skiing lessons for 4/5 year olds - how did yours find it?

[Nettee]

I am just back from a great trip to Belle Plagne with Crystal (Turquoise). Weather was not so good sadly but definately would return with fingers crossed for a bit more sunshine. DS - just 4 - and DD - 18 months - were in creche which worked out well and DS did a very little bit of skiing but really wasn't up for more than about an hour at a time. Anyway I am probably being a bit PFB but I am already plotting next year's trip and wonder if he will change so much in a year that he will then be fine to go off with the Wizz Kids nannies for a 3 hour ESF ski lesson. I spotted some esprit classes out and about and I thought I saw the nannies following them which impressed me. Any experiences or recommendations about nice gentle introductions to skiing for littlies?

Ds (4.5 when we went skiing this season and first time) loved it. 2.5 hours every morning and then creche in the afternoon. We went with Family Ski to Ardent. They have ski nannies that stay with them during the lesson and then take them down the mountain for lunch and afternoon activities. Meant ds fully occupied every day from 9.45am to 4.30pm. I didn't give him an option about skiing and did try to collect him early one afternoon (thinking he would be tired) but he was enjoying himself so much he didn't want to come. He started reception in Sept so is used to a full school day.

He also managed to get his first ESF badge which completely surprised me. At the beginning of the week my only hope was that he may make it out of the ski garden by the end of the week!

There's a big difference between skiing at age 4 and age 5. He should be able to do a morning lesson next year.

At almost 5 ds was doing 10-3 ski lessons , including lunch. Did really well even though he is not a sporty child. dd on the other hand foudn it mroe tiring to do all day but still stuck with it.

DD was nearly 6 when we went for the first time over Xmas 08. She managed all-day on the Slopes fine although I think she really only had actual instructor tuition in the morning and mucked around/practised in the afternoon with the Ski Nanny.

I think it really depends on the child. DD bonded with another 5yo girl and they spurred each other on I think. The other 5yo had started age 4 and she had been more reluctant at that age according to her Mum.

Last year ds3 started skiing at 3. For a week he had a one hour private lesson and spent the rest of the time in day care. For the second week, he had an hour in the morning and another in the afternoon in a group of 3.

This year he is going all day in the 4-6 year olds class. I was a bit worried about how he would cope, but reason he will be with other children of his age and ability, so wont be skiing for 2 hours non stop. I know they will have hot chocolate stops, play snowballs and do other stuff - ds2 has fond memories of eating biscuits in an igloo at 5 rather than the actually skiing!

DD started skiing when she was 3 with Esprit. When they're in Spritelets (3, 4 and 5 I think) the snow rangers stay with them. DD would have had at least a 2 hour lesson if not a 3 hour lesson even at age 3. But I imagine that they stoped for breas in the middle to have snowball fights, etc. I think she stayed in the ski garden the first year. She was skiing blacks when she was 7 so seems to have prgressed well!

My ds has been for last 3 seasons. this year he was 5yrs and 9 months and it clicked for the first time had morning lessons for 3 hours in a small well run oxygene class and now he says he loves skiing, having groaned a bit during our pre holiday discussions.

oooh - that sounds good, olliepolly - where did you go? DS has his birthday in March so he will be a bit younger that that but small class soudns good.

Thanks for all your replies - a year is a long time as you say but then I want to book early and it is hard to predict what he might be like

I have just had a look at Family Ski, MollieO, and they do look very good. Quite fancy the chalet hotel in Saas Fee with the swimming pool - just the long walk to the slopes putting me off slightly. Ski School helper person sounds great. I do keep being drawn back to Crystal for the free children's places though but I am sure they hike up the base price to compensate.

Ds2 did his first ESF group lessons at Easter last year just turned 4 - Piou Piou badge, five mornings, two and a half hours per slot. All in the snow garden, no problems.

This year he's just done the Teddy Bear level and can snow plough down the nursery slope and is very happy on the drag lifts - he'll be 5 in a week's time.

Nettee - We went to Saas Fee last year - I found out on my last day that you can hire ski lockers right beside the ski lifts / ski school & nursery area.

This would have made things much easier.

I am told, by people who know (ski instructors, mostly) that there is a huge difference between the average 4 year old and the average 5 year old in terms of their ability to ski. Apparently at 5 their balance, strength and co-ordination is generally hugely improved.

dd has ski-ed a little bit for the last 2 years (aged just 3 and just 4) but not much. I expect next year she'd be up for something much more extensive.

Oh am a bit .

DS is 3 and I am counting the days until next years ski season as I wanted to wait until he was old enough to enjoy a ski holiday and actually do some skiing rather than being in the creche.

