My eldest two started at 3 and 4 respectively and learned at the Sno Academy in MK. My daughter took to it right away, but my son hated it at first. However I could live with that, as straightening out a bratty kid in the changing area at MK was a lot less of a hassle than doing so half way up a mountain. After a few weeks of tantrums he accepted his fate and shortly after that he started to absolutely love it. Had that same thing occurred on a real ski trip that I'd paid thousands of pounds for however, there might have been no way back, as I would have been a lot less amenable.
A year or so later they were able to enjoy skiing on the mountain, and I enjoyed it too, rather than it being a chore. They've never looked back and - hopefully - now have a sport that they can enjoy for life. For reasons related to divorce and bereavement my youngest has never skied and he's now 7. I feel that I've cheated him somewhat (a lot actually!) and he's noticed that he is missing out.
I no longer live within a reasonable distance of the dome, so I need to consider some other way to get him up to speed. I'd previously poo-pooed the idea of children learning on the mountain for a couple of reasons: 1. In case they hated it from day one and the trip was wasted, along with me (selfishly) not being able to ski because I had to look after a grumpy kid, and 2. Watching lines of kids snaking down the mountain ESF style, more than once I've seen little kids struggling and crying with no one really paying any attention to them whatsoever, which as a parent didn't look very appealing.
So is there a third way? I'm not rich enough to afford a week of full-time private lessons, so maybe someone here has come across something that's a reasonable compromise? A ski school that doesn't use the ESF method? Or even one that does, but that is actually attentive in the event of problems. Maybe you have an instructor or school that you had a particularly good experience using for your own kids. I'm open-minded so fire away.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Is there a dry slope you can get to? Not ideal, but it's how I started, and a bit of fun !
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?
@greengriff, this won't be helpful but you want to get him on the path asap!
Regarding #1 - park your own enjoyment and aspirations for a while, in time you will have an excellent skiing companion. Also in terms of a grumpy kid - make sure they are warm, fed and watered - keep some chocolate in your/their pockets. Use the snowparks and side jumps, kids also like slush IME. It's a balancing act between pushing it and keeping it fun. You will lose your $h!t occasionally. It's just normal.
Regarding #2- there are plenty of alternative's to ESF that are generally better and some exceptions to the general ESF fare. I can't give any recs as we taught ours but others will have. Whether you call that a third way or not is I guess moot.
Regarding #1 - park your own enjoyment and aspirations for a while, in time you will have an excellent skiing companion.
Excellent advice of course. I just find it difficult when I look forward to skiing all year, and only get between 1 and 3 weeks a year on snow, to not be selfish!
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@greengriff, as an alternative to an expensive week long holiday in the Alps one alternative might be to just have a couple of days holiday in Scotland, the Lecht is particularly good for beginners as they have moving carpet travelators in the nursery area and the nursery area always has snow as they have invested heavily (with some crowd funding assistance also) in snow making machines. https://www.lecht.co.uk/
A few days should be enough to see if he takes to it.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Alastair Pink wrote:
@greengriff, as an alternative to an expensive week long holiday in the Alps one alternative might be to just have a couple of days holiday in Scotland, the Lecht is particularly good for beginners as they have moving carpet travelators in the nursery area and the nursery area always has snow as they have invested heavily (with some crowd funding assistance also) in snow making machines. https://www.lecht.co.uk/
A few days should be enough to see if he takes to it.
That's an interesting idea. Are they ok with untutored kids being taken onto the slope?
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.
7 is a good age to learn is situ, and if the youngest is a relatively social type then he's likely to join into any group lesson. Spend the afternoons working 1-to-1 with him yourself for a couple of hours and after a weeks trip he'll probably be able to hold his own
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
@greengriff, i appreciate you say you do not live close enough to a dome to get easy access, but i wouldnt rule out taking the kids to one for a school holiday ski camp type thing, and use it as a mini break with your kids
Hemel do these and both my daughters learnt using these in 2015, and fortunately lucked out each time and were basically private lessons, as there were hardly any other participants.
my youngest daughter has recently been on a snowboard holiday camp, and again was lucky enough to have only a couple of others with her, and after an additional private lesson at HH, she is now slope ready and is mad on boarding, though thankfully, she is still keen about skiing as well.
