Starting a 4 year old in skiing

[MadMadWorld]

New member but relevant experience, I think. Agree with many, don't go on Friday or Saturday morning. Will be far too cold and definitely not fun. Shoot for either Saturday afternoon or Sunday.

I started my twin girls just before their 4th birthday, 3 years ago, at Mohawk Mountain in Cornwall, CT. The only requirement was that it was close to home and it be a sunny day. I knew that they wouldn't care how big or fancy the resort was, and I knew that I wouldn't be doing any skiing and would spend all my time with them. So, recommendation number one is go as close to home as possible so if she lasts only 2 hours you won't be annoyed.

Rather than lessons, I simply put them on skis, helped them up the magic carpet and skied backward in front of them as they went straight down the hill. Didn't care about turns, tried to show them how to snowplow but it really was about having fun and being comfortable sliding. That was probably an hour at most and there were liberal hot chocolate rewards from a thermos at the bottom.

Took them on the really short beginner's lift and used my poles as an outrigger so they could experience some more speed and generally have a blast. Again, not much teaching, more about associating skiing with fun. I could tell when they got tired when there was a whole lot of weight on the poles. That was the cue for a break. That first day lasted from about 9:30 to 2:00, including 45 mins for lunch. I was surprised it lasted as long as it did.

Now, they are pretty good skiers, able to ride the lifts comfortably and doing a ski club every Saturday with 2 hour lessons and then skiing with me afterward. We have a blast and can handle more challenging weather conditions without too much complaining. Put in the effort now to give her a good experience and you'll have a great ski buddy going forward.

Great advice and welcome a board!

 

[dlague]

We have a snowboarder who started with skiing at two and a half (tethered). At 5 he was really good and he was comfortable almost anywhere but then wanted to start snowboarding at 6. So in first grade, his school had a ski program every week (6 weeks) on Thursday afternoon (noon to 5). We basically made him ski with us and snowboard in the school program. By the end of the 6 weeks, he was with us snowboarding during the spring. At age 7, he went to 100% snowboarding and now at age 11 can rip it up! In large part we are a 25+ times per season family which also helped.

Repetition is the best learning tool!

 

[SkiFanE]

Biggest advice - gauge your kid's mood and ability that day. One of my kids started at 2.5yo riding the magic carpet (we didn't "ski" we "rode the magic carpet"), took to it right away without whining or complaint. First year was just MC, then at 3yo we did more of that, then I believe that's when we got him lessons - once he was able to balance and ready to stop. Husband and I are lifelong skiers, so we really have no idea how to 'teach'...but couldn't imagine his first days being in a group without us there either.

Another kid started at 4yo..she didn't have the mood or attitude to be ready...so one day and done til next year. Then she took to it. Oldest started later (6yo) at a small feeder hill close to home in a group lesson...bad idea...probably why we went on our own with the next 2.

Handwarmers, hot cocoa breaks, candy bribes in pocket...anything you can do to make it fun fun fun. There is no race to ski at a certain age, so go with the flow and have a blast...it's tiring but so much fun! A day on the MC can be as hard as a day of bump runs haha.

 

[lerops]

Thanks all, this is really helpful. Lots of great advice here.

I was hoping to put her in ski school, and they would make it fun and have her like skiing. Are there particularly good places known for their kid programs, in addition to Camelback and Bromley mentioned above. I guess I can get to Catskills, Berkshires, South Vermont for 2-3 day trips. And northern areas for longer.

Agree with the comment that it is a great family sport. I really want her to start asking to go skiing by the end of this season, so appreciate all the comments and your experience very much. It seems to be as much important to deter a bad experience as to create a good one!

 

[derivative666]

I live 5 min from Mountain Creek in NJ (season pass for me and my son) my 5 year old is learning this season. So far he has had 2 full day kids camps and 5 days out, he loves it. 2 rules be patient and listen to them. When they are done you are done. If you aren't patient and don't listen they will hate it.

 

[mikestaple]

Have her walk around in the backyard with her skis on. Then go on a warm day (20s).

Other then that it depends on your child's temperament. Half day lesson for the shy. Then one or two short runs with mom or dad after lunch. Full day / multiple day immersion for the aggressive knucklehead. Either way it is all about outdoor winter fun. Not skiing. 4 is a great age to start. They have control of their muscles and can really ski once they get their minds and bodies around it. Enjoy!

 

[lerops]

Reporting back.

