Skiing – the perfect family holiday…?

Family ski holidays – picture the scene… sharing the excitement of your child completing their first solo run, skiing in the sunshine with your loved ones, wrapping up and making snowmen together, happy kids sledging while you enjoy a vin chaud at après… ah bliss!

Yes it’s true family skiing should be full of these magical experiences but in reality skiing with kids isn’t a walk in the park, and sadly sometimes the scene more likely involves stressed parents and unhappy children.  But fear not.. follow these guidelines and your family ski holiday will indeed be picture postcard perfect!

10 Top Tips for skiing with children

1) Transfer time

Choose a resort that has a short airport transfer time.  After an already long day of travelling if you have to endure a 3-4 hour minibus journey to your ski resort it can sometimes push the kids and the parents over the edge!

2) Time of year

Consider the needs of all the skiers in your group when deciding the dates of your ski trip.  If you’ve got really little ones it’s better to aim for Spring when conditions are warmer, if your kids are a bit bigger and can already ski then Christmas can be a great time with quiet pistes and all the fun and festivities.

3) Book lessons

On the whole it’s a bad idea to try and teach your children to ski by yourself.  Book a friendly ski school or even better a private instructor to take the kids in the mornings and not only will they master the skills more effectively it will also give parents some time to ski solo.

(Photo: BlueChilli Snow Sports)

4) Stay in a catered chalet

Who wants to finish their ski day and then go and queue in a supermarket for dinner supplies?  If budget allows book a catered ski chalet and have your breakfast, afternoon tea and evening meals provided for you.. it’s a lovely luxury that will make all the difference to your ski holiday.

5) Hire equipment

Rather than investing in skis, boots, and poles every year, hire equipment from a recommended provider in your resort.  Not only because kids grow so quickly but also because ski technology also changes and you’ll be assured of the most up to date kit from a local ski shop.  Many suppliers will include kids helmets in their packages but if not make sure you ask for one.. helmets aren’t only cool but essential for safety.

6) Wrap up warm

There’s nothing worse than being too cold when you’re skiing – and even more so for children.  For them it can be the difference between enjoying and hating the whole ski experience, so make sure everyone is correctly kitted out in terms of thermals, under layers, ski jacket / salopettes and good gloves.  If you’re new to skiing too then ask advice and borrow clothing from friends.

7) Safety / Rules of the mountain

Obviously without scaring them, make sure your children understand the general rules of the mountain and know what to do if they get split up from a group.  It’s also worth putting your phone number or business card in little ones pockets so they have your contact details on their person.

8) Ski with supplies

If one of the adults in the group doesn’t mind skiing with a rucksack it can be really useful to have a few supplies for children such as drinks, snacks, sun cream, tissues, and even a colouring book for lunchtimes.  When the kids are heading off to ski school pop a little snack in their pocket and even a bit of cash for hot chocolate stops.

9) Other activities

The likelihood of you doing a full day’s skiing every day with children is quite slim.  Learning to ski is a tiring and physical experience especially for little ones, and it’s important not to push them to do more when they’ve had enough.  Being in a resort with other ‘non-skiing’ activities is a great bonus so that the fun doesn’t stop when you leave the slopes.

10) Introduction to skiing

Skiing can be quite a daunting experience for children so if you have the opportunity to give them an introduction to it PRE holiday it can really help.  A visit to a dry slope or snow dome will help kids to understand about all the equipment, experience how it feels to wear ski boots and hopefully make them really excited about doing it for real in the mountains!

NINE & TENNE offers a premium range of luxury chalets for family ski holidays in the charming French resort of Chatel.