Our daughter is now 5 years and 9 months old and by now she has changed three pairs of ski boots and skis and four ski outfits. She has conquered slopes in Bulgaria (Bansko & Kartala), the Netherlands (Zoetermeer), Austria (Ischgl, Mayrhofen, See, Sölden), and Switzerland (Saas-Fee).

Some of our friends started asking how we introduced skiing to her so this article is meant to give parents some tips and tricks on how to encourage skiing from an early age and also the courage to go for it.

1. It’s never too early to hit the slopes

Our daughter was 1,5 years old when she put her first skis on. It was 25 December 2020, Christmas Day. She had just started walking 6 months ago. We were in Bulgaria for the Christmas holiday and we went to Ski Park Kartala near Blagoevgrad. It was a foggy but dry and quiet day in the mountains.

My parents-in-law kept the first ski boots of my husband (size 23) and his old plastic skis (36 years old).

Skiing at the age of 1,5 years consists of putting the ski boots and skis on and walking around exploring the snow and the surroundings.

Besides walking on skis, it’s important to let your kids play with the snow, enjoy the sun, the sounds of nature, the music (if you are in a tourist area), and get used to the overall experience of walking in ski boots and being part of the winter holiday experience.

The next winter the experience was similar with a bit of a twist. Her daddy would put her between his legs and they would go down short distances together.
You can also expand the experience with the Magic Carpet lift (a conveyor belt-style lift shown on the photo below).

The year after we would let her alone on the skis for a short distance while one of us was on the top and the other one at the bottom. No turns yet. Just gaining a bit of speed and enjoying the wind in her face.

Be mindful that skiing at this early age may also mean allowing time for naps on the slopes or on the way home 🙂

Last but not least, to be able enjoy a skiing holiday with a kid below 5 years old who is not yet a proper skier, you could consider inviting your parents or parents-in-law so you can enjoy the experience as well while they are helping out in the mornings, during the naps and/or in the evenings. We are forever grateful to both of our families for all their sacrifices during our holidays.

2. Kids Ski School is an absolute must

Elena’s first formal ski school experience was in Sölden, Austria. She was 3,5 years old.

The school was in total 4 hours (10:00 to 3:00 pm) – 2 hours before lunch and 2 hours after a 1 hour lunch break.

You may think that this would be too much for your kid. Don’t worry, besides the short magic carpet lifts, there were games in the snow, gummy bear treats, and gentle play time so kids don’t have to feel the pressure to concentrate or perform on the skis for a long period of time.

The two main skills to gain at this stage are introducing “pizza” as a way to stop and going down short distances with your skis resembling the format of “fries”.

When she was 4,5 she obtained her second skiing certificate in the indoor ski facility in SnowWorld, Zoetermeer in The Netherlands. The course was for beginners even though she had some experience already as she was still young we didn’t push the limits.

At 5 and a half years we signed her up for the highest level for her age – Level 4 “Skiing Expert”. The course consisted of 4 classes of 50 min – 1 x per week in four consecutive weeks. They started at the second slope in terms of difficulty and quickly moved forward towards the most advanced slope. They also introduced ski jumps and speed exercises.

Besides the formal ski schools, going on a skiing holiday with another family with older kids who are more experienced skiers is another effective way that can both save you money for ski schools and ensure your kid’s motivation and skiing pleasure.

We are forever grateful to Sofi (9 years old at the time) and Yan (13 years old at that time), Elena’s cousins and sweetest and most impressive skiing teachers!

3. Handy packing tips

It goes without saying that the weather conditions in the mountain could be rough. No matter what the weather forecast may be, always be prepared with multiple layers that you can put on or take off depending on the conditions because you don’t want to end up in a challenging situation with a little kid.

