This winter you dream of introducing your children to the joy of snow and mountains in winter? This is a very good idea, which is why Antoine, an engineer at Wed’ze and a ski instructor, gives you his tips for introducing your little champions to the joys of skiing and spending fabulous holidays together in the snow.
This article offers suggestions for learning according to the age of the children, but of course everyone learns at their own pace and in a way skiing can be learned at any age!
Your children walk...You can put them on skis, in the "snow garden", ski club for the little ones.They can get used to the equipment. They learn to move around with their boots on, then on their skis by walking, turning around, on the flat.
Your children walk... They will be able to start discovering skiing. If you want to teach them yourself, you can opt for skates and a harness. Skates allow them to discover the feeling of skis on their feet and to descend on very short slopes. And the harness allows you to manage their speed and pull them safely uphill.
If you feel comfortable with them or if they absolutely do not want to stay on the skis for more than 2 minutes (a known issue when skiing with the little ones), ski clubs are there for you! You have probably already seen the piou-pious often located on the snow front of the resort. This snow garden with the magic carpet to go up, very gentle slopes and its famous chick mascot, allows the youngest to discover skiing by learning the right reflexes.
Supervised by ski school instructors, the children will become familiar with their ski equipment and have fun going through the doors and ringing the bells on the way down. The snow garden allows children to get used to skiing, in a dedicated and safe place, far from the world of the slopes. At the end of your stay, you can buy the piou-pious medal for your little skier, and take a photo with the big chick. A good idea to motivate them and make them want to go further.
The ideal companion for learning to ski is the SKIWIZ harness!
Reassuring for the child as well as for the parents, it allows to accompany the little ones serenely in the discovery of skiing. Even if the slopes are full of people, you can ski in peace.
Thanks to its strap, you can guide the child and control its speed with ease!
This is the age of the very first ski lessons. Small slopes, snowploughs and first turns, the children and their instructor set off on the resort's slopes to find an environment richer than the snow garden.
They learn to descend by controlling their speed in order to stop. And the future champions start to climb the slopes with a mechanical rope! They are introduced to all the sensations of skiing on the slopes, with the confidence of the ski school instructors! Generally, these classes last about an hour to avoid tiring the children too much.
Now that they are doing well as budding skiers, it's off to the ski lifts to discover new slopes and learn to make big turns. This is the perfect time to get your cameras out when the young skiers arrive at the end of the course to capture some magical memories.
The skis are starting to parallel, yesterday's beginners are more confident skiers that you can take with you on the slopes! Still, there’s one condition: adapt the programme to the fitness and ability of your budding skiers.
Whatnow? Check out our article on medals and ski levels to find out what your little skier will be getting into in the years to come:
Some tips to maximize the pleasure of these intense moments in the resort:
• Let them ski on their own
Autonomous on the slopes during lessons, your budding skiers will be delighted to show you what they can do and what they have learned. Allow some time after the ski lesson or during the day to let them show you their progress. With confidence, they will be more at ease each day and will be able to reveal the champion within them.
• Listen to them and adapt your days according to their desires.
In sport, as in all areas of life, failure can help but it can also completely block progress. So if you want your child to succeed, offer them courses that are adapted to what they can do! He will challenge himself during the ski lessons, but with you he needs to feel confident and accompanied in a benevolent way. And if there are days when he dreams of sledding, trying cross-country skiing or going to the ice rink, say yes! He will work on other aspects of skiing, which will also be useful when skiing, and you will have a great time with your family.
• He is comfortable on his skis and wants to have fun, let's go for some fun skiing!
Your little skier has mastered the basics of skiing and the instructor at the school tells you he can do more? The paths and slopes will become your playgrounds. Let's go for the discovery of new sliding sensations, and always more fun! After all, if you like skiing, it's because you enjoy it, and your child is no exception; he learns all the more easily if he has fun in the snow.
• For their safety, watch out for people on the slopes!
Did you know that your little ones have a different sense of danger than you do? They learn the right reflexes during the lessons but if you are skiing with them you must always be alert. For more safety, you can guide them: position yourself in front of them and impose a trajectory, because left to themselves they will go straight down.
• Teach them to respect priorities on the ski slopes
Like the road, the slopes have their rules of conduct: give priority to the downhill skier (below), look before you go when you are stopped, and always keep control of your speed. Good practices that your little champions will soon master...
• Take the time to take breaks, you are on a snow holiday after all!
Hot chocolate, pancakes, scenery... any excuse will do to let your little champions' legs catch their breath, and yours too. And if the weather is not good or if your little skiers are tired, take the time to enjoy your holiday. You are in the mountains, the snow is here, you are with your family, it's time to create memories together!
Do you need more information about your child's equipment and clothing for your ski holiday? Discover all our tips:
Your children start to slide on a very gentle slope. It's time for the snow plough and their very first turns. They learn to go down controlling their speed sp that they can stop. As future champions, they begin to go up the slope on a magic carpet or with a mechanical rope.
The ideal companion for learning to ski, is the SKIWIZ harness!
Reassuring as much for the child as for the parents, it accompanies serenely the little ones in their ski discovery.
Thanks to its strap, you will guide the child and control their speed with ease!
Discover our advice for using the harness correctly right here!
Now that they are going like real budding skiers, head to the ski lifts to learn how to do big turns. This is the perfect time to take out your cameras to immortalize this magical moment.
The skis start to be parallel, your children will soon be following you. Prepare yourself for great moments ...
Some tips to maximize the pleasure of these intense moments:
- Autonomy
Autonomous on the slopes, your budding skiers will be delighted to show you what they are capable of doing. In confidence, they will be able to progress and reveal the champion who is lieing dormant!
- Adaptation
By adapting your itinery, you will avoid scares, and their progress will be even faster.
- Sliding and fun
Do you love skiing because it's fun?Them too!The slopes and the edges of the slopes are your playgrounds, they will become theirs very quickly.
- Security
Do you know that little ones don't have the same notion of danger as you? It is up to you to remain vigilant on the slopes, and to guide them for more safety: position yourself in front of them and impose a trajectory, because left to themselves they will go straight down.
- Respect
Like on the road, there are rules to follow on the slopes:priority to the downhill skier, look carefully before setting off again if you've stopped, always remain in control of your speed. Good rules that your little ones will master very quickly…
- Take time to have breaks
Hot chocolate, pancakes, scenery… any excuse is a good one so the legs of your little champions catch their breath, and yours too.
To be well-equipped:
During your holidays or a weekend in the mountains, enjoy the snowy slopes, the hot chocolate and the laughter, have fun and enjoy skiing!
The communications team, passionate about winter sports!
