One other tip: I took my son up for a play on skis on a trip before the lessons (but you could do the day before) and pushed him around down the beginner slope. He went quite fast but didn’t mind when he fell over. He loved it and found skiing fun which made the initial lesson much easier
Mine seemed to work it out pretty quick. They wear jackets (not ski jackets) to school so conceptually he got it. Plus the instructors help a lot
I bought snow clothing at the Aldi sale last year. I waited a couple of weeks before packing it away to give my boys a chance to try things on and have a play with it all. They were excited about going though, so that helped.
Remember the EXTRA PAIR of gloves!!!! It is the most important thing when helping littles with their first few days. Cold fingers kill the experience!
I think if my boys had been younger when we first took them to the snow that they would have done the same thing.
pulled the gear out last night for the little one to try on, she was like a kid in a candy store, "swooshing" around the living room! Might look at some mittens from Aldi instead of the gloves which are still looking too big.
Haha My daughter who sadly will not be working there this year has been looking after all the little ones alongside Nazomi for the last 4 years and she can vouch for the "please leave the kids and go routine" It makes for a crappy day when the parents hang around lol
Ours started at 3 1/2 (many years ago) - dump and run especially for all day. Our kids had a ball with their instructors many who are still at FC - Charlie, Tomas, Nozomi, Chris, Sam, Barbs and several others. They will still see and ski with their instructors now (& pop in to say hi and get a hug). After a week or two they'll be all over the mountain. Elastic on mitts is essential, Milo is plentiful.
They know what they’re doing. Our miss 3 had her first time skiing on Saturday. Dropped off at 0830 picked up at 1600. When collecting her and here brother (5) were so keen they were asking if we would be skiing Sunday. Which we did.
Family ski holidays are a new experience for me, we are heading to Falls Creek to ski next Tuesday to Thursday, staying off mountain. I have never skied there before. You can’t control the weather but it has me concerned. I would appreciate any tips. I have a 6 & 4 y.o. who will be going to ski club, and my wife just tore her ACL so I will probably be going solo on mountain. BOM has 3 days of 40-60 km winds at this stage. Does anyone know if they call off whole days of lessons due to bad weather (I know this will be determined on the day)? Or do you need to kill time waiting for any prospect of lessons? If so, where do you wait and entertain 2 kids in Slalom Plaza? Sorry for all the questions. So many unknowns. We were all so excited for the holiday but first the injury and now this. Hopefully the lifts get going and it isn’t too bad. Thanks.
There's a public shelter to the right of the stairs going up to S plaza. Also one up the road at Windy Corner. Both have toilets.
It's looking like it's gonna snow quite a lot. This is a problem I'd kinda like to have for a snow holiday. I'm imagining that the lessons will go ahead provided that lifts can spin but others will be better placed to advise on this. Alternatively, give them a call and ask directly.
It’s not so much the snow as the wind that worries me, and only because of the kids. Thanks for the messages. Calling them was my first move but they must be under the pump with school holidays. They said they would get someone to call back on Wednesday but haven’t heard. I’m off work now so will try again today.
Yeah I’d be chasing them, don’t expect a call back. There’s another thread in the Falls forum about wind hold and the locals suggest anything over ~55kmh is wind hold territory.
But also I think you're looking at this from entirely the wrong angle... If ski school is canned due to the weather, you've got a ready made babysitter to look after the kidlets for you while you chase the freshies...
Ha, I like it. Shame she can’t walk. And if the lifts are out, my hopes are too. But I’ll defintiely wait it out on mountain to take whatever I can get. This trip has been 6 years coming. Saw the other thread, that’s what got my attention. Will keep an eye on it if the forecast holds. Cheers.
Wind hold is a definite chance, Wednesday looks the worst day. But the way Falls is set up, if it's not brutally strong you they can still get Halleys Comet (accessing ski school) open. Good chance that Summit and Ruined Castle will be closed though.
In the old days, when Ski School was in the Bowl at Nissan, they used to take the little kids down the road and use the Gully Chair to get back to the Bowl and the bigger kids had their lessons in the Gully. I have been there when they can't use Halkey's and everyone just hangs around waiting for the lifts to be taken off wind hold. I did get my ski school fees refunded one year as they were on windhold all day. That was in the days of Lyn Gibbs though.
Trust the competence and skill of the Kids Club instructors. Arrive early as Ian and others have said is a great tip, especially day 2 onwards. Also, have a spare pair of budget mittens at hand for loss at a inconvenient moment. Cold hands is usually the #1 source of misery. Find what works for you to not lose the good mittens so easily. Children always find a way to rid themselves of the accessories.
Gonna do the elastic through the sleeves trick, which reminds me I have to grab some this weekend! Have 2 spare pairs of gloves that although a little big are a good enough fit for a back up option. We've settled on 2 days in school. She'll be pretty cooked after that I'd imagine so a couple of chilled days hanging with the grandies and/or skiing with mum and dad will be the best way to close out the week.
If the weather is bad but lifts are running, you also have to consider if kids will enjoy it. Some kids will love it anyway, some will find it distressing. Presumably you want them to have a great experience and be pestering you to go skiing again. You are the best judge of whether lessons in bad weather are likely to help that or put them off for life.
Sunday week, 22nd with Old Chopps and Wife arriving the next day. Pretty excited, praying not to get dicked by the weather again...
almost be better off with full shutdown and ski school moved to the summit bowl as happened last year than rough conditions but still running.
Back on topic: ... If the kids are going to be taught in the 'paddocks' up top then I've seen the magic carpets have fabric tunnels erected over them to keep the wind off. Neat idea.
Nah, Old Chopps and his wife... not mine. Mrs Chopps and kids will be in tow on Sunday. But this does now appear to me as a missed opportunity...
Snowclub was a great success. Only the two days in the end and the little champ was well cooked at the end of each day, but she loved it all the same.
Both my kids have been going since they were 3 . Oldest girl was no problem ,youngest son cried when he first went and slept a lot while he was there - we started calling it sleep school !
