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AIBU?

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Original poster

Skiing with a 1 and 3 year old

31 replies

billiegoat · 30/12/2024 22:24

We are off on our first ski trip post having kids in a week. Taking 2 x grandparents with us plus some very hands on child free friends . We have a super big comfy chalet, and ski school booked for our very nearly 4 year old. We are going to Austria to a place we've been many times before.

I'm becoming increasingly nervous, worried it's going to be a disaster, worried they'll be too cold, worried I've forgotten how to ski too as it's been so long (6 years since I've been!). Worrying about everything there is to worry about while my DH is just excited.

Can I have any words of wisdom, tips, hints, or general positivity from any seasoned family skiers?

OP posts:
Ablondiebutagoody · 30/12/2024 22:32

Yes, damn that week in a big comfy chalet with loads of help at hand. Come on OP, how bad can it be?

Original poster
billiegoat · 30/12/2024 22:43

@Ablondiebutagoody haha thank you that really did make me chuckle. You're absolutely right. But I still feel sick with nerves about it all no idea why!

OP posts:
Original poster
billiegoat · 31/12/2024 07:51

Bumping for skiers!

OP posts:
turkeyboots · 31/12/2024 07:55

You'll be fine. I had a 10 year gap between skiing, I did a few lessons to help my confidence and it was great.
And you've got loads of childcare if the DC decide they hate snow. It will harder work than child free skiing, but great fun.

JustKeepSwimmingJust · 31/12/2024 07:59

Lots of snacks for the 4yo while skiing! You can’t have too many snacks. Also find the easy parts of the mountain/any fun zones. You want him to have a great time.

It took about 3 days to get DS confident enough to manage a Green run alone at that age. Those days were hard. Lots of putting him between my skis and holding him up as we went down. Tears followed by demands for more skiing/go faster mummy, do jumps (no jumps were done with a preschooler between my skis)

But so worth it now he’s a confident skier

CrustyOldFrump · 31/12/2024 08:16

It’s going to be amazing and the start of what will be the most lovely family holidays for the future. We took ours from 1 & 3, it was hard work at times but children complain far less about boots equipment etc than most adult beginners and just get on with it.

Adjust your expectations from hammering the slopes from first to last lift and embrace a slow pace with lots of hot chocolate breaks and play. If you put in the work now it pays off massively latter, I found when we went with friends who’s children started older they were much more nervous and moany.

Original poster
billiegoat · 31/12/2024 08:37

This is what I needed thank you!!

I'm really worried about our 3 yo falling and injuring himself but I am trying to remember that lots of kids in Europe start skiing at this age.

OP posts:
Original poster
billiegoat · 31/12/2024 08:38

@JustKeepSwimmingJust I'm definitely not a good enough skier myself to teach him so he's going to do ski school, I just hope he enjoys it! I'll be watching/close by in case he doesn't!

OP posts:
Halfemptyhalfling · 31/12/2024 08:39

Little kids bounce on the snow - best time to learn. There won't be much snow in future due to climate change though

FinallyHere · 31/12/2024 08:42

Have you had the conversation with the rest of the party, especially excited DH who can't or won't see how his sling life should ch age with the addition of DC? about how things are going to pan out? A rough time table for who is doing what when. Is everyone's day expected to revolve around your toddler or is it just you who will be making the adjustments ? Will the very hands on child free friends expect to take their turn with childcare or are they going off as usual on a skiing holiday.

Having these conversations in advance might help relieve your very sensible anxieties and get your DH to step up a bit rather than just expect that someone else will sort it all out.

Good luck.

Peclet · 31/12/2024 08:42

ski school is usually just the morning? What will you do with the 3 year old in the afternoons? Perhaps have a think about how the days might look to manage everyone’s expectations.

we took our kids at 3,6. Ski school for the am, meet for lunch. Dad and 6 old would keep skiing. Me and younger would go home and have a rest then meet dad for older sibling for a hot chocolate.

Nc546888 · 31/12/2024 08:44

OP we did the same last winter!!

We had a very active boisterous 3.5 yo who wanted to ski (and then didn’t when we got there) and a 6 month old. Family member who didn’t ski stayed home with the baby. I got sooo much skiing on with my husband it was amazing to have some me time. We had a self catered chalet with family. It was great!! Apart from the 3 year old not skiing which was a mild bummer (and especially since he asked to go again the week we got home) but it was a success.

best tips:
we basically did a half day each with 3 year old sledging each eg a grandparent did an afternoon or dad did or I did.

we did a meal plan before we went. Every person did one evening meal each and we took fiddly stuff like spices in our bags and just bought fresh food out there on our day to cook.

did splitwise for purchases. If someone bought our kid an apple juice we paid them back so no one begrudged paying for the children.

looked for a ski school with a great refund policy. If they weren’t feeling it the school refunded all non used days. We got a full refund for the week.

Make sure you have a sledge

TheFunHare · 31/12/2024 08:47

If they are active kids they will have an amazing time. Just get them into ski school each morning with a smile on your face and do some fun stuff in the afternoon with them. They pick it up so quickly and after a few years of ski school they'll be far quicker than you and you have a whole life of wonderful family holidays to look forward to. Getting them into school is the stressful part - boots, gloves, snacks etc but all good from there. You'll have a fab time!

