 Poster: A snowHead
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This question has probably been asked before but I couldn’t see a thread …. And the question is really open to all different opinions….we have two teenagers will be 18 and 15 next year.
They have more energy skiing than us parents and I wondered at what age its okay for them to go on piste for a couple of hours by themselves whilst we wait in suitable central cafe recovering our strength.
It’s okay for the 18 year old but the younger one ?
What do other families do?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Hils68,
Different people mature at different ages so I don't think there is an age but it certainly wouldn't have worried me if my 15 year olds were skiing on piste without me.
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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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Depends on the kids, I suppose, but mine went off (sometimes with others from the chalet/hotel, or their cousins) well under that age. But then we did encourage independence. My daughter flew solo to Scotland to see an old school friend when she was 14. At 14 I regularly took my younger brother and sister on the bus to the park in Cardiff. At 16, after my O levels, I organised a fortnight's youth hostelling holiday in the west country with my sister (who must have been 14) and 3 boys from our church. My Mum and Dad met us on the middle weekend with some clean clothes and a few treats. We bought food in local shops and cooked it in the hostel kitchens. I find it extraordinary that so many kids these days go away to university with little or no experience of ever having been away from home under their own steam, looking after themselves.
I'd lay down some basic rules (depending where you are, there might be certain lifts or runs ruled "out of bounds", on pain of being grounded for breaking the rules. And then I'd enforce that rigidly.
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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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@Hils68, At 15, my parents used to dump me at the Cairngorm carpark at 9am and pick me up at 5pm. Went on my first proper ski holiday at that age with the local club to Tignes, we were given our Espace Killy ski pass and told "dinner is at 7pm". Also went youth hostelling in the Lake District on my own at that age.
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Wed 14-02-24 16:43; edited 1 time in total
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When our son was 12 year 9 months, in a resort/mountain we knew incredibly well Puy St Vincent, he asked if he could ski the afternoon with a mate he'd made from Snowbizz race training.
We agreed. This went against the grain of us being typically 21st century concerned parents [not the childhood I had in the 70's/early 80's, where we could go off and do all sorts at every daylight hour, and some].
They decided without permission to go off piste including a place with a small cliff.
Based on that alone and everyone's circumstances vary, imho 12 or 13 is too young.
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Let mine go when my daughter was 12 and her brother 10. Provided they followed the rules. The First-year was in Saalbach Hinterglemm.
Tell us where they were going to Ski.
Check-in by phone or walkie-talkie each hour.
Only ski runs/areas which we have skied together previously.
No iffy off-piste without adult supervision (that's me).
Stay together and in sight of each other.
I one wants to stop, go back to the hotel or back to us they both do it.
No booze if they stop for a break.
Worked ok, we usually met up for breaks and always lunch. I reality the novelty wore off a bit and after a couple of trips, now we tend to ski together all the time.
It all came about when we lost them in the trees at Panorama, Canada. We were franticly searching for them,
they on the other hand were quite happy and did another couple of runs together before we caught up with them.
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@Hils68, my recollection is that we took school bus tris and skied off on our own at Glenshee and Glencoe from around 12... actually, bro and cousins skied all around Sauze dOulx on our own aged 13 and 11 ...
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I was happy for my 14 and 17 year old to go off together on December. They were both at level to be taken on Black runs in lessons and have skied many many years. Would have probably been sooner if my youngest wasnt both Autistic and dyspraxic. That combination has meant she has been a little slower getting to that level of competence and comfort being without me / an instructor around.
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By about 12 our son would ski off on his own at the end of the day and meet us back at the apartment. By 16 he and younger friends would be off on their own for part of the day. Certainly at 12 he wouldn't have a mobile phone and probably at 16 also. However, I think this decsion also depends on the resort. This was Les Arcs, which is car free and by the use of navettes you would be unlikely to get stuck in the wrong valley. I may have more concerns in the 3 valleys or in Austrian resorts where a bus is required to get back to the accommodation.
I see many children younger than 15 skiing in small goups without adults with them. Occaionally you will see a group come into a cafe or restaurant and have drinks.
It's probably no worse than when they are out playing at home or going to school on the bus.
