For parents, a child’s first ski lesson can come with a lot of questions. What will they actually do? Will they go straight onto a slope? How quickly will they learn to stop? The good news is that the first lesson isn't about rushing children onto the mountain. It is about getting comfortable with their equipment, learning how to move on skis and building the skills they need to start skiing safely. And one of the most important skills of all is learning to stop.
First: getting to know the gear
The lesson will usually begin with the instructor introducing the child to all of their equipment.
What are bindings? How to get your boot into it, how to remove them and such.
For a child, this is an important part of getting comfortable. Ski equipment can feel strange at first, and understanding what everything is makes the experience feel a little less unfamiliar.
Once the child is happy with their equipment, the lesson really begin.
Starting on flat ground
Before skiing downhill, children first need to get a feel for how their skis move.
This starts with some simple flat work. The instructor may begin with just one ski, allowing the child to slide around and get used to the feeling of moving on snow. It is a simple way to start understanding how the ski moves without having both feet attached.
Once they are comfortable with one ski, they will put on the second and start experimenting with moving around on two skis. They can practise sliding and walking on flat ground, gradually becoming more comfortable with having skis on both feet.
Once this feels natural, the instructor can introduce walking uphill.
This is a surprisingly important skill. Skiing isn't only about going downhill — to get to many lifts, children will need to be able to walk up a small incline in their skis. Learning this early makes getting around the ski area much easier and helps children become more independent.
It may not look like skiing yet, but these first movements are all part of learning how to feel comfortable and confident on skis.
Then the skiing begins
Once the child has had a chance to practise moving around, it's time for the exciting part: the first downhill.
The first downhill will be on a very small, gentle incline, where the child can experience sliding without feeling overwhelmed.
The instructor will stay close and guide them through the movement.
And very quickly, the lesson comes back to the most important question:
How do we stop?
Learning the famous pizza
One of the first techniques children learn is the pizza — sometimes also called a snowplough or wedge.
The child points the tips of their skis slightly towards each other, creating a wedge shape.
This position allows the skis to grip the snow and slow the child down. With practice, the child learns to use the wedge to control their speed and eventually come to a stop.
It may look simple, but learning to control their speed gives children something incredibly important: a sense of control.
They know that they don't simply have to slide downhill. They have a way to slow themselves down and stop.
That is a huge step towards feeling confident on skis.
Every child progresses differently
Some children will take to skiing immediately. Others may need more time to become comfortable with the equipment, the sensation of sliding or simply being in a new environment.
There is no need to rush.
A good instructor will adapt the lesson to the child, giving them time to practise each new skill before moving on.
The goal of a first lesson isn't to see how far down the mountain a child can get. It's to give them the foundations they need to continue learning safely and, most importantly, to enjoy themselves.
By the end of a first lesson, a child may have learned how to move around in their skis, walk uphill, slide downhill and use their pizza to slow down and stop.
For a first day on skis, that's a pretty great start.
And perhaps the best result of all is a child who finishes the lesson thinking:
“I want to do that again.”
