Best kids ski school

[vickiski]

Does anyone have an opinion on really good ski schools, for a 9yo.

The last 2 years we have been to Whistler (ski adventure camp) - it has been fun and my daughter is happy to go, but last year I'm not sure what they did all day, but absolutely no progression.

We are planning our January holidays and are completely flexible - Europe, Canada/US or Japan.

 

[marzNC]

Probably help to know a little more to help narrow the options somewhat. There are a lot of good ski schools. Where are you starting from? Where else has your family skied besides Whistler? How many ski days are you planning for this ski trip?

 

[vickiski]

Probably help to know a little more to help narrow the options somewhat. There are a lot of good ski schools. Where are you starting from? Where else has your family skied besides Whistler? How many ski days are you planning for this ski trip?

My daughter is level 4, good intermediate, copes with any blue but as they get steeper the snow plough returns. 2 teenage boys, happy anywhere. It is more about our daughter. She is a sweetie but poor attention span, needs small group (in Australia she has private lessons) and a confident teacher. Last teacher in Whistler didn't have great English or personality.
She has had 7d ski creche St Anton (3yo), 7d Val D'Isere (5yo), 7+7d Whistler (7+8yo) and numerous ski weekends in Australia.
My husband and I are advanced/intermediate. We have skied extensively in Europe, Whistler 3x, Heavenly Valley x1, Australia (over ice and rocks! - actually this year great). We will ski for a week, and combine it with a short break to somewhere else. Personally I am sick of European cities in winter (lived there for many years) and would prefer to take the kids to New York then on to ski, or Tokyo and then ski. It will be January (our school holidays) which is a pity, as I saw a 'Girls Rock' program in Colorado which would have been great.

 

[mustski]

It all comes down to the individual instructor more than "the school." I would also assume that your daughter's personality plays into a bit also. I was very nervous of steeps as a girl and it took me forever to progress beyond that fear. It held me back for a lot of years. In the end, it was an instructor who made me sing that got me over the hump. I guess I was more worried about sounding bad and so concentrated more on my singing and just skied. An individual lesson might be just what she needs. Have a talk with the ski school in advance so they know the goals. Other than that, you may have to let her cruise the blue runs for awhile until she gets through this stage.

Of course, a couple of instructors chimed in regarding a child with a similar issue and had some really excellent insights. Check this out:
https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/i...s-and-carving-a-different-kind-of-view.18357/

 

[Jilly]

If you decide on Whistler, let me know. I know a few instructors out there. Couple are really good with kids. Because of that I would have agree with the above. It's not just the school, its the person.

Also WB has an off piste program which a lot of the kids get into. Not every kid wants to race, so they started up an adventure type program. At Roxy we were in the trees with a bunch of 8 year olds! Great seeing them tackle the trees too.

Also - New York to Tremblant would not be that much of a stretch. But it's not the mountain that any of the places you mentioned are except maybe the Oz's ones.

 

[RuthB]

Ditto to what everyone else has said. We've been to a few places in North America with DS (who is now 10) and he has had lessons in NZ. We've had some fantastic experiences and some less fantastic experiences (sometimes at the same resort). Ultimately it has come down to the individual instructor, so I haven't said which were our best experiences.

One thing that we have learnt is that communicating with the ski school director / kids ski school director early in the season, well before you get there is really useful. For example, we've learnt that DS likes more experienced "technical" instructors who spend some time doing drills and who explain why they are doing something and what should happen; and then ripping interesting parts of the mountain (trees, off-piste) for the rest of the time. He also is at that age where being in a group with similar aged boys is his preference.

Being able to have an email discussion with ski school in advance (we book ski school in advance, but the best ones we have had DS begging to go back for more) allows them to think about rosters and groups in advance, and you to know whether adventure type programmes are available while you're there (many US camps only run for US holiday periods). Connecting when you get there closes the loop and means that you are not trying to communicate all of this information into the morning drop-off line up which is not great. This assumes you are planning on skiing post New Year so in the often relatively quietly period, I wouldn't advocate this for holiday weeks.

