Skiing with a 3-year old

Sports and Hobbies
21
People get cut off in lift lines by 3-4yr olds here who can hardly speak, have pacifiers in their mouths but sport giant and heavy helmets and ski like gods. Punks! Of course, they don't use ski poles (that's for babies). And are obviously too young to understand what waitng for one's turn is, lol. Ski lift and being heavy enough for it is probably the only obstacle.

I think you can teach kids to ski quite fast, most kids will love the adrenaline of skiing, just let them get on with it. I used to dislike the groups and loved the freedom of roaming on slopes, as a kid. All you have to do is explain the ski alignment, turns and breaking, that's about it. And then try to catch them.

Engelberg is a fab place for kids to start skiing.

22
The hardest part of teaching a young child to ski is patience and to have little to no expectations. Skiing should be fun and something kids want to do and not something the have to do.

My wife and i taught our kids, 3 and 5 to ski through making snow fun and convincing them that the best way to have fun on the snow is by skiing. It takes time and patience. We are both instructors with about 20 years experience behind us so we have learnt what works and what doesnt. There were countless times when we would get the kids ready, head to the kids area only to find out they don't want to ski anymore. We never forced the issue and would just have a hot chocolate and go home. We live 5 mins from the lifts in Lenzerheide so we are lucky to have the option. Even if you are on holidays you should have the same approch and just make snow fun. A 3 year old will ski for about an 1hr max at the beginning. My advice is to find free kids area like here that is set up for the young ones. Make sure they are safe, are having fun and the learning will come. Another trick we did was to put their skis in their room with all the toys. After all, skis are just toys.

Have fun,

Lucas

23
There's still good ways of doing it and bad ways.

Or are you suggesting there's no skill involved in teaching kids (through fun) when they are at that age?

24

Not everyone can teach a 3 year old to ski. It take a special type of person to do it well and needs a lot of skill. Sure, you can have a lesson plan but you might aswell leave it at home as young childs attention span is very small. Making games up as you go along to keep the child interested is the trick and it's easier said then done.

I like anyone to prove me otherwise

25
Brunei Alpthal is good for little ones. They have a ski slop just for beginners. Little cafe at the bottom for hot chocolate, a snow play area and a very save sledging run with magic carpet. Parking right opposite.

http://www.skiliftbrunni.ch/?gclid=C...FUG4Gwod03kGxw

26
Neusell in Rothenthurm offers one on one ski lessons for the kids and, as an added advantage, some of the ski instructors can speak English very well.

http://www.ski-schule-rothenthurm.ch/

27
Have you tried it with your little one? I ask, because we tried it with our two little ones (3 and 6), and I absolutely hated the whole thing! Which area were you in?

OP, we love Flims. My eldest was 5 when he took his first skiing lesson, and after two mornings of lesson, was able to go with his dad on one of the blue pistes near Crap Siog. He tried a blue piste in Engelberg (by Jochpass) and found it too difficult: my son kept saying they got the difficulty level wrong.

Flims is our all time favourite in terms of the facilities for the kids, but it is a long drive for us. Yesterday, we tried Flumserberg, and have to say it is a great place for kids! Plenty of space to practice with small kids!

last year my little one was 3, and you could not bribe him to get into skis! We mostly did sledging and had lots of snow fights instead. This year (turning 4 in a month), it is a different child! He constantly asks us when we are going skiing! so perhaps it is a good idea to give your little one time to enjoy skiing, rather than trying to get her to follow her dad's footsteps!

Happy skiing

28
I don't think anyone's likely to take you up on that

Rule#1-999 of ski piste gradings : apart from giving a small clue of relative difficulty within a given ski resort, they are almost meaningless.

Yes, the blue Engstelnalp pistes you're referring to can be quite challenging, certainly verging on the red if conditions are not perfect. The Crap Sogn Gion (St. John) runs in Flims are fabulous cruisers , and very much easier that those.

Also note that many of the reds here would be graded black in many other ski resorts.

29
To make a piste map look attractive to tourist's it needs to have Black, Red & Blue runs marked, then skiers if all levels will think its suitable for them

If there are 3 ways down then quite likely that at least 2 colours or more likely 3 will be used on the map