17 Best Tips For Skiing With A Toddler
Is it fun to go skiing with a toddler?
Both Carl and I love skiing and between us, we have done many ski seasons without kids. We’ve been to Europe, Asia and New Zealand to ski pre-kids. We decided that once our kids were ready, we’d wanted them to ski. And hoped that they would love skiing as much as we do. So we gave skiing with a toddler a go and loved that too!
We took Cameron on his first ski trip when he had just turned 2 years old as we wanted him to start at a young age. Our first resort was Tignes in France where we headed for a long weekend to test the water and stay with our friends out there. Don’t get me wrong, it’s hard work skiing with a toddler, but it’s also a lot of fun too!
The idea of skiing with your kids might terrify you or excite you. So we’ve got the 17 best ski tips and tricks that you need for a successful first ski trip with a toddler.
1. Buy Good Ski Gear For Skiing With A Toddler
Getting the right ski gear is the best way to make sure that everyone has fun on the mountains!
Buying great ski clothes and equipment don’t have to cost a lot! Lots of resorts rent out things such as skis, boots and helmets. For clothing, we love to borrow gear from our skiing family friends. If we need to then we buy it from second-hand sites such as Vinted.
Clothing Basics For Skiing With A Toddler
The most important thing when you’re picking your ski gear for your toddler is to make sure that the outer layer is waterproof. This is especially important because if they’ve just started learning the chances are that they’ll fall down more often. This will mean having some waterproof snow trousers, a waterproof coat, and waterproof mittens or gloves.
Under the waterproof clothes, you’ll want to add some thermal base layers. Synthetic or merino wool ones are usually the best for keeping them warm. You should avoid cotton as a base layer because when it gets wet and cold it stays wet and cold. You’ll also want to get them some comfy ski socks that pull up over their calves. And feel good under their ski boots.
On top of their base layer, you’ll want to add a mid-layer. A good pair of quality fleece trousers with a fleece-style sweater or jacket are good for this. Both our boys have a couple of fleeces each, we tend to buy Polarn O Pyret second hand for them!
We also always carry extra clothes, because you never know when you might need them!
Ski Equipment For Skiing With Toddlers
Before we go into more detail, hard ski gear like skis needs to be little skier-friendly as this makes it easier to learn to ski. So we wouldn’t recommend starting out with plastic skis, which our friend once did and apparently it was like ice skating not skiing! That’s because they aren’t going to be helpful when you want your toddler to learn to ski. You’ll want to buy or rent proper quality skis that have edges and proper bindings, along with comfortable well fitting ski boots.
Skis and ski boots
Depending on how often you plan to ski will be a driving factor on whether you rent or buy. If you’re going more than two weeks a year then it’ll probably work out better to buy your toddler their own ski gear. If you decide to buy them skis then they’ll probably want skis which are 70 cm to 80 cm long if they are aged 1 year to 3 years old.
For ski boots, you’ll want to make sure that they are very comfortable as nothing slows down learning more than sore feet. We had the opposite with Cam. His ski boots were so comfortable that he refused to take them off! He had to be bribed with chocolate to let us have them at the end of the ski day.
Helmet and goggles
As well as skis and boots you’ll want to invest in a good quality fitting helmet and goggles. Luckily for us, helmets are easy to get to fit well. When they fit properly, then they’ll be snug around their head and shouldn’t wobble about. If you need to force it to fit, or if the helmet sits too high on their head these are signs the helmet’s too small.
Kids’ ski goggles give them great visibility which is better than them wearing sunglasses. They also keep the wind and snow off of their face which helps with keeping them warm This makes them better and safer when you’re skiing. Luckily, there are lots of value for money kids’ ski goggle brands out there now.