Also, in the past I've asked specific question about the availability of camps on the dates that we will be at a resort and it's been very worthwhile. Even if it's not badged as the camp and some activities (often extra-curricular) aren't available ski schools will often accommodate by matching your daughter with an instructor who also takes those camps and keep the group size small.

 

[marzNC]

@vickiski : besides looking for a good ski school, are you looking for ski in/out, a condo with a kitchen, someplace with non-skiing activities?

My daughter and her friends loved the Alta Ski School. We stay at Alta Lodge in April. Her ski school experience was from age 7-11, going from Level 5 to Level 8. She had skied a few seasons on little hills in the southeast U.S. for 5-10 days a season before going to Alta for the first time. The other girls who I know enjoyed Alta Ski School during a ski vacation were ages 6-12. Also know boys of all ages who like Alta Ski School.

If you your budget will allow staying at one of the Alta lodges, it's a very relaxing experience for parents. Some lodges have more activities for kids than others, but all are worth considering for a week that is all about skiing, good food, good company, and not too much else.

 

[spoonthefresh]

Sounds like your daughter would really benefit from a half-day private lesson, then maybe a PM group lesson with other kids her age (which is where she would normally be placed, if with a good school). I agree that it's best to be very specific in advance with what kind of instructor you are looking for: young, fun, energetic, male, female, goofy, strict, etc. and what goals your daughter has for herself (which will likely be different than the goals you have for her, which are also important to share when booking your lesson).
I might be biased, but the Stevens Pass Ski School in Washington has an excellent ski school with highly-trained instructors who are hired specifically to work with children. There is all kinds of terrain - 'red' runs to double diamond - but the only drawback is you won't find lodging on the mountain. Be sure to book in advance, because their ski school is well-known to fill up quickly, especially during holidays.

 

[Magnatude]

I'll second the Alta kids' ski school -- my daughter has had about 6 group lessons there, mostly with different instructors, over the course of two visits two years apart, and she's liked them all (including the instructors, who seemed like a cool bunch of dudes -- last visit they were all guys).

She's also had great experiences at Snowbasin and Solitude, also in Utah, and at Revelstoke in Canada.

I will add a caveat though -- all of these lessons were taken outside normal US/Canadian holidays, and the groups usually numbered no more than three. Quite often she was the only pupil. I think this was a big factor in their success -- as the youngest of her siblings by a long way, she has been virtually raised as an only child and thus relates fairly well to adults. So it's a big treat for her to have a grown-up instructor all to herself, and it must simplify their job too.

I'd also point out that Snowbasin and Solitude (and numerous others too, no doubt) are well off the radar for most Australian/NZ skiers, so outside US holidays and weekends, their ski schools really don't get a lot of business. And Revelstoke doesn't get a lot of families (or even that many women, when we went there four years ago), so ditto there for kids' ski school. Only drawback would be if your kids prefer the social or even competitive aspect of being in a bigger group and don't care so much about the amount of individual instruction they get.

 

[Magnatude]

The point of my last paragraph above was meant to be: look beyond the normal (ie off the radar of down-under travel agents) ski areas if you want smaller class sizes (and often no-one else in the class) in January. Most Utah ski areas fall into that category, with the possible exception of the three Park City areas -- Deer Valley, Park City and Canyons -- whose ski schools we haven't sampled. Generally the snow, terrain, facilities, accessibility, accommodation, cost etc are as good if not better than you'd find elsewhere. Some ski areas don't have much (or any, eg Snowbasin) in the way of on-mountain accommodation (or it's either expensive, eg Alta, or an expensive monopoly, eg in Canada, Revelstoke) which might explain why travel agents here don't get excited about them.

 

[Nic Nic]

Well I'd have to put in a good word for Smuggler's Notch in Vermont. If you'd like to visit the Northeast area of the United States, Smugg's is a highly rated family resort with an incredible lesson program. We have a wide array of trails for beginners through experts and the only triple black diamond runs in the East. Besides that, I think Vermont is a beautiful state and love to share it with anyone who will come visit!