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Original poster

At what ski level do you feel comfortable stopping kids’ ski school?

38 replies

Boomchuck · 20/09/2023 12:07

My kids (ages 8 & 10) have gotten to the ESF first star level, and the older one is nearly at 2nd star level. Neither of them enjoys ski school—they prefer to just all go as a family—but we aren’t sure if their skill level is good enough to just completely stop ski lessons.

At what level would you be comfortable stopping lessons and begin just letting them naturally progress through lots of skiing as a family? Would second star level be enough for you, or would you want them to get all the way through to a higher level? My instinct is to make them stick with lessons (even if it’s just a few private ones at the start of each season) until they’re able to ski completely parallel and control their speed on difficult reds. I think that’s ESF third star level, right?

OP posts:
StewardsEnquiry · 20/09/2023 12:11

No way would I stop lessons yet, OP. DS completed Bronze last year (aged 12) and will be going again this year. He is very confident, much better than me. He can ski totally parallel, any red and easy blacks, a bit of off piste, ski park. But he needs to also learn what is safe and what he cannot do.

Legolegends · 20/09/2023 12:19

All the way through to gold by the time they’re 15 or so. Technique makes a massive difference. That’s the long term goal though. I wouldn’t bother putting them through ski school every year if it means they hate ski holidays. Just hang out and have fun x

Littlepic · 20/09/2023 12:25

My two are 9 & 11 and completed their bronze last year. We've booked them in to hopefully get silver or gold this season.
We do however book them a private two hour lesson each day rather than ski school so they spend plenty of time skiing with us too.
Is this an option maybe?

Rocketstarr · 20/09/2023 13:11

If they don’t enjoy it then I would move them on to private lessons, definitely don’t stop lesson’s completely. As an adult and a good skier I still have lessons once or twice a season now.

3 x morning private lessons per trip would probably move them forward way more than a week in ski school and they would probably enjoy it more. Some ski schools also offer reduced rate lunch time lessons which I usually do.

Original poster
Boomchuck · 20/09/2023 14:05

Okay, well this confirms my thinking! DH thinks they are better than their official ‘star’ level and has been rolling his eyes at me for enrolling them in lessons this year when “we can just teach them ourselves”, but to be honest I feel much more comfortable making sure they are learning properly with an instructor. We have a few days of private lessons booked over New Year and I was doubting myself, so I feel newly resolved to keep them pressing forward with some lessons each time we go.

OP posts:
cheezncrackers · 20/09/2023 14:09

We let our older DC stop ski school when he could comfortably ski any red run (single diamond black in the USA), because that's the level that DH and I are at. We've always encouraged him to keep going though and get better than us, as we don't consider ourselves to be particularly brilliant skiers and we always wanted our kids to be much better than us. But with teens you can't force them and he just wanted to ski with us after that.

stringbean · 20/09/2023 18:16

At 9 &11 I would look at moving them to a different ski school. Ds really enjoyed the junior and teen academy classes offered by Evolution 2 - worth checking out if they are in your resort.

Original poster
Boomchuck · 20/09/2023 18:32

stringbean · 20/09/2023 18:16

At 9 &11 I would look at moving them to a different ski school. Ds really enjoyed the junior and teen academy classes offered by Evolution 2 - worth checking out if they are in your resort.

Yes, this year we are going with Oxygene, who I have heard good things about. Hopefully the new school and having a new private group will help!

OP posts:
poolviewthanks · 20/09/2023 19:40

I think they should stick with it. I've agreed my 13 year old is done because they can now ski any black run plus off piste, moguls, can safely get themselves sorted after a big fall, can help others on the slopes etc. My younger child can do most of that but is still too reckless and obsessed with speed over technique so they shall continue with lessons!

RhubarbFairy · 20/09/2023 22:23

All been said above, really. I definitely relate to the reckless and obsessed with speed comment. Our 12 year old was pretty snotty with us at Easter that we wouldn't just let him roam the mountain unsupervised 'I can do blacks'.

We're using Evolution again as we liked them. DS1 is moving up to Super Yeti, where they'll do some off-pisting as well as learn about safety in more depth. DS2 (10) is going into Yeti 3, where he'll start exploring blacks. I like that the system means they aren't guaranteed to pass. Means that they won't move on before they are ready. Both can parallel, but I won't be stopping lessons anytime soon.

What is it that they don't enjoy? For our next trip, we've said they can move to afternoon lessons. They hated getting up and out early on our last trip, and it was harder work than our school day mornings! Moving them to afternoons means that they can lay in if they wish (as will DH as he rarely skis before noon), and I can enjoy a couple of peaceful hours skiing as I'm a lark. We'll ski together over lunch, then DH and I can ski when they're in ski school. On holidays, they tend to have late nights, so this should work better. I have also considered private lessons for DS2, who prefers to ski with us than be in a group lesson.