I am in a similar position to you and recently divorced, and my holiday plans with my daughters revolve around skiing/boarding, where my ex will take the girls for summer holidays.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
We certainly made extensive of use of moving carpets in resorts when the kids were very young and just starting out. Usually the accompanying slope will be quite shallow and ideal for lots a beginner to just do lot's of repeat short runs without having to worry about using a drag lift.
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.
Richard_Sideways wrote:
7 is a good age to learn is situ, and if the youngest is a relatively social type then he's likely to join into any group lesson. Spend the afternoons working 1-to-1 with him yourself for a couple of hours and after a weeks trip he'll probably be able to hold his own
Yeah he is pretty sociable. Only a couple of things put me off the group thing: the aforementioned lack of interest in struggling kids from instructors that I've seen on more than one occasion, and - more minor - perhaps also if he's the only English kid in a group then interaction with others might be non-existent. I'm far from a helicopter parent, and far from being all about 'little Tarquin', but a lot hinges for me on my kids enjoying skiing: my parents did bug all with me as a kid, so I want us to have a 'family hobby' that keeps even miserable teenagers coming back for more, and I want my kids to have all of the social, travel and health and fitness opportunities that being a skier brings. Basically I don't want to f*ck it up!
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
terrygasson wrote:
@greengriff, i appreciate you say you do not live close enough to a dome to get easy access, but i wouldnt rule out taking the kids to one for a school holiday ski camp type thing, and use it as a mini break with your kids
I'd actually looked at that. My eldest 2 did one a few years back at MK and it was about £80 each for the day IIRC. This year it was £300 per kid (for a day!) and with 3 kids and 2 step kids a day would cost me £1500, so I thought dangly bits to that!
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
greengriff wrote:
However I could live with that, as straightening out a bratty kid in the changing area at MK was a lot less of a hassle than doing so half way up a mountain. After a few weeks of tantrums he accepted his fate and shortly after that he started to absolutely love it. Had that same thing occurred on a real ski trip that I'd paid thousands of pounds for however, there might have been no way back, as I would have been a lot less amenable.
We started with the same thought pattern and then changed our minds completely. We took our kids (who were 6 and 10 at the time) to Hemel for their first lesson, with the same view point - we wanted to give them a head start before hitting the mountains. It was a bit of a disaster. 10 kids, one instructor. The kids took an age to side step themselves 5 yards up the nursery slope - every few minutes one would fall and invariably fall into another and they would all go down like domino's. I think they got 3 five yard slides in the hour lesson and they were tears and lots of looks over to mummy and daddy. At that point we realised 2 things:
1) We were part of the problem. Our kids will happily have a wobbly and say they won't do something to us, but are less inclined to do it with their school teacher. We were always too close by at Hemel. So we needed to remove ourselves from the situation and get them into a learning mindset. So we got them in the mind set of ski school is like school (but a lot more fun) - but just like they have to do school, they have to do ski school. And they were fine with that perspective. So we ditched the dome route, and decided the next time they would ski would be on holiday, in ski school. Our youngest had a bit of wobble after day 1 of lessons - but was fine with going back on day 2, and by the end of day 2 lessons was absolutely sold, he loved it. For us, having 3-4 hour group lessons in resort is the fastest way to get through that initial hump of 'I'm not sure if I like this'. By day 2 we were sorted - where as I feel like if we had try to do it over a series of weeks in a snow dome, then we risked losing them (and potentially making them hate the thought of skiing, and once they get that thought in their heads...). Plus mountains are more fun that a dome...
2) which is point 2. Domes are a pretty sterile environment. But the excitement about holidays, snow and mountains will easily see them through any wobbles about skiing. Before they had even collected their skis, we had already had a horse and cart ride through the snow, sledging and a snow ball fight. They were loving the mountains. It gave them an added incentive to keep going with the skiing, as they already loved their winter snow holiday adventure.
