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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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?

637 replies

danishkids · 27/01/2022 23:49

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?

OP posts:
ShinyMe · 30/01/2022 12:47

Well they're presumably there now. I have no doubt at all that OP will be back at some point to say that they're having a wonderful time, lessons weren't at all necessary and they're all skiing just fine and loving it and everyone was wrong.

MaverickSnoopy · 30/01/2022 12:55

OP I love YouTube. It's great for instructions for various things but it's always taken with the massive pinch of what could go wrong. Like when I watched a video on how to cut my hair and it was great and the next time I had to walk around with a hat on for a very long time. When it comes to things that involve safety, no.

I hope very much that you've sorted out lessons. The thought of skiing with lessons is absolutely terrifying to me let alone without.

SudaneseHipHopFan · 30/01/2022 13:02

You wouldn't teach yourself to swim by watching you tube and then taking the entire family into ocean. Well actually there are people who do this every summer on the coast and keep coastguard rescue very busy. It is the same mentality.

altiara · 30/01/2022 13:10

The first time I went with kids, I prepared by going to dry slope for lessons and then to the snow dome once we’d got to the open ski level. I went once with school and it was boring learning the basics and not having a clue.
Then when we were on the holiday we had private lessons, as I certainly could not ski after my one ski trip as a school child. And because we had the basics under the belt, include chair lifts, drag lifts with private lessons at the resort every morning we all progressed quickly.
We also lost a child on our first afternoon and we were 4 adults with 4 children.

Changechangychange · 30/01/2022 14:55

@SudaneseHipHopFan

You wouldn't teach yourself to swim by watching you tube and then taking the entire family into ocean. Well actually there are people who do this every summer on the coast and keep coastguard rescue very busy. It is the same mentality.
People definitely do this with their children, I have unfortunately met them in the baby pool. Their baby was not doing a lot of swimming, I have to say.
Theredjellybean · 30/01/2022 15:34

You are stark raving mad !
dangerous as well..to you, your children and other slope users
Would you say you could teach your dc to drive after you had a few hrs lessons yourself or watched youtube
frankly just getting three little ones into ski boots, and onto slopes will be deeply difficult and miserable.
This is literally the most ridiculous and outrageously stupid thing i have ever ever heard on MN

Theredjellybean · 30/01/2022 15:45

while if you and DH do not ski and have snow boots on , so can run around walk up and down, pick kids up etc AND you are able to use a magic carpet on nursery slope you might just get away with it.
however some resorts only let ski school use the protected basically flat tiny slops and magic carpet, and you fail to grasp that 3 little ones ...will often be cold, and miserable, someone will need the loo, someone will want a snack, statistically someone will hate it and sit in snow crying, you will need to be doing a lot of picking them up and consoling etc. then someone will loose a glove, someone will be crying, someone will want to go faster, likely they will twatt each other with skis, someone will have an accident and need to go to clinic, leaving someone with 2 kids, someone will wet themselves ....oh the list goes on
so there is no way you and DH can ski too
THIS IS WHY WE ALL PAID FOR KIDS TO GO TO SKI SCHOOL !!!!

heartonthetyne · 30/01/2022 16:13

This is such an irresponsible thing to do and I hope the OP either changed her mind and booked ski school, or didn't bother with skiing and just did mini sledging etc instead.
There was another post recently from someone who didn't want to pay for lessons at one of the Snow Domes, and she was told how dangerous that would be and that it would not be allowed.

I've been skiing a lot, but my last trip was 13yrs ago. If I do go again,I'll be having lessons as I certainly don't trust myself to be fully competent therefore safe on the slopes right now. So there is not a chance in hell I'd be trying to teach little kids how to ski!

ithinkimdone · 31/01/2022 17:23

How's it going OP?

KatherineJaneway · 02/02/2022 06:51

@Lockdownbear

Do we think she's the sort to admit defeat 🤔?
No, I don't think so although for all their safety I hope she got that credit card out and booked.
Lockdownbear · 02/02/2022 07:43

Op hasn't come back and I very much doubt that she will.

She probably has some "hilarious" tale of a near miss. And 3 kids who have been put off for life.

SoupDragon · 02/02/2022 08:14

Op hasn't come back

Well, she is on holiday 🙄

viques · 02/02/2022 08:56

@SoupDragon

Op hasn't come back

Well, she is on holiday 🙄

Or in A&E.
BIWI · 02/02/2022 08:58

Let's hope not!

Let's hope they are (somehow) managing to have a good time, and that all the children are enjoying themselves, and no-one is injured.

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 02/02/2022 21:03

How are you doing @danishkids?

danishkids · 07/02/2022 07:21

Hello everyone :)

Well let me start with saying thanks
For all the advice.

I know a few of you have said that I’ll
Come back and lie if it went wrong, well
Here is an honest update to how our holiday went.

We LOVED it.! We will
Definitely go skiing again hopefully this time next year, maybe before the new year.

So the first day was tricky. We started on flat snow to get used to the skis, my husband remembered it quite well from
His teenage years. After being on flat snow we went to the smallest kids hill.

