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Ski and snowboarding

For ski chat, join the Mumsnet Ski forum. Check out our guide to the best resorts in Europe and our family ski holiday packing list.

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Original poster

Skiing with kids - minimum age?

31 replies

NomChanged · 29/12/2017 21:02

DH and I desperately want to resume our ski holidays which we enjoyed pre DC. We have a toddler and a preschooler. Interested to hear others' experiences of taking young children skiing and whether children who are too young for ski school enjoyed the resort snow clubs. Our DC have not been at nursery.

OP posts:

MinesaLattecino · 29/12/2017 21:04

We went when DTs were 3yo and put them in all day Esf... we were quite mean though!

tailsandscales · 30/12/2017 07:04

My son started skiing when he was 3. We started with Snowbizz which combined an hour of ESF with morning of crèche. He loved it.
He’s 5 now and we have just come home from France. He went into ESF lessons in the morning and skied with us in the afternoon.

surroundedbyblondes · 30/12/2017 07:29

Ours started at 3 and 5 but the 3 yo didn't go to ski school the first year (DHs parents were on hand for help with childcare)

What was good though was getting them used to it early. They are now 7 and 9 and are happy, confident skiers.

Unnoticed · 30/12/2017 07:43

We never stopped - used Ski2 when they were small as they have a fantastic nanny service. Got them on skis for an hour or two from age 3 and ski school with Ski2 from age 4.

They all ski weekly now as part of a club and are far better the DH and I!

AuntieStella · 30/12/2017 07:48

You either need a non-skiing adult in your group, or a DC over about 3 (typical minimum age for ski kindergarten), or to go to somewhere like Switzerland which has Immaculate safety standards and you can use a sessional crèche at any age (did that a couple of mornings with my youngest when too young for ski kindy) or if you don't like the idea of that kind of crèche then try hiring a ski nanny.

Situp · 30/12/2017 08:02

We live in Austria and our kids have been in ski school from age 3 with no problems.

Only thing is that once ski school is finished, they are quite restrictive on your skiing so if they are only in for 2 hours a day, you may not get much else done. Fine for us but if you have paid for flights and accommodation etc it may not be worth it.

You can also look for hotels with childcare available so you can get on the slopes in the afternoons

Needmoresleep · 30/12/2017 13:44

Or Ski Esprit with wrap around child care plus ski lesson front age three.

Mary21 · 30/12/2017 18:08

Or ski lessons followed by supervised lunch. Some ski schools offer this. Eg evolution 2
Our Ds both started age 3 but didn’t learn much till the year after ie age 4, but had fun

Unnoticed · 30/12/2017 18:28

Ski2 also offer wrap around care - they are fantastic for familes and in a lovely quite Italian resort.

WillowWept · 30/12/2017 18:35

We did ski school from 3 yrs with wrap around care. They don't do much at 3 but they all enjoyed it.

MentholBreeze · 30/12/2017 18:36

I've been put to shame by a ski-school of 3 year olds smoothly skating past, so I'm guessing 3 or so is the youngest!

(I find skiing terrifying, and stick to the baby slopes, so that might be why)

Original poster

NomChanged · 31/12/2017 11:49

That's v helpful to know that there's wraparound childcare with esprit and ski2. Thank you.

OP posts:

tailsandscales · 31/12/2017 15:24

I think Esprit only do afternoon ski school for under 5s. We’ve skied with Esprit and Snowbizz and think Snowbizz are better for younger children but Esprit have a better choice if resorts.

PickleSarnie · 31/12/2017 15:28

We went when ours were 5 and 3. We didn't have childcare, there were three families and we just rotated who looked after the kids when lessons were over.