2. Try Your Equipment at Home
As we adults know ski boots can take time to get used to! For young kids who have only just learnt to run, then ski boots might feel heavy and overwhelming. If you can, then let your toddler wear their new ski boots around your house to get used to them. You can even them have a go on their new skis by pretending to ski on your carpet. They should have a go at moving their feet when their skis are on as this can be quite a challenge. We also practiced stepping into then out of his bindings at home too – as they can be tricky to master to begin with. It’s all about prep, prep and more prep with kids!
Practising at home is also a great way to get your kids hyped about skiing for the first time before you go! You can make it lots of fun for them. We do love to all get dressed up in our ski clothes pretending to ski in our living room!
3. Layer your toddler up with clothing
Toddlers will get colder quicker than us adults and might not say anything. Dressing your kids in layers is an easy and effective way of keeping them warm. You’ll need to start with good base layers such as a thermal top and trousers, and add on a middle layer such as a fleece and top if off with a waterproof jacket and trousers. They’ll spend a lot of time in the snow so keeping them dry is really important to helping to keep them warm!
On the other end of the scale, kids will also get very hot when they’re dashing around on a warmer ski day. So wearing layers means that you can strip off layers to cool them off slowly until they reach a comfortable temperature again.
We always have our backpack with us which has spare extra layers in it as well as the million snacks we need on hand at all times. Having a backpack with you means that if they get hot you can then you take a layer off and pop it into your backpack.
4. Recognise That Skiing With A Toddler Is Different
Skiing with toddlers is totally different to skiing just as adults or with much older kids. We’ve learnt that you’ll need to manage everyone’s expectations on what you can do in a day on the slopes. After our first time with Cam we realised that he wouldn’t have the energy to ski for the whole day. And that we’d spend most of it on the bunny hill doing laps of the magic carpet. To keep Cam entertained we tend to mix up skiing with some other activities such as sledging.
Lots of toddlers will only manage a few runs on their first day of skiing. And other, maybe older kids who will manage to ski for what seems like hours on end before needing to stop. If you set your expectations low then anything more is a big win!
5. Choose a family friendly resort with good learner area
The first thing to mention, is that some ski resorts aren’t great for beginners and so don’t make for great family ski holidays! We recommend looking online before you book because most ski resorts advertise their percentage of runs that are either green or blue for beginners. These will be a more gentle terrain better suited to learning on.
It’s also great to check if they have at least one magic carpet, which you’ll usually find in the beginner’s area near to the ski school. The great thing is that it’s often free to use (or is charged at a very reduced price). If you’ve not used one before, magic carpets are conveyor belts that your kids can step onto with their skis and they are then taken to the top of the slope. We love them as they make learning much much easier because you can focus on them learning to ski rather than practicing how to use the chair lift!
Another thing that we learnt is that ideally if you’re on a ski holiday then it’s much easier to pick accommodation that is near to the beginner’s area and ski school. Because you’ll want to minimise how much walking you do each day before and after skiing.
6. Invest in ski lessons
As I mentioned earlier, we decided to do a combination of teaching Cam ourselves and ski lessons. Cam had ski lessons before we went skiing so that he had the basics. And then we spent a lot of time on the slopes on holiday following what we’d learnt in his lessons. We particularly did this as he was 2 years old and too young for kids’ ski school. Even if you’re teaching your kids yourself, you might want to mix it up and have a ski instructor help you to teach your young toddler to ski. Most ski resorts offer group lessons that start from 3 years old. If they don’t then they usually offer private lessons for younger kids. And private lessons can be great at helping to teach your toddler skiing skills quickly if you’re short of time and want to get them skiing quicker.
On our second family ski holiday, Cam was 3 years old and specifically asked to go to ski school with the other kids. He did one lesson and loved it! It was great value as he learnt lots more skills, played fun games and made new friends. We could have left him and gone skiing however, instead we stayed on the sides and watched. I’ve heard from friends that they’ve left their 3-year-olds in ski school, gone skiing and come back to hear that their child had a meltdown the entire time. We just didn’t want to risk that on our ski weekend.
Ski lessons mean time for adults to head off skiing!