Obviously every child and family is different and you have to find your own route. But personally learning at a dome worked for us adults, as it was our choice to go on skiing holiday and to learn to ski so we were determined to get though the initial humps. But our kids had never really said they wanted to go skiing, and taking them to a dome just gave them more of opportunity not to like it (and then vocally say before the holiday that they didn't want to go, which would give us a problem). We were convinced that once there, in the mountain environment, that they would love it - and they did!
PS.. just to add, getting the right ski school is key. Small groups, good reputation, focus on fun. Also going at Easter also helped - snow in the sun!
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
greengriff wrote:
Alastair Pink wrote:
@greengriff, as an alternative to an expensive week long holiday in the Alps one alternative might be to just have a couple of days holiday in Scotland, the Lecht is particularly good for beginners as they have moving carpet travelators in the nursery area and the nursery area always has snow as they have invested heavily (with some crowd funding assistance also) in snow making machines. https://www.lecht.co.uk/
A few days should be enough to see if he takes to it.
That's an interesting idea. Are they ok with untutored kids being taken onto the slope?
Presumably you'd want to be starting him off in the nursery skiing area with the moving carpet travelators which has a gentle slope. I think it's OK for anyone to use it, not just their ski school (although it might be a good idea to use a qualified instructor) but you could check with the Lecht (their phone number and email address are given on their website).
You can see the Lecht webcams here. The Panoramic camera 1 shows the base area next to the main building. In front of the building is the one chairlift and to the left of that is the nursery area with the moving carpets and snow cannon. There are more drag lifts and pistes on the other side of the road which you can see on Panorama camera 2. Obviously all green at the moment
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Handy Turnip wrote:
greengriff wrote:
However I could live with that, as straightening out a bratty kid in the changing area at MK was a lot less of a hassle than doing so half way up a mountain. After a few weeks of tantrums he accepted his fate and shortly after that he started to absolutely love it. Had that same thing occurred on a real ski trip that I'd paid thousands of pounds for however, there might have been no way back, as I would have been a lot less amenable.
We started with the same thought pattern and then changed our minds completely. We took our kids (who were 6 and 10 at the time) to Hemel for their first lesson, with the same view point - we wanted to give them a head start before hitting the mountains. It was a bit of a disaster. 10 kids, one instructor. The kids took an age to side step themselves 5 yards up the nursery slope - every few minutes one would fall and invariably fall into another and they would all go down like domino's. I think they got 3 five yard slides in the hour lesson and they were tears and lots of looks over to mummy and daddy. At that point we realised 2 things:
1) We were part of the problem. Our kids will happily have a wobbly and say they won't do something to us, but are less inclined to do it with their school teacher. We were always too close by at Hemel. So we needed to remove ourselves from the situation and get them into a learning mindset. So we got them in the mind set of ski school is like school (but a lot more fun) - but just like they have to do school, they have to do ski school. And they were fine with that perspective. So we ditched the dome route, and decided the next time they would ski would be on holiday, in ski school. Our youngest had a bit of wobble after day 1 of lessons - but was fine with going back on day 2, and by the end of day 2 lessons was absolutely sold, he loved it. For us, having 3-4 hour group lessons in resort is the fastest way to get through that initial hump of 'I'm not sure if I like this'. By day 2 we were sorted - where as I feel like if we had try to do it over a series of weeks in a snow dome, then we risked losing them (and potentially making them hate the thought of skiing, and once they get that thought in their heads...). Plus mountains are more fun that a dome...
2) which is point 2. Domes are a pretty sterile environment. But the excitement about holidays, snow and mountains will easily see them through any wobbles about skiing. Before they had even collected their skis, we had already had a horse and cart ride through the snow, sledging and a snow ball fight. They were loving the mountains. It gave them an added incentive to keep going with the skiing, as they already loved their winter snow holiday adventure.
Obviously every child and family is different and you have to find your own route. But personally learning at a dome worked for us adults, as it was our choice to go on skiing holiday and to learn to ski so we were determined to get though the initial humps. But our kids had never really said they wanted to go skiing, and taking them to a dome just gave them more of opportunity not to like it (and then vocally say before the holiday that they didn't want to go, which would give us a problem). We were convinced that once there, in the mountain environment, that they would love it - and they did!
