Mad Dog Ski: Ski Resort guidebooks for Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland

Children and ski school

With half term just around the corner, many people will be heading out to the mountains with their kids. For some children, it will be the first time on snow and the first time in ski school. Read our guide about all you need to know about sending your child off for lessons.

Minimum age

Generally, children can start skiing from around aged four. The stronger they are, the easier they tend to pick it up and the more fun they will have, so although starting younger is possible, older may be preferable. Younger children may only have the energy to do half a day on the slopes. The rest of the time might be better spent playing in the snow, or back in the resort.

Technique

Many instructors teach children to ski through a series of games, analogies, copying and races, so they pick up new skills without too much technical information. Kids may talk about how they were making ‘chips' and not ‘pizza' - this just means that they are moving into parallels instead of snowplough - or being ‘tall as a house' and ‘small as a mouse', which is a useful way to encourage children to move up at the start of the turn and down at the end.

Skiing is all about having fun, so don't worry too much about the progress of very young children. If your child is having a good time, they'll be hooked for life and the technical improvement will come. If you have any worries, speak to the instructor.

Groups vs private lessons

It used to be that in order for children to get the individual attention they need to progress technically, private lessons were the only option. However, ski schools now offer smaller group sizes for children (around six members) where the children can enjoy the social side of being in a class but still receive individual instruction.

Kids love the interaction with other children that groups offer, so this can be the ideal environment to learn in. With encouragement and friendly competition, many children progress quickly. Remember to request an English-speaking instructor when making your booking.

Meeting points

If you are also taking lessons, check where your meeting point is in relation to your children's so that you can be on hand to drop them off and collect them. 

Ski school check list

  1. Write your mobile or other contact number on a piece of paper and place it in your child's coat pocket in case you are needed urgently
  2. Plenty of high factor sun cream (water resistant and at least 30 SPF) is essential. Put the tube in their pocket so they can top up throughout the day
  3. Most experts recommend that children should ski with helmets. You can hire these in resort
  4. Younger eyes are more sensitive so it is important to make kids wear good quality sunglasses or goggles all the time. If you only plan to buy one or the other, buy goggles
  5. Take time to find gloves or mittens that your child can take on and off easily by themselves; they'll have to do this numerous times throughout the day! If possible buy gloves and hats that can be attached to your child; otherwise they go missing endlessly...
  6. A small rucksack is useful for slightly older kids for carrying drinks, snacks and sun cream
  7. Children lose body heat faster than adults so make sure they are wrapped up warmly 
  8. If you are booking younger children into ski school, remember to give them a drink and snack for the mid-lesson break (or money to buy them). Check with the ski school if you are unsure
  9. Talk to the instructor before the first lesson as any information will be useful (for example, do they get tired easily/hate drag lifts/have any allergies or other medical considerations)
  10. Even if your children are not in ski school, you will probably find it helpful to mark clothes, skis and helmets with their name as things are often thrown into a big bundle in the rush to get inside at break or lunch time! If you don't have any labels for skis and helmets, write on sticking plasters
  11. Complete beginners (especially the little ones) will probably not need to take poles to their ski lessons, at least for the first few days - check with your ski school
  12. You may not need to buy a ski pass for the first few days, or the pass may be included in the cost of lessons. Again, check when booking

Extract taken from Mad Dog Ski guide to Zermatt - researched by Erica and Henry Meredith Hardy of Summit Ski and Snowboard School.