TamborineGal · 31/12/2024 08:49

Ski Esprit.....
The Only Way To Go.
Sublime joined up ski childcare which gives parents a proper ski opportunity.

mitogoshigg · 31/12/2024 08:52

I took mine from tiny, dd2 went cross country skiing strapped to me at 6 weeks old! Mostly we would take it in turns to ski as where we skied had a young kids deal where you could share your lift pass and ski hire (just extra boots needed) and it was drivable from our house (under an hour)

Original poster
billiegoat · 31/12/2024 08:54

Some amazing advice here and giving me some confidence that all will be ok!

In terms of how the week will look - I am really not sure yet.

We've booked 3 x mornings of ski school. We'd like to get some skiing in together my DH and I but I'd also like to do a couple of lessons and he will want to go off with his friends/family that are much more advanced than me.

So it'll be a bit of a mix. I think we will take it in turns with who's doing what and be quite fair. The GPs won't ski so they're purely there for childcare but they want some time off too and don't want to be childcare non stop understandably.

OP posts:
familygermsareok · 31/12/2024 09:02

We went with our DC every year from ages of 1 and 3. We went with Mark Warner and had them booked into childcare from 9-4:30. Ski school in morning (from age 3 up) and lots of activities with nannies in afternoon.
We did spend a fair amount of time stalking them and watching from afar at first, then once we knew they were fine we went off and enjoyed our skiing. We often came back early and took them out ourselves as well in the afternoon if they wanted to once they were a bit older.
They absolutely do just bounce at that age and just take it all in their stride, so don’t worry about that. They do need a lot of snacks and hot chocolate stops and it has to be fun for them, so if they’d had enough of skiing we had snowball fights or did something else fun instead until they were ready to ski again.

It can be a fantastic holiday, but like everything with young children it is an entirely different entity to pre-children so manage expectations, roll with the flow, don’t expect to get a huge amount of adult ski time in and enjoy all the little moments.

Roll on 19 years and both ours are very good skiers, much better than us, and absolutely love it, and we are just away to go on another family ski holiday with them.

TheFunHare · 31/12/2024 09:19

TamborineGal · 31/12/2024 08:49

Ski Esprit.....
The Only Way To Go.
Sublime joined up ski childcare which gives parents a proper ski opportunity.

They aren't in business any more. I think it was just too tough a market. Shame as they were phenomenal.

TheKeatingFive · 31/12/2024 09:23

You'll be fine. I took mine at 4 and 1 and it was great. I take it you have child minding for the 1 year old?

Nearly 4 is the perfect age to start. The first few days might be a bit frustrating if there's a lot of tramping around with ski gear before he can ski himself, but by the end of the week he'll be flying.

stayathomer · 31/12/2024 09:26

Have never been skiing but in laws go regularly and have taken kids since young, now about to turn teens and both are AMAZING at skiing and snowboarding, they do the tougher slopes and help with younger kids. I think it’s great people introduce kids to this kind of thing at a young age!

MidnightPatrol · 31/12/2024 09:27

Skiing is like riding a bike, you won’t have forgotten! Maybe start on a couple of easy slopes to get the basics back.

The biggest ‘risk’ in your holiday is how the 3 year old adapts to the ski school ie will they actually go or not.

Im doing similar (albeit no help!) in a couple of months and my main worry is how tired we will all be each day. It can already be pretty exhausting without kids - I suppose we will be drinking less!

fungibletoken · 31/12/2024 09:33

Ahh that sounds wonderful! I'd just make sure everyone's going into it knowing it's going to be quite different from a pre-kids ski trip, and also with an at least loosely agreed plan for looking after the DC. In a group that big people can sometimes just expect it to get done between you all without going into the practicalities of what that means beforehand, but that risks resentment/wasted time if expectations don't match up when you're out there. Have a wonderful time - in terms of your own skiing I'm sure it will come back to you fine after a bit of initial pootling around time!

itsgettingweird · 31/12/2024 09:44

Helmet for the 3yo!

I did 2 ski seasons when I was younger and did the crèche.

Plenty of 3/4 yo who did ski school in morning and then spent afternoon with us. We did walks, Bum boarding park, arts and crafts, watched some TV! We also did snow ball fights and building snowmen.

Just make sure they have the correct gear (Aldi have loads in atm) and they'll be fine.

itsgettingweird · 31/12/2024 09:46

Oh we also did sledging and we had the ice cave to visit.

So although we did that stuff with the kids it's no different to others doing the same whether you or grandparents.

SockQueen · 31/12/2024 10:15

You will be fine - book a private lesson or two if you'd like the extra confidence. Maybe start doing some squats/wall sits to work on your quads.

If your 3 year old is more adventurous than my kids, they will be fine. Make sure they can take their own ski gear off if they need the toilet.

Get good insurance!

Unfortunately our first family ski trip didn't go brilliantly. Both kids (7&4) were scared in ski school but we persevered and they were starting to make some progress a few days in. Then DS1 fell while skiing with us on day 4, and broke his leg. Confused He is still adamant that he's never skiing ever again, DS2 would probably give it another go but I'm taking at least one season as a breather!