then practice what you've learned. It is worth the extra spend to feel safe and get a proper base skills ( just think how hard is to stop a bad habit). We have gone on skiing holiday on the budget but where we looked for savings were places to eat lunch, additional attractions (in reality were too tired to go do things every night ) etc. - spending money. Enjoy your holiday and keep safe

I took my daughter skiing every yr before Covid from age 4. Just the 2 of us. She hated ski school but did 5 mornings a week of it. Afternoons were for sledges and playing in the snow. It was exhausting.

I’m kind of glad Covid gave us a natural break from it.

Anyway - I always have a 1-2-1 lesson & I agree about learning slope etiquette too.

Can't understand why you would not have lessons before you go in UK, on dry slope if necessary. Ski holidays are so expensive and you won't get much put of it if you can't ski. Plus ski slopes are dangerous for children who can't ski. Put the kids and yourself in ski school.

@whenwillthemadnessend

OP when do you arrive

@Octomore

It's worth noting, and not obvious to people who've not skied mich, that even on the "easy" slopes you get very experienced people skiing very fast. They shouldn't, but they do.

There is no rule against experienced skiers going fast on an easy slope - provided they are in control and can stop in time (including taking into account poor visibility or snow conditions). It is the faster skier's responsibility to avoid hitting those downslope by taking evasive action if necessary.

But this is all part of the reason that skiing is a skilled and dangerous activity.

Skiing involves multiple human beings sliding down snowy/icy slopes at different speeds and in different directions, surrounded by potentially fatal hazards just off the side of the piste (e.g. avalanche prone terrain, trees, chairlift machinery, and cliffs). Some skiers will be totally in control and skiing safely within their capabilities, others will not.

I know it sounds like people are being alarmist, but it's not an exaggeration to say that anyone who skis regularly will have seen at least one scary accident, and probably witnessed a dozen people being towed down the slopes on a stretcher over the years.

I didn't say there was as a rule against it. But it's bad form to ski fast down a busy slope where there are likely to be less experienced skiers, in my opinion.

And yes, it is the responsibility of the person coming from behind. But that's not much use to you when you're dead.

I'm a fairly experienced skier now, but I still have lessons. I've broken my ankle skiing and torn a calf muscle. When I first went I couldn't get lessons on the first day, my extremely experienced and accomplished skiing friend took me out and it was terrifying, he really had no clue how to explain what to do to me (I ski fine with him now).

I can't imagine non experienced skiers trying to teach kids.

I feel the need to weigh in here and say: as a parent, you can teach your children quite a lot of things, even if you're not a trained teacher - but you need to know your limits.

Skiing falls into the 'you're actually irresponsible to think you can, especially as a novice yourself (and you & DH ARE novices), teach one child, let alone 3' category.

Don’t you also need to have been doing ski warm-up exercises for the last couple of weeks? Squats and such like..?

Uhmm, lol, no! You do need to be generally fit to ski but if you are not then two weeks of squats wont really work.

I am amazed that so many people consider skiing a rocket science.

@katepilar

Don’t you also need to have been doing ski warm-up exercises for the last couple of weeks? Squats and such like..?

Uhmm, lol, no! You do need to be generally fit to ski but if you are not then two weeks of squats wont really work.

I am amazed that so many people consider skiing a rocket science.

Agreed. If you're fit and in good shape, a ski holiday will be fine. If you're out of shape a few squats in the week leading up won't make a blind bit of difference. (It actually might be unhelpful as you'd be better off just being rested.)

The resort we are at only has the option of 5 day ski school for the kids

Highly unlikely, unless you're off to some tiny boutique resort balanced on the tip of a glacier, run by a polar bear and his little friends..

THeres one company who have a deal with the holiday co./hotel/resort.

There are probably tens to hundreds of other instructors and ski-schools at that location, you'll be able to get their details by .. googling the resort before you go, or by asking at the ski hire shop when you get there.

