 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello!
We are just back from a week in Saalbach. I just want to let you know how we found the Furstauer Skischule for kids... 
This post is really to warn other parents and to prevent other kids from having to endure such a miserable experience at the Skischule. We booked our three kids in for five days (5 year old twins and a 6 year old). We watched the youtube videos and had them all psyched to start skischule. They embraced the idea and were happy to give it a go. What followed, killed any passion or pleasure that would ever be likely to emerge!!
Firstly, the day started at 10am and ended at 3:15pm, with an hour’s break for lunch. In hindsight, we felt the day was just too long for young children; my five-year olds go to preschool for only 3 hours a day back home and were not used to such a long day without us. There were 12 children and 2 Instructors. The following day the group was evenly split into two and each group had one Instructor. My self and my husband had booked into the Adults ski Schule which had the exact same start time of 10am. The kids ski-Schule was on a little beginner’s slope in the village and the adults ski-schule was on a similar beginner’s slope, but a gondola ride away, up the mountain. Having the same start time meant we were always late for our own class, which caused problems later in the week when our class had gone off to other slopes and we had problems finding them!
On the first day, we returned at 3:15pm to find one of my sons standing there shivering and crying, he had wet himself and my daughter said he had been crying all day. This really surprised us as we considered our children to be very hardy and ‘outdoorsy’! The Instructor said she had been trying to call us, but it transpired that she had been phoning the number of the person who had made the booking on our behalf (My Mum). We were obviously kicking ourselves that we didn’t check that she had our phone number, they had all the rest of our details, we just assumed they had our phone number too. They could have made sure they had the right number too!
We practised tough love for the next two days and insisted that they go to ski school (what could we do when we had paid for their classes and our classes and there really was nothing else to do in the resort). There were floods of tears every morning. It was absolutely awful. When my husband and I finally learned the basics of ski-ing (by day 3) we promised the kids we would not return to our classes and we would wait and watch if they stay at ski school. That is when we saw the reality of what the class was like and we understood why all the children were crying going to ski school.
The children had to stand still and wait in line until the Instructor tended to everyone; skis had to be fitted, children falling over, gloves falling off, goggles falling down, itchy under helmets, you know what kids are like! By the time the Instructor tended to the last child, the first child had fallen down or come out of their skis and the whole rigmarole started over again (you get the idea). There was an awful lot of standing around, staring into space, waiting, waiting, waiting… with no interaction. Because of all the inaction, children were cold and miserable. A lot of children were crying for their parents and understandably, the Instructors didn’t have the time or manpower to comfort each child. I do not blame the individual instructors who were pleasant and patient (but drained), but there was a serious lack of manpower here. They needed one more Instructor at least, who could work with the kids who were ready. It was so badly organised it was painful to watch. There was absolutely no fun to be had, just a cold miserable five hours that were dreaded and wished away until Mum and Dad returned. . If I had to endure that myself I would have been right there with them in floods of tears.
The toilets were approx 100metres walk away, in a public bus terminal where they went with a same-sex instructor who locked themselves into the cubicle with them while they went to the toilet. I never heard the likes of this and I don’t think it is appropriate 
When the Instructor was away at the toilet with the children, there was one Instructor for 12 children. We found there was nearly always one child who needed the toilet.
When the children learned the basics, they brought them to the orange ski lift slope nearby. There they were placed on the mountain top. More of the same ensued. One instructor rushing around trying to clasp the connectors on each child's skis while other kids were sliding away in all different directions, a sight not for the faint hearted! 
Lunch was in a nearby restaurant, each child required €11.00 for lunch. For us, that was €33 a day (3 kids) and just seemed extortionate to feed three kids. We took them out to lunch ourselves towards the end of the week and we fed them on one large pizza which cost €11.50 and there were leftovers! My husband reckons that they charge that amount so Instructors can get fed also!!?  I don’t know if that is true though 
I heard other resorts offer a much better ski experience for children... I would never put my children in this ski school again, nor would I recommend it for others. I am not a one for writing reviews (good or bad) but I just wanted to save other kids from this experience, as I am riddled with guilt for what I put my kids through.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Skibeginner2018, I am really sorry for your bad experience.
If this hasn’t put you all off for life, please consider Esprit. They have snow rangers with the younger / more beginner groups to help the children out. They do half day lessons, supervised lunches and kids clubs in the afternoon where you can be in all day lessons. They will help out with the kids taking them to their lessonsso you can get to your lessons.
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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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Had my two at ages 9 and 6 in skichule in Soll 2 years ago. Timings were similar possibly even a 9am start with 1.5 hours break, there were more instructors than you describe and kids seemed generally happy. I didn't like the long lunch break as it was too long, did mean I could get them fed and to the loos etc myself though but we were killing time in the middle of the day. We did have a warm sunny week which I daresay helped kids i.e no getting cold issues. Could be if you go again you go later in the season when warmer? My 2 moaned a bit but they did come on quite well in the week, despite missing one day in the middle through tiredness/protest and a little nosebleed. Not my decision but my other half bought it.