It is still a holiday, after all. I've no interest in forcing sleepy pre-teens out the door.

Emanresu9 · 20/09/2023 22:29

Absolutely no way after first star. My 11 year old has gold star so has technically finished all the levels but he still has some private lessons and now does off piste and snowpark stuff.

id say you definitely want to keep going until gold level.

PuttingDownRoots · 20/09/2023 22:49

Its a bit different for us as DH is a qualified ski instructor... but he sends them to ski school so he can have fun himself for a bit and to plan his afternoons with them. (I don't ski). He teaches them harder stuff than they do in lessons sometimes.

cathyandclare · 20/09/2023 22:54

To gold star at the least I think. After that ours had a few private lessons with a group of kids ( ended up about the same price as ski school) and did a bit more fun/ exploring/off piste stuff.

ididntthough · 21/09/2023 01:37

Agree with the general tone of advice here. Actually now the teens have most fun when we get them a lesson as that’s when they do the really hard stuff I never will!!

poolviewthanks · 21/09/2023 13:57

ididntthough · 21/09/2023 01:37

Agree with the general tone of advice here. Actually now the teens have most fun when we get them a lesson as that’s when they do the really hard stuff I never will!!

I'm the same! No interest in black runs or off piste so the kids get bored if they have to stick with us!

We have done trips to smaller resorts such as Lapland where they can go off on their own which they like. They know that in the alps there's no chance of being left on their own so lessons is their only option for the fun stuff!

ididntthough · 21/09/2023 22:34

Winter sports insurance won't generally cover you off piste without an instructor either so that's another reason.

NoKnit · 25/09/2023 22:17

They ski so blooming fast it is hard to keep up with them so that is why mine still go to ski school.

Pussygaloregalapagos · 25/09/2023 22:21

Ski school is so boring. Always going at the slowest pace.

Hire an instructor for the odd private lesson or to ski guide you for the day.

our kids did ski school for 2 years then skied with us, one competes in ski racing now and is reasonably good. O

Switcher · 25/09/2023 22:24

Depressing thread. Mt kids were up to bronze last year at 9 and 7 after quite a few years and I have no money for skiing any more. Hopefully one day.

AnonForThisPost · 25/09/2023 22:26

i would definitely continue lessons. My DC all hated ESF, so we generally used NewGen, which the DC really enjoyed. We’ve skied in a group with friends for many years. The ability and technique of the now young adult DC that kept going with lessons is amazing and noticeably better than those that just skied with their parents - even for DC for whom it did not come easily to start.

VeloVixen · 25/09/2023 22:26

Yes Dd went to gold. She always quite seemed to enjoy it which was good. She had one amazing year where we paid for morning and afternoon group lessons with esf but she was the only one who signed up. So she had a whole week of private lessons all day……I think there was a lot of skiing about to see the instructors ski lift operator mates but she had a blast. She was only about 8yo. She’s been skiing black runs since primary school age including ones I wouldn’t dare go down!

VeloVixen · 25/09/2023 22:27

We’ve also used Oxygene in Val d’isere and they were excellent.

backtoschoolsnot · 25/09/2023 22:41

At least bronze but depends on their age and mountain awareness.

DS1 got his gold star a couple of years back when he was 11, DS2 now aged 12 has the equivalent to bronze in boarding and the two trips we did last season they didn't have any lessons. Both those trips we travelled with 2 or 3 other families with older teens and all the kids have been skiing since they were 3 / 4 all have gold star and we let the kids all go off on their own for about half the weeks, just met them for lunch as we were comfortable with their mountain safety and don't cry when they show us 80kmh on skitracks afterwards

northlondondad1976 · 26/09/2023 15:11

For the cost of 2 children in group ski school, you should be able to get a 2hour private lesson for them each day. It should even be possible for the whole family to go on the lesson. This would improve their skiing at a lot faster rate than the group ski school and would probably be a lot more fun for them.
My son had finished all the ski school badges by the time he was 6, but now at 13 he still has private ski lessons every day.

Dindundundundeeer · 03/10/2023 13:24

ididntthough · 21/09/2023 01:37

Agree with the general tone of advice here. Actually now the teens have most fun when we get them a lesson as that’s when they do the really hard stuff I never will!!

Same for mine. Double black diamond, through the trees, drop offs, under the lifts, all with a 20 something instructor. Too rich for my blood and I'm a good skier.