PS.. just to add, getting the right ski school is key. Small groups, good reputation, focus on fun. Also going at Easter also helped - snow in the sun!
Great post, thanks!
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Alastair Pink wrote:
greengriff wrote:
Alastair Pink wrote:
@greengriff, as an alternative to an expensive week long holiday in the Alps one alternative might be to just have a couple of days holiday in Scotland, the Lecht is particularly good for beginners as they have moving carpet travelators in the nursery area and the nursery area always has snow as they have invested heavily (with some crowd funding assistance also) in snow making machines. https://www.lecht.co.uk/
A few days should be enough to see if he takes to it.
That's an interesting idea. Are they ok with untutored kids being taken onto the slope?
Presumably you'd want to be starting him off in the nursery skiing area with the moving carpet travelators which has a gentle slope. I think it's OK for anyone to use it, not just their ski school (although it might be a good idea to use a qualified instructor) but you could check with the Lecht (their phone number and email address are given on their website).
You can see the Lecht webcams here. The Panoramic camera 1 shows the base area next to the main building. In front of the building is the one chairlift and to the left of that is the nursery area with the moving carpets and snow cannon. There are more drag lifts and pistes on the other side of the road which you can see on Panorama camera 2. Obviously all green at the moment
Cheers.
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?
@greengriff, what worked for mine:
1) Ice skating first. It's very similar in terms of movement and balance, and is cheap, fun and easy. Crucially, it means they start skiing able to walk around without poles.
2) A trip to Scotland for a couple of days (Nevis range in our case rather than the Lecht) - combined the excitement of the sleeper train with a new experience - skiing pisted frozen mud.
3) An Easter trip to France and 2hr private lessons x 5 days. Same price as 6 days of ski school, but learned 10x as much.
4) My perspective on the cost of tuition is that it costs XX to get the kids to a certain level - the only question is how fast you spend the XX! I spent it relatively fast - the net result was that by age 10....
1) Ice skating first. It's very similar in terms of movement and balance, and is cheap, fun and easy. Crucially, it means they start skiing able to walk around without poles.
2) A trip to Scotland for a couple of days (Nevis range in our case rather than the Lecht) - combined the excitement of the sleeper train with a new experience - skiing pisted frozen mud.
3) An Easter trip to France and 2hr private lessons x 5 days. Same price as 6 days of ski school, but learned 10x as much.
4) My perspective on the cost of tuition is that it costs XX to get the kids to a certain level - the only question is how fast you spend the XX! I spent it relatively fast - the net result was that by age 10....
1) Ice skating first. It's very similar in terms of movement and balance, and is cheap, fun and easy. Crucially, it means they start skiing able to walk around without poles.
2) A trip to Scotland for a couple of days (Nevis range in our case rather than the Lecht) - combined the excitement of the sleeper train with a new experience - skiing pisted frozen mud.
3) An Easter trip to France and 2hr private lessons x 5 days. Same price as 6 days of ski school, but learned 10x as much.
4) My perspective on the cost of tuition is that it costs XX to get the kids to a certain level - the only question is how fast you spend the XX! I spent it relatively fast - the net result was that by age 10....
One of my team is an ex-instructor. She says ALWAYS small group lessons for kids learning to ski. The competitive spirit kicks in! We’ve found lessons with a max of 4 in the group for our 5yr old.
As other have said - we are fully expecting those 2hrs to be enough for him and to spend the rest of the time doing other fun snow or indoor stuff with both/ one of us or the babysitter.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@greengriff, just to add. Factoring in your child's own personality is obviously quite key. If they are enthusiastic and vocal about the thought of learning to ski then introducing them via snow dome lessons or dry slope could be fine, and that enthusiasm will see them through any difficult times (while ours were excited about the idea of going on a ski holiday, but not necessarily enough that a bad ski dome experience wouldn't put them off).
