 Poster: A snowHead
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Really just echoing what's been said already, but a lesson or two in the UK beforehand can help wonders - even if it's just for getting kids familiar with how the boots feel and moving around on skis so that's one less new thing for them to deal with in resort.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| biddpyat wrote: |
| Make it fun, and you will be rewarded with teen skiers who will ski anything with you. |
Only if you can keep up with them...
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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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Thanks all for the great advice, some of which I had considered but needed reassurance, some new and v helpful (hadn’t thought about toilet issues!)
Snow dome certainly on agenda (Hemel our nearest albeit 2 hours away) having looked at their website it says group lessons start at 4 years and our son won’t be 4 until Feb and don’t want to leave his first encounter until a few weeks before we go, so hoping they will flex on that, or otherwise will have to go with a private instructor who I assume can take whatever age they wish.
@sweaman22, thanks for the videos of your kids, I have shown my boy and he said he wants to try it, so that’s a start
@tatman, it’s fair to say Saalbach is pretty much nailed on, particularly as my annual Saalbach January week has been scuppered as friends want to go to Mayrhofen. Have to secretly admit quite looking forward to that now as never been before and after double figure of straight visits to Saalbach it will be nice to experience somewhere else and compare. I will PM you on availability options from yourself and any of your connections, to compare v hotels, as know how expensive those with pools are centrally.
Thanks again everyone, snowheads never disappoint
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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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| Arctic Roll wrote: |
| biddpyat wrote: |
| Make it fun, and you will be rewarded with teen skiers who will ski anything with you. |
Only if you can keep up with them... |
so far so good,  . Not so good when they challange us to follow them though, they like to do hairy stuff that I am not so good at, like jumping stuff. I still have a yuk factor with that going over edges thing.
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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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| ribblevalleyblue wrote: |
| Snow dome certainly on agenda ....... |
Going to the Snowdome you'll have to start in the 'Kinder' lessons on the auxilary slope ..... it's your only option due to age and experience.
TBH honest I found it almost a complete waste of time and money, for the return ....... little 'un did four and maybe managed two slides per lesson, the amount spent would have covered four hours private tuition in resort.
Overcrowded and disorganised ..... felt sorry for the lone girl 'instructor' who took the last couple and, although they discourage grown ups going out onto the 'snow', when they're mostly lying around like downed skittles, you've little choice.
This was last Nov / Dec gone pre-trip, and doing the whole thing again I'd have just gone out on the holiday, let her have a couple of days in the (week long) group lessons and on day three and five have a couple of hours private tuition as well.
Now she's in 'proper' lessons there it's a different story, and worth it, but the real learning was done in Italy.
Hopefully the foregoing has improved, so obviously let people know if your experience is better ..... and if you do go ahead book the 'snow time' fun play consecutively, breaks it up a little .......
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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As above really, started my youngest at four.. she was a bit too young for ski school, but we had a private lesson with her + her sister. Now my youngest is fearless (more so than her sister - 2 years older), she's just turned 8 now and is confident on blues and reds - and has done a couple of "easier" blacks in part. They now go in ski school when we go, and which gives us some freedom in the mornings - then we ski as a family in the afternoons & when they're tired my wife typically goes back to the accommodation with them, which gives me a good couple of hours to have a bit of fun skiing runs that they'd not really be up for.
The one thing I kind of regret though, is not going to cheaper resorts when they were younger... I think we could have saved a few bob by going to smaller resorts. However, it was snow-sure & we love Tignes/VD so I suppose its horses for courses etc 
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All 3 of mine started at 2 years of age, although that was obviously only on a limited basis and was more about just getting them out there and enjoying themselves. By 4 years of age they could all ski down greens and simpler blues without a problem, so it's definitely a good age to start.
My eldest now has to wait for me, which, given that she was 13 last season and I've been skiing and boarding for 30 years, is a bit depressing 
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| ribblevalleyblue wrote: |
Hi Snowheads,
Looking for advice on taking a youngster skiing.
I am a keen to take my son next March when he will be 4 and take advantage of the last time before school holidays dictate timings.
My wife is a nervous skier so she is quite happy to have minimal slope time.
Certainly we will need a hotel with pool to occupy some of their time and other activities, but what can any of you advise of what a 4 year old can handle regards putting some planks on and trying the skiing.
Are we just wasting money as he is too young?
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from friends with late spring into summer kids, if you have the annual leave and they like it you would also get next season at a cheap price, they legally are obliged to be in full attendance the term after their 5th birthday, it will probably be frowned on by the school, and if you have a good head encouraged as they learn more in that week than they do a school at that age,
ours is end of Nov birthday, so we would get away with next season pre jan term if this years is a hit.
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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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My daughter came with us age 4, her birthday being April 1st so nearly 5.
She was upset at being in ski school and using the chairlift (one of the lifties dropped her) but loved playing in the snow and being in the mountains.
She’d had a few private lessons at Castleford before hand and then a term in the ski academy when we came home. Sadly for us we didn’t keep it up and a new baby and losing my mum to cancer meant we didn’t go skiing for the next 2 winters , we’ve pretty much had to start from scratch again, so my advice is to keep at it once you start!
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My daughter was 2yrs 8 months old when she was enrolled at ESF Samoens and my son was 2yrs 3 months old when I took him down his first green in Samoens. My daughter is now 9 and she has her ESF Competition Level, moving on to Freeskiing, while my son who is 6 will be doing his 2 stars...
So I would say you are late 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I’m going to go slightly against the grain. Nothing wrong with starting early, but we found the rate of progress was dramatically slower in the early years. My youngest (now 9) skis exactly the same as her brother (now 12) when he was 9 but she started at 3 and he started at 5.
They reached age-based parity at age six (passing their ESF gold) yet my daughter had 12 weeks tuition by then, and my son had 6. Subsequent to that they have both progressed nearly identically (based on skiopen race points), so there’s not a “natural ability” difference. The early tuition made effectively no difference - we still had a lot of fun bumbling around the mountain with my daughter when she was 4 and 5, but her progress was relatively slow.
Both our (very experienced) ski instructors said the same - rate of progress increases massively at somewhere around 5. A weeks progress at 4 is a day at 5.
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