After reading all of the comments here, you had drummed it into me that we had to be safe! So we started really slowly with no expectations. We taught the kids (and me) pizza and fries. So they all
Knew how to stop. By the end of day 2 our daughter (8) could turn and stop. Our (5) year old could stop but our 7 year old was not good at doing an s or snake to keep the speed down (but he could
Swerve to avoid hitting someone.)

Day 2 we stayed on the small
Kids slope, to Make Sure we wouldn’t endanger anyone on a slope that was too hard for us. By the middle
Of day two our daughter was doing soo well. So we took her on a button lift up a very short green slope. She managed that so well too. The boys stayed on the kids slope.

Day 3. Here we considered putting the kids in ski school. However it was sold out, so we decided just to Take It easy. By Day 3 we were all on the stortest green slope. My husband let our 5 year Old hold his stick and told him
When to break and turn. He did that really Well.

Day 4 our 8 and 7 year Old were doing 3 differnet green slopes on there on, tegarding the Burton lifts, only my 7 year Old fell and the start a few times (the worker at the lift was amazing at showing him
Out to use it, and fiving hum High fives).

Day 5 we were all feeling confident on the green slopes, we could turn. Stop in the middle of the slope. We could manage the ice etc. we could
Avoid people. By day 5 the kids were doing mini ski jumps (not lifting there feet from the ground but going over the bumps) they loved that.

Day 6 we took a chairlift. That went totally fine, here we did a 3km green slope, it was relatively easy. We all loved it. My daughter and husband also did a small
Blue slope That changed into a green one at the bottom. I didn’t feel Ready for that. Due to Your advice we took things slow, the kids couldn’t progress to The next stage until
We felt that they could handle themselves.

Day 7 we stuck
With the slopes we knew. My husband took a few short red slopes too.

Actually I was surprised at how fast we learnt how to ski. We laughed more at the fact that we fell when standing still, not when we were skiing Grin

We also sledged, played with snow, drank
Hot chocolate, played hide and seek, went bowling, used the sauna etc. I would say we were on our skis around 4-5 hours a day, that was enough for the kids. My husband also Took a few hours alone.

As far as having wallow talkies etc. I think
That would be more relative if we were skiing of pistes. Or if there was bad weather or deep snow. We just used our phones. The ski resort room safety seriously. One day it was windy so a lot of the slopes were shut.

Our kids were warm and happy, the skis were fine on Them they were fitted by professionals, we even changed our boots a few times. To get a good fit.

So taking things slow and enjoying we’re we were made a great holiday, i was perfectly happy skiing down the green slopes, they were within my ability. Maybe one Day i Can take the blue or red slopes but for now I’m great full for a good holiday.

In ragards to being out og control, i understand what you ment, we met a few out of control teenagere Shock

For those that were interested in where we were we were in Sweden. There were 48 different slopes to
Choose from :) so lots of room and the slopes were really quite between 12:00 and 13:00. It was a beautiful
Place.

OP posts:
AffIt · 07/02/2022 07:47

I'm a competent skier - have been doing it for about 30 years, have my own kit etc, and used to ski almost every weekend throughout the season when I was at university.

However, for a variety of reasons, I haven't skied for about six years.

I'm going to Austria with friends for a skiing holiday next month, so have booked a week of refresher lessons beforehand - for me, a competent adult with quite a bit of experience. My OH has never skied and I wouldn't even think about trying to teach him.

Skiing is technical and can be dangerous - please just use the ski school.

daimbarsatemydogsbone · 07/02/2022 07:53

OP is (still) BVU

feb21 · 07/02/2022 08:04

Nice to see the update and glad you had a good week.

Adastraperaspera · 07/02/2022 08:06

Sounds like a great holiday OP. Are you Danish yourself? I do think this is a cultural issue.
Lots of people growing up near lots of snow/slopes are more inclined to teach their own children rather than just rely on ski schools, whereas Brits go once a year on an expensive holiday so ski school makes far more sense.
Many Swiss/French/Scandinavian kids learn on the hill near there houses initially anyway.

danishkids · 07/02/2022 08:13

Im from the uk, but married to a dane and love in denmark :)

OP posts:
danishkids · 07/02/2022 08:14

@daimbarsatemydogsbone

OP is (still) BVU
How am i still being unreasonable? Hmm we were very careful.
OP posts:
feb21 · 07/02/2022 08:21

You're not being unreasonable.

We always book ski school because my children only want to bomb down blacks and my poor husband can't keep up all day. But ski school is expensive (in Switzerland at least) and it sounds like you did it in a safe and proportionate way, sticking to greens with the other beginners.

I suspect you and your kids would have made more progress in ski school but you obviously enjoyed your week and didn't endanger others. I'd not worry too much if other posters don't agree.

Mostlyjustrunning · 07/02/2022 08:55

Glad you had a lovely time. Sounds like Sweden is a good choice.

AFS1 · 07/02/2022 08:59

I hope I’ve read the update incorrectly, because it sounds as if you let your 7 and 8 year olds go off ski-ing on their own after only 3 days on skis. I’m sure that’s an error on my part, because absolutely no parent would be negligent enough to let children of that age ski unsupervised on any slope, regardless of the colour…

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