Took my daughter out the first time today. Skipped the Friday, and Sunday looks to have some liquid snow in the forecast, so we stayed local. We went to Thunder Ridge, and it was a success!

I take her on the snow all the time, so she is used to it. After a little bit of snow play, I dropped her off at Ski School beginner 4-7 yr old lesson. She was on the magic carpet and sliding down the little area. She seemed to be enjoying herself without any drama. Then I picked her up and we did some more magic carpet. A bit more drama with me, but when we ended it, she was asking to stay, and asking to go on the chairlifts.

So, mission accomplished for now! Thanks all for the advice.

 

[MadMadWorld]

Reporting back.

Took my daughter out the first time today. Skipped the Friday, and Sunday looks to have some liquid snow in the forecast, so we stayed local. We went to Thunder Ridge, and it was a success!

I take her on the snow all the time, so she is used to it. After a little bit of snow play, I dropped her off at Ski School beginner 4-7 yr old lesson. She was on the magic carpet and sliding down the little area. She seemed to be enjoying herself without any drama. Then I picked her up and we did some more magic carpet. A bit more drama with me, but when we ended it, she was asking to stay, and asking to go on the chairlifts.

So, mission accomplished for now! Thanks all for the advice.

Great news! Sounds like you have a little ripper in the making

 

[Shewolfe]

I started my son on ski is at age 2. For the first two years, he basically ski is between my legs while I held him under the arms. We kept emphasis on Fun. Sometimes we would do the rope tow on the local hill and he had more fun going up the tow on my lap than skiing down. But it was fun. Hard on my back, but I knew eventually it would be worth it. At age 4, I put him in lessons. By then he was so used to the snow he was ready. I invested in private lessons and it was soo worth the investment. The instructor got him going independently pretty quickly. Now he is 21 years old, and he can literally ski circles around me. He raced in high school (on 2 different teams) and he takes a trip out west every winter.

I wasnt a great skier so I wasn't comfortable with the tether ropes. But between my legs worked fine.

Good luck and make sure your child has fun (even if your not!) It will be worth it.

 

[gladerider]

just saw this post. glad your first day worked out. i will share with you my approach that worked for my 2 daughters.

1. started the first at 4 and the other one at 3.5
2. taught them how to stand up and slide down straight myself which took them about a day or two
3. once they knew how to slide down, i put them in a week long ski school at tremblant, which they put about 5-6 kids in a group, at the beginning of the season
4. once they come out of the ski school, their confidence is high, with that momentum i took them everywhere in the northeast almost every other week on a 2 day weekend trips

by their second season, they were skiing fantastic. i did that until they were about 10. then they all switched to snowboarding.
i skied with them until they were about nine and i switched to snowboarding and they followed.
this year i bought them skis so they can occasionally mix it up.
winter is their favorite season. they love long family ski trips. i religiously captured their learning period in my camcorder. they still watch it these days. great memories.
ever since i taught my kids how to ski, it has become a huge part of our lives. it's great to share so much time together and enjoy something together.
enjoy!

 

[canobie#1]

I started at 2 years old at Yawgoo Valley in RI. With two chailifts and two rope tows, they have an amazing ski school. I also did ski school at Killington, Ramshead and Snowshed are ski-school oriented and they have a great crew. My sister also did ski school at Attitash which she loved.

 

[Big Game]

Put my very reluctant 4 year old boy in Okemo school on Dec 28th at Jackson Gore. My sister put her 3 in the program (5,5 & 7).

With the kids in school, we took off for the mountain. Had a blast. Came back to Jackson Gore at 2 pm. I couldn't believe it. There was my boy coming down the little hill, he threaded a needle to get in between two other kids and had a huge smile on his face.

The next day, we spent the day one-on-one with the kids on the bunny hill. They were having fun. My sisters kids were doing laps. My boy just didn't want to make any sort of controlled stop. He refused to wedge as he was taught. I was getting a bit frustrated, but then I remembered, most important thing is for him to have fun. So we made a came out of making tracks in the snow. He really didn't want to leave.

Now that he is comfortable and likes it, I think one of those harnesses would be key. Also for me as well. I'm a boarder w/o skies (right now) so I was just in boots running down the mountain with him.

 

[JohnQ]

Congrats to all of the successes here, especially the OP. I had to drag my girls off the mountain at 6:00 last night. I've found they are natural mimics. If I demonstrate good form in turns they really try and tip those skis on edge.

 

[bobbutts]

Yeah, check your local areas
In my area, I'd go to Pat's Peak. Main attraction is a carpet area that's totally segregated from the other traffic.

