Choosing a ski school for your children is an important task. While they may not be participating in the lessons all year long, you will want them to enjoy their experience right out of the gate as well as gain the knowledge and skills to become great skiers (or at least keep themselves from falling over every two seconds). There are many different things to take into account and we’ve come up with the five questions that we think are most important to ask when talking to ski schools in your area.

1. Making the Experience Fun:

The first and most important question you should ask each ski school is “How do you guys make the experience fun for the kids?” If your kids aren’t having fun, I can guarantee that they probably wont want to sign up once season 2 rolls around. Plus, why would you ever want to put your kids through something that they don’t enjoy? Children will lose interest in things that aren’t geared toward keeping them engaged and happy.

2. Student to Instructor Ratio:

Student to instructor ratio is extremely important. When we were in Apline Ski School, the ratio was two instructors plus two parent helpers to six kids. And, let me tell you, the more adults the better! After two years in the Alpine Ski School, my son had gone from not knowing how to put on his skis to coasting down Black Diamonds with confidence! I think that the student to instructor ratio had a lot to do with this because he got so much one on one time with his coaches. Currently, my son is in Webbski and there are 4 instructors to 20 kids. Because of this the class seems to be out of hand for the better part of each lesson. There is also safety to consider when looking at this ratio. You need to have enough adults helping out with the class to accompany the students on the ski lift. When these guys are just starting out, you really don’t want them sitting on their own while dangling on a chair 30 feet in the air.

3. Classes Based on Skill Level:

Another thing that you should definitely ask around about is whether or not the ski school has the ability to move the children around based on their capabilities. There is no reason to have a child who is taking a little longer to grasp the concept in a higher group just because he has been through 15 lessons, just as there isnt any reason to keep a kid with his “age group” when he is obviously catching on faster and could learn more in a higher skill level. The children need to be grouped correctly based on skill level and not age or the number of lessons he or she has participated in. They should also be able to switch classes mid-season if needed.

4. Parent Involvement:

When teaching your kid any new life skill, the natural instinct is to be involved. And, while you shouldn’t be hovering over your child for the length of the class, you should be able to participate. If your child falls and there isn’t anyone around to assist them (which shouldn’t happen if you took question 2 to heart), getting over to them and getting them on their feet should be allowed and appreciated by the instructors. For example, while our kids were in a Webbski session last week, myself and a couple of the moms were discussing how it actually felt like we had a restraining order on us. None of us could get within 200 yards of our own children without the head instructor waiving her arms and shouting at us. Pretty intense and in my book.

5. Advancement:

Another important question to ask is “How quickly will my child and their class be able to move out of the pen and onto the slopes?” The schools should be able to tell you an approximate time that your child should be ready to hit the slopes with his or her class. Obviously this is not guaranteed, but having a time frame is very important and reminds the school that you are interested in your child’s improvement.

If you need any help on trying to narrow down the best ski school for your children or have any other questions, please feel free to email us at wecare(at)totski(dot)com.

The first thing to get your toddler acclimated to skiing is getting on his boots and learning how to walk in them. The next thing is to attach one ski and get used to feeling how slippery the snow is.

Day one is all about having fun! Getting used to the ski gear, helmet, and cold weather. The key ingredient to making sure your toddler enjoys skiing is to make sure he or she is having a lot of fun. At the end of class make sure there’s time for a quick game of “duck, duck, goose”!