Thinking of skiing in Feb with 2.5 yo - can he ski or is he too young?

[KezzaG]

Hi, we have been invited to go skiing with friends in Feb, and want to take 2.5yo ds with us. We have never been and dont know what to expect. I dont really want to put ds in childcare, and would love it if he could join in and learn to ski with me. Is he too young? If so is there anything else you can do with a toddler in a ski resort ,and any recommendations? Thanks.

imho it's worth putting him on skis and letting him have a potter but he's too young to learn properly. other things to do that are great fun are sledging/bum-boarding, outdoor swimming, building snowmen, riding the cable cars and drinking lots of hot chocolate. If you want to learn you'll need time without him - childcare or other people.

IMHO he is too young. I took my dd's 2 years ago when dd2 was 3 (nearly 4) and she was too young. Yses some people will say go for it, but unless you are a good skier and want to teach him how to, no sjki school will take him and an hour or two outside will be a lot. I would either
a) leave hime behind with parents or something if you can
b) put him into childcare (but be careful, not all frech creches are great and you won't get to check it out first)
c) make sure you go with a family friendly comapny who can have nannies etc
d) take him and expect not to ski.

Thanks for the reply, I know so little about ski resorts I didnt know if I was mad considering it if I didnt want to use childcare. I had visions of me and him sitting around being bored!

Of course you are right, he is too young to learn, I meant more that he could come on ski's and we could have fun together. Lol I am not a pushy mum.

Do you have any reccomendations for resorts? Austria seems to be best from what we have looked at so far.

OK if you have not already booked look esprit this comapny have good childcare and he could go to a nursery run by the esprit NNEB trained staff. Or there are other comapnies like crystal etc who offer this sort of service for full or half days.

Avaoid half term like the plague

Thanks for the advice. I will check out some places and make a decision. Why do I always find booking holiday so difficult??

I have seen toddlers on the slopes in germany. being guided by their parents, and then riding on parents shoulders, still wearing their tiny skis.
by age 5, they are expert skiers.

the parents are obv experienced skiers though

If you aren't already committed skiers yourself, then 2.5yo is too young to start. The youngest I know some ski-schools will take them is 3 - and that's unusual. But you can still go and have a fun holiday: be a little careful of which resort though as in some there is nothing to do except ski - some don't even allow non-skiers up in the gondolas/cable cars.

It certainly is possible to start skiing very young: ds had his first (assisted) slide on snow at about 8 months, and his first solo slide at 17 months. At 3.5years he was kicked out of ski school (too good to be kept on the nursery slope) and then spent the rest of the week exploring moguls. Last season at 4.5 he was skiing all day and starting on black runs. I'm looking forward to skiing with him this year

A few pictures of ds skiing at various ages

My DS was 3 and one month last year when we went to La Rosiere. He did a Snow Club with Esprit in the morning and Spritelets in the afternoon when they put them on skis and they go up the magic carpet for an hour or so. On the last day we had a go with him on the nursery slope ourselves but gave up pretty quickly - he was full of confidence but no concentration or co-ordination whatsoever. We are fairly experienced skiers but DH ended up going backwards down the the nursery slope with DS ploughing into him. I took him sledging instead which he loved. DD had been 4.5 when she did Spritelets and on the final day she was happily following DH down a nursery slope with me behind and could do the button lift on her own as well. The extra year made a big difference.

This yr (DS now just 4yrs) he could do the Sprites Ski School with Esprit as he has been on skis but I think he is too young - hasn't got the concentration for two hours each day so he will do Spritelets again instead and hopefully love every minute.

DS (19) is a ski instructor and would not advise before 4 years, unless very mature, self sufficient - can wipe their own noses and bums and independently dress and undress for the toilet. they always want a wee when they get to the top of a slope!

It is his second season as an instructor and he teaches children all day long in Canada and loves it

DD started sking at 3, but she was only a couple of months off her 4th birthday. I think the "lesson" was only 1.5hrs and was aimed at having fun. Put on skis, shuffle through the hoops - mainly on the flat at frst then progressed to a little slope. Oh and she did have a toilet accident in her skisuit one day - in the cable car with the ski instructer!!!

She went again last year and by the end of the week I would say she is capable of skiing at blue run standard. But probably didn't have the stamina for a blue run. Will have to see if we can find some short ones for her next month.

We generally put her in a creche in the resort - they have a ski lesson, and then depending on the weatehr either indoor play or outdoor play. So might be bum boarding, snowball fights, snowmen, etc. DD loves it. I normally pick er up mid afternoon as I think its a long day if they're there till 5pm.

We started the 3 oldest when they were 3/5/7. The 3 year old was a bit young but they took him in the morning ski school in Switzerland. He is 18 now. In fact it's the one who started 7 who is brilliant at it and I do think in part it's because she was older. The twins started at 6 and took to it better but you can take them places with childcare or you can hire an instructor for an hour or two who could teach you and him at once perhaps. I don't think most people would say learn at the same time as your child.

Message withdrawn

I'd say too young and with no experience yourselves it will be very hard going and demoralising. The earliest I've come across ski schools taking them is 3 1/2 and toilet trained for an hour - hour and 1/2 sessions. Pick a largish resort with indoor pool, walks , sled runs (preferably a purpose built all weather one), hire a toboggan and sled on the nursery slopes. Some have mountain trains and cable cars/gondolas which would keep him fascinated.

I am well impressed by those pictures of O!

especially the 8 month one - darn why didnt I think of that?

Thanks all, this has helped. As there are a few people going I have decided to still go, and have found some apartments which also have a swimming pool, and the resort itself has other things for non skiers - sledging, cable cars etc.

Now I am all excited about it I am bound to break a leg arent I!

Has anyone heard of PLASTIC SKIS? I think this is what really little ones start off on but I´m not sure what they are exactly. IMHO 2.5 is not too young if the aim is to get the LO to enjoy himself rather than seriously ski. Could also get useful photos to help prepare LO for serious skiing next year ..

Ds started on plastic skis (he's wearing them in this photo ). They are used with a normal pair of shoes/boots. Widely available in ski shops - expect to pay £20 or so.

There are great at getting the idea of moving around with these "great big long things" on the feet, especially at home on the carpet or in the back garden or in a play area. But as soon as they start to slide properly, then proper small skis and boots are needed (skis start at about 70cm long, and boots from about a size 8).

We had plastic skis/poles whcuih fastenbend over snow boots . Fine for playing around, walking about and giving them the initial feel but we never used them successfully to really ski with (the underside is ridged to prevent them really sliding anyway ). dh took dd up a magic carpet lift and would come down holding her onto the surface of the snow. We had to special order boots in for dd as her feet were tiny when she first skied properly !

Message withdrawn

Mrs LSG - your DS is fantastic! I go skiing tomorrow but are leaving my DS with grandparents..but this has made me really want to take him next year!

this sort of thing but way cheaper in resort .

actualy too young at 2.5 mainly beacuse s/he will be cold and tired very quickly! book some child care and let the child have fun while you learn to ski and then go sledging/bum boarding playing in the snow later!