 

[buellski]

Lots of great advice here. I'll add that, if you can, take a 4+ day trip to Smuggs and put your little one in the daily program there. It is a great program to get kids started. We did a 5 day trip with my son when he was about a month shy of turning 4. He started on Monday and by Wednesday they had him riding the beginner lift and skiing down. I was absolutely amazed at how quickly they had him skiing and how much he enjoyed the program.

 

[OzSkiCT]

You might consider Ski Sundown in New Hartford CT, which is where I teach. The Ski School have the Puffin program aimed at 4-6 year olds. It runs over a series of 5 weekends or 4 weekdays (with a week between each lesson so they don't get tired out) and the ratio is typically 1 or 2 students per instructor. They have a small carpet in the Puffin Pen to get them sliding, making their first wedge stops and wedge turns, and then they move up to the larger carpet that runs on a gentle loop and is perfect for working on turn shape. There is a separate Sunnyside area with a progression of wide and relatively easy green trails, separate from the main part of the mountain traffic. The emphasis is on Safety, Fun, and of course, Learning to ski.

See http://skisundown.com/Lessons-Packages/Programs/Kids-Teen-Programs/Puffins

Having worked in the Puffin Pen and knowing many of the other instructors that do, I can say that I believe the program works pretty well.

They also offer Parent & Tot lessons to give parents a chance to participate in the learning process and come away with a series of ideas to engage their child and keep them learning and progressing.

 

[RichT]

Next year Smugglers Notch Vermont!!!!!!!!!! The best for kids, and a great mtn for you!

 

[MadMadWorld]

You might consider Ski Sundown in New Hartford CT, which is where I teach. The Ski School have the Puffin program aimed at 4-6 year olds. It runs over a series of 5 weekends or 4 weekdays (with a week between each lesson so they don't get tired out) and the ratio is typically 1 or 2 students per instructor. They have a small carpet in the Puffin Pen to get them sliding, making their first wedge stops and wedge turns, and then they move up to the larger carpet that runs on a gentle loop and is perfect for working on turn shape. There is a separate Sunnyside area with a progression of wide and relatively easy green trails, separate from the main part of the mountain traffic. The emphasis is on Safety, Fun, and of course, Learning to ski.

See http://skisundown.com/Lessons-Packages/Programs/Kids-Teen-Programs/Puffins

Having worked in the Puffin Pen and knowing many of the other instructors that do, I can say that I believe the program works pretty well.

They also offer Parent & Tot lessons to give parents a chance to participate in the learning process and come away with a series of ideas to engage their child and keep them learning and progressing.

Really? they do parent and tot lessons? I would have hated that. Nothing worse than an overbearing parent standing over you.

 

[OzSkiCT]

Really? they do parent and tot lessons? I would have hated that. Nothing worse than an overbearing parent standing over you.

Most parents take it for what it is meant to be, i.e. a chance to learn how to help their tot to learn to ski. They are right there with the instructor and participate in the instruction process, so they see first-hand what their child can and can't do. They can also help explain things in ways that they know their child can relate to, which an instructor normally can only discover over time with the child through trial and error (remember, we've never seen most children before they turn up for a lesson).

Parents whose kids are already on skis tend to be the ones who overestimate where they are at. Just because they've been to the top of the mountain and skied down a blue/black trail in a near-straight "power wedge" does not make them great skiers ...

 

[MadMadWorld]

Most parents take it for what it is meant to be, i.e. a chance to learn how to help their tot to learn to ski. They are right there with the instructor and participate in the instruction process, so they see first-hand what their child can and can't do. They can also help explain things in ways that they know their child can relate to, which an instructor normally can only discover over time with the child through trial and error (remember, we've never seen most children before they turn up for a lesson).

Parents whose kids are already on skis tend to be the ones who overestimate where they are at. Just because they've been to the top of the mountain and skied down a blue/black trail in a near-straight "power wedge" does not make them great skiers ...

Maybe it was just different clientele. Most parents have no idea how to relate skiing in ways the child understands....that's why they put them in a lesson. If you make a good 1st impression you gain a child's trust in minutes. And it's smooth sailing from there. Hard to do that when mom or dad are there. They will almost always look to the parent for guidance and reassurance. I come from the school of thought that it's best for kids to have their own instruction, gather up with the parents after, and give the parents a drill that they go off and reinforce with the child after the lesson. Just my .02 cents!