First taste of skiing for almost 3 year old

A snowHead

We’re staying in Ardent (below Avoiraz) in a few weeks time and I want to introduce my daughter to skis for the first time. She’s almost 3. Where would be best to do this? Ideally somewhere with a magic carpet that we can do some snowploughing holding her between my legs. Ideally not too far to travel from Ardent. Is there somewhere at the top of ardent bubble?

A snowHead

Unfortunately there isn't a magic carpet at the top of the Ardent bubble, and would involve a further ski lift and a short (blue) run into the nursery slopes with drag lifts in Avoriaz. Which sounds a bit much for a 3 year old that's never been on skis.

The closest magic carpet would be in Morzine at the top of the Pleney bubble lift.

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That's very (very) young.

A child's muscles, skeleton, and brain are not really strong enough for skiing before 4yo. Some now say 5yo is the best threshold.

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With ours just shy of 4 and 3.5 is when we started - on a magic carpet.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

All kids are different - some start at 2.5 without problem. Others would need to wait 'til 4, but would catchup in no time.

From Ardent you might have to get to Morzine to get a magic carpet. But to be honest at that age you don't need a magic carpet, you'd walk back up faster. At least for the first day you could get to Lindarets (free for under 5), there are restaurants and an amazing Salle Hors Sac to get some rest.

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One thing for young kids is that you can pull them with a pole - basically acting as a (slow) teleski. They learn quick!

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Thanks all, I’m literally talking about 30-60 mins of playing on some skis as an introduction, holding her up, definitely not planning on sending her off down a run or doing anything for any length of time that will cause any damage. I’m thinking just a flat small area of snow to pull her along will be fine.

She will be with a childcare team for the week but we just wanted to take her out for an hour or so on one day.

After all it is free

Go to Morzine Nyon not Pleney. There is a new smaller magic carpet area there and a beginner area that is quiet! Also next to a massive restaurant and terrace with a soft play area inside if you fancy a break.

@Nadenoodlee, and free parking as well!

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@Nadenoodlee, is that the top of the Nyon gondola? While I don't recall a beginner area is wasn't something we would have been interested in when we were there.

If so the snow would presumably stay OK, and the trip up alone is bound to be an big adventure for a 3(ish) year old. If you don't have a car there is a navette.

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I think the magic carpet at Nyon is quite short, right next to the restaurant, and pretty close to the top of the cable car. It's short enough to not be intimidating for a nearly 3 year old. It is a fair drive from Ardent, though.

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We had an "almost 3 year old" in our family party last Easter, my youngest grand-daughter. There was no plan that she should ski, but she made a plan. Her big sister, at 6, had beginner private lessons with her step-brother, and she just demanded to ski too. They rented skis and boots for her and she just took off. Down nursery slope with magic carpet back up. Fortunately her mother is a strong skier - and strong generally. It was hard work. No question of snowploughing with her between adult legs. "I want to ski on my own, let go of me!". It was pretty chaotic and a bit hairy at times, but she absolutely loved it. On the other hand my eldest grand-daughter, now 20, was very wary starting at 4. Wanted to stay in the very boring little baby garden (she had one to one privates) and had to be bribed to go up the chairlift with the instructor. Once it clicked, she was very proud of herself, but always had to be in control, definitely no hurtling down for her. Kids are very different!

I forgot the bottom of Nyon parking was free! Good plan (if a tad bit far from Ardent) assuming no big event on the plateau (like the kids' Course des Champions, usually end of March).

Plus the pub up there has the eagles' show during school holidays.

I'd still say stick to your side, maybe even right next to the Ardent car park, if just to give it a first try.

You know it makes sense.

@j b, yes it went in 2021/22 season. Its perfect for the ‘having a go’ phase and theres some other drags/ chair to use to ski them down if they are up for it. But the main plus point is ITS EMPTY. No ski schools, no skiers wizzing through the middle.

Its about 10/15mins from Ardent but then you’re around Morzine so easy to pop into town for lunch/ carousel or walk over to the waterfalls or up to Erigné to visit the igloo.

Our apartment is at Nyon and we have a 7&4yr old who have both enjoyed it and mummy enjoys the aperol spritz on the terrace. We like our ‘home hill’ snowHead

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

When we went for the first time post-kids my little one was six weeks shy of being 3. We chose a residence next to a free magic carpet and didn't plan to get lift passes, at least not for me and my boy (I brought touring equipment). Well, that didn't come out as planned. We arrived saturday at noon, got the stuff for the kids - he had the tiniest skis (67cm) and shoes. He and his sister (then 5) skied the whole afternoon until they stopped the carpet. Same next day. We planted our poles on the slope and they skied around them. Some other beginner kids did as well, and we showed them how it's to be done. This was no posh resort but St. Francois-Longchamp. There were quite some folks with little ones, I'd say age 4-7, who weren't in it to shell out for ESF tuition. Anyway, by 11 o'clock on day three there wasn't anything more to do for us on carpet slope, so we bit the bullet and bought lift passes. I remembered that an old instructor-trainer once had told me how he taught his boy by holding him with a broom stick where necessary. So we got that and it was a blast. By the end of the week he could ski the greens all on his own, at least in the afternoons when snow had softend up. For the steeper parts, we would lean on the stick. Which came in very handy as well in preventing overzealous skiers from overtaking too closely (my pilum is harder than your sternum). One time, when we were going down the "Route du Tour"-piste (the road over the Col de la Madeleine) next to each other, he looked up to me and said, "Daddy, I'm enjoying this very much." Which I found pretty remarkable given his age. Well, I thought, me too. One of my fondest memories.
So, I'd recommend to reconsider.

A snowHead

We're taking my daughter for the first time in March. She's 3.5 years old. She's full of energy, jumps off all-sorts, rides a pony (supervised of course). She may hate it but we feel she's of an age where she can try it and we'll enjoy the mountains as a family.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Help!!

First taste of skiing for almost 3 year old

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