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads  on Wed 14-02-24 16:56; edited 1 time in total
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Origen wrote: |
Depends on the kids, I suppose, but mine went off (sometimes with others from the chalet/hotel, or their cousins) well under that age. But then we did encourage independence. My daughter flew solo to Scotland to see an old school friend when she was 14. At 14 I regularly took my younger brother and sister on the bus to the park in Cardiff. At 16, after my O levels, I organised a fortnight's youth hostelling holiday in the west country with my sister (who must have been 14) and 3 boys from our church. My Mum and Dad met us on the middle weekend with some clean clothes and a few treats. We bought food in local shops and cooked it in the hostel kitchens. I find it extraordinary that so many kids these days go away to university with little or no experience of ever having been away from home under their own steam, looking after themselves.
I'd lay down some basic rules (depending where you are, there might be certain lifts or runs ruled "out of bounds", on pain of being grounded for breaking the rules. And then I'd enforce that rigidly. |
Continuing your widening of the discussion.
At age 16 when waiting for O'Level results a friend and I travelled around France on their equivalent of Interail, a France Vacances. No handouts from parents instead using our own modest savings because everything seemed cheap in the 80's, we camped in Paris, Chamonix and the Cote D'Azur. My parents had no qualms or words of advice, so laissez faire.
We were followed in the pitch black into a small woodland in Paris very late at night, but luckily spotted him and relocated.
At age 14 I was allowed to travel on long train journeys across the UK on my own.
Not meant in a mysogynistic way, I/we are males so there's far less chance of a life-changing sexual assault. I wouldn't have wanted by daughter at 14 and 16 to replicate my adventures.
Chamonix was magical in August, huge glaciers back then an easy stroll from the town  .
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Wed 14-02-24 16:55; edited 1 time in total
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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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I did once ski round a corner in La Rosiere and see my 15 year old sitting on the side of the piste smoking a cigarette. But he could have done that at home, too...... somewhere I was unlikely to come across him.
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When our kids were 8 & 6 they used to lap a few runs and a mini park whilst we sat in a restaurant. By 11 my son was taking himself to and from lessons on his own, my wife would just drop him at the lift station. This would involve 5 lifts and 6 runs each way and takes about an hour. He's now 13 and when he's at school they can ski on their own, as long as they are in groups of at least 3 kids. But normally they ski with me, as that's just what they prefer, although they are constantly disappearing off and meeting me at the bottom/lift.
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You know it makes sense.
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@Hils68,
18 - as an adult it should be his choice what to do. 15 - depends on ability, maturity. Also I guess it could depend on which ski area you'll be visiting.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
...overtaken by a teenager sitting down on his monoski...
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He must've been going a helluva lick to overtake you all the way back from 1982 which was the last recorded time a teenager rode a monoski
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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They're the latest thing, @Richard_Sideways. Snowboards are so this morning.
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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 think I was 13 when I first went on a school ski trip and we were allowed to ski on our own within limits.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I was just about to start the long red/blue from the top of Col d'Ombritzes in St Luc this afternoon when three kids about 4, 5 and 6 years old shot off ahead of me completely alone. I never caught them.
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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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That probably wouldn't happen now, @Kramer.
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Thanks for replies …. I guess it’s not been an issue before as we have been at same pace …. But this years the balance has tipped substantially!! Quite looking forward to next year now and some cafes and gentle blues .. just got to choose a resort now 
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| BoardieK wrote: |
| I was just about to start the long red/blue from the top of Col d'Ombritzes in St Luc this afternoon when three kids about 4, 5 and 6 years old shot off ahead of me completely alone. I never caught them. |
You probably turned... that'll be why.
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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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I’d say what they do in the comfort and familiarity of their own neighborhood is not a model for what they do in a strange ski resort where not so many people speak their language well.
I also wonder what are the local liability laws for parents not supervising children (see other discussions about skiers being badly hit from behind).
I’d at least take those two into account.
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It may help both sides if your children are briefed on how to handle some of the possible scenarios around accidents and getting lost. And are equipped with what they might need to handle the situation - I’m thinking enough money for a taxi back after a late wrong turn, mobile phone, what happens in a heli-evac, having ID and contact info for if they’re unconscious, carrying their GHIC with them etc. etc.
Just wait ‘till the first time they want to go to Ibiza with their mates……….
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I shudder to think about some of the things we were allowed to do on school ski trips aged 14-15 - in the era before carving skis. With no mobile phones.
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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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| Quote: |
I’d say what they do in the comfort and familiarity of their own neighborhood is not a model for what they do in a strange ski resort where not so many people speak their language well.
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I'd say that kids are in no more danger in a ski resort than in "their own neighbourhood". Possibly quite a bit less if they follow some sensible guidelines. And depends on the neighbourhood. In my childhood there were some very nearby streets that "you just didn't go down". Not because they were any more dangerous, objectively, than ours. But they weren't ours, that was the point. And there was that funny old man down the road who used to offer kids sweets. My mum just told us to say a polite "No thanks" and walk on by.
