Top 10 Tips for Taking Kids Skiing for the First Time

Top 10 Tips for Taking Kids Skiing for the First Time

Taking your child skiing for the first time is exciting – but it can also feel like a lot to organise.

What equipment do they need? Should they have lessons? How can you prepare them before they even see the snow?

The good news is that you don't need to make it complicated. A little preparation before your trip can make those first few days much easier and, most importantly, much more enjoyable.

Here are our Top 10 tips for taking kids skiing for the first time.

1. Don't wait until just before your holiday to try everything on

One of the easiest ways to avoid first-day drama is to let your child get familiar with their ski equipment before the holiday.

If you've bought a helmet, goggles or ski boots, let them try everything on at home. They can get used to how it feels by wearing them around the house and you can check that everything fits properly.

For very young children, Little Skiers' Beginner 70cm Toddler Skis and Poles can even be introduced at home. They're designed for walking and shuffling on snow rather than skiing on groomed pistes, helping little ones get used to having skis on their feet.  They are easy to wear around the house on carpets to play with and get used to walking in them

2. Book ski lessons

For a first-time skier, lessons can make a huge difference.

A qualified instructor can introduce the basics in an age-appropriate way and help your child learn how to balance, stop and turn.

We recommend buying the book "If They Can They Can Ski " a practical guide by Tori, an ex-ski racer, mother of 4 and a renowned snowpsorts teacher with over 20 years of experience.  Brilliant advice on how to prepare for your fist holiday and jam packed with ideas for when you are there too.  

3. Choose the right equipment

Children's ski equipment should be appropriate for their age, size and ability.

For younger children, simple equipment can help them get comfortable with the idea of skiing. Little Skiers' toddler skis are lightweight plastic skis with adjustable bindings that fit over normal snow boots and are designed for gentle snow play and early balance practice.

For children moving onto proper skis, make sure their boots, skis and bindings are correctly fitted and adjusted.  Don't forget to weigh your child beforehand - when fitting hired skis they always ask for weight and height of children.

4. Get the helmet sorted first

A properly fitted ski helmet should be one of the first things on your checklist.

Let your child try it on before the holiday and make sure it fits securely. It's also worth checking how their goggles sit with the helmet.

Little Skiers stocks children's ski helmets from the smallest toddler size up to youth/adult sizing.  Why not add a CoolCasc helmet cover or HoxyHeads to make the helmet more fun and easier to recognise on the slopes.

❄️Consider buying a ski helmet - hired ski helmets are not automatically guaranteed to have never been dropped, impacted or involved in a skiing accident.

❄️This is an important consideration when hiring ski equipment, particularly for children.

A ski helmet can look perfectly fine on the outside but still have suffered internal damage following an impact. Even if there are no visible cracks, the protective EPS foam inside may have been compressed, reducing its ability to absorb another impact.

What should you know about hired ski helmets?

• Previous accidents: Unless the hire company has a documented inspection and replacement policy, you cannot assume a helmet has never been involved in an accident.

• Dropped helmets: A significant drop can potentially damage the helmet, even if there is no obvious external damage.

• Visual inspections: Hire companies should inspect helmets between customers, but a visual check cannot always identify internal impact damage.

• Helmet age: Helmets can deteriorate with age and repeated use, so replacement policies matter.

  The CDC Heads Up advises that helmets involved in serious crashes or showing damage must be replaced

5. Let them practise walking in ski equipment

For younger children, simply getting used to ski equipment can be a big part of the learning process.

Before heading onto a slope, practise walking, turning around and standing up while wearing their skis.

Little Skiers' toddler skis are particularly useful for this. Their design allows young children to shuffle and walk on flat snow, helping them become familiar with balance and movement.

Keep it short and fun. Five minutes of practice is better than forcing them to keep going when they've had enough.

6. Consider a ski harness for little ones

If you're taking a toddler or young child skiing, a Hobbledehoo Ski Harness can be useful as they learn.

The harness gives an adult more control while helping guide a child as they become comfortable on skis. Little Skiers also notes that the front and rear handles can make it easier to assist a child after a fall as well getting them on and off the chair lifts safely.

It's particularly useful during those early stages when your child is learning to control their speed and direction.

7. Explain what skiing will actually be like

Before your holiday, talk to your child about what they can expect.

Explain that they'll be wearing ski boots, walking with skis, travelling on lifts and learning to slide down gentle slopes.

It can help to show them pictures or videos of children skiing so the experience doesn't feel completely unfamiliar when they arrive.

Most importantly, explain that falling over is normal. It doesn't mean they've failed – it's simply part of learning.

8. Don't expect too much on the first day

The first day isn't about covering loads of kilometres or getting to the bottom of a big mountain.

For a young beginner, success might simply be:

• Putting their skis on without a fuss

• Walking in their ski boots

• Getting comfortable on skis

• Learning to stop

• Trying their first little slide

• Having a go at a lesson

Keep expectations realistic and celebrate the small achievements.

9. Familiarise them with the mountain rules

Before your child starts skiing, teach them a few simple rules.

Explain that they need to:

• Listen to their instructor.

• Look around before setting off.

• Stay in control.

• Give other skiers space.

• Stop somewhere safe.

• Follow piste signs.

• Stay on runs suitable for their ability.

You don't need to give them a huge lecture. Introduce the rules gradually and reinforce them as they ski.

10. Keep the first experience positive

Perhaps the most important tip of all: don't turn the first ski holiday into a test.

Your child doesn't need to master skiing in a week.

There may be falls, wobbles, tired legs and moments when they decide they don't want to ski anymore. That's completely normal.

Give them time to explore, let their instructor teach them and celebrate every little bit of progress.

Remember - If they finish their first ski trip thinking “I want to do that again!”, you've already had a successful first skiing experience ⛷️