Tips for skiing with kids
Here are some helpful tips on keeping you and your kids safe and happy whilst enjoying the mountains, as well as to help you prepare for your winter sports holiday.
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Here are some helpful tips on keeping you and your kids safe and happy whilst enjoying the mountains, as well as to help you prepare for your winter sports holiday.
Thinking of hitting the slopes this winter and want to take the whole family? Going skiing is always an adventure and bringing children can add to the fun, although you may also be understandably slightly nervous giving your kids skis and encouraging them to race down a hill!
Here are some helpful tips on keeping you and your kids safe and happy whilst enjoying the mountains, as well as to help you prepare for your winter sports holiday.
When planning your holiday, read the FCDO travel advice for the country that you will be visiting.
Don’t worry about putting your kids in designer ski outfits and buying the latest trends for them, it’s much more important that they are happy and comfortable in their ski gear and that you’re not worried if they ruin it whilst having fun on the slopes. Some high-street sportswear shops sell reasonably priced kids’ ski clothing (especially in the sale!), or why not try one of the second hand online stores. You could also ask friends who ski if you can borrow their winter gear to save money. Alternatively, it’s possible to hire jackets and salopettes in the UK and this may be a good option, so that you have less to organise when you arrive at your ski resort.
Not all children enjoy skiing, and you may not go again, so it’s sensible to hire as much ski equipment as possible for their first time. Most people tend to hire skis or a snowboard in resort rather than have the hassle of buying their own and transporting them, but quite a few skiers prefer to have their own ski boots. However, with children, whose feet grow fairly quickly, it is usually more economical to hire boots for ski holidays.
When you hire, keep an eye on the fitting of the ski boots and bindings, as if they’re too tight or too loose, it will lead to unhappy kids with painful feet and legs. Go back and change them if necessary. Hire places are used to this and tend to be cooperative.
Crowded, big ski lifts such as gondolas may not be appropriate for small children, so teach them how to use drag/surface lifts, where their skis stay on the ground, which are safer and a good way to give them their first amount of independence. It may be better to teach them how to use chairlifts once they get older.
Safety on the slopes is paramount. Rent everyone a well-fitting ski helmet as, in most countries, it is a legal requirement and many insurance policies require you to wear one.
With younger kids, it is best to book an apartment, as a hotel is unlikely to have cooking facilities, which are helpful for fussy eaters. However, some ski resorts may have a good mix of the two and it is important to make use of everything on offer, including kids’ clubs that allow you to take a break from parent duties! To avoid having your kids lug their ski gear around and walking in ski boots for long distances (not the most comfortable or natural thing to have to do!), ask your travel company for ski in and ski out accommodation. It’s normally much easier to get to your ski school – and so you can have a longer lie-in.
Don’t forget to make sure your travel insurance covers all of the winter sport activities that your family want to participate in.
Whether you’re a beginner or not, ski or snowboard lessons can help everyone improve their skills and confidence. Ask your travel company for more information on booking classes for your children on the slopes. You may also like to refresh your skills. The benefit of the whole family being in a ski school is that it gives you a little break and the chance for your children to make new friends.
You could book for a couple of days of lessons and see how they get on. It’s easy enough to book in further sessions if you want to. Consider having the odd morning or afternoon off from skiing and do something else with the kids, they’ll return to skiing fresh after the break.
On the day before ski school, take your children to the nursery slope first so you don’t feel you’re throwing them into a full ski week on their first day of ski school. Get them familiar with the equipment, the concept of skiing and being confident to stand up in their skis or snowboard.
Make sure you apply lots of sunscreen and lip balm and wear goggles or sunglasses. The sun on the slopes is doubly strong because of the high altitude and the reflection of UV rays from the snow. Your children may complain about wearing goggles or sunglasses but explain to them that without these the sun could give them a painful headache.
Get your children to wear lots of thin layers rather than just a couple of thick ones. It can get hot on the slopes from all of the exercise, so they need to be able to take their layers off. Thin layers can also easily fit into your backpack as well if they are taken off.
Depending on where you go, there are so many activities outside of skiing or snowboarding for the whole family in mountain resorts these days, including sledging, swimming in the hotel pool, building a snowman or walking through the resort village to buy a Nutella pancake or hot chocolate. At Christmas, many resorts will feel festive as well. Ask your travel company which resorts are best for off-piste children’s activities.
Young kids find it hard to cope with skiing and late nights, so you need to be sensible with how late you go out for the apres-ski with them. You’ll probably find that you and your children will be hungry more often than usual as you’re doing so much more exercise. Make sure you have wholesome meals and snacks for the slopes and don’t forget to drink plenty of water throughout the day too – your muscles will thank you.
Before you travel, get the whole family eating sensibly and exercising for a few weeks before hitting the slopes. The stronger their legs, the less they’ll complain about aching limbs!
Before you head off for the slopes, don’t forget to look at our tips to help keep you safe and healthy during your holiday in the snow.