AIBU to feel uncomfortable about my 5yo starting skiing?

[Comfortable8520]

I’d really appreciate some honest views as I’m quite torn on this.

I didn’t grow up in the UK, and where I’m from skiing wasn’t a social or normal activity at all. There wasn’t any sense that you might be missing out if you didn’t do it.

Because of that, I’ve always seen skiing as quite a risky sport. All of my friends who ski regularly have, at some point, broken something or had a fairly serious injury. So in my mind it feels like one of those things where, if you do it long enough, something will eventually happen.

Now my DC is 5, and I’m genuinely surprised by how many parents around us are already getting their children into skiing. Some started doing this every year, and I know school trips can become a thing later on too.

I feel really conflicted.

On one hand, I don’t feel comfortable actively encouraging a sport that I associate with a real risk of fractures over time. It feels like I’d be setting DC on a path that increases the chance of injury.

On the other hand, I don’t want DC to feel left out in the future if this is something many of their peers do and talk about.

So AIBU to feel like this and hesitate to get DC into skiing?

Would really appreciate hearing how others approached this.

@LiviaDrusillaAugusta you seem quite fixed in your ideas about this. I’m in no way wealthy. I’m a single parent living in a very expensive part of the country, on a very average income and my parents were factory workers who went to mablethorpe for a week each year.

@KookyKoala007 come on you know full well Courchevel is one of the most elite ski resorts in Europe along with St Moritz and Zermatt.

Most ski resorts do not have designer shops with security guards, lots of Russians wearing fur or £1000 sushi platters for lunch! It's a playground for the rich and famous! I've skied there but only on the 3 valley pass.

I've skied a lot in France and Italy and Scotland. There are definitely a lot more down to earth family friendly resorts available then just the big hitters.
Le Grand Bonand for instance is 17 euros a day for a beginner pass and 45 euros for a day pass. If skiing an all areas all day then that's 7 euros an hour!

totally agree with this!

After hearing everyone's thoughts I thought it would make sense for the DC to try a 1:1/small group lesson in the UK first rather than going abroad straight into it. We then at least know if the DC likes it.

Where could we try it? Milton Keynes? We are in SW London.

Hemel Hempstead is your nearest place but it’s very expensive for one to one unfortunately, and the quality of instructors is variable.

You could do dry slopes as they tend to be cheaper but they are harder to grapple with and less attractive to small children!

There is a huge difference between a child learning to ski and an Olympic class athlete.

Maybe think of it like riding a bike, it is useful to know how to do it, it doesn't mean he is heading for the Tour de France.

If you can afford it why not?

So it sounds like you enjoy a certain life-style and income bracket where skiiing is popular. If you want your DS to learn to ski, you're going to have to do a family skiing holiday whilst he is little, and so the sensible thing would be for you to learn too. Once you have done a week of ski school and some gentle afternoon practice together, you can assess whether this is something you can enjoy as a family, or whether that was your one and only skiing holiday.

Hemel Hempstead has an indoor snow slope or there are outdoor dry slopes at Sandown Park and Guildford.

Unless you are staying at Chateau Lake Louise, it wouldn’t cost much more than £5k for a family of 4 to have a week in Canada either! Probably about £3k for the flights, but the hotel and lift passes are generally much cheaper than Europe.

I love skiing but absolutely hate trampolines! Advice from our physio is to avoid trampolines - even if no major injuries they’re terrible for children’s ligaments and ankle strength. Advice from our muscoskeletal doctor is that skiing is excellent exercise

Ours did a group session at Hemel Hempstead. They got the bug immediately and couldn’t wait to be on proper slopes.

Is that all? 🤣

That was for ONE teenager

Don't forget schools overpriced travel planning companies. No chance of getting anything reasonable from them

My son crossed the road, fell over and fractured his wrist. Played basketball and broke his finger. Skied and broke his leg. You can get hurt doing anything.

We still went skiing this year, he was just more cautious than before. I’ve fallen loads of time and never broke a bone when skiing. Climbed over a 2 foot wall, fell and broke 3 ribs 🤷‍♀️

Some kids (and adults) have a remarkable ability to get themselves into A&E whatever they do.

