What age did your LO start skiing?

[Linzter]

I'm wondering what age everyone's kids started skiing (referring to toddlers). I figure this is a good group to ask as we're into skiing ourselves!

Also, what type of gear did they start off with - those silly strap on skiis, or did you wait until they could fit into the "real" stuff?

 

[RockSki]

My son started skiing at age 3, about one month before turning 4. He started with boots and skis made for this age group - regular bindings. He had already begun to ice-skate and I believe that really helped. I am nostalgic ! Enjoy every moment.

 

[Linzter]

I'm so excited for him to start RockSki! I think we are still a year off, but I'm looking ahead What age did he start skating at?

 

[mustski]

I started my son at 4 yrs and we rented regular equipment and put him in a combo morning. He had some "magic carpet" lessons and snow play with A LOT of snacks and hot chocolate. The second time, they took him up the bunny run on the chair and we followed through with afternoon family play on the bunny run. From there, we just kind of let it take it's own course according to his level of "fun" and found that he enjoyed it as long as we enjoyed it. We did a lesson about every 3rd or 4th day. We weren't skiing every weekend then.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

2 pushing 3 (xmas baby). First season was pretty much just a sliding deal, edge use pretty minimal. “Real” equipment. (Haha, I think the binding DIN range was .5-2.5) No magic carpets in those years, hauled him up between our legs on rope tow. (I had strong legs that year?) Bigger challenge was pit stops - and getting there in time!

It was apparently was enough exposure that, the following winter, he found all edges within days and was on his way.

Be prepared for fatigue meltdowns....
OMG.
Some were nuclear.

 

[Sheena]

My daughter just turned three. We have a season rental with real ski boots and skis in her size. We started her a little last year, gliding in the front yard, practicing walking in the boots in the house and a little on the magic carpet. This year, we are letting her glide a little bit. Here is a video from this weekend. She keeps talking a"skied all by herself". Later this season we plan to do a mom or dad and me private lesson and try getting her on the bunny slope lift.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10153561500040247&l=8169128939499576370

 

[Dtrick924]

My parents actually started us on cross country skis first. I was 5 and my brother was 3. First time on down hill skis, I was 8 and my brother was 6.

 

[mustski]

Be prepared for fatigue meltdowns....
OMG.
Some were nuclear.

Funniest one I ever saw was a little guy just around 3 yrs. Dad was making him come in at about 3:00. Little Man was screaming "no,no,no" and throwing a tantrum. Dad bent over, unclicked his skis, and threw him over his shoulder in a "fire man's lift." Little Man was sound asleep before they made it inside the lodge!

 

[powderfan]

Sorry for the empty box above. When I tried to reply, I had some computerproblems and I couldn't reply, or remove my false reply.

Here's the real reply:
My son started when he was three years old. It was his own Idea; he asked "When can I go skiing" He was probably more attracted to the gear: helmet and ski's with a spider on it he saw in a shop, than to the whole idea of skiing.
He started with 2 hour-classes a day in Austria. When we picked him up after his first ski lesson and asked how he had been doing he answered: "There were two groups: the crying skiers and the not-crying skiers. I was in the group with the not crying skiers. " The next year they only had classes for a whole day, which made him progress fast.
Although I'm a skiinstructor I never taught him myself. I want to go skiing myself and he doesn't want to listen to my instructions advice etc. He is twelve now and a (very) good skier, considering the fact that the closest mountain to ski is 700 miles from our house. He skis bumps, powder en icy steeps with a good technique and still enjoys skiing. We ski a lot together and I try to keep my mouth shut about anything he could improve in his technique. Skiing with your kids is so much fun.

About the ski's for small kids. Those ski's with straps are not real skis. They don't glide or steer. Best are modern shaped ski's at brestlength, no poles. If you can afford hiring or buying modern shaped ski's, then do so. Although it is tempting, don't use old straight skis from a cousin or a friend. The old straight skis are far more difficult to steer for kids than the shaped ones. In my kids-classes I've seen too many kids struggling with a cousin's old skis that still looked so good. It wasn't fun for them.

Have fun with your little one

 

[Pequenita]

Sorry for the empty box above. When I tried to reply, I had some computerproblems and I couldn't reply, or remove my false reply.

Hey, I deleted it for you.

 

[2ski2moro]

My friends wanted to start the youngest of their 4 children at age 3, but the little guy wanted no part of skiing. What he DID want was to wear his ski boots. He clomped around the house and out in the snow in those boots all winter. The next year, he was ready to ski at age 4, and went willingly into his lessons.

