Kids' first ski trip. Age 4 and 6. Tips?

A snowHead

I'm not sure I'd put anything on a lanyard round the neck.

A snowHead

Mine were 6 and 8 the first time and learned just down the road from Zell. As it was Austria, they also did 4 hour lessons. 8 loved it and had to be wrestled off the slopes. 6 got tired a bit more easily, and took the Thursday morning off because he was tired and wanted a chilled morning in the apartment. I just let them know when I dropped 8 off, and he rejoined the group after lunch. There were some children that would leave with their parents at lunch and not return. Instructors were very flexible.

We played with ours on the nursery slope at the end of each day. One afternoon 6 skied the whole thing backwards 'because that's what Luuk does' whilst I skied alongside and watched for obstacles. 8 used that time to see if he could achieve terminal velocity.

We buy the mini packets of Haribo (the tiny ones) and they are perfect for sticking in a pocket for them to have during the course of the lesson (usually when in the gondola). When we meet for lunch, we have a fresh supply to replenish them.

Lift pass in the sleeve pocket (or other designated pocket) and it hammered into them that they never, ever unzip that pocket. Photograph each lift pass beforehand though, so if any are lost, it's simple to replace.

Do you have your own helmets? 6 almost lost his googles three times over the week. They were finally lost for good on the 4th attempt, thankfully on the final day. He now has a helmet with a built in visor (actually we all do, much easier).

Collect from ski school in the afternoon armed with a donut. Take screens for the evening. Mine would completely zone out with their tablets once we got back to the apartment that first time. They'd come off long enough to eat with us and then either swim, or stare at them until it was time for bed. Now 11 and 9, they had much more stamina on this last holiday Christmas just gone.

@Nadenoodlee, I have idiot straps on mine too. This holiday just gone, we met them at lunch to discover that the youngest had been skiing gloveless all morning as he'd dropped one as they got in the gondola that morning. I swiftly downloaded as lunch was next to the first stop on that same gondola, and there it was, on a windowsill alongside other lost paraphernalia. Bloody good thing too as in resort they are expensive to replace.

You'll have an amazing time, and you'll be amazed at how fast they come on!

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Our kids started from age 3-4, and had no issues with 4 hours of lessons for a week. Both were confident kids who had snow dome experience to get them over the faff of putting the kit on and walking around with a plank on each foot, and our youngest told us to go away as soon as the teacher arrived each morning as she didn't want us hanging around and watching her. We did have to explain to her that she couldn't leave the nursery area until they'd seen her turn and stop in a controlled way - she loved the straight line speed, and there was always someone at the bottom to catch her which was fun, so that's what she did. A 15-20 minute session with us in the morning before ski school helped enormously, as did a 15-20 minute ski with us after collection so she could show us how she was doing, and we could reinforce what the teacher had been working on.

Two years earlier, our son took to it immediately, and had no issues. Both slept well each night, but that's partially because they played in the snow for an hour while we made dinner wink

Two things that helped were being organised and keeping calm while getting ready rather than hassling them and panicking about the time - start early, arrive early, and lap the beginner slopes with them until the lesson start time if that's possible. In Zell, some of the learner areas are at the top of the gondolas, because the runs near the town are not suitable, unless you are near the AreitXpress where there are a couple of baby lifts. If the class is on the hill, arrange to meet them there rather than at the bottom after the first day or so, and use the time to ski with them or watch them practice.

We also made sure we knew where on the mountain they were planning to be that day once they were able to explore a bit, so that we could meet them "by accident" on the hill, and watch them for a few minutes without being seen, then stop beside them, check how they were doing, and ski off - 30 seconds max. We also occasionally got to pick up class members who had fallen, and once we helped the instructor back to her feet Embarassed

While there is a lunch break, don't be tempted to collect your kid, eat with them, and return them - ski schools will provide a meal and lunchtime supervision, which is way less hassle than meeting up and either rushing off somewhere else and back, or sitting away from their new friends and teacher. Make up for this with the morning and afternoon family sessions - they want to spend time with you, and vice versa, so make time for that if they have the energy.