Saying that the prospect of having to do classes again has put them off skiing since, going to Alps myself this season without them which isn't what I want but it is what it is.
Will try and sell skiing to them when I get back and maybe look to Easter to get them out this season.
Skiing isn't for everyone. Disappointing when an expensive trip doesn't work out. Were you expectations too high maybe?
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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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| Klammertime wrote: |
| Had my two at ages 9 and 6 in skichule in Soll 2 years ago. Timings were similar possibly even a 9am start with 1.5 hours break, there were more instructors than you describe and kids seemed generally happy. I didn't like the long lunch break as it was too long, did mean I could get them fed and to the loos etc myself though but we were killing time in the middle of the day. We did have a warm sunny week which I daresay helped kids i.e no getting cold issues. Could be if you go again you go later in the season when warmer? |
The cold weather was not solely the issue here; they were dressed appropriately - I felt that they were cold because they were standing for long periods without moving. My husband and I were also cold when we were standing at the railings watching them. We were sweltering when we were in our classes because we were moving around! Even if the sun was shining, you would still be cold if you were standing still for long periods in a snowy environment. You say the kids seemed generally happy at your kids ski-school, this is what I was expecting to see, but there were no smiling children at this ski school...
| Klammertime wrote: |
| My 2 moaned a bit but they did come on quite well in the week, despite missing one day in the middle through tiredness/protest and a little nosebleed. Not my decision but my other half bought it. |
We would have been very happy if ours just "moaned a bit".
| Klammertime wrote: |
| Were you expectations too high maybe? |
No, our expectations were that they would protest and cry for the first day or two but then settle in and be content. The kids skischule was clearly understaffed and it was too much for one person to handle, as a result the children had a miserable time. It was not just our kids, other parents we spoke to felt the same. If the school was more fun, I know my kids would have embraced it.
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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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@Skibeginner2018, sorry that you had a bad experience... it looks like large groups rarely work for small kids ( I have a thread about our ownnot so great experience with ESF on our recent holiday- not sure how to tag it here) ... We have had better experience thoughlast year Evolution 2 in Tignes for my older child ( he was 6 at the time) , and really lovely experience for my 3 yr old in Les Marmattons ski nursery ( they seemed to have 1 instructors for 2-3 kids). But based on personal experience and also on advice I got on here , no group lesson is going to be as good as a private one and given that you have 3 kids, perhaps it would be not so much more expensive for you to hire one instructor for all three than paying 3x for ski school...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Bella2015, thank you, I will look into those areas you mentioned and maybe a private Instructor is the way to go next time! 
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@Skibeginner2018, judging by your response to others posts you haven’t been completely out off which is great to hear.
As such I would also recommend lessons in the Uk before you go again. Where is down to where you live, but my local dry ski slope (Snowtrax) runs a great lesson setup for kids on the weekends. They also do cheaper private lessons during the day if you feel a few private ones will be useful. I have done both with ours are different points to focus on different things.
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Not a great experience for anyone that. However, and please take this constructively, kids smaller than 6/7 have limited physical and mental abilities to learn for long periods. 4/5 yo should be able to do a morning session (3h) and that's enough - physically and mentally. There will be exceptions. As you saw when you have a collection of kids at least one will need the bog at any point. Managing that is painful as an instructor.
There are positive ways to fix this - companies like Esprit and Ski Famille (there will be others) send nannies with the kids to manage the pee/poo breaks and also provides continuity. That's what we use (I'd not teach my kids this small, i'm there Dad so someone else can get them skiing!). They then manage lunch with them and do activities in the afternoon or you can take them - up to you. My small one who is v slight and timid started last year at 4 with SF and had a whale of a week, skiied all morning then did stuff in the afternoon, she wasn't bothered about seeing us !
Definitely try again, if you get the right mix you can have a magic family holiday.
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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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@orange, Thanks...we are not turned off the ski experience at all! I think we were just unlucky. I agree, three hours is more than enough for any kid that age. I have heard Esprit mentioned already so I will look into that... I know the right mix is out there, just gotta really do my research this time. This forum is a great help!
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@Skibeginner2018, sorry to hear that, doesn't sound fun
I used to work peak weeks for Fürstauer (but more than 5 years ago now) and IME it is/was one of the best run ski schools I've come across, with some really great instructors (and actually I think Saalbach is one of the best resorts for beginners too). Maybe these issues are due to temporarily staffing problems or something?