Another fun reason for giving your toddler some ski lessons is that it gives you as their parent some time to head off skiing. Because, we all know that slowly going down green and blue slopes with your kids isn’t as fun as heading off on your own adults ski session!
7. Carry Your Toddler’s Equipment for them
What the title of this section should really say is “carry your toddlers gear, and also expect to carry them too!” Normally we try to encourage our kids to walk everywhere if it’s possible. However, when we ski, it’s quite the opposite. The quickest way to end the day early would be making your little skier carry their ski gear whilst their still learning to walk with their ski boots on. We must all remember what it’s like at the beginning when it was seriously hard work as adults to walk in ski boots, let alone for toddlers.
We carried Cam’s toddlers’ skis to the beginner area and magic carpet each time, and yes, there have been times when we’ve had to carry him too!
We’ve had a bit of practice and have a few top tips on how to move them and all of their gear around the resort:
- Strap their skis onto the backpack your using and pop your toddler into their carrier
- Buy or rent a sledge and your kids can sit in the sledge holding their skis and ski gear on their lap.
- Use an off-road pram. In the morning we loaded up what we needed. It’s crazy how many things you can strap onto and store in one. The best thing was that they had somewhere to rest if they needed to.
8. Plan Lots Of Ski Breaks When Skiing With A Toddler
Regular breaks are a must-do when you’re skiing with a toddler. You’ll spend a fair bit of time resting between runs. Taking regular breaks helps your young toddler to learn to ski because when they’re tired they’re prone to making more mistakes. You don’t want them to be tired and hungry as they’ll use lots of energy up learning new kids and keeping themselves warm.
We’ll usually buy Cam a hot chocolate, loosen off his ski boots and place a few silly games. He doesn’t usually nap. However, we found that he sometimes needs a short nap time at lunch in order to boost his energy levels for the rest of the day. So don’t be surprised if your toddler sneaks in a power nap! Also, don’t forget, while your kids are resting is a great chance for you as the parents to take turns getting some adult laps in!
9. Bring plenty of snacks when you go skiing with a toddler
As the parent of a toddler, you’ll know that if you want happy young kids then you need to be well stocked up on snacks. And skiing is no different. They’ll burn through energy learning to ski and the last thing you’ll need is a hangry toddler. We always make sure that we have some with us at all time. Especially ones you can easily eat and won’t be affected by the cold temperatures.
Our favourites are a packet of Mentos as they’re easy to hand out and feel like a proper treat to young kids.
10. Make skiing with a toddler fun!
The best way to keep your toddler keen to learn to ski is to make it lots of fun! That’s because toddlers will usually be up for skiing for an hour or so before it’s time to have a rest. The best option is to all take of your skis and boots to have a play round in some snow.
We often have a small bum board with us so that we can play sledging, or we use our avalanche shovel so build a small snowman. Or for some equipment free fun we start a snowball fight, because kids of all ages (including us adults) love a snowball flinging contest!
If you’re having fun skiing then it’s likely that your toddler will pick up on this and be having a fun time too. We know that not every day on the slopes with a toddler is fun, and sometimes you’ll need to remind yourself to pretend to be having fun. You’re really looking to make skiing fun and engaging so that they want to keep coming back and love it as much as you do. You can make it fun by trying out some small jumps. Or by cheering as you ski on powder. And maybe even showing them your top tricks.
11. Teach Your Toddler How To Stop When Their Skiing With You
Teaching your toddler the way to stop is one of the first skills they need to master. Cameron was quick to get started moving down the slop, but the stopping has been a long time coming. Most kids enjoying going down fast, however, they also need to be safe, which means being able to slow down and stop when they need to. Toddlers out of control on the slope aren’t fun!
We started by teaching him the “pizza” wedge stop which is the general term most ski instructors teach when they explain how to snowplough to kids. As your child goes down the slope you can bring the tips of your toddlers skis together leaving the backs out – to form the wedge of “pizza”. This will help them learn to control their speed and stop. We love that you can then call going downhill parallel “chips”, which means as a parent you’ll often be shouting out “chips, no, no, pizza”.