If you don't, you are going to spend the entire holiday sending children up and down the same 10ft of the icy lumpy bottom of the piste near your hotel, which your youngest may well enjoy but everyone else is going to have a shite time.

Or, you're going to go out, scare your kids stupid on the lifts, put them and others at risk of injury or worse.

You aren't even aware of these risks..

How do you use a button lift with a child?

If none of your children can use a button lift by themselves (And they may not even weigh enough to do so, if the lift operator will let them which they probably won't)...

How are two adults going to get three children up the slope?

Chair lifts - I mean.. just don't ffs.

You need ski poles in one hand, so thats yours and a kids, so one adult is going to have four poles, one is going to have six, or divide them equally if you've time.

Look behind you to see the lift coming, sit as it gets to you, not too soon or you're on the floor, being smacked in the head by the chair. Too late and its hit you in the back of the knees and you're not seated properly...

Oh but you need to put three children on the chair lift (if it will take five, it may not - some take two, three, four etc... thankfully the single seaters are a thing of the past I think)... so thats one of you chucking the smallest kid, one chucking the next smallest, at the same time as holding poles, stopping everyone falling over their own skis... but now who is getting teh 8 year old on...

Or maybe one adult gets on with some kids, the other with the one left... can you stop two children sliding under the bar (their feet don't reach the rests so they're pulled by the legs...) single handed whilst holding a fist full of ski poles?

Seriously.. don't. The number of ways in which someone could die are beyond counting!

I bet this is going to be your last ever ski trip if you spend the whole time side stepping up and down a few metres of slope with tired kids sick of falling over. Please don't die, and do look up hwo quickly children can become hypothermic.

I'm not going to reiterate the benefits of ski school as I'm sure you've got that point! But I definitely agree that most ski schools are flexible. People arrive on different days, some stay less than a week - I've never had an issue booking a shorter number of days than 5 in ski school.

This may be contentious but we're also fans of picking the British ski schools and looking at instructor to pupil ratios. We've never been that impressed when we've seen some of the ESF (French ski school) lessons, also the case for our friends that have done adult ski school with them. Last time we skied in Zermatt, my teenagers had the instructor to themselves (in fairness, a black and freestyle group, I'm sure the beginner groups are usually more full).

Ski school is expensive so I get where you're coming from, particularly given you've already booked it. But I suspect you won't have a choice with two adult beginners and the kids, unless you plan to spend the week going up the magic carpet and down the nursery slope. Hope you have an enjoyable week.

Would be great for Op to update now she's in resort

OP, I appreciate I'm late to the game on this one and have read about half the thread.

Skiing can be a dangerous sport. You absolutely need lessons.

To look at this from another point of view... would you take three children on a swimming holiday if none of the children could swim, one adult could doggy paddle and the other adult had once gone paddling?

@Lockdownbear

Would be great for Op to update now she's in resort

Travelling yesterday, so today should be day one on the pistes...

Do we think she's the sort to admit defeat 🤔?

OP I genuinely wish you and your family a very enjoyable and safe ski trip.

@Lockdownbear

Do we think she's the sort to admit defeat 🤔?

Nope

I'll be surprised if there isn't at least one accident, probably with a broken bone. Hope it's not all of them...

I just hope it's not someone else that they hurt.

It really is a terrible idea. Two adults alone without ski lessons would be just about doable but still risky. Five of you just madness. The thought of you attempting to use ski lifts is giving me anxiety. People around you will notice this and won't be impressed as you will appear reckless regarding the safety of your children and other people on the slopes.

If you are determined to go ahead, some resorts have slopes for toddlers/kindergarten which are almost flat and don't have any lifts. Maybe stay on there.

The biggest concern for me would be one of the kids failing a snow plough and starting an uncontrolled descent down the slope. You can still pick up speed facing straight down hill on the beginner slopes (which are always packed). Neither you or your husband would be in a position to ski ahead and help.