 Poster: A snowHead
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4 hours will be pretty full on for them, 2 is usually plenty because there's an hour or so of faffing either side of the lesson assuming you need to get there and back. They want to do something else for half the day.
If you have time to get down to your nearest dry ski slope before you go, it's worth doing just for the dress up stage. Half the battle is getting them used to wobbling around in ski boots, in all the clobber getting hot and bothered. If they've done that a couple of times before it'll make your life easier when you get there.
Also worth putting a snack in their pocket before you send them off. And don't forget the 'just in case' trip to the loo beforehand.
I always write my number on top of my daughter's helmet.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, thanks all for the tips. Used a few of them. Ski school in morning and afternoon worked fine except for the day we left them stay with the class for lunch also. Not a good result.
Seriously lucky with the timing of the trip, weather-wise. Huge snow before we arrived in Zell (avalanche warnings and off-piste ban in place for first two days). First two days were a mixture of good bright mild (-5C in the town and low slopes) weather with some flurries on top. Only needed goggles for a couple of runs those days, after that it was sunnies all the way. Wall to wall sunshine and superb conditions as the pistes bedded in with all that snow. The blacks were really reds for those days, then as the temperatures moved down to -16C or so midweek they started to get nice and scrapey to soften a few coughs!
All in all, between the sun, the visibility, and the snow cover it was beautiful stuff for our little beginners. At the end of the trip the 4yo was coming with us down the blues and I took the 6yo down a red with zero issues. Two absolute little stars.
So thanks again. Our little Dragons had a ball, and between the grown-ups we covered serious ground between Zell and Kaprun. Didn't get to Saalbach (although piste 21 is one of the nicest things I've done in an age), but sure that's an excuse to come back.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Fantastic update to read. It sounds like the perfect first ski holiday for them.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Love it.
Now talk to them enthusiastically about the good memories and fun times, for a couple of weeks.
Then they will be fully brainwashed for agreeing to go next year 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@dingbat, surely time to book a cheeky Easter trip... 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@shap My wonderful lady wife is going skiing again in three weeks. With the girls.
Funnily enough the brownie point exchange rate doesn't cover a trip with the lads 
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I would take them around a bit yourself just gliding around if they have never been before. Get them used to it before their lesson etc.
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| dingbat wrote: |
| we're in Zell am See. I'm not actually sure of the school itself (booked ultimately via travel agent). There are only a couple of options though and I was talking with both. |
Our kids took lessons at Zell am see with “ski school Zell am see” and had a great experience. Both were above the very beginner stages but drop off and pickup were right outside a good restaurant so we would grab a table and then one would pop out to get the kids. To my memory the very beginning slopes were in The Valley.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Really useful tips on this thread. Currently in Morzine with our 7yr old first timer. Took to it like a duck to water thankfully and is loving it. However, for me, the half term crowds were a new experience!
One thing to consider is the timing of the lesson. Purely due to my late booking, we need up with the 1pm-3pm slot. (Supreme ski, seem v good so far).
This actually worked out really well to avoid the worst of the lift queues. Rather than the stress of early start and 20 min queue for the first gondola up, we are having a lazy start, hearty hotel breakfast then up for an hour skiing all together before the lesson and another hour or more after.
We have time in the morning to grab a light lunch from the bakery to take up with us, avoiding the queues at those two restaurants in the beginner area.
The other bonus is that while she is in the lesson our precious 2 hours of proper ski time is over lunch so the pistes and lifts are quieter.
Normally we love a long lunch and wine at a mountain restaurant, but happy to make this compromise this week.
So, no need to stress if all the 9am lessons are booked up. Worked well for us in the end.
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That sounds ideal, @frosty75. Over lunchtime is the best time to ski in France on busy holiday times.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Just reviving this thread.
Just looking at Obergurgl ski school and they only offer full day group courses for the kids (6 and  . 4 hours. 1000-1200 then 1330-1530. My wife is more keen to ski with the kids every afternoon whereas I look upon this (their 3rd trip) as the time to teach them to ski. Anyone had any experience taking them out of ski school after lunch in Obergurgl? Or the kids lessons in Obergurgl in general?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Also all ears, we booked Serfaus a long time ago & at the time thought our then 3 year old might be a little more able to cope without us by this point! Now not sure whether to pretend he’s still 3 and has never skied (although he will of done 4 weeks of lessons by then) just so we can put him in for half days… although this then means we get even less ski time than going to France as it will just be 2hrs. Or we just suck it up make the most of the 1hr lunch with him & hope he gets over it or put him in for 5 days instead of 6 so that his holiday isn’t completely ruined by missing us and we can make it up to him on the last day. Either way I somewhat regret the resort decision in hindsight (well I mean the resort looks great but I already know now it wasn’t the right pick for my child at this age).
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@Rh2205,
Surely you can just not take him back after lunch? We've skied in Austria several times and always found the Austrian schools to be flexible. We'd paid up front for 6 days of full day lessons, but the schools were quite happy on the two separate occasions that our youngest missed a morning session due to tiredness. He just met them after lunch instead. We saw lots of parents collecting their children at lunchtime and opting to keep them off in the afternoon, whether it was to ski together, or just go off and do something else. We found that the price was the same for 4, 5 or 6 days of lessons, so didn't worry too much about occasional half days.
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You know it makes sense.
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When my two were that age, I ignored the walking in the apartment corridor's with no ski boots sign. Getting them ready in the apartment was the best thing I did.
I wasn’t in full ski wear getting stupidly hot and bothered, could take my time getting them sorted, didn’t have to squeeze in a tiny space with a million other people trying to adjust their boots, getting them dress as well as me was so much nicer in the morning. Always start earlier than you think.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Would second the contact card. I made a lanyard / purse for my two with our contact details, the ski school, accommodation and a uk emergency contact with medical info.
They are normally shattered by late afternoon - I soon realised that chilling for an hour with the iPad was exactly what was needed. Tv is rubbish so would recommend downloading lots of things onto a tablet just in case there is no WiFi or the WiFi is rubbish for streaming.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Owlette wrote: |
@Rh2205,
Surely you can just not take him back after lunch? We've skied in Austria several times and always found the Austrian schools to be flexible. We'd paid up front for 6 days of full day lessons, but the schools were quite happy on the two separate occasions that our youngest missed a morning session due to tiredness. He just met them after lunch instead. We saw lots of parents collecting their children at lunchtime and opting to keep them off in the afternoon, whether it was to ski together, or just go off and do something else. We found that the price was the same for 4, 5 or 6 days of lessons, so didn't worry too much about occasional half days. |
We can do this, but we booked Austria as we thought we’d get more adult skiing than France, but it’s the realisation that he will kick up a big fuss after lunch & on that basis we will get even less adult time! You are right though, there probably isn’t a big difference to consider less days. Anyway it’s certainly useful for the poster to know this may not work out how they intend & we already know it and aren’t even there yet.. if there’s already reservations from other parents before booking it’s probably a sign to look elsewhere..
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Instruct them on pain of death NEVER to open the pocket th&eir ski pass is in.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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My children would look upon any such instruction as a way to challenge my authority and then dare each other to open in....
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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With mine it was instruction on pain of not skiing for the rest of the week. Which is exactly where they’d be if they lost it. Seemed to work.
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