After they can make a “pizza” snowplough they can go onto either ski ropes or a harness. You can then use these as a backup if they accidentally pick up some speed.
12. Do lots of practice when skiing with a toddler
With anything new, your toddler needs to practice, as this will help them to get better at it, and skiing is no different. Teaching skiing to your toddler will take loads of practice, for you and for them, because you’ll also be learning to teach them and find out what works! Always remember, that the practice needs to be fun as well as educational.
We stayed for his ski lessons so that we could see what he was learning and then do the same with him in the afternoons. Practicing his new skills over and over again with plenty of encouragement and celebration worked really well for us.
13. Playing Ski Games To Make It Fun
Young kids enjoy playing games, it makes skiing a lot more fun for them if you include some games. When they’re learning to ski, then around 95% of the time their skis will point where they’re looking. Playing ski games that make your kids either follow or look at you the whole time can really help them. There are loads that you can up, however, here are a few of our favourite ones:
Follow the leader: So simple, but so much fun! You go ahead of them (skiing backwards if you can) and then start doing fun things they can copy as they ski behind you. They can be easy like clapping your hands, or silly like wriggling your your bum.
Car races: We bring a small plastic ring with us especially for this game. Or you can use anything else that you can pretend is a steering wheel. As your toddler hold their hands in front of them holding their “steering wheel”. They can then turn their wheel when they want to make themselves turn. This is brilliant for helping their turns and balance.
14. How To Use A Ski Harness Correctly
A ski harness can be a great teaching tool if used correctly. We’ve used one with Cam and it’s really helped us to have peace of mind when he started hurtling down the slopes with not a care in the world. Ours had bungee connecting the leashes to the harness. This meant that when we did need to slow him down we weren’t giving him a sudden jerk. When you use a harness you’ll need ensure that you’re not pulling your child off balance. That’s because when skiing you don’t want their upper body leaning backward. We did a mixture of harness and not using the harness. That’s because we were keen to not impact his learning and balance.
Another option we’ve heard of, is to use something called Slope Ropes which is a colourful rope that has two small plastic sticks at either end. One plastic stick loops around the waist of your toddler, and the other one acts as your handle that you hold on to and help them control their speed. They help you to move your toddler’s hips a little back so that they can also keep the top half of their body straight which helps them to keep balanced.
15. Have An Edgie Wedgie For Their Ski Tips
I guess you’re thinking right now, an Edgie what?!? The Edgie Wedgie is another great teaching tool. It is a plastic tie that connects the tips of the ski’s together. The purpose of it is to keep your toddler’s ski tips together while they learn to slide. This helps them control their parallel and wedge skis. Then once your toddler can go from skiing parallel to making their wedge (pizza to chips) you should take it off. We had a hard time convincing Cam to try one. Mostly because he suddenly wasn’t able to bomb down the slopes as fast!
16. Don’t forget to ask for help on the lifts
Possible one of the hardest parts of skiing with a toddler is that you’ll eventually want to get them onto a ski lift We took Cam on his first when he was two years old and super small so we could literally lift him on and off. The best thing to do is tell the lift operator that you need a little help and they’ll know to slow down the lift. You can then guide the toddler up to the loading line by gently sliding them into place.
At the top, as the chairlift comes (and slows down) you can lift your toddler under the arms and onto the seat. Make sure their back is on the back of the seat before you slowly lower down the bar and try to make sure they don’t lean over the bar. We use this time to rest and refuel by eating snacks whilst watching the other skiers on the slopes.
When you’re near the top, you can let the lift operator know that you need the lift to be slowed down as you approach. As the lift slows down you can raise the bar, and be ready to lift them under their arms. You should just slide down the off ramp.
Toddlers can even use the t-bar if you give them a go!