To be honest though I think 3 was probably too young. I felt really guilty dropping off a crying 3 year old every morning. Although it might just have been that he was quite a clingy child then. The 5 year old picked it up right away, loved it and is worryingly good at it (not because he's a sporting genius but because young is the best age to learn. Before they have fear)

dontcallmethatyoucunt · 02/01/2018 11:27

Mine were both 3. Ski school in the morning, wrap around care in the PM.

juneau · 02/01/2018 12:45

We went the first time when DS1 was 4 and DS2 was 10 months. We went with Ski Famille, which is expensive, but really good. Catered chalet with on-site playroom and nannies who came in every day at about 8am to take the little ones. DS1 did ski school in the mornings (the nannies dropped him off), and played in the afternoons (they also picked him up from ski school at 12). If you can afford it I highly recommend doing something like this as you're free from the moment you get your DC ready to ski until tea time i.e. you get about 7 hours of uninterrupted adult time in which to ski, have lunch on the mountain, or even sneak back for a nap

snowgirl1 · 02/01/2018 12:49

DD was 3 (almost 4) when she first had ski lessons - we've been with Ski Esprit and Crystal Ski who both offer wraparound childcare (although Crystal only do it in a few resorts).

Rotorevolution · 02/01/2018 20:36

Also snowfocus do skiing from 2.5/3 years old with in chalet wraparound care. Can take little ones from 6 months too.

Linguaphile · 03/01/2018 16:25

We've been on on 2 ski holidays in the last month with our young children (twins age 4 and toddler age 2). The first was a trip to Austria, where we booked all 3 children in from 10am-3pm each day with a ski school/creche. The twins had proper ski lessons, whilst the 2 year old's experience was a lot of snow play with a short time getting used to skis... so there do exist places that will technically start them from 2. Normally ESF don't start until age 3. The second ski holiday we took was in France and was brilliant as ESF worked in conjunction with a 'garderie des nieges'both located right next to each other and the lift, which was v handyso that the youngest could be in creche whilst the older two were having a private ski lesson, and then the ski instructor would take the older ones back to the childcare centre and the three children could all be together and play at the creche until we collected them. Fun was had by all, particularly in the second scenario (where, incidentally, they take children at the creche from 3 or 6 months of age I think...). Personally I feel that the second trip was better on the lessons/childcare front. ESF is really great and the twins progressed quite a lot with a private instructor (not as expensive as it sounds, 40 euro/hour for the two of them and really an hour or two of skiing is all they want before they're ready to go inside, have some hot chocolate and play puzzles or read books). On reflection, I think age 2 was probably too young for the youngest to be put on skis. She had a much better time the second place and she still got to enjoy the snow as the creche took them out every day for sledging, etc.

Userplusnumbers · 03/01/2018 16:28

Take them - ski school and creche. Be prepared for the preschooler being basically a pro by the end of the week.

FadedRed · 03/01/2018 16:47

We never stopped either (summer births), crèche/hotel with nanny, for morning while DH and I skied, then playing/walking/tobogganing with DC in the afternoon. DC's 'played' on skies until about ages four and then I taught them the basics and from then on we'd ski together.
DC very proficient by age 6/7, did a few seasons in ski-board school as young teens just for a change.
Now taking their own kids skiing! (We go with them, so get two holiday's each season.) Skiing is a brilliant family holiday.
You just have to adjust your expectations for the first few years with children, no long days on the black runs with boozy apres-ski evenings, if that is what you are used to!
I think it is important to pick your resort to minimise the logistics, IYSWIM, so you are not having to walk carrying equipment for long distances etc. It helps if your holiday budget allows your
to choose facilities that make things easier.

trixymalixy · 07/01/2018 18:46

We went with Crystal when DS was 4 and DD was just under 2. DS skied, DD didn't she was in the Crystal childcare she absolutely loved it and asked for ages afterwards when she was going back to her "club". She skied form age 3.

museumum · 07/01/2018 18:49

My 4 yr old went to Esprit Nursery at 2 and snowclub/spritelets lessons at 3 and will be going again at 4. He totally loves it and talks about it all year between holidays!!

trixymalixy · 07/01/2018 21:26

Or "sproutlets" as my DD called spritelets!!

massistar · 08/01/2018 09:48

Both started around 3 actually skiing and DD was only a year old when we went on a ski holiday. Didn’t put them into ski school till 4/5 though. We’ve always gone in big groups so that the littlies had someone to play in the snow with and a couple of adults would take a group back to the chalet early afternoon so that we could get a few runs in.

Like a PP said it’s not the same as going without children but we’re through the other side now and my 12yo and 8yo can get down anything and are way faster than me.

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