Ours are now 16 and 14, and I can't keep up.

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All good advice. Except the "accidental" meeting of the kids class on the mountain. Please don't do this to your instructor. Some kids are fine with it and it causes no disruption, but believe me lots of others get a wobble/decide it would be more fun with mummy and daddy. It can seriously disrupt the lesson for the rest of the class, and can take some time for the kid concerned to calm down fully. Don't panic if it really does happen by accident, but best not to "check how they are doing"! Ski schools will normally give some clear direction on this point and you should follow it if you can.

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@zikomo, the ski schools we had said they had no issue with it as long as it was a drop-in rather than being with the group for 10+ minutes at a time. We watched from a distance (and filmed without our kids realising we were there) with no issues.

Some kids want to know they've not been forgotten about, and seeing their parents skiing off confidently spurs them to improve to the point where they can go with them. I understand that doesn't work for every kid - but they're not mine.

After all it is free

Having been dithering I've just arranged for 5 x 1.5 hours private lessons for two grandchildren at Easter. They are half brother/sister and get on very well though he's based in Italy so they don't spend a lot of time together. Quite different in age though - she'll be nearly 6, and he's 11. But she's more active and courageous physically - a brilliant climber, all skin, bone and muscle - so I think they'll be OK together. He did have some lessons when he was much littler, but I suspect has forgotten just about everything. The ski school - one I've used a lot, an ESI, does "mini team" groups which are maximum 5 kids, and usually fewer, but they're not running at Easter and the alternative was the "basic" groups which can be quite big, and they'd be in different age groups. Privates were either at 0900 or 1300 and I've opted for the latter, both because getting the two of them round to the starting place 5 kms away by 0900 would be a hassle, and because it might be quite icy that early, first week of April.

I hope they enjoy it. It's always difficult to know what to do for the best and during a week there's usually at least one "I don't want to do that anymore" wobble. Grownups have those moments too, but we don't usually cry or throw our skis on the ground in temper. The other 6 grandchildren, aged from 11 to 18, have all gone through it in their time. One - now 18 - was unusual in that she hated toboganning when she was little. She couldn't bear the "out of control" feeling and she is now a very controlled skier. She loved pulling her teddy round on a sledge, or trying to pull a grownup, but she didn't like it herself. She was also VERY scared the first time she went up a chairlift, in a private lesson with a very sweet instructor. The instructor was desperate to get her up the chair, as she'd outgrown the baby garden. Fortunately she was keen to get photos to show her teacher (she was about 5) and with the instructor's encouragement I went up with them, with no poles, no gloves and two cameras. It was a triumph - she came all the way down a long green run and decided she'd cracked it. Fortunately it wasn't a very cold day. I got very cold hands but it was worth it.

@dingbat, the ski school will tell you all of this when you meet them, so it's not worth worrying about it. The Schmidolin magic carpet is halfway up Areit on the left of the piste map ( https://www.zellamsee-kaprun.com/en/sport/winter/skimap ), and the Enzian drag is at the top of the CityXpress in the centre/left. Both are under 100m long. It's been a while since I was in Zell, and longer since I took note of ski schools, but these are the primary places. There's probably also a ski school using the 300m Fallegglift from the bottom of the valley where the Schmittenhohe/Sonnalm/TrassXpress start, but I'm less familiar with that side.

The ski school websites usually have details of their meeting points - e.g. Sport Alpin have it at https://www.sport-alpin.at/skischool-office.php and they seem to have 4 separate meeting points

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Sorry I seem to have misunderstood!

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@dingbat, the ski schools are probably all absolutely fine and having a meeting point as close as possible to your accommodation is very helpful.

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@zikomo, I think you're imagining things that didn't happen. The class was stopped, as the instructor or someone else picks up the latest kid or kids to have fallen. I arrived, said hello, asked how it was going, checked they had enough sweets to maintain energy levels, and left with an encouraging word. This is not stopping the class to take my kid aside for a minute, or distracting them from what the instructor was saying. You pick an appropriate time, or don't do it.

