 Poster: A snowHead
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I've just read another thread, that when doing lessons kids are kept seperate.
I have group of 25 going to Alpe d'Huez in January booked through Crystal and beginner lessons are booked for 7 people, one of them a 8/9 year old kid. His 2 parents are also taking beginner lessons.
Will the kid be able to do the lessons with his parents and the other beginners in the group? He is the only kid in our group.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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MhicEasmuint, it's really not a great idea. Kids have a different way of learning than adults generally, and often progress quicker because they tend to have no fear and no need to understand the "whys and wherefores" which adults often do. Mum and Dad can get distracted looking after the kid (when it's not really necessary) and sometimes a child can throw a fit in front of the parents in a way in which (s)he wouldn't amongst peers.
All from long experience! 
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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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We have done this, but only when our kids were much older, certainly at least 12.
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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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Helen Beaumont, yes, I have lessons with the kids now they're in the mid/late teens.
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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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laundryman, yes, I understand it would be better if seperate. Originally there was suppose to be a kid the same age going, but now h is the only one going and i he couldn't be sent to a different group on his own. I was just wondering if there is any rules regarding it witht he ski shool, probably ESF i think it might be.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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MhicEasmuint, I'm not sure about rules as such. If your party fills a group lesson they'd probably accept with a shrug. I'm sure easiski would know the answer.
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laundryman, there is only 7 people that will be in the beginner group.
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MhicEasmuint, I think you may find he has to be in a children's group, unless you book private lessons.
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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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MhicEasmuint, I don't understand what the problem is with the kid going into a kid's class? There will be other kids - he/she will make friends with them and then have someone to play with later. His/her parents can get to know other parents etc. I know you're a large group, but surely you don't have to remain totally exclusive?
It's one thing to do a one off taster lesson for an entire family, but completely another for a week - very inadvisable. I do do this on request, but it has to be a private lesson - group lessons are just that: you pay less and get less (choice included). Also it's totally necessary in family lessons to start off by telling the parents not to talk to the child during the lesson, and sitting on them firmly when they do - right at the beginning. The child must listen to the instructor not the parent - this is pretty hard for most parents and some children. laundryman, put it well in his first post.
Any ski school that would include an 8 year old in an adult group lesson should be shot, 'cos the kid will have a miserable time and will be disruptive because they're bored. Adults in a kids class will be too slow, too scared and too needy of information ......
I don't know which ski school Crystal use in ADH, but the ESF has a fair rep there. sarah @Alpe d'Huez knows a couple of good instructors, and put me onto one for clients of mine last year. They were very happy - his name was Ben and he worked for the ESF, but I don't have any more info here - sorry.
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Cheers for the info, I hadn't thought about it and just when reading another thread it mentioned kids being seperate. I'll check with the parent's, the kid could be fine going with the group of kids on hiw own, but you know what some kids are like, might be uncomfortable going with group of strangers etc.
There is also 5 others taking lessons that have skied once before.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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MhicEasmuint, All his/her school chums must have been strangers once! Everyone's a stranger until you know them! I really find that the problem is usually cause by parents making the child feel that strangers are somehow undesirable, rather than a great opportunity to make new friends. If the kiddie was 4 I'd have a bit more sympathy - but once they're at school there shouldn't be any problem for the kid, only the parents who need to be grown up enough not to let the kiddie know they have a problem!
sometimes kids are upset at the start, but if the parent insists, within a couple of days the kids are fine. They might have to be tough for 2 or 3 days though. This happened to clients of mine last winter. They hung tough, and at the end of the week could hardly tear the kids away from the ski school.
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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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Yeah, i'll mention that to the parents, saying it best if kid in group with other kids. They can do whatever they want after that then.
No kid worries for me myself to worry about yet. 
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MhicEasmuint, my kids have been in kids' ski classes since they were 4, usually in different classes to each other, no problems. They quickly make friends and laugh themselves sick at each other's falls.
We had some lessons last Xmas with our kids, which worked. They were 11 and roughly the same standard as us (they're moving up, we're not!). I think that before then, it would have been difficult. easiski is absolutely right on the 'parents, shut it!' motif. My kids are good enough now and have seen me skiing enough that they wouldn't listen to a word I said anyway, and we're talking about relatively small tweaks to a (hopefully) reasonable basic technique. At the beginner level, parent/child lessons would be very difficult.
One has to think about the other pupils, too; a lot would be a bit fed up if a kid bowled up to their lesson, I think.
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You know it makes sense.
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The guy in ADH is Ben Langridge. He is English but works for the ESF there. You can book him for Private Lessons through the ESF. They are quite reasonable I think it cost me about 45 euros for 1.5 hours in January.
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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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a lot would be a bit fed up if a kid bowled up to their lesson, I think.
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yes, and if you only have 7 booked in for beginner lessons it is likely that there will be others in the group with them. They might also not be all in the same group, or not stay in the same group if some get on much quicker than others. (one hopes they would be moved, anyway, the only thing worse than being in a group of much slower people is being in a group of much faster ones!). If booked through Crystal the kids group would almost certainly be a wholly English speaking one, so much easier for the 8 year old to make friends and sooooooo much better than being with the boring old parents faffing around. We did group beginner lessons on a dry slope, donkeys years ago, and our 7 year old son couldn't cope with "weight on the inside edge of the outside ski" etc. He dropped out. On the following first family snow holiday, in Austria, the family of 5 was put into 5 different groups and after spending the first morning worrying about 4 year old daughter, 8 and 10 year old boys and diabetic husband I gave up worrying and started enjoying it. The 8 year old was in with a class of 5 year old beginners, all the others German-speaking (it was a resort with few British visitors and all the other 8 year olds could ski already!). He got on fine and has long been the fastest and most fearless skier in the family. One of the great things about family ski holidays is that the kids generally get much better, much quicker, than the adults and that gives them a great sense of achievement. But they do need to be left to struggle a bit with it at first, preferably with no parents anywhere around. I was in an adult group last year, in awful weather, and the instructor was anxious about her 4 year old, out in a kid's ski club group with a colleague. We saw them in the distance, and she was thrilled to see her 4 year old whooping along, jumping through the crud with his mates. When we caught up with them at the lift he caught sight of her and immediately started whingeing about the cold.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| pam w wrote: |
| One of the great things about family ski holidays is that the kids generally get much better, much quicker, than the adults. |
Is that 'great' in it's secondary (rare) sense of 'bloody annoying'?
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