Riding a bike downhill or trying to pull bunny hops and wheelies in the wet I'm looking at you DD2
Falling out of trees Me
Falling off walls That was me
Rollerskating down steps DD2
Rollerskating on flat surface and wheels locked up, going arse over tit over a fence into a rose bush Me
Skateboarding and tripping over the board when trying to flip it DD2
Deciding that their Dad's dog would be ideal to act as a sled dog on a lead whilst wearing rollerskates and standing on a scooter DD2
Friend misjudging a kick in class meaning they get a roundhouse to the face instead of swerving it Me
Stuffing up on a jeté and doing in an ankle Me
Slipping on the climbing frame and getting leg stuck, twisting a knee in the process Me
Getting a football in the face Me
Getting twatted round the back of the head with a cricket bat because the batsman was a bit shit and the wicketkeeper wasn't paying attention, not expecting him to forget he wasn't playing baseball and should have held onto the bat more tightly Me
Taking the break in Breakdancing a little too literally and doing two toes Me and one finger DD
Crab race at school sports day resulting in permanent damage to badly broken little finger when somebody else stomped on it by accident Me
Tripping over a stationary reclined bike when getting off DD
Running round a corner but forgetting to not dip head in towards the hard brick or to check for somebody coming in the opposite direction both of us
Turning around in the kitchen but forgetting to take the lower leg with you, resulting in a kneecap round the wrong way both of us
Falling off the wobble board being used for ankle injury rehabilitation playing murderball/catch with another physio patient Me
Coming down stairs from the stage in a bit of a hurry, only to stack it and come down them far faster than anticipated in a mostly horizontal orientation DD
Carrying a watering can towards the front door, spilling a little water and sliding into a full split, tearing the ilipsoas tendon Me
Concussion when sledging down a hill and hitting a rock Me
Wearing low heeled boots on a level surface and permanently buggering up the ligaments and tendons in the process me
Walking upstairs from work basement bar carrying empties, slipping up the stairs, dislocating knee and needing paramedics to carry her in a totally unauthorised way because there wasn't room for a stretcher DD

The only things that haven't resulted in injuries so far have been horseriding, trampolining, rock climbing and skiing.

Except for DP. His injuries were

Broken wrist within twenty seconds of standing up on skis at a dry slope for a birthday party,
Going headfirst into a river when skateboarding over the bridge, getting a cut on an underwater rock and two fishing hooks stuck in his hand and
Massive multiple fractures of the tibia when riding his bike and it stuck in some large gravel over mud.

A kid learning to ski with instructors, all the kit, a controlled surface and a whole system of on hand first aid/emergency care isn't something I'd get all that worried by when there are so many weird and wonderful ways a kid can get injured doing those so called 'safer' things like bikes, dance, playgrounds and walking.

Sandown in Esher would be your nearest, i think. I have known families who skied every Easter break but only that one week in the whole year. It is a big outlay for so little time imo. But quite a few of the adult children have worked as ski instructors as a gap year. It's a nice skill to have.

Thank you for your recommendations everyone!

Skiing is pretty niche in the U.K. unless you live near the Scottish ski resorts. If all your friendship group are skiing annually it tells us a lot about your affluent friends, I’m guessing London because I’ve lived elsewhere and skiing just isn’t common even among the better off. Mine did learn but in Scotland

The younger the better! *as long as they enjoy it. Mine were a little older than that when they started, they LOVED it, AND they had no fear! I, on the other hand, could only see accidents and broken limbs and falling off mountains and being chased by bears awaiting!

Depends where you live or the circles you move in. I only know one family that doesn’t ski and that’s because the dad is Aussie and hates the cold. We only ski once a year so none of us are particularly great skiers albeit we could all get down a black run.
Skiing is a good skill to have and if you’re not stupid (eg don’t ignore the close piste signs), it doesn’t seem much more risky than any other sport.

I’m in SW London and do a lot of skiing (not in the flashier places). My DSs have skied since they were 2. They are pretty sporty - one was first XV rugby and the other played a lot of football. Despite skiing on average 2 weeks a year the only A&E injury was sustained in the playground at primary school. Personally I wouldn’t bother with Milton Keynes snow dome etc until just before you go skiing proper so your child can get an idea of what to do. Don’t stress about it. People learn at all ages…. DS has just been on a uni trip and some were great skiers and some complete beginners.

I grew up one hour drive from the alps. 80% of my friends ski since they were 3 years old. I have never heard of any injury. People who gets hurt are reckless people who learnt as adults and goes too fast. Loads of British to be honest and we learn to ski away from them. If he starts at 5, with an instructor and really learns well probability of injury is the same as biking. If he then learns later on, as a teenager and he is reckless, goes fast, and has not the technique to sustain it - it is very very hard to properly learn skiing after 12-13 yo - then his chance of incidents increases considerably