I used to try and be in the same place for lunch just to check for any issues - the instructor was always happy to tell me where they were aiming to be. Even at 6 he pretended not to recognise me

But I’d also picked a small resort knowing I can easily see him from the gondola as they tended to use the same few runs.

You know it makes sense.

It's all good advice here but it's really hard to know how individual kids will react to things, they are all different.

My son started to ski when he was 4. We were in Obergurgl Austria so had 2 hrs morning and 2 hrs afternoon with a lunchtime break and he was fine with that. The ski area and town are high and also quite small so the classes return the kids to their parents for lunch usually, this worked well for us. The first year he had lessons every day, then in subsequent years had lessons most days but one or two days skiing with us, this worked out fine too.

If you are used to skiing with a group of mates and covering lots of distance it's suddenly a very different type of holiday but equally enjoyable just in another way.

I used to see his ski class occasionally but I always kept clear of them as much as possible, I think it would have been distracting for him and the rest of the class if parents start talking to their children while they are in class.

One of his ski instructors used to keep Haribos with them and give them out at the end of a long run, all the kids loved this, he still mentions it now.

Enjoy the experience when they are young, they grow up so quick, my son is 19 now but we still ski together every year and enjoy it, though he's a better skier than me now and expects me to pay for most of the beers in the bars !

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@ousekjarr, I have said my piece, and it is based on experience. Of course instructors will be polite and not tell parents off for dropping in unless it becomes a very big problem. There are always some parents who do this regardless of what they were advised when they booked their kids in, so better to manage that amicably and recognise everyone except the instructor is on holiday. That does not mean that they would not rather you didn't do it.

A quick catch-up at lunch is not so bad, and can actually be helpful sometimes. There is always a risk that a tired kid who is struggling that day might get a bit whiny and want to give it up for the day. But there is time and space to deal with that at lunch, and if worst comes to worst the parents can just take them out for the afternoon. And for lots of kids it gives them a bit of a lift to see their parents briefly. So on balance it is more positive.

A snowHead

@zikomo, Yes, in general an instructor will much prefer if parents aren't present. Kid gets distracted, shows off, wants mommy to help, etc. etc. Seeing them occasionally in the same area and waving is fine, but if the kid is aware that the parents are watching it can make things quite difficult.

OTOH with private lessons the parent may choose to be present and you can work this into the lesson, using them as a demonstrator (of how _not_ to do it) or helper, but that would clearly need to be arranged in advance and may even be booked and charged as a lesson for 2, not just for the child. I taught one 9-y-o beginner German boy last year and dad stuck around, worked out great, especially cos although I speak reasonable German it's not always going to be colloquial enough for informal banter. In the event the kid was vastly amused by my sometimes over-formal, sometimes just wrong, language, so we all had a good laugh about it without really losing any understanding or needing dad to intervene.

A snowHead

I'm with @zikomo on this. You wouldn't drop into their primary school, would you? And maybe the kids whose parents don't zoom up with extra supplies of Haribo might feel a bit left out? I did describe going up the chairlift with grandchild and instructor but that was explicitly arranged with instructor, after Lily had just burst into tears the day before and absolutely refused to go up the chairlift. And it was a private lesson. I think most of my kids and grandkids would tend to feel unsettled after parental drop-ins. And I suspect they'd have been distracted looking out for us, too.

At the base of the same chairlift, years later, a different grandchild, about the same age, vomited in a small group lesson. Fortunately instructor had parental mobiles and though they'd been well out of sight they were pretty close to come and scoop her up. She wasn't ill, but literally sick with apprehension (which she'd not mentioned because she's a very "good" girl who always does what she's told) at the thought of the chairlift.

Kids are all different and it's simply not true when some people say "kids have no fear".

