There are so many rites of passage that our children go through. The obvious ones are all those baby and toddler milestones; being weaned onto solid food, sleeping through the night, learning to talk and to walk. Then, of course, there are things like the first day at nursery, and the first day at school.
One rite of passage not all children get to go through is to go ski-ing, yet for anyone who went on ski trips when they were little, it’s something that they’re likely to want to do for their own children.
Taking the kids to the slopes is more of an undertaking than taking them on a beach holiday. As well as being somewhere new; part of the reason of going is to learn a new skill. Some very experienced skiers might like to teach the kids themselves, but the best option is probably to book them into ski school, where you leave them in the hands of some expert skiers to acquire the basics. Many children will respond better to taking lessons from a stranger than from their parents too. After each lesson, you can take them off on the baby slopes yourself to help them practice what they’ve learned.
Of course, you may never have skied yourself so it may be that you and the kids are booked in for beginner lessons at the same time. However, if you are a competent skier, then booking the kids in at ski school allows you some time to get some decent ski-ing in on some of the more difficult pistes. Otherwise your trip might feel frustrating if all you’re doing is accompanying the kids up and down the nursery slopes.
If it’s a while since you went ski-ing, take a look at this article about looking good while skiing where you can see what celebs have been wearing on the slopes. It may give you some inspiration when you’re shopping for some new ski gear for your trip. You can pick up reasonably priced ski clothing for all the family these days, but it’s probably better to hire the boots, skis and poles for the kids even if you have your own equipment for you.
Choose the resort that you take the kids to with care, making sure that it can accommodate a variety of different skiing levels. Also, remember that younger kids will only be able to cope with a couple of hours of ski-ing a day. Some tour operators host a range of non-ski activities for kids in the afternoons, which would be another way to give you and your partner more free ski-time.
Also make sure that you’re not too far from the lifts and ski school where you’re staying. You’ll be carrying lots of ski gear – yours and the kids – so if you’re further than a few minutes away, make sure there’s a shuttle service to take you back and forth from the slopes.
Most parents approach their first ski trip with the kids with a slight sense of trepidation; but the majority will come home with memories of a fantastic time spent having fun as a family, and be booking next year’s trip as soon as they can.