 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm visiting Andorra next Feb (Half term) and possible going with just my kids (6, 7).
Will I be allowed to supervise both of them on the chair lifts?
Many Thanks,
DK
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Not quite sure what the question is here DK? Unless I'm being a bit thick, which is likely tbf.
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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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Aside from my own lot where I did so, I have often been asked by various French ski schools (who just happened to be going up the same lift at the same time), to supervise 2 kids from their class and see they got off OK. This may of course be a French thing. 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Depends on the lift, operator and the kids!
Some chair lifts designate the outside chairs for kids (these lifts have an extra piece on the bar to make it more difficult for them to slip out) it's up to the oporator enforce this or not and recall a particularly zealous operator on a lift in Avoriaz who would stop the lift and move people round if they were in the wrong place. I also remember a new chair in Alpbach being advertised as every seat being child friendly but I'm not sure what was different about it!
My kids are a similar age and have taken them on lifts on my own, when they were younger or if I was worried now I'd leave my poles somewhere so I had 2 hands free.
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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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Great, Thanks.
I've supervised plenty of kids for instructors in France and Italy but only 1 at a time. I remember then had magnets to lock kids into the lifts in Meribel and Courch but only one 1 chair per row, I don't expect this in Andorra.
@duncansarmy, Kids can't ride the lifts on there own, I want to know if you needed 1:1 ratio to supervise them.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Not only France, I've been asked to "supervise" small children on lifts in Italy. 
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Fri 7-10-16 20:39; edited 1 time in total
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i have supervised 2 littlies on my own...I now say no
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I've seen youngish children been made to wait until there is another user, or been asked myself to ride a 4 or 6 seat chair with half of a ski school class. Also if windy, no one being allow to ride a chair by themselves. Not sure how this worked as a large person could easily out weigh 2-3 smaller individuals.
The level of supervision required really depends on the quality (age?) of the lifts and how well the entrance and exit have been maintained. There is a world of difference between a modern detachable chair which deposits the user on a gentle down slope with a subtle nudge on the back of knees, and an ice covered uphill exit and a chair which smacks the inside user across the back of the head if any of the others are the slightest bit slow in clearing the exit.
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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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The level of supervision required really depends on the quality (age?) of the lifts and how well the entrance and exit have been maintained.
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It depends rather more crucially whether the kids can ski. If they can't, they absolutely require one to one with a competent skiing adult who can get them off and keep them upright.
If your kids can't ski, I'd let them learn to ride lifts with ski school, in the first instance.
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@dklemm, hello- Andorra is a very sensible place to take kids as prices are not bonkers and the food very tasty. Also they have now implemented an indoor smoking ban. Where in Andorra are you going? They do have some lifts with exactly the same magnetic safety device you saw in Courcheval (In Arcalis- which is possibly one of the best European freeride destinations- really).
As with all replies almost- what Pam says.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I visited Andorra in the summer on an MTB safari, it the first resort I've been to where I think I will be comfortable skiing with my kids.
I'm a very competent skier and kids will have complete their beginner and improvers courses and had some fridge practice at the ChillFactorE before Feb.
The plan is to stay at Anyos Park (in-between La Massana and En Camp), I will be hiring a car/using busses so we can visit Vallnord and Grandvalira. I don't won't the rigidity of a ski school so if anything I will get private tuition.
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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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@dklemm, if you have a car- fantastic- go to Arcalis- a large base area with kids ski garden, restaurant and 4 fast long chairs and some great snow.
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If the kids have never been on a chairlift I'd rope in a second adult and take one child each. And if you do decide to take them both yourself, make sure nobody (including yourself) has any poles.
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You know it makes sense.
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Lots of Poma surface lifts too. The kids should be fine over the age of about 5. Watch out for cold on the chairlifts though.