If a child came a bit of a cropper the overwhelming majority of people around them would be helpful and caring. Being more scared of foreigners than of the people round the corner isn't justified, really. Most ski resorts are full of families.
But it depends on the child. Some will be much more anxious than others away from their familiar adults and that's particularly likely to be true of neuro-divergent kids. But within reason, a bit more freedom seems a good thing.
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| Origen wrote: |
| I did once ski round a corner in La Rosiere and see my 15 year old sitting on the side of the piste smoking a cigarette. But he could have done that at home, too...... somewhere I was unlikely to come across him. |
10 mins earlier & you might have been seeing his bum going up down in the air 
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You know it makes sense.
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Switch Strava or something on the phone & check where tehy went. If they strayed from marked pistes, then privilege lost. Just make sure there are regular meeting points, but maybe start by letting them going ahead & waiting at the bottom for you, followed by going up in the lift before you, etc.
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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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@LaForet,
'Ibiza' - same thought came to me for 18 year old but 'Uni ski trip'.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Age 12 if sensible. With older sibling if not.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| LaForet wrote: |
Just wait ‘till the first time they want to go to Ibiza with their mates………. |
One of them is already 18, theyve left it a bit late! Planned ours at 16. Booked at 17 & had 2 weeks out there at 18. Probably the only 18yr olds who booked with 18-30
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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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| Richard_Sideways wrote: |
| Quote: |
...overtaken by a teenager sitting down on his monoski...
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He must've been going a helluva lick to overtake you all the way back from 1982 which was the last recorded time a teenager rode a monoski |
I (born 1982) own to having done so for a day in about 1996.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Parents with more miles on slopes should be able to keep up.
If not, hit the gym.
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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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Obviously we were crap parents. As soon as youngest was able to ski with her brothers (probably aged about 9 with 10 and 11 yr old siblings), crack on kids, we'll be at such and such for lunch if you want feeding.
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Like a few folk here, aged 14, I got off the school organised bus at Glenshee on a saturday morning around 10:00 am and was told on no uncertain terms to "be sensible" ( having already been told that by my mum at the school dropoff) and be back at the bus by 3:30pm. Amazingly all the kids did this for the the 3 or 4 years I was taking that bus, There were a 3 or 4 teachers on the bus , but they never skied with us, and only did a head count at 8:00am & 3:31pm. We did cross paths with teachers on the hill , but it was just for a chat, discuss where the low queues or good runs were that day. Scroll forward 40 odd years and the world is a very changed place. I learnt a huge amount skiing with my teenage peers, especially in a small place like Glenshee. I don't have kids, but to the OP I would say, if you have any thought that your kids may be OK for a "day away" then give them that chance. Don't let your worries tip the balance. All parents worry, but the thing is about today's kids, contrary to the gen z , slacker , snowflake nonsense they are just as good, adventurous and just as up for a challenge as every other previous generation. I hope they enjoy their first days away, I hope you as parents do too. A day with your sibling on the hill is a great gift to give your kids.
I also have huge affection and respect for the teachers who took us on those trips. I wish I had got back to them a few years after I left school to thank them properly .
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| Origen wrote: |
| That probably wouldn't happen now, @Kramer. |
On my school ski trip (I was 13), we left the hotel, walked across the Zell am See lake to go clubbing, got absolutely rat ar5ed, walked back across the wrong part of the lake and discovered we had about 2km to walk down a dual carriageway.
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Back in the day half the chalet staff were only 18.
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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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@RedandWhiteFlachau, I remember posting about the age question several years ago and from some of the replies, I was also a cr@p parent. Ours knew the resort and we let them go off on their own under 10 IRRC. Not for miles, but they knew their way round the resort. They had been fully briefed in what to do if they got lost and had a whistle and a laminated card in their pockets with instructions on what to do (don’t leave the piste and call this number). They were also equipped with whistles. All good advice gleaned from snowheads after the terrible accident in Flaine when a young lad got lost and fell to his death.
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| Quote: |
Scroll forward 40 odd years and the world is a very changed place.
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Well yes it is, but not in a way which justifies the absurd fears that now seem to stop kids doing anything under their own steam. There is a particularly exaggerated fear of "stranger danger". There are no more kids in the UK murdered by strangers now than there have been for many a long year. And ski resorts are no more dangerous than they were, are they?
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