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Are your kids ready for children’s ski school? If you aren’t sure what you’re signing them up for, we completely understand! If you’re not sure what to expect from children’s ski lessons then we explain in detail what you can expect with New Generation Ski School.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW – CHILDREN’S SKI SCHOOL
- Children can start group ski school at age 4. Private lessons can start from 3 years old.
- We have specific lessons for teenagers too. Teenagers are welcome to join adult groups from 13 years and upwards if they would prefer.
- We have both group and private ski lessons available for children. Today we’re going to focus on group ski lessons for children.
- Children’s group ski lessons run for 5 days, Monday – Friday (with an option to join us for 6 days – from Sunday – Friday if you’d prefer)
- Lessons typically start at 09:00 /09:15 am for 4.5 hours (this varies year to year)
- We have small groups with 2-8 children for our Wallabies – Pro Ride Team. And for our youngest skiers, we have between 2 – 6 children per Whippersnappers group.
- We do not run specific group snowboard lessons for children, but children aged 13 years and above are welcome to join our adult snowboarding lessons.
- Our kids‘ group ski classes are suitable for every level of skier, from beginners to advanced skiers. Find your kid’s ski level on our level guide.
Childrens ski school: For the little ones (4-5-year-olds)
For our young skiers, we have our Whippersnappers beginner group, suitable for 4 to 5-year-olds who want to learn to ski. These ski lessons are just 2hrs a day, as we know their little legs tire easily at such a young age. It also allows our instructors to better manage the children’s enjoyment.
Our ski groups are small, with only 2 – 6 children per group. Our instructors also have a helper when there are more than 3 children so each child gets plenty of individual attention and help to carry their gear.
Our top priority for this age group is to ensure we manage their energy levels and that they are having a good time. We will ensure that your children have a positive first experience on snow and get them used to the weather, clothing and equipment. As anyone with young children will know, the second they are too tired, un-comfy or cold, it’s game over.
Watch our Youtube video on what to expect from Whippersnappers group ski lessons
By the end of the week, your child may have started linking turns and have the ability to control their speed and stop. They will also have gained experience with a variety of ski lifts and will be much more confident putting their own skis on. Our main aim is to ensure they are excited to ski again each day.
Unsure if they are a little young? Here are our thoughts on when children should start skiing.
For children over 5 years old
Wallabies
This is also a beginner level group, but for children aged between 6 and 12 years old. Our Wallabies ski groups are to help older children learn to ski.
It could be their first time, or they may have had an intro session and still be learning to snowplough turn.
What to expect in a wallabies ski lesson.
Our Ski School Pathway
For children who aren’t beginners we have a range of ski levels and classes for their ability. After completing the Whippersnappers or Wallabies children’s ski lessons, your child can progress on to:
Arrows
Suitable for 6 – 12 year olds. In Arrows, they will begin to focus on parallel skiing. They also begin exploring rollers, bumps and jumps.
See if your child is the right fit for our Arrows ski group
Bombers
Perfect for those at an intermediate level, in Bombers, we gradually start to introduce skills that let us increase the speed. Suitable for 6 – 12 year olds. The group will start exploring the snow parks, challenging their balance and coordination and learning tricks like a 180 flat spin on a green run. Building the foundational movement patterns for essential skills like side slipping, hockey stops, absorbing bumps and skating on skis.
Rockets
Suitable for 8-13 year olds. Our rockets group builds on the parallel skiing skills developed in bombers. We will practise adjusting turn shape and size, making long parallel turns and linking short turns. Then introducing pole plants and edge rolls to work towards higher performance skiing.
In the snowparks, we will move on to bigger jumps, learn how to land safely and well balanced, and practise tricks like a 5050 box slide and 360 flat spins on green runs. Is your child a rocket? Find out for yourself by watching our Rockets Youtube video.
Ski School for teenagers
Freeride Team
Our Freeride members are focused on improving piste performance and gradually expanding their skills into all-mountain skiing. These sessions are suitable for 10 – 14 year olds.
The team will be working on how to confidently ski black runs, maintaining control at all times and focus on higher-performance carved turns. What do our freeriders get up to on the mountain?
Pro Ride Team
The final rung on the ladder of our Ski School progression for 13 – 17 year olds. On Piste, the team will work on skiing blacks in all conditions, with a range of turn shapes to control speed. Building towards skiing a fall-line descent of a mogul field, with a pole plant at a controlled rate.
To prepare them to ski off-piste, we will also work on techniques to ski ice, powder, variable snow, crust and narrow gullies or couloirs. We cover the use of Transceivers, Shovels and Probes in rescue simulations, with students needing to find and rescue one hypothetical avalanche victim in 6 minutes.
