Class Lessons for Pint-Size Skiers

Melanie was so excited by her hot pink ski boots that she was oblivious to the pandemonium.

Some of the 3-year-olds were wailing for their mothers. Others were just as loudly laughing, clopping around in ski boots and trying to keep their balance. Their amazingly patient instructors zipped jackets, tugged on mittens and buckled boots at Winter Park Resort’s big, bustling children’s center to get the pint-size skiers ready for the slopes. All wore racing bibs over their jackets to mark them as participants in the children’s program.

Just 67 miles from Denver, Winter Park is one of Colorado’s largest ski areas, with three mountains in the Arapaho National Forest and 59 miles of trails. It is the place where many Coloradans have traditionally brought their children to learn to ski. In fact, the 55-year-old resort was one of the first to have a major children’s facility. Today it boasts a cheery multileveled, 32,000-square-foot children’s center and a 25-acre ski area designed for beginners. Yet the expert skiers in the family can get all the challenge they crave on the steep glades and bumps on nearby Mary Jane Mountain.

This winter morning was a family milestone of sorts: Melanie’s first time on skis. At nearly 4, she had talked for weeks about her “ski preschool.” Certainly it helped that her big brother and sister, as well as mom and dad, love to ski.

By the looks of the crowd--36 kids her age--she had plenty of company, all their parents paying $60 for lessons, lifts, lunch and day-care between. That’s true around the country at large and small ski areas alike, from Vermont to Colorado to Utah to California.

“Our children’s ski school is growing 10% a year,” said Susie Tjossem, director of the children’s ski schools at Vail and Beaver Creek, Colo., which together have about 400 instructors trained to teach children.

Her advice: Don’t watch the young kids’ lessons. “When they see mom and dad, they fall apart,” she said. And don’t try to teach them yourself. Leave it to the experts. “And please don’t take them up the mountain until they know how to stop,” said Dan O’Connell, director of Winter Park’s Children’s Ski School. (Call Winter Park at 800-729-5813, Vail and Beaver Creek at 800-525-2257 or call 800-2-SKIWEE and ask where the respected children’s ski program developed by Ski Magazine is offered.)

When calling a ski resort to book a vacation with preschoolers, ask if reservations are necessary for the children’s ski school. Frequently they book up early. Call the school to find out if the children are taught by instructors who have been trained to teach young kids.

We did what the experts like O’Connell and Tjossem suggested to get Melanie ready for skiing. We explained that ski school would be a lot like nursery school.

We arrived the afternoon before Melanie’s first day at ski school to let her get a look around and meet some of the instructors. We got her equipment then, too, so she could try out walking in ski boots. That extra afternoon gave us all a chance to adjust to the altitude.

I also discovered that it was far easier to register for ski school in the afternoon, rather than early in the morning when the place is packed with parents anxious to get the kids settled so they could get out on the slopes themselves.

Another tip for those coming from warmer climes: Give the preschoolers a chance to dress up in their ski togs ahead of time. If they live in Los Angeles, they’re not accustomed to long underwear, waterproof pants, heavy jackets and hats or ski boots and goggles. Melanie was delighted with her hand-me-down duds from her sister and paraded around the house for a week ahead of time in her purple goggles.

At Winter Park, O’Connell explained, the emphasis for small children would be on having fun in the snow. That was a nice way of telling me that I shouldn’t expect Melanie to be executing perfect turns after two lessons. Melanie had a blast. I watched from afar as, with her instructor’s help, she got her balance. By the third day, she’d learned to push her skis into a wedge. By the end of the week, she could stop and was gamely leading us down some of the gentlest slopes.

“I can ski rings around you!” she announced at the bottom.

By the same token, when she was tired and cranky, I didn’t force her to ski. Instructors advise quitting while the kids still are having fun--so they’ll want to come back again.

Taking the Kids appears weekly.