Taking a 3 Year Old Skiing? - Quincy,MA

You can get her a private lesson. Go to a local ski shop and ask to rent equipment for her. Try Ski Haus - I think they are in Wilmington or someplace near there. You might try a "local to the mountain" ski shop. They often rent. It really depends on what mountain you are skiing at. If you are skiing at Canon - put her in the daycare for half a day - it's an ice rink out there and very steep. If you are headed to Loon or another family friendly mountain, get her a lesson.
YMMV
LBC

Different resorts have different age limits. The summit we go to starts private ski lessons at age 2 and group ski at age 4 (and snowboard at age 7). They rent skis and boards by size of the skier, not age... but PRICE by age. The smallest skis our place has fits a skiier 24" tall. I would call up to the resort and ask about gear. Make sure to have her height handy.

We don't rent our gear from the summit, however, but from a local shop (we rent by the season, but they do daily rentals as well). We don't buy kiddo's boots/board because he grows too quickly to make it a good investment. Sometimes he'll go up 1-2 sizes in a season. Seattle would be a bit of a commute, so I can't help you with local shops ;) (unless you have an REI handy...REI is a great place for gear)...But the resort you're going to should not only be able to give you info on the ski, boot, and helmet sizes they carry... but also a short list of places nearby that also rent if they don't have her sizes.

I took mine skiing at that age but didn't focus on him really learning to ski just to have fun and get over any fear. He didn't like trying and then falling.
We just took turns putting him between our legs and holding him. He loved going down the mountain that way and he rode a chair lift. we rented equipment with no problem.

Both our kids started walking on little strap on skis with us at age one! My son started downhill lessons when he was 3. He basically learned a bit of the basics on the tot hill. They had a "magic carpet" for the little ones to walk up and then they would ski down the tiny slope. They had them practice "pizza" and "french fries" to stop and go. They gave out hand warmers frequently and would bring everyone in for hot cocoa after an hour. When our son was 4 he only wanted to ski with us (not with an instructor) on the learning/beginner slopes. At age 5 he was brave enough to do the lifts. Now at age 6 he is a better skier than I am in some ways!!! We just rented the gear. If they have gear for a 4 year old then your 3 year old can use that same gear. It looks like in your situation you can take her out and give her a lesson yourself. You and your husband can take turns really skiing. Maybe she can spend a little bit of time in the day care at the lodge so you can ski one or two runs together?

You can rent at a local shop. No sense buying at this age especially as she has already "protested." I would make sure she's got snow pants (mamajohns), a proper coat, some thermals, a sweater, and a neck gator.

You might consider the nursery or all day lesson. The ski school is sensitive to the needs of little ones. They schedule frequent bathroom breaks, cocoa breaks, lunch, naps, etc. the total amount of time on skis/ snow is not so long as to be challenging.

think back to your first time on skis. getting in and out of the boots alone is enough to make an adult want to melt down. the all day lesson will be largely about playing and balancing and getting acclimated. its a hoot.

children are extremely adaptable. Unless you or a member of your group has experience in teaching little ones how to ski, i think the ski school is the preferable and safer option. (i've seen well meaning adults fall on kids in tethers). have confidence that despite the fact that she is not a day care baby, she will manage the lesson just fine. as with many other things, it will probably be harder on you than it is on her.

good luck and have a great time.

What a great idea for a family getaway weekend! We plan to take our son skiing next winter when he turns 3!

You could go to Play It Again Sports or CraigsList to find ski gear for your kiddo. Of course the local ski area will be your best bet for renting ski gear.

We have a few friends that are avid skiers and go skiing several times a season. They all put their kiddos on skis at the ripe old age of 2 and enrolled them in toddler ski lessons! Each child is tethered to an instructor and in tandem the toddlers/instructor ski down a baby bunny trail. I bet your little girl will love it! Have fun!

I started all of my kids on skis at around 2/3 years old (except my kiddos that came to me from Russia - they started the first winter I had them). Rental equipment isn't really by age, but rather by size, so if your child is average or above average size, you should have no problem renting. However, if she is really tiny for her age, you might have an issue. I bought a few ski items that could be passed down among kids, but preferred to rent at that age since they outgrow stuff so quickly and other kids might hit that same size, but in the summer when we couldn't use it :)

As far as the lessons go, I used the age as more of a "guideline" than a hard and fast rule. If your daughter can do an hour lesson, sign her up - there are alot of 6 yr olds who don't have the attention span that some 3 yr olds do so if you think she can handle it, do it. I always hung around for lessons anyways in case someone fell and needed mom for hugs.

I think the most important thing to remember is fresh air really wears out kids of that age, so frequent breaks and rest times are really important. Also, try to dress her so potty breaks won't require TOTAL undressing :)

Good luck!

J.,

What if you let grandparents, relatives or good friends take care of you 3 year old while you and your husband have a fun ski weekend? She will be ready and old enough to take "lessons on the bunny hills" in the next couple of years.

It is important to for all concerned (including your little girl) for mom and dad to take time away.

If leaving her at home is out of the question, perhaps you could take a teen sitter or a nanny to keep her company while you and dad ski?? You would then be able to set aside time to play in the snow and spend time with her...and still be able to have dinner for two after she is in bed.

Blessings.......