We’ve also tried the t-bar lift with Cam. Both riding it next to him on it and him riding it himself which he was actually pretty good at it. If they’re on their on, then make sure that one of you is waiting at the top to assist them in dismounting. We had a fair few funny falls trying to get Cam off when he rode on his own.
17. Finish the day while everyone is still happy
Some great advice that we can share with you is we can give you is that you should always finish your day on a high. Little kids can only ski for a little time before most of them will start top show signs that they may be tired which might potentially lead to a toddler meltdown. It’s definitely a lot nicer for everyone if you can end the day before they get too tired. For us, the aim of the game is to get our kids to love the snow as much as we do, and for them to want to come back for more. This won’t happen if their day ended with them being sad, tired or frustrated!
What is the best age to start skiing with a toddler?
Is there a magic age to start to teach kids to ski? In our opinion, there really isn’t a specific age. We just kind of knew that Cameron was ready to have some dry slope lessons at 2 years old and we took it from there. We introduced him to the equipment (as we were worried the boots would be too uncomfortable), however, from day one, he’s loved it. Little kids spend a lot of the their time learning, and falling and getting themselves back up which makes them a whole lot more resilient that us adults. We seem to fall a lot harder than toddlers do!
Generally, for most kids, the easiest age to think about starting to get your kids skiing tends to be around 4 years old. That’s because they are comfortable going to ski school on their own and have good motor skills.
Cam started learning to ski when he was 2 years old at a dry slope near us. This was the only option when you live somewhere that doesn’t get much snow. We started him so young as we LOVE skiing and its so much more fun to be outdoors him as a toddler than it is being inside at home. Cam took to the lessons and would ask to go each week and it was great prep for our first family ski trip. Toddler skiing is very possible if your toddler has loads of energy and wants to give it a go. A bit like teaching them to swim or snorkel.
FAQ’s on skiing with a toddler
There isn’t any specific age that young children can start skiing. If you want them to have ski lessons then you’ll be restricted to the age that they start which is typically between 3-4 years old. You could opt for private lessons if you want them to start skiing younger, or teach them yourselves.
This really depends on yourself and your young children. Some children find that they enjoy ski school whereas others prefer to remain with their parents. If you are proficient skiers then there isn’t any reason that you can’t teach them yourselves. We personally opt for a mix of teaching them ourselves and ski school.
This is really down to your preference as parents, we like to use a harness as it helps us to keep some control with our toddler in case he’s out of control as he’s still so young. We don’t rely on it and use it correctly so that it doesn’t affect his balance.
It depends on how often you plan to ski. If you live near a kid friendly ski resort and plan on going regularly then it might be a good idea to buy their own skis and pair of ski boots. We tend to borrow as much as we can from friends and then rent the hard gear such as skis and boots from a local shop. The good news is that it’s also possible to buy some much second hand these days that you don’t have to spend a small fortune to get them kitted out.
This really depends on the energy and character of your little toddler. We’ve found that a long weekend of skiing works well for us as our son is usually done after three days on the slopes. Some young kids will only manage a day, whilst others might manage a week. This is where it’s important to manage your expectations on what you can and cannot achieve on a ski trip and take it as it comes.
Having a baby ourselves we know how hard it is to take a ski trip with a baby. The best plan is to spend time being warm inside and then try taking turns to go skiing. Skiing with babies is the ultimate in tag team sports and nap juggling.
In most cases, the general rule is no, you shouldn’t ski with a baby. Even if yo’ure a great skier you can’t guarantee that you won’t fall skiing. You also can’t guarantee that other people on the mountain won’t swipe you out.
Final thoughts on skiing with a toddler
We love skiing with Cameron. It’s been great to get our whole family up on the mountain and skiing with a toddler can me amazing fun. Taking a family ski trip is a great way to get your young kids excited about skiing, especially if you love it and want them to love it too. You’ll just need to take some extra patience and make sure to make it lots of fun!