You don’t necessarily have to invest in expensive brands. Kids at this age grow so quickly and you won’t repeat a skiing season with the same attire. Decathlon is quite ok and affordable for accessories such as skiing socks, base layer, mid layer, a helmet. It’s important to carry two pairs of warm gloves (ideally mittens) and socks at all times as kids play in the snow and may drop their gloves which could make them wet on the inside and ruin your day. It’s worth investing the most in the outer layer, especially in terms of the water resistance so you know you are well prepared in case you end up in rough conditions. For more professional tips when it comes to skiing layers for beginners, I encourage you to check out this article.

The sun in the mountains can be very annoying when it’s in your face so sunglasses or skiing goggles are an absolute must.

In terms of your backpack for on the slopes, don’t forget a high-protection sun cream – there are cold creams and sticks that are easy to apply (I can recommend Avéne SUNSISTICK KA SPF50+ ). A bottle of water and some small sweets/cookies/gummy bears can serve you very well if your kid gets tired and can use some extra stimulation on the slopes.

I don’t mean to scare you off but there hasn’t been a single ski holiday when my daughter or someone of us hasn’t fallen sick. At this early the immune system is still developing so better be prepared with at least a nose spray and a fever remedy (paracetamol and ibuprofen) so at least we can make it through the night.

Health insurance is key in case you need to visit doctor or call an ambulance (which happened to us once in Austria in the middle of the night).

5. Overcoming fear

Here you probably expect to read about how to help your kid overcome fear when they start skiing.

Sorry to disappoint you but in our case this was not a problem at all.

While my daughter has always been excited about skiing and fearless to attack a slope (or any new challenge for that matter), the biggest challenge for me was to see my daughter vulnerable and accept that keeping her safe was to a very small extent within my control.

I have gone through hell and keep going through hell when she is on skis. My head is spinning with all kinds of possible scenarios and fear of her falling and hurting herself badly.

I won’t lie when I say that getting into the car would finally mean that we’ve made it through the day successfully.

It’s funny that the topic of one of my first blog articles was “Sometimes the fear won’t go away, so you’ll have to do it afraid”. I am constantly reminding myself that fear is part of life. Especially when we are out of our comfort zone, learning a new skill, or learning to let go as a first-time parent.

A few tips & tricks I have learned over the years

Constant attempts to rationalize my fear – her length, weight and overall size would most probably not cause her crash in the most dangerous ways I could envision in my head. I am desperately trying to replace the negative outcomes in my head with positive ones – she is strong, capable, and will succeed.
Let her ski with my husband and without me being there – during her first attempts on the big slopes I decided to not be there at all because I didn’t want my fear and panic to become hers and influence her experience.
Go first and let her follow me – that way I am leading and not looking at her while she is coming down
I am not a religious person but I must admit that in critical moments praying felt comforting 🙂

Despite all of the above I think for us the biggest driving factor for success was my husband who is the one initiating all of our ski trips, always pushing the limits and trusting that it’s all going to be alright. Hence, all credits go to him.

The only credit I would give to myself is for not blocking him and being part of the journey despite my fears.

6. The Outcome

As with all hard things in life, on the other side of fear, risk and sweat is success.

At the age of 5 my daughter:

has 3 medals and certificates from formal ski schools
has conquered her first black slope in Ischgl when she was only 4 years old. The weather conditions allowed for it as the snow was heavy and slow. It was a long black slope from the top, followed by a red. It took us probably 1.5 hours to get down and a lot of small chocolates and gummy bears during the descent.
can comfortably come down red slopes. In fact, they are her favorite – she does good turns which does not allow her skies to go too fast. Surprisingly, blue slopes are the most annoying ones for both her and us because she doesn’t ski with sticks and she ends up stuck unless someone comes and pulls her.
can get on and off pull lifts and normal lifts all on her own
can do bumps and is even enjoying it.
can handle extreme weather – strong wind, fog, heavy snowfall

Sharing the skiing experience as a family, with all its ups and downs, risks and fears, falls and successful descents is an amazing family bonding experience. Being able to enjoy your hobby with your little one is something that I would never forget and I hope my daughter would one day appreciate.