Can I ask those whose children are with ski nannies, do they do snow based activities and do the children enjoy it ? Don't think I can wait another 2 years until DS is 5.

I'm going to Morzine in 3 weeks, and my DD is going to be 3 & 10 months. I have her booked into the Piou Piou Club with a 2 1/2 hr ski lesson included. Now I am beginning to wonder if I am expecting too much of her?

DS1 was 4.3 at Xmas and loved skiing (can do a green run slowly, but having fun and with a few "pick ups"), but refused to go to ski school. We're going again on Saturday and I know that he doesn't want ski school, but that he can't wait to go skiing again. As we both work full time, I am happy to teach him myself (although I would prefer some lessons) as it is his holiday too.

We tried Piou Piou, but he was not happy (most kids seem to be very happy mind you).

Hi We've recently been to La Rosiere with Esprit with DS1 - 9 and DS2 - 5. The 9 year old has been twice before both with esprit and has always had lessons for half a day and then supervised lunch. We picked them up at 2 so we could all ski together. DS1 is now really confident and was doing reds and blacks this year. He is too fast for me to catch up with him now! DS2 was very unsure about skiing on the first day this year but he did really well in lessons and by the end of the week we all skied down a nice red run together. He is quite a little 5 year old so I'm sure most other children his age would cope well too. Esprit are great and the younger ones do have esprit childcare staff with them for toilet stops and runny noses, cuddles etc... DS2 loved the childcare staff so much he sobbed when he said goodbye! The staff are really good fun and tend to get the children singing as they walk through the snow etc..
HTH!
I can't wait to plan next years skiing too!

I'm impressed with all the skiing achievements here!

We had a slightly different experience. DS, aged just 4, did not get on well at all in the Esprit beginner class (spritelets?), 2 hours plus all the clunking about in ski boots was just too much for him, and he ended up screaming and crying. Although the other kids in the class seemed to have no problems. Obviously we quickly removed him from those classes, and taking him onto the nursery slope ourselves, we found that 3 times up on a magic carpet (about 30 mins) was plenty.

This year, just 5 with Ski Famille - we booked him a couple of hour long private lessons, and this worked out well. Taking him out ourselves, again an hour or so was about right. At the end of the week he could confidently snow plough down the nursery slope behind DH, but more importantly was telling us that he loves skiing.

DD has had several private lessons (she's 4.5) and got on very well; not sure if she'd have the stamina for a whole day though! She and her brother have been "ski-ing" (ski boots and skis, round the magic carpet) since they were 3.2 yrs and 22 months respectively though, so she was very used to the concept. DS will have a private lesson on his third birthday....!

We go skiing in a large group with kids of a variety of ages, they have tried to start at various ages, but for all of them it just seemed to click when they were 5. THe following year they all then ski very well, no fear, happy to hurtling down blues and bounce when they fall over. All in ESF or ESI 2.5 hour classes.

We found that the weather made a huge difference at this age. It is better to go at easter with small kids. I took son out of ski schoolin one terrible week in february when he was 4, after finding him sobbing in his lesson. He restarted at 6 with a private teacher and it took one morning for him to be able to stop and turn etc. If you can afford it this is the best way.

DD (4.25) has just had 6 mornings in the ESF Club PiouPiou at La Tania. She loved it. She didn't earn any badges this year but also has no qualms about going again. Am planning to take her to the new ski centre at Hemel a few times through the year as well so that she might get more out of the holiday next time.

Well I am all booked up now - have been taken in by the charms of Crystal again and we are going back to Courchevel - St Louis - where they have an arrangement with a British ski school and do small classes for 4 and 5 year olds. We are going to go in the Easter holidays and hopefully it will be sunnier for us.

Thanks for all your suggestions - There are such a lot of brilliant set ups for families out there

It does depend on the child a lot too. Most important is that they are keen to try and not too fussy about getting a bit of snow in their gloves or other minor discomforts. Secondly they should be reasonably co-ordinated (or at least not badly uncoordinated) and I think by age 5 most children are ready enough that way. Ds first skied when just turned 5 and took to it straight away (red runs by the end of the week) - he was always a well co-ordinated child who did things like skipping out the stabiliser stage when learning to ride a bike and good at kicking a ball quite young, so it may be that those kind of things might give you a clue as to how quickly they might pick it up, though I suspect attitude and wanting to do it is of more importance to success.

nettee we wnt with crystal to the st louis 2 years ago - very very nice indeed! my dd1 was 7 and wnet to the magic in motion classes for 2 hrs each day and it worked well thoguh a bit of a treck to nursery/beginners slopes form the hotel. you cna ski it but the nannies never did as they didn't have boots and skis wiht them. see my long post on claviere thread - we loved it na dhte ski school so much