Ski Lessons for Families

Skiing holidays are a great chance to create unforgettable memories as a family. The idea of carving through the snow together is magical. However, learning to ski as a family presents its own set of challenges—especially when everyone has varied skill levels, ages, and goals on the slopes.

This guide will help you navigate the world of family ski lessons and help you decide what’s best for you and your family.

Why are ski lessons for families a great idea? 

Ski lessons for families are a fantastic way to spend quality time together while learning and having fun. Whether you’re a complete beginner or you’ve got some experienced skiers in your group, lessons will make your ski holiday more enjoyable. Ski lessons for families also provide a structured and safe environment for learning, helping your family to progress efficiently on the slopes while keeping everyone safe.

As the majority of your trip will be spent on the slopes, taking lessons together means more time for building valuable memories. As you’ll be making excellent progress in your ski lessons, having them as a family means that you can progress together. This gives you more options to explore the mountains when skiing outside lessons.

So having ski lessons as a family is a great idea. But what sort of lessons are available for your family?

When booking ski lessons for your family, there are two main options you can choose from: Private family ski lessons and Group Lessons. Each lesson type offers distinct advantages.

Private family ski lessons

The beauty of private family ski lessons is their customizability. They offer the highest degree of flexibility with various lesson durations, start times, and personalised lesson objectives. These lessons also give the family the opportunity to receive ski lessons together and create lasting memories. If your goal is to ski for as long as possible as a family, this could be a great option.

• Great Flexibility can start any day of the week, morning or afternoon.
• Your instructor will work with you in smaller groups.
• Enable the family to spend a greater amount of time skiing together.

Group Lessons

Group lessons are a great choice for families who want to get lessons on a budget. Group lessons offer unparalleled bang for your buck.

Group lessons won’t allow you to ski all together as a family. Kids ski lessons give children a chance to ski with other kids their age and make new friends before returning to ski with their family outside of lessons. Parents who want to spend quality time together on the slopes without the responsibility of childcare for a few hours during the day often value this. If everyone within the family has very different experience levels, group lessons also enable family members to ski with others of a similar ability.

• Everyone will be skiing at the level best for them if they have different abilities.
• Can be more affordable than private lessons.
• Gives parents a chance to explore the mountains for a few hours each day without children.

Which is best for you and your family?

So are group lessons or private family ski lessons best for you? Well, each type of lesson has unique advantages. To help you determine whether your family should get private lessons or group lessons, here are some key points to consider before booking a lesson for your whole family as when it comes to skiing as a family, everyone is unique—especially in age, fitness levels, and ability.

Different Skill Levels 

It is important to first consider the ability and experience of the skiers in your family. Beginners require flat terrain, with access to magic carpets, beginner lifts, or gentle blue runs. Intermediate or advanced skiers, however, might grow bored on such slopes, desiring steeper descents or off-piste adventures. Balancing the needs of both is tricky—beginners might feel rushed, while advanced skiers can find it underwhelming.

If there is a large difference in ability, we suggest booking group lessons. These lessons will offer tuition at the appropriate level for everyone. Alternatively, if there are, for example, two beginner skiers and two advanced skiers, then it may be a great idea to split your family into multiple groups and have a private lesson for each ability level. This has the advantage over group lessons in that it offers an even higher degree of personalisation.

You can visit this page to find your ski level.

Age-related Differences

The best type of lesson depends on the family member’s abilities and age. Young children tire more quickly, are sensitive to the cold, and often learn in entirely different ways. Younger children, in particular, typically prefer shorter lessons and a playful approach to keeping skiing fun. Older kids and adults, however, have higher endurance and may be more suited to precision feedback and longer lessons. 

When there is a notable age difference, we suggest booking group lessons. Kids particularly benefit from skiing with peers of a similar age and enjoy the child-centric approach of our instructors, which is more difficult to achieve when parents and children are skiing together. Like with ability differences, it is also possible to book private lessons for family members of a similar age to learn together. It is still worth considering that children of a similar age can be vastly different in ability. If this is the case, we suggest booking the children into group lessons as they will benefit massively from skiing with peers of a similar ability.

Differences in goals

Another important consideration when skiing together as a family is what everyone wants to achieve from their lesson. A highly technical lesson wouldn’t be appropriate if you’re simply looking to improve your technique while finding the best runs and having a great time. Even skiers of similar ability and age can have vastly differing objectives and goals. Without shared expectations, individuals within the group may feel overlooked—a common frustration in mixed lessons. 

Personalised goals are best suited to private family ski lessons. The number of different goals and the degree to which they are different can be used to determine how many different private lessons are needed.  If everyone in the family has similar goals and can ski at a similar level, it may be a great idea to ski together with an instructor.

So what’s best?

When it comes to deciding between private lessons and group lessons for your family, there are many factors to consider. The ability level, age differences, individual goals, and budget all play a role in choosing the best option. Ultimately, choosing the lesson type that will provide the most enjoyable and beneficial experience for everyone in the family is important. Whether that means booking separate private lessons or finding a compromise within a group lesson setting, the goal should be to create lasting memories.