We are planning a group ski trip with some other families. Mini Mr Doubleu will not quite be 3. Is this too young to go to ski school? Any resorts that people have used ski school in at this age?

I’m pretty sure most of the kids overtaking me on the slopes are under 3 these days.

I don’t have children, but my skiing friends tell me that Austria tends to take them younger.

The issue with a two year old is not their ability to ski, per se, but more that they may not be able to take ‘instructions’ from a ski school teacher – only you will know whether your littl’un can do this or not.

to young from my experience; ski school = kindergarten/day care with some snow time for under fours..

I’d say it’s probably too young for ski school but not too young to ski.

Agree with Samuri.

Our 3 last January lad was out on a private lesson in April.

Chair to the top of a straight forward blue and hold the instructors poles.

Dad did the filming of laughter the whole way down.

We started ours off at 4 with private lessons, as she was too young off the local ski school, and she took to it like a duck to water. If she was a year younger I think she still would have. If they can stand up for a few hours without getting too tired or whingy, and are able to take instruction then they’ll be fine.

Austria (and some French & Swiss resorts) will do ski kindergarten from about 2 and a half. They won’t learn anything, just have a huge amount of fun playing in the snow. Be aware that small kids ski boots are not as small as you’d think (~14?). They also get cold/tired exceptionally quickly. I think my niece lasted about 50 minutes, max, playing with her dad in the snow this year.

Our daughter started at “nearly 3” (2 and 10 months I think) with private one-on-one lessons on the kindergarten slopes in The Dolomites. (She was too young for group lessons)

Lessons were only about an hour a day, so it wasn’t a dump-and-run option, but she loved them and got on really well.
The instructor said she was the youngest child she had ever taught but we were very pleased with how good she was with her. (My daughter can still remember her name when she watches the videos).
They were proper lessons – teaching her to ski, steer, go between flags, through little arches, up the magic carpet etc.

This year, as a nearly four year old, we had her in the big Neilson hotel in Les Deux Alpes.
If you are after some adult skiing time then that is a better option. They have kids clubs for all ages where they take them after breakfast and keep them till 4! * They do lots of snow-based activities and hook up with the ski school for those that are doing lessons. She had a great time at that and she was happily riding drag lifts and skiing down by herself by mid-week.

And we got fullish days of snowboarding in. Which was nice.

.

* (before anyone gets sanctimonious about “dumping kids”: we only intended her to go for ski lessons, but when she found out about the kids club she insisted we let her do that too)

Is this thread for real!? I was shocked at the thought of SPDs for 10year olds.

Then again I lead a sheltered life, I didn’t even know ‘house cats’ existed till recently.

I’ve taught 2yr olds in one on one private lessons. Only an hour, most have had enough of skiing before that. Taught lots of 3yr olds too. I’d say for the most part there is little difference between them. It’s playing in the snow with skis attached for part of it. If the kids are ok being away from mum or dad!

Edit, some ski schools will not let kids younger than 3 in anyway (in the U.S.can’t speak for Europe.)

Is this thread for real!?

Which bit are you struggling with tinribz?

Young kids doing “dangerous” sports?

Or just the terribly plummy middle-classness of it all? 😀

Normally they don’t take kids on their own under 4. They will do lessons for younger kids, but you need to stay with them. Simple things like if they fall over on the travelator they struggle to get up again with their boots and ski’s.

Plus even if they enjoy it, they do suddenly get tired and that’s that, they want to finish there and then.

Normally they don’t take kids on their own under 4.

It varies a fair bit I think.
My daughter was still 3 when ESS (European Ski School) took her on her own for group lessons in France.

I think the main thing is that the kids are toilet trained, able to take instructions, and don’t freak out when parents aren’t about.

Junior was put on skis at 22 months and shuffled around on them like snow shoes through his first Winter. At three he skied happily on gentle slopes and by six was skiing well enough to get noticed by an instructor and invited to join the local racers. So no official lessons until six but by seven already one of the best of his age group. If you’re a reasonable skier yourself I don’t see much point using instructors until about six when they’re bright enough to understand technical instruction.

^ I agree. Teaching below about 5 or 6 isn’t worth a great deal. Better letting them enjoy themselves. I’ve taught lots but only because they were privates and paid well !

Edukator: but you live in the alps don’t you? (lucky git!) I suspect it’s a bit different if you have a whole winter to get them into it. We only had a week!

I should also probably point out that me and the missus are both snowboarders and neither of us has ever skied, so we aren’t in a position to teach her ourselves.

By the end of her week this year she could happily take a button tow to the top and ski back down again in control without any assistance. Plus she had a great time doing it and is always asking when we can go again.
So it was definitely worthwhile.

Being able to ride along next to her at age 3 was a humbling and very very proud moment.

Too young. In my experience (3 daughters) they need to be around 5. By all means put them in a mini club and or spend some time on the snow with them but don’t expect them to be in lessons all morning or afternoon whilst you go skiing. Also pick a resort with easy access to baby slopes, ie near accommodation and ideally a warmer time of year. Advantage with that age is you can go out of school holidays, I suggest early/mid March.

We live in the Pyrenees and ski about 40 days a year between X-C, rando and the occasional ski pass for powder days. I sold the board kit last year as I’ve injured my shoulders so often between bikes, boards and skis that any more abuse is going to lead to permanent handicap, I can usually ski a whole season without a fall apart from the odd X-C topple. Junior usually gets an extra week or two in the Alps with his team. When he was small I used to tow him up to the most suitable button lift on rando skis so he was autonomous and then swap to the X-C skis I’d carried up to get some decent training in.