Taking a very uncoordinated child skiing - tips?

[minipie]

We’re taking our DC skiing for the first time in March. DC1 will be 7 and has very mild cerebral palsy so finds physical activity difficult and tiring. But she is super keen to go . We have tried one lesson at a snowdome and she loved it but unsurprisingly fell a LOT. I am worried about her getting very frustrated and tired over a longer period and hating it by the end of day 1 or 2.

Any tips from parents of uncoordinated children (or indeed uncoordinated adults) on what helped them learn/enjoy skiing?

@madwomanintheattic I’ve seen you have a DD with CP who skis, would love any suggestions if you’re about.

Thanks

Learning to ski is frustrating without any additional needs to factor in. As she's keen I'd just go with her lead, she may want to stop. I've seen plenty of teens / adults throw the towel in on day 3 of the first trip because they get so frustrated.

I would go with the expectation she may not get it this trip but will do on the next one. She'll probably surprise you and do really well!

I haven't taken my 7yo ex (very) preemies yet because I just don't think they have the strength to do it.

Are private or semi private lessons an option? My two had their first go last year at 8 & 6 respectively. No physical issues though not terribly sporty.
There's a lot of standing around for complete beginners - they used a sort of drag rope to hang onto to get them back up to the top of the nursery slope so lots of queuing up [and falling off it] while they got the hang of it. By the end of the first lesson they were a bit shattered and fed up to be honest. Youngest also had a touch of altitude sickness so we saw breakfast again on the second morning which didn't help much.

On the upside March is that bit warmer so you don't get the same exhaustion from the chill factor.
Lots of hot chocolate, mini pain au chocolate/croissants, smarties [don't melt in your hand]. Basically we gave them far more sugar and chocolate than they ever normally consume.
Big family lunch at 12 sharp, gentle pootle in the afternoon, back to the chalet 4.30 ish and a light/low effort evening meal. We opted not to do the fully catered thing as our two would not be capable of staying up for a full dinner and be alive for lessons at 9am sharp.

First day skiing was Sunday and we took Wednesday pm off entirely - they were pretty shattered by then and weather was a bit iffy so we made some snowmen and had a wander about.

Top tip - treat it as a holiday, something to enjoy. If you're the type of pre children skier that's out on the first lift, skied all day breaking just for a sandwich and collapsed in the evening it's a bit of a challenge to rebalance your expectations. In that sense it would have been good to be there with a bigger group but it wasn't an option. It does feel like you are not getting great value for what is an expensive holiday.

The alternative is ski-school in the morning and activities in the afternoon - the larger resorts basically have daycare or nanny services. Depends on the child though - some will feel dumped, others thrilled to hang out with 50 new "friends". If money is not an issue then it's possible to create some space to do some hardcore skiing so you don't mind the days where it's 2 hrs and that's it.

Thanks both!

Yes private or semi private lesson is possible, though think they get booked quickly so I need to get organised. Maybe 2 hours per morning lesson, or 3 hr group lesson if I can’t get private, plus a bit of gentle skiing with us after lesson and maybe after lunch. But sometimes ditch the after lunch ski in favour of tobogganing or a movie. Does that sound ok?

Definitely no first/last lift ambitions, DC1 wouldn’t cope and to be honest I’m more about lunch these days myself

We are going with a larger group so there should be friends to hang out with when not skiing and also maybe a chance to swap afternoon childcare so we can get a longer day. We are s/c so that gives option of early night/quiet tea when needed.

Chocolate is a good tip thanks, that will definitely help keep spirits up.

Hadn’t considered altitude sickness she does get car sick so the transfer will be... interesting...

Fingers crossed for sun.

This sounds really odd but if you have your own (or can borrow) skis and boots, you can practice some of the coordination before hand.
Just on a carpet, walking sideways, walking forwards with duck steps, turning round in circles.
Even just a 20 min practice of this before the lesson could really help.

I would make sure you aren’t skiing the full day so it doesn’t get overwhelming for her.

We took ours for a private lesson at a snow dome before we went.

Pineapple none child size! Though you’ve got me wondering what else I could rig up as a proxy

Snowdome yes, we will do, nearer the time. We did take DC1 for one lesson last winter just to check she would be able to manage but she’ll have forgotten everything by now I guess.

And yes not the full day, she will need a rest.

Has anyone used tip clips with their kids?

She might be a little old (big) for a tip clip. But if she us really struggling with the snowplough shape it would be worth trying. Important not to keep it on for too long though- really it's just for finding the muscles needed to make the correct shape rather than as an ongoing support. If you do go down that route it's important to get one which is very flexible. I use edgy wedgies- they are a bit like a rubber band in the middle.

DD also has very mild cerebral palsy. She first went skiing when she was about 4. She started off having private lessons with her younger brother and she still has them whilst he has group lessons.
She found a 2 hour lesson exhausting. 1 is much better and she does more skiing than her brother does in a 2 hour group lesson when there is more hanging around. We then potter about a bit, have a nice lunch etc. Then she'll ski with us or grandparents. She is 12 now and last year we really turned a corner. She had a great instructor, she is stronger generally and she could pretty much get down most slopes.
Agree it's best to treat skiing as a holiday rather than a endurance test and just enjoy being in the mountains!

Thanks both. I will ask the instructors if they have edgy wedgies. She turns one foot in anyway so maybe the shape won’t be a challenge

topcat that’s really interesting thanks! Sounds like your DD is doing really well. How much was your DD able to manage (stamina wise) at age 7 if you can remember? DD would have struggled with even 1 hr at age 4 but she’s so much stronger and less tired now (sleeps much better thank goodness).

We have a 2 hour lesson pencilled in sharing with her sister and 2 same age friends - I am hoping she can manage that as expect she’d prefer that to being on her own while the others are together. It’s 9-11am as she is definitely best in the mornings.

Yes it’s definitely more of a holiday in the mountains than a ski holiday! The apartment block has a pool so expect that will get a lot of use, as will cafes and TV

I'm very ncorordinated so took private lessons. The skiing wans;t so hard, but getting of the ski lift while it moved induced high anxiety every time, so maybe avoid those at first, or only use really easy ones.

We took dd skiing for the first time when she was 8; she doesn't have co-ordination problems but is profoundly deaf so I was concerned about balance - it was never as good as her peers and she's still pretty clumsy - not to mention communication (she has cochlear implants).

She was a very reluctant skier so we started with private lessons - I think she had 1.5 hours for 3 or 4 days, which was plenty, and we did other things in between (sledging, taking the cable car up to the top of the mountain for waffle or hot choc, quiet afternoon with dvd, we took turns to look after her or grandparents had her while we skied) but we managed to get her out on the slopes for a bit of extra practice towards the end of the week.

The following year she managed an afternoon class each day (no early starts!) and the ski school was fab, giving her the same instructor she'd had the year before so it gave her a huge amount of confidence.

It's taken a while, but she's 15 now and starting to develop a very nice technique, not to mention a lot faster than me! I would echo what others have said, treat it as a holiday rather than an activity and try to make it as much fun as possible.

Silly things make it fun at that age/ shopping for a ludicrous helmet cover/bobble hat for example. Also makes it easier to spot them on the slopes.
Some friends had a back to the 70's skiing day - think day glo all in one ski suits off eBay. The kids thought it was fantastic.
I adore skiing but having learned as an adult I am guilty of trying to make the most of a week and thinking about technique far too much.
I think private lessons work as 1 hr of 1:1 attention will give her technique which will only help her cope with the physical effort.
Plus you can't have too much chocolate in the alps!