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?

@danishkids why not take them on a holiday that doesn't involve skiing?

Skiing is very expensive and requires lots of kit. You could:

go somewhere hot!
go on safari!
Stay in the uk and get a wonderful cottage somewhere by the sea or in the hills or in a forest!
Go somewhere cold and interesting like Krakow or Prague or Rejkavik...

Why bother going skiing and riskily trying to learn a dangerous sport on your own?

Or take them dry skiing for 20 lessons in the uk. Then the year after, everyone can ski!

Ah... ive jsut seen you're leaving tomorrow!!

Apres ski very nice. Enjoy the snacks and the spa and boycott the slope :)

Sorry but agreeing this is madness. And also as pp have said its not just limited to how your family are, it's the repercussions on everyone else on the slopes and any maneuvers they'll have to make around you. DH skied with the Army in SnowLion in his younger days and having asked him if this was at all feasible he queried would ski hire company not even ask re giving the kids and parents gear with no lessons at all!

@Windintrees

Cancel the trip if you cannot afford ski school.

That’s hardly practical, they’re going tomorrow

Yep madness !!

Blimey OP! We first took ours when they were 8, they spent the mornings in ski school and they picked it up quickly and had a great time. I could not have taught them and I’ve been a few times.

Wow this plan is reckless. I’ve skied for 19 years and still don’t plan on teaching my only child how to ski when we go…

If you can’t afford to put them in ski school or for private whole family lessons then I’d cancel the holiday. Or go but stay off the mountain and enjoy the scenery. Anything else would be foolish and endangering your families and anyone else on the mountains lives

This is like you trying to teach 3 kids to drive cars when you're a non-driver. Watching a YouTube video does not remove the danger

@HasaDigaEebowai

This thread is making me remember all the negatives of skiing. Just the horrible logistics of two adults carrying five lots of skis and poles in ski boots whilst trying to keep small children safe on the journey to the bubble is exhausting!

Hadn’t even thought of how they’re getting to the slopes!

OP do you know how far your accommodations is from the easiest slopes in the resort?

If you can't ski and can't afford ski school then I'd say don't ski. Find other activities.
For a start you're all going to need lift passes if you ski. Those alone could be £150 each for the week. Then hire of skis and boots, another huge expense.
Not sure where you're going but ski resorts usually have a huge amount of other things to do. I'd admire the slopes from afar and prevent any broken bones and enjoy the other activities available x

Everyone I talk to tells me that I’m crazy and that it’s impossible to teach 3 kids at once.

Didn't the fact that everyone said you're crazy tip you off that it wasn't a good idea?

You can't teach someone to do something as technical as this if you don't know how to do it yourself.

I have been on several ski holidays and they are really hard work.
The boots are so heavy.
The shoes difficult to walk in.
It’s cold. It’s slippery.
You’ll most likely need to get a long coach trip to the resort.
It’s physically tiring.
You have to get yourself from your accommodation to the place you hire your stuff and then from there to the slopes. I’m reasonably fit and found it exhausting. We spent the afternoons eating and sleeping.

I have done morning ski lessons on each one as it gave me something to focus the day around and I got to explore places I wouldn’t have had the courage or experience to go to alone.

I’ve also been in a ski accident (not my fault a snowboarder collided with the group). The instructor was amazing. Took complete charge of the situation. Got help immediately.

To do it with 3 children, of those young ages, with no lessons and without a good level of knowledge is madness. I agree with those advising to postpone if you cannot afford lessons on their first trip.

@TurkeyRoastvBubbleandSqueek

Dear OP, please go on your holiday and have a lovely time

BUT do not go skiing.

The 5 of you can have a fabulous time building snowmen, making snow angels, throwing snowballs! If your resort has sleigh rides take them on one of those. Hopefully your hotel, or resort has a swimming pool, take them swimming, but buy cheap swim caps for you all before you go, as many European resorts insist you wear swim hats. Fill up on bread, cold meats and cheese at breakfast time, because as others have said, ski resorts charge a fortune for meals not already included in a package, so you might just want to have a hot drink (also very expensive, but...), and a piece of fruit at lunchtime. Take paracetamol and Calpol sachets with you, & adult & children's Ibuprofen - everything at ski resorts is expensive.