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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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@dklemm, I've been to Soldeu a few times, excellent ski school, and they will ensure that there is at least one adult on the lifts with any young kids. Your kids may enjoy and more importantly at the moment, benefit from being in ski school for the week, either the am or pm sessions, giving you a bit of time to ski with them also, they will also probably want to play in the snow rather than ski all the time at that age. Most of the instructors are from English speaking countries, UK , Austrialia, Canada etc so there shouldn't be a language problem which you can get in other countries. The ski school is based at the top of the first gonola in a big bowl, there's a magic carpet for early learners and then chairs to the rest of the resort, with the same in El Tartar but no carpet there.
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Poster: A snowHead
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don't won't the rigidity of a ski school so if anything I will get private tuition.
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This depends on the personality of your kids and their relationship with you, I was hoping to take my 8 yr old to Soldeu this coming half term and I would not consider NOT putting her in the ski school, she loves it so much, mainly because of the other kids in the group lessons (almost all English, including the instructor), my older girl is not so sociable and didn't like ski school much, especially in Switzerland where she was the only English kid.
When my youngest was just 5, she was skiing to the bottom of the mountain in Soldeu and her ski school group was getting the chair back up.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I’m not avoiding Ski school becuase of the lifts, just don't want the tie of having to be in certain place every day for 5/6days . The holiday will be the kids first experience of the mountains in winter so I want to spend it together as a family. They have nearly finished there level 6 of 6 at Chill Factor and we’ll be practicing many more times before next Feb. We’ll be visiting Grandvalira and Vallnord as well as spending plenty of time in Caldea Thermal Spa. Many thanks for everyones suggestions.
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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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You don't have to book the kids in for a whole week of ski school. How about booking them in for one day, the first one, give them a chance to get used to being back on skis and hopefully use a chair lift under supervision of an instuctor. Gives you the opportunity to spend the day getting your own ski legs back as well as scoping out the resort to get an idea as to which chairs/lifts/pistes you want to take the kids on. Also ask the instructor which ones they suggest too.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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If you signal to the lift operator they usually slow it down a touch. On some lifts kids have to do a little jump to get on the seat, but your kids are at the age when they can do it. I've been on lifts with a huge gap between their legs and the bar, and of course the children are twisting and looking around everywhere instead of sitting still, which made me nervous. A ski instructor showed us that for smaller kids he puts his ski pole across the lap of the child and it hooked to a bit of the bar. Just need to remember to get your pole all untangled well before lifting the bar up!
Last year when my son and his friend were 7 years old, we let then go together on an old 2 seater at a very small resort, which they loved (it goes really slow and isn't that high).
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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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Just need to remember to get your pole all untangled well before lifting the bar up!
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Taking two kids on a chair lift for the first time, I'd leave everybody's poles behind!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I agree with Pam, poles, kids, and ski lifts can be a nightmare. Espically in a resort with a lot of novice skiers or boarders, as the novice ones tend to drop things, turn too early and cause a pile up, or fix their gloves right in the slip off of lifts. So two kiddies not used of getting off lifts running into that while their poles are like crossbones, would create mayhem for you.
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I often have a little ski-school child beside me on a chairlift. Have never had a problem, but I sympathise with people who hesitate to do it. I take careful note of what class they're in - the ones in the more advanced classes, even if tiny, can get off chairs more adroitly than plenty of adults. If it's a little beginner I do try to offload my poles to somebody, if I'm not skiing alone, as sometimes having two hands free helps to hold them steady down the off ramp.
I try to be kind and reassuring but it's always a dilemma whether to talk to them - my French isn't terrific. One little girl asked me straight out why I talked funny.  Out of the mouths of babes.......
On the other hand I had an unexpected conversation about Mauritian cuisine with a super-composed 10 year old who opened the conversation by asking whether it was my first time skiing in the area.
One little poppet, told by my OH that I was a snowboarder too (stretching a point.....) and that I was 62 was shocked. "My granny's that age" she told him "And she's dead!"
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FAQ
Most places no-one cares: until you get glared at for running into the little darlings afterwards. 