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Drop in, no - but I had to walk past it regularly on dog walks, so if they were in the playground and within 10 feet should I have blanked them? Of course not - some people have no sense of proportion, but if it keeps you happy I promise I will never again drop in on my kids when they are in ski school wink

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+1 to the parent and child private lesson being a positive experience. I love that sort of lesson, except on the rare occassin where it is some rich ****hole and his spoilt kid who really just want a nanny on the slopes!

There can be a lot of fun playing parent off against child, and it adds lots of different options to approaching improvement. And it is often a lot of fun! Plus lots of parents want some guidance on what they can work on with their child when not with an instructor, which is great to see.

I have trained with my daughter (now 16) for a few years now. She did a lot of racing and I'm an instructor, we are at a similar level but have different abilities which makes this really effective especially when working with a coach. And it keeps my motivation high as all I am trying to do is carve as cleanly, smoothly and aggressively as she does especially on steep, firm pistes. It's really great to push each other and our relationship is all the stronger for her seeing me fail at things she excels at and vice versa. My wife and eldest son also often take a private lesson together they are very similar personalities and really enjoy their sessions just the two of them.

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Rule no.1 - never go back! You have to leave them to it. Our ski school
Letter says ‘bug off please’ in polite german.

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@Nadenoodlee, All ski school letters say that! But some parents (more from certain parts of the world than others interestingly) either don’t read it or ignore the ask. And then say it was fine anyway as the instructor didn’t make a fuss. I am lucky that the money side is irrelevant to me, that’s not at all why I am doing it. But interesting that there is a correlation between amount of time and effort spent managing parents and whether they tip or not. A negative correlation.

Anyway I now do just a couple of weeks a year, and ask for (and usually get) adult beginners as that is my favorite. I am also quite often asked to help middle aged women who express lack of confidence, which I also enjoy as they are often good skiers and great students. Mostly, I think, because I am old and seen as patient and unthreatening!

After all it is free

Ski school letter?

Skischule Activ for one year and then Snow & Fun, Hinterglemm, 2010-2015... clearly things may have changed since then

- I'd like to book a place for my kid for the busiest week in February
"Sure, turn up on the Sunday morning from 0830, and we'll sort it out".
- Will you definitely have a place for them? And an instructor who speaks English?
"Yes. All our instructors speak English" (turns out 75% of them were Dutch)
- Anything I need to know?
"Meet at 0915, collect at 1500, and pay €xxx in the office for lessons, kit and a ski pass"

First lesson we were handed a card with the instructor's name and mobile number, and asked to write our child's name and our mobile numbers on their list, which they then photographed and handed to the office admin. If they changed group, we got a new card, or a text message with confirmation of the new instructor's name and number. Lunch stops and morning meetings were occasionally an opportunity for horse trading - "if you take my worst one who's much slower than the rest, I'll take your best who keeps complaining that the others can't keep up"

@ousekjarr, Did you give a nice tip?

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@ousekjarr, yes its a letter/ confirmation from ski school. Presumably had to start doing them because people wouldn’t bug off.

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@zikomo, yes, I believe I did, every time we had our kids in ski school. I know what they earn and where they live for the season.

Then again, if by "nice" you mean more than the cost of a good meal with drinks for them, then no.

But we're seriously off topic here - any tips for the OP other than ostentatiously presenting the instructor with a €500 note in front of all the other parents?

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I put my 4 and 7 year old daughters in morning and afternoon lessons back in 2019. The 7 year old had been on the plastic a few times and was fine, out of beginners magic carpet area off on the mountain by the second day. Wife didn't leave the area of the only just 4 year old throughout. On the second day we had a lot of tears and quite a fuss was made, the instructors insisted on her sitting out the afternoon. I spent it crawling about on my knees grabbing her skis and forcing them from flat chips into a pizza on inside edges. It worked, she was moved up a group immediately in the morning and progressed well. After a bad start she is the one who can't get enough, still skis on plastic twice a week. Echo the gloves advice, definitely two maybe three pairs. I took 3 at new year but could have managed with just 2 but they are 7 and 11 now.