Does he have a sense of adventure (climbing trees, bundle of energy etc) and enjoy playing sports - if so, then there is strong likelihood that, given a good run at it, they will enjoy skiing. Ours are sporty, so I knew the likelihood they would love it, so all I had to do was make sure I didn't put them off before they got to the mountains where I knew their sense of adventure would kick in. If not, then just play to the things they love. The mountains are a big and varied place with something for everyone. Maybe the idea of seeing huskies could be an incentive to get them through the first few days of ski school. Kids can be seriously focused when there is something they really want incentivising them.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Handy Turnip wrote:
@greengriff, just to add. Factoring in your child's own personality is obviously quite key. If they are enthusiastic and vocal about the thought of learning to ski then introducing them via snow dome lessons or dry slope could be fine, and that enthusiasm will see them through any difficult times (while ours were excited about the idea of going on a ski holiday, but not necessarily enough that a bad ski dome experience wouldn't put them off).
Does he have a sense of adventure (climbing trees, bundle of energy etc) and enjoy playing sports - if so, then there is strong likelihood that, given a good run at it, they will enjoy skiing. Ours are sporty, so I knew the likelihood they would love it, so all I had to do was make sure I didn't put them off before they got to the mountains where I knew their sense of adventure would kick in.
Yeah he's desperate to do it, and is also fearless. Unfortunately he's also the kind of kid that imagines he'll be great at everything straight away, gets disheartened when he isn't, and then turns into a stroppy little sh*t. I couldn't teach him because I'd end up screaming at him, but I'm reasonably sure he'd rein that in if a stranger was teaching him. The same Sno Academy route that his siblings went through would be perfect, but as stated is no longer feasible for various reasons.
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.
@Handy Turnip, son (red jacket) started at 5, daughter (turqoise jacket) at just under 3. They were lucky enough to get 3-5weeks/year so by the time of that video they'd got c.20 weeks under their skis.
My daughter is 7 in that video.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
[quote="snowdave"]@greengriff, what worked for mine:
4) My perspective on the cost of tuition is that it costs XX to get the kids to a certain level - the only question is how fast you spend the XX! I spent it relatively fast - the net result was that by age 10....
I also spent fast on tuition, but it's never stopped. Once the child gets better than you by age 8, you have to pay instructors to continue to challenge them. I can't see the spending stopping in the next 10 years.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
If your lad is in anyway sporty, then the chances are he will love it, especially if he starts soon.
I know what you mean about the crying kid at the back of the snake and 9 times out of 10 it is because they are tired, hungry, cold or a combo of all three. So as others have said above, fill their pockets with food, and don't stint on kit. Gloves and socks especially.
I personally think that going for a week to the alps is the best. They might be hesitant at the beginning, but because it is so intense that will hopefully be over and done with after day one. If you're going for an hour here and there to a fridge then it might drag out this stage which is probably not going to ideal, and might put them off.
Not sure what sort of budget you're prepared to fork out for, and what your views on taking them out of school is, but if it was me I would be looking at going with a kid friendly company (like Esprit) to a snow sure resort in March. It will be cheaper than peak, the weather will be warmer and the snow should still be good. If you book lessons through Esprit, it will be with ESF, but IIRC they are limited in number and the Esprit child minders bring up the rear of the snake and this seems to avoid the crying kid struggling on their own. And the best bit about Esprit is, they take the kids to the lessons. Going to the lessons (just like dropping off at school or nursery) is the time that young kids might kick off and be clingy, but it is neatly avoided this way.
As others have said above, you wouldn't be doing a huge amount of skiing in the afternoon, and you will need lots of snack/drink breaks to keep lad happy. And as soon as they start flagging, it's time to go home. You would at least get about 2 hours of skiing by yourself each day though.
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.
If you can, use competition to your advantage. The older sibling, or a friend that might be a ski-buddy-in-waiting, can speed the improvement......which is where the fun starts.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@greengriff, Until we became itinerants we used to teach at the Norfolk Snowsports club slope in Norwich. I remember one autumn half term we had a family all having ski lessons of varying standards for the week, and was surprised to find they lived a hundred miles away. They had discovered that it was cheaper to rent a cheapo caravan in Gt Yarmouth for the week, all have lessons every day including beginner for the 7 year old, intermediate for the existing skiers and private lessons for the 4/5 year old, than it was just for lessons for the two youngest at their nearest dome.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Another vote for group lessons for a 7 year old. Our experience, like @Timmycb5's, is from ski school provided through Esprit. Age 7 was when our daughter really got the bug. A lot of that was the cameraderie and friendly competition with the rest of the group, which from memory was restricted to eight. That year we were in La Rosiere, and added an incentive with the promise that if she was up to it, on our last day (no lessons then) we would all ski over to Italy.
