Skiing Vacations

Ideas for Family Skiing Vacations

You may be an adventurous skier who has skied several times before in all the wonderful destinations around the world: Canada, Switzerland, or in U.S. states like Colorado, New York, Idaho, California, Wyoming and more. You've tried heli-skiing, snowboarding, back-country and downhill adventures, but you haven't had a true skiing vacation adventure until you've done it with your kids!

If you're planning a first-time ski adventure with children, here are some tips to plan and enjoy your skiing vacation.

Practice with the kids before the holiday if possible. If you're not able to do this, teach the kids proper ski form and make the moves a family group exercise. You all need to be fit anyway, right?

On the first day of your skiing vacation, have the kids enroll in a ski school. Someone who is both trained to educate children and trained to educate new skiers is an invaluable combination. Kids should also practice with chairlifts, T-bar and rope tows. It's a good idea to rent equipment for kids on their first trip, so you and they will know not only if they like skiing before you invest in equipment but also what kinds and sizes work best for them in a real skiing situation.

Enrolling kids in a day school also gives the adults a free day to play on their own, but consider watching the kids for the first hour of the lesson so they feel secure knowing you're there (before they quickly forget all about you and become old friends with their group!) Consider investing in walkie talkies so you can contact each other any time you'd like.

Kids need to be dressed properly to ski. Put them in the same kind of garb you wear, and don't forget extra sunscreen for their fresh faces. You might want to keep extra clothing in a locker in case they fall and their outfits need a fresh change from getting a little wet. And last but not least, kids should definitely wear a ski helmet!

If you have kids too young to ski along, there are many skiing vacation resorts that have fun winter activities for them. Or they can come along with you in a toboggan. After older kids go to ski school, warm up with them on the bunny slopes before you venture out on your own.

These are just a few basic tips to get you started. Ask some friends who've gone on skiing vacations with their kids for ideas too. Skiing with your kids is a most memorable experience. Jump in, and jump on the slopes, and don't forget the camera!