Ive yet to meetor raisea young child who was super excited to go to ski school for the first (or even second) time. Sure, Im sure some kids love it, but lets just say that for certain age groups, tears at ski school are almost as common as runny noses.
Having two daughters, weve spent years going through various ski schools and private instructors in different countries. Weve even tried to teach them ourselvesand lets just say, weve spent more money on all of this than Id ever care to add up or mention out loud.
Our goal wasnt just to teach them how to ski; we wanted them to love it. So, the investment was worth it, but there were definitely some adventures along the way.
For us, getting the kids on skis has had its ups and downs, ranging from This is the best ever! I love skiing! to the occasional tear-filled momentand even a report that went something like, Uh, your daughter ran away from ski school today.
Like with many things we tried with our firstborn, I think we went “too much, too soon” with some of the ski activities.
That being said, every kid is different. What was too much for one might be just right for another. After more than a decade of snowy highs and lows under our ski boots, here are my thoughts on the best age to start kids on skis.
Ski School Starts as Young as 2 1/2 Years Old
During the pandemic, many ski resorts paused their child care services, but now most of the major mountains are once again offering child care for kids as young as 8 weeks old. As for ski school programs, where kids actually get on skis and hit the snow, these have traditionally started around age 3. However, more and more resorts are offering hybrid ski-and-play programs for kids as young as 2