Esprit used ESF instructors, but I think they had a contract which included only using ones approved by them. In fact once we came across our daughter's group while skiing ourselves, and they were being tracked by an Esprit person with a clipboard recording the quality of the lesson.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
put armbands on him & throw him down the mountain
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
doddsie wrote:
snowdave wrote:
@greengriff, what worked for mine:
4) My perspective on the cost of tuition is that it costs XX to get the kids to a certain level - the only question is how fast you spend the XX! I spent it relatively fast - the net result was that by age 10....
I also spent fast on tuition, but it's never stopped. Once the child gets better than you by age 8, you have to pay instructors to continue to challenge them. I can't see the spending stopping in the next 10 years.
Fair point, although if they've caught you by age 8, best to invest the next chunk into your own tuition and get 2x payback
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
greengriff wrote:
Layne wrote:
Regarding #1 - park your own enjoyment and aspirations for a while, in time you will have an excellent skiing companion.
Excellent advice of course. I just find it difficult when I look forward to skiing all year, and only get between 1 and 3 weeks a year on snow, to not be selfish!
You've just got to see it as an investment in great times ahead.
Most good things in life require delayed gratification. This is definitely no exception.
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?
Tell them they can't do it under any circumstances because it's not safe?
Nab one off the tail end of an ESF snake, probably.
They never notice if they only lose one or two.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
admin wrote:
Fastest way to get a kid enjoying skiing?
Nab one off the tail end of an ESF snake, probably.
They never notice if they only lose one or two.
My son (when he was about 7) did get lost from the back of a snake once just below the white cross on Gentiane in Les Gets. I bumped into the lesson half way to the meeting point and his older sisters (who were in the same lesson) were in tears and the instructor was ashen faced. The lesson skied down Gentiane and I skied down Orchis looking for him. Got to the bottom and neither of us found him. That was the worst feeling of sheer dread that I’ve ever felt in my life. I had all sorts of horrible things going through my mind.
Transpires what had happened was the daft bug was at the back of the snake, stacked it and when he got back up joined the end of a different snake. He didn’t realise until he got to the bottom then poled over to where were, about 5 mins later.
Whilst I love Scotland the chance of getting good snow, good visibility and zero wind are slim, even slimmer when you probably have to pre plan a trip around your 7 year olds school holidays. One sure fire way to get them to hate it would be Scottish high winds, zero vis, rain etc etc
So unless you can go last minute (ie decide the night before) with them, I'd park Scotland personally.
Weekend away in a hotel near Hemel/nearest dome?? Make it fun with cinema/eating out after skiing???
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
If you think on the hill is the best way to learn (I think it has more pros than cons vs indoor) but concerned about the cost, what about a short weekend trip away as a taster which wouldnt have to be too expensive? Just you and the youngest. A school inset day could let you get cheap flights and accomodation across a weekend and outside the normal busy weeks. Just have to get to a small resort so the lift pass (even if needed) wouldnt be too bad - probably cheaper than a few hours in the dome. You even might be able to get some very reasonable private lessons and get them a few hours.
There are plenty of places near Geneva or Innsbruck that make this feasible.
After all it is free
After all it is free
You’re over thinking it and being too cautious because you started the others too early. (IMHO). 7 is the perfect age to go on holiday and go in smallish group lessons. They don’t need a head start, they just need a fun adventurous environment and a competitive spirit. Simples.
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.
Get the clothing right for the day, with good gloves, snack, and shove them in group lessons. They'll be fine.
Perhaps some ice skating or rollerblading beforehand.
As for expensive small-group English ski schools, the only time I saw a little kid crying their eyes out at the back and being ignored it was at such a school. While at the same time my kids were having great time in cheapo ESF.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