I would love a SNOW holiday with my Grandchildren! Please come back and tell us how you all got on OP ☃

This is a fantastic idea! Too late to cancel so make the most out of a winter holiday bit stay off skis!

I actually think this thread must be a joke.
Why come onto this site, ask for advice and then completely disregard what every single poster is saying?
You're putting your children at risk. You can't learn to ski via you tube.
Again, you are putting your children at risk of death and / or serious injury.

Xscape do skiing lessons.

I don't think your plan is going to be enjoyable for anyone, particularly DH who will spend all day teaching 4 people how to ski. And I honestly don't think it's safe.

We put our youngest, then 5, with us for private lessons. She couldn't use the drag lift as all the adults were lifting her off the ground! Tried her in ski school, she hated it so I lost 3 days skiing. You're crackers for doing this.

You can’t go on proper ski lifts with 3 beginners as that would be very dangerous.

But you could find a very basic nursery slope that is almost flat for the first day (button lift at most or basic drag for children).
I have lots of Swiss friends and they don’t tend to send their kids to ski school until they have mastered the very basic nursery slope with mum and dad but they are competent skiers. Often they start in snow boots themselves running after the kids. This could work for first day or two. In France the nursery slopes can be free so don’t buy a ski pass at the outset.
I second trying first in U.K. if you can fit that in.
Once you have done nursery slope then high a ski instructor to keep you all safe on the proper ski lifts.

Other skiers will get really annoyed with you too if you don't know what you're doing. Plus whenever we've been there's been loads of out of control teenage boys skiing at stupid speeds, had to grab ds a few times.

When we went, we didn’t put the kids in ski school. We hired a private instructor for 3 hours for 3 days, and w all learnt. The kids were better, so on the last day, the instructor took them on harder slopes by himself.Might work?

Don't do it! You need to pay for some lessons, for you all. It will quickly become frustrating trying to muster them all onto the most basic lift, follow each other down and you risk falls and injury. If one falls will you be capable of getting to them and assisting without slipping over yourself? Poor technique is tiring and dangerous. Some nursery slopes have areas and carpet lifts dedicated to skischool lessons so it may not be straightforward to access them.

OP - you must either pay for lessons (proper lessons for 5 days) whether this is by a loan/credit card if needed or accept it’s a snowball/ sledging etc holiday. If it was further in advance I would say cancel but if it’s tomorrow then I can see you might not want to do this

It’s incredibly (I really can’t state this enough) unsafe - you and your husband will simply not have the speed and agility on the slopes to respond if one of the children loses control or falls. It will also be boring, cold and frustrating for everyone involved.

I was brought up skiing with a father who was an excellent skier - and we did quite basic ski holidays (packed lunches derived from the breakfast buffet, chocolate biscuits from the UK supermarket in our pockets for snacks etc) but full ski school was considered totally non-negotiable from when I was 3 years old - about 13 years old. When I tried to wiggle out of if it was made very clear I would be a danger to myself and others without proper teaching.

The mountains, like the sea are beautiful and fun but they can also be absolutely deadly and you must treat it with respect by preparing properly.

Please please rethink this

You are mad!!! I grew up near ski slopes, where every adult can ski at a very good level. Even there all children learn to ski at ski school. Yes parents help but it only works if
A) you have one parent per child
B) the parent can ski!!

I hope you have good travel insurance.

Most ski places I’ve ever been ask if you are a competent skier - or at least they did.

You are a complete and utter dangerous idiot if you think you can rock up and go straight on the slope!

I’m baffled how you can teach your children when you can’t do it yourself and trust me watching a few YouTube tutorials just isn’t going to cut it.

First time I went skiing at the age 19 I spent my entire week having morning lessons and the occasional afternoon lessons, then when I returned to the uk I went to indoor snow dome and continued the lesson, and before I went the year after did some more lessons.

This thread has absolutely baffled me your willingness to put yourself, your children and other on the slope in danger is astounding….

@Merryoldgoat

Is this a joke?

You’re short on cash so SKIING is the holiday you’ve decided on? When none of you can ski?

I honestly don’t know what the fuck goes on here sometimes.

This! It's ridiculous.

And it is pretty pointless spending loads hiring ski equipment if all you are going to achieve is stomping up a short slope and sliding 10metres. You may not even get as far as using a lift!