Skiing Lessons for Kids: One Vancouver Mom’s Experience
For many Vancouver families, winter means one thing: heading to one of the local mountains to log some time on the slopes. When kids come along, it’s natural that they would start skiing lessons at a very young age. This was the case for Amanda Maxwell‘s son, who is now nine years old. By the time that he was 18 months old he was on the cross-country ski trails at Hollyburn, wearing plastic skis. When he got tired or the trail was busy he rode along in the baby glider, and when the trails were quiet he’d get out on his own short skis on the well-groomed tracks.
Starting Young with Skiing Lessons
Amanda, who was one of our 2012 Top 30 Vancouver Mom Bloggers, is an avid skier and snowboarder, and so is her husband. They started their son with downhill skiing lessons when he was still a toddler, at Grouse Mountain. He really enjoyed the three hour camps, on a gentle slope. One instructor would stand at the top and another would stand at the bottom, making it a very safe and controlled way of skiing for small children. Instructors would carry the children back up to the top. “It was really quite cute. I saw the instructors carrying them, and all you could see were the little skis sticking out,” Amanda says.
Over the past seven seasons, Amanda and her son have tried all three local mountains. She feels that Grouse has the best programs for very young kids, like the ski camps her son started with. Seymour has good beginner terrain, plus its easy access from the parking lot simplifies an outing when you’re trying to manage both children and lots of gear. She feels that Cypress has the best terrain for more skilled skiers, once your child is ready to step things up a little bit.
Heading to Whistler and Blackcomb
If you go on the road, Amanda and her son have had great experiences skiing at Whistler and Blackcomb. The mountains there offer lots of camps of different lengths, so whether you head up for the day, the weekend or a whole week, your kids will find something to keep them occupied. There’s a great kids’ area, and the children wear transponders so there’s no chance of anyone getting lost.
Many children take to skiing and snowboarding quite naturally, and Amanda found that was true for her son. By the time that he was seven and a half he was keeping up with her on the slopes. Last year, when he was eight and a half, he was faster. She opted to snowboard in order to keep up with him on skis. However, so far her son hasn’t started snowboarding. She wanted him to master skiing first. Also, her experience is that skiing is a little easier for very young children to pick up. Most local mountains offer skiing lessons starting at around age three, while snowboarding lessons start at age five or older.
When asked if she has any tips, Amanda says to be sure you bring lots of extra clothing. No one wants to wear wet mittens or gloves, and kids, especially, have a way of getting wet on the slopes. And, of course, lots of good snacks are always a plus. That sounds like good advice to us!
Have you done skiing or snowboarding lessons with your children? Share your advice and experiences in the comments!