Before you arrive in the ski resort
Before the start of your lesson you will receive an email with all the information you need to be the most prepared for your kids‘ group ski lessons. We’d recommend pinning this email to the top of your inbox so it’s easy to access on the first morning.
The email will include our ski school meeting point (where to meet) with a map which you can download and save to your phone. We also share a Google map, that is really easy to use and navigate once you’re in resort.
As well as general resort information and a reminder of your lesson details. If something doesn’t look quite right, you can always contact us via phone or email(contact details found here.)
Then, 24 hours before your lesson starts you will receive an email with the name of your instructor, so you know who to ask for when you arrive at the meeting point.
On the first day: Meeting our dedicated team of ski instructors
- Arrive at the meeting point 10 minutes early. Unlike other ski schools, we have a thorough signing in and out procedure for all our kids‘ group lessons as your children’s safety is our top priority.
- You’ll meet your ski instructor at the meeting point and they will get to know your child by finding out how much experience they have – if any.
- Every child will wear a New Generation bib which is easily identifiable. Each bib also have a number which is recorded next to the child’s name.
- The instructor will check your child has the right lift pass and then scan it on their phone so they have a record of it.
- The instructor will check all the kid’s equipment is in good condition before they start the ski lesson.
- If your child has any medical needs that were not noted at the time of booking, now is the time to tell the instructor.
How to prepare for the first day:
- Pack a snack in their pocket, or give them 6€ / 6CHF for a hot chocolate as they will stop for a break.
- Every child must wear a helmet. We’d recommend they wear goggles not sunglasses to keep their face toasty and allow for better visibility in all conditions.
- Ensure they have the right boots on the right feet (!)
- Ensure they have plenty of warm clothes. If you’re unsure how to dress your child for skiing, read our article on dressing your child for skiing success.
The importance of ski lessons for kids
Beginner Ski Classes: What will your child learn first?
- Firstly the kids will learn how the equipment works and they will have a go at clipping in and out of their skis.
- After that, they will get used the feeling of sliding by playing games in a flat area close to the meeting point.
- Next up is having a go at sliding in a straight line with two skis on.
Sliding & Snowplough Turns
A snowplough or ‘a pizza‘ is when you point your toes in to make a triangle shape with your skis. It’s how they will control their speed around the mountain. The instructor will show them how to rotate their legs into the position and they will give it a go. Sometimes it takes kids a little longer to pick this up as it’s a strange position. Before coming out they could have a go jumping into the shape with their toes pointing inwards so they get the idea before even putting skis on.
Our favourite beginner ski resorts
Mid-Week
Depending on the progression of the kids‘ group, they may be ready to start turning after just 2 lessons. The kids will play lots of games, turning around poles and winding through courses. Typically, the instructor will ask the kids to follow them in a snake which helps them to control their speed and stay as a group. Their confidence will grow and grow and they will be zooming about before you know it.
Once everyone has mastered stopping and turning, the group will explore green and easy blue slopes all over the mountain. It’s good to note that children may well be feeling tired throughout the middle of the week as they are using new muscles moving about on their skis.
As they begin to travel faster and have fun with different size turns they will be able to cruise about with very little assistance.
End Of The Week
After a whole week of lessons, your children will be experienced in using the lifts across the mountain. They will use different lifts to travel around the resort. Depending on the layout of the resort and their level, these could be drag lifts, a chairlift, a T-bar or gondola.
The instructor will teach your children how to use them safely with an adult. The instructors know all the fun little tracks through the trees, the fun parks and the best runs for kids.
So by the end of the week, your kids will be desperate to show you around the mountain and share all the fun pistes they have explored!
Each child will be given a certificate and a medal at the end of the week to represent their level. They will also be given a passport to document their developments so they know which level to join again next year.
Are your children ready to learn to ski and have fun in the snow?
We list all of our lesson availability on our booking site, so you get to see what’s available in real-time. You can also create an account and save your bookings for later.
If you want more time to think it over or check your child’s level before booking kids‘ group ski lessons. Head on over to our live lesson availability page to take a look for yourself.
If you think your child would progress more quickly in a one-to-one environment, then private lessons might be more suitable. In a private lesson, we can tailor the instruction to your child’s needs.
If you have a group of children of a similar ability and ages then often it works out cheaper to book those children into a private lesson together.
If you are a large group of friends or family with different ability levels, it’s unlikely a private lesson will work well due to the differing needs of each child.