If it is particularly cold then little hotties for the feet on the 4 year old might be a good idea if they feel the cold. We used them on a few days on a couple of trips we did that year. Don't know if that has been mentioned, didn't read all the comments.

You know it makes sense.

Zell is great for kid’s learning to ski but you need a plan to avoid the worst of the first morning chaos.

If you arrive in resort early on transfer day get your kit sorted. If you are arriving after the shop shuts be there as soon as the shop opens. Even if it means then going back to the accommodation to then have breakfast.

You mentioned you have ski lockers sorted you might want to check where your ski school meeting point is as you could still have a bus ride to it.

Once they get up onto the mountain skiing ask them if they saw any dragons and what colour. Make sure you know where the dragon runs are for when they ski with you. We also always report back on skiing animals if you’re out during fasching (shrove Tuesday)which will be very busy it will be lots!

Hotel Walderhof at the bottom of the toboggan run hires toboggans take the bus up with them you should then find a run brings you back in time for the bus again to repeat.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

I haven’t read the whole thread but, if not already suggested, in addition to echoing the need for spare gloves, lip salve, high factor sun cream etc., also have a card (laminated if possible) for their inside pockets giving your contact details, where you’re staying, any vital health info such as allergies. Ours never needed it, thankfully, but you never know. Have a great time, I have very fond memories Very Happy

A snowHead

@ousekjarr, I gave lots of tips. Including not doing what you did.

A snowHead

As others have mentioned, definitely a warm pair of gloves and handwarmers....but...also bear in mind, whilst it can get too cold, it can also get too hot!

So be prepared for both extremes, as they won't like either!

For cold days ensure you have hand warmers and toe warmers (bear in mind they can take a long time to warm up) and lots of layers (layers are good as they can adjust as necessary if they get too hot).

For hot days you shouldn't need the warmers, but layers are essential in case they get too hot (so they can just take off one layer at a time).

Make sure they have socks that are comfortable (i.e. they have tried wearing them in ski boots), you may find you have to buy new ones to ensure you get this right, but its absolutely worth it to avoid tantrums!

Then of course make sure the boots are comfortable, so in short allow a lot of extra time, particularly on the first day!

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One additional point occurs to me. At that age, particularly the younger one, they will often not really be aware of how comfortable, or not, they may be (same for temperature). It's all alien to them, so it will all feel weird, but particularly on things like boot/sock comfort, you will need to be very specific in asking them how things are feeling, can you move your toes, can you move your heel, can you feel your fingers, etc. etc.

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Our, then aged 7, younger son was a faffer. We arrived at the gondola one morning, after much faffing, to hear that his boot was uncomfortable. Investigation found that he had an entire pair of underpants in said boot……it was attached to the Velcro strap at the bottom of his salopettes. They were clean, and his own, but still….

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Wasn't there an adult Snowhead who found that it was an asthma inhaler causing his boot discomfort? Frosty the Snowman?

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I put granddaughter's boots on wrong feet once. Embarassed

Instructor noticed but not till half way through lesson with only 3 kids in the group

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All the talk of keeping warm I certainly understand, but my two really don't like being too hot.

Son particularly, detests being wrapped too much, to the point of distress when younger. The uk school always insisted on wrapping up in winter (I understand this entirely) but he was rarely cold in these instances and quite stroppy about being buttoned up to go outside in winter.

Judging this is important and not leaving any options to protect from cold environment is of course serious. But if out on a secluded nursery slope, magic carpet and physical exercise (a few places when they had formative years ski were like this) can quickly get them far too hot, certainly later in season with good sunshine.

Even now they don't use wet suits for sea swimming leisure time etc with son always shorts (baggy ) for mtb all season.

After all it is free

Wet gloves also the easiest way to penetetrate that feeling of comfort, they'll usually have their gloves in the snow alot.

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Kids' first ski trip. Age 4 and 6. Tips?

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