I only ever taught adult groups and the odd private lesson there, but at that time each child had to have €10 to pay for lunch and a drink - obviously the expectation is that each child will have to order their own meal rather than siblings sharing, but I can definitely say it's not to pay for the instructors meal!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| clarky999 wrote: |
@Skibeginner2018
I only ever taught adult groups and the odd private lesson there, but at that time each child had to have €10 to pay for lunch and a drink - obviously the expectation is that each child will have to order their own meal rather than siblings sharing, but I can definitely say it's not to pay for the instructors meal! |
Fair enough!
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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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It's asking a lot for kids of 5 and under to be put into a ski-school class for 5 1/2 hours a day , learning a completely new skill (which at first may not come easily) in a foreign environment. It requires a degree of fortitude/toughness, which some children of tender years will not yet have acquired. However, there are success stories. My step-daughter's little 4 year old, Eva, was enrolled into a Furstauer class here in Saalbach a few weeks ago. It took some encouragement and coaxing, but she soon adapted, and she was extremely proud of the gold medal she won in her ski-school "race". Some friends of ours put their 5 year-old, Betsy, in a Furstauer class, and again she seemed to end up enjoying it, and approaching it quite positively. In both cases the parents seemed generally happy with the level of care and the rate of progress. However, as a result of reading this thread, I shall certainly make more enquiries.
(The instructors seem to have a nightmare job, by the way )
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Interesting perspectives here.
I agree with several other posters, that 3hrs is enough for younger kids although there will be exceptions. I have 4 children, all of whom started skiing at about 3 and 1/2 years old. They started with 90 mins in the snow garden in Sass Fee - most of the instructors are middle aged mothers (I know a few of them!) and it works very well. They all moved on to classes at about 5, but only mornings. We managed ourselves around them not the other way round, I think it is both unrealistic and counter-productive for parents of kids that age to try and ski themselves all day. Spending time messing around with the kids in the afternoon really helps them progress and develop a love of the mountains, childcare or extra ski school is less likely to achieve this. My youngest is now 7 and can (and does!) ski all day, and absolutely loves it, I think largely because of the attention he got from us when younger.
I would say a progression from 90 mins or so of instruction followed by a break - then more messing about, with parents, combining more skiing, sledging, walking etc from age 3 or so. Then 3 hrs a day once aged 5 (be prepared for them to not want to ski in the afternoon). More athletic 7 year olds will enjoy a full day but some will struggle. By the time they are 8/9 all day skiing is the norm. All of this is dependent on how well they progress, it takes on average 3-4 weeks on snow to be competent enough that the physical effort required reduces and you can ski for longer.
It is vital that you don't have unrealistic expectations, and recognise that kids progress at different rates. Mine have seemed to not progress at all one year, then make massive leaps the next. I have seen many parents complaining and getting upset with ski schools when they don't see progression, when in fact it is simply the case that the child does not want to/is not able/etc. Be patient is my advice. To put that in perspective, we ski with highly qualified private instructors (same ones every year for the last 8 years) so they kids have mostly had an hour of private before classes in the morning followed by private in the afternoons. One year my eldest actually seemed to go backwards even with all that support, but he enjoyed himself and the following year it "clicked" and he started to carve very naturally (and is now constantly nipping my heels!).
Another piece of advice is to consider being more "Italian" and taking nana with you! We managed to do this for a few years when the kids were small, it is much cheaper and more pleasant than professional childcare and my mother loved the high mountain experience (she does not ski).
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You know it makes sense.
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@zikomo, we tried that but Nanna and Grandad didn’t want to give up much of their ski time for childcare.
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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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@zikomo, we found with our 7 yr old that if we gave him an option not ski in the afternoon, he wouldn’t and also possibly moan next morning... but if he takes it that it is a given that he skied every day all day , he will happily do it. He did full day ski school from 5 yrs old, but I think when he was 5 it was too much for him as he was super tired in the evening but he didn’t want to be picked up early from ski school as he wanted to stay with his firiends (very social). However my younger child (just 4 now) no way could ski more than 2 hours a day ... Will se how he goes next year..So all kids are different.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Bella2015, Could not agree more, all kids are different! They learn in different ways, at different paces, and also just generally mature at different rates. Some younger kids enjoy a full day, others can't manage it. My only other point, however, would be to be cautious expecting too much of young kids and pushing them too hard. Shorter ski school sessions allow the option to extend their skiing day if they are up to it without being locked into a full day if they are not. And frankly I see unrealistic expectations too often from parents, who forget the holiday is supposed to be fun for everyone, and the goal is to get kids to love the mountain not dread it!
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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, 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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I agree , kids differ but the fact that the toilets are 100 metres away from the kinder slopes is just crazy , the place is surrounded by hotels and the Furstauer offices are nearby why do they have to travel so far ? 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Is 100 meters really that far from a ski piste? It's only 9.58 seconds away!
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FAQ
