What Age Can Kids Start Skiing or Snowboarding?

Generally 5-6 years old is a good time to start your kids in group ski lessons. If you are wanting them to try snowboarding instead it is worth either starting with skiing, or holding off until they are 7-8, as snowboarding requires a bit more coordination and concentration when you first start out.

If you are unsure about whether your child is ready to give skiing a go, some useful things to consider are:

Do they show coordination?
Are they toilet/potty trained?
Are they happy to spend the day away from mum and dad?
Do they follow instructions well?
Will they happily spend the day bundled up in thick, warm clothes?

If you answer no to any of these, it could be a good indication that your child might not quite be ready to start skiing just yet.

This does not mean you need to give up entirely until every answer is yes though! If you are keen to get your child on the snow straight away, some great options to start out with are:

A fun day on the mountain, play in the snow to get them used to the clothes and the cold
Consider trying them out with a private lesson, this will allow you to stay with them if needed and allows for 1-on-1 attention
Take a look at the different lesson programs on offer for under 5s. They often include lots of fun play and a very gentle introduction to skiing

For kids that do