 

[marzNC]

I opted to wait until age 4 because that's the minimum age for ski school in the southeast. Wasn't worth the driving time before then. Had we lived closer to a mountain with natural snow and had a season pass, might still have waited since my DH doesn't ski. Spending a day at a ski area with a little one who isn't in ski school means not skiing very much if don't have two parents who ski or a good friend willing to help out.

 

[Linzter]

Thanks for all the replies everyone! My little guy is only 19 months and already on a balance bike. I'm sure he's too young to start this year, but sleds and playing in the snow are on the agenda! I would love to start him next year and will avoid the strap skis. We'll get him the modern real ones though, and just keep an eye open for used ones

Excited for our first trip to the mountain this year!

 

[Skidiamonds]

We started dd at 2.5. Our mountain has a seasonal rate for daycare, so she came with us every day we skied, but we only took her out on the hill on the nice days. Sometimes we paid for a lesson, other times we would get her from the daycare and spend the last hour or two skiing with her. I got all her gear at play it again sports for around $60 with a coupon from the warren miller movie. Keep in mind that you'll spend as much time suiting up and undressing as you will actually skiing with them. She was a natural, bombing the bunny hill dh "pitching" and me "catching" at the bottom so she wouldn't crash into people. This year we will focus more on turning and stopping

 

[Sami]

My son was 4 and he started with real skis and boots. My daughter was 2 the same winter. We got her the plastic strap on skis, and we towed her around with the wooden hand-held T-bar (forget what it's called now). They weren't expensive, and it was fine for her-- she went to ski day care while her brother was at ski school and after we picked them both up, we'd pull them around on the bar. The next year, when she was 3, she was still too young for ski school but wanted to ski. She had real equipment, and we put her in half day day-care at the mountain and after lunch, we taught her to ski. We used tip clips, and skied right next to her, helping her learn to turn. The year she was 4, she did a seasonal Sunday program. That year, no more tip clips and she went from wedge turns on easy greens at the beginning of the season to her first "black" at Butternut (really more like a blue) by the end of the season. She was so proud! Now, she's 6 and happily skis all blue terrain (real blues), loves bumps and trees, but is still scared of steep and icy sections (quite sensibly). My 8 year old son skis blacks and bumps and trees and we keep revising down our estimate of when he'll better than we are!

 

[Linzter]

Thanks for everyone's responses! We're heading out on our first ski trip this year in a few days and I can't wait to get my son out playing in the snow I may search for something just to pull him around in the snow this year - and then look for some real skis when he's big enough!

 

[h2orider]

In his twos he walked around the yard in skis and at 3 started on real skis. A Lucky Bum backpack harness is awesome has a handle on top, makes it easy to get him on the lift as you need to lift them when they're that little and the "leashes" are great so you can stop/slow them if you need to. The edgy wedgie was awesome too, keeps their tips together when they're that little to help them snowplow so their skis are going all over the place. Have fun, the first few times is pretty tiring but worth it when you have a little ripper who loves it. They catch on really quick!

 

[Moonrocket]

We got the strap on skis for my daughter on her second birthday and let her ski around on them (we still use them for cross country skiing at 4). Just before she turned three we put her on alpine skis. She did great. This year at four her skills are great, but she's actually a little more tentative. We did the first ski school today and put her in level 3 vs. 4 where she ended last year . She had a ton of fun and wants to go back which is the goal. She did say she did easier stuff than last year. We'll let her choose if she wants to do 3 again or 4 next time. Skill wise she's a 4, but maturity wise I think level she prefers staying on greens.

 

[deannatoby]

We all started skiing the same year, kids were 4, 6, 8, and then the youngest started the next year at 4, as well. Started with normal boots, bindings, and skis. First we tried group lessons, which weren't very satisfactory. Still snow plowing and not enough control. Next step was to put them on ski team, and boy did they learn to ski! They all have great control at all speeds. So proud of them!

 

[Kootenay]

Started both kids at age two & three with real, old hand-me down, equipment. Just stuck to the magic carpet & playing on the snow piles. We wanted to expose them to the culture of skiing more so than the actual "doing" part! Started lessons at ages 4 & 5. Now they are ripping around the hill & having a blast! Lessons are the way to go... for us anyways, they just don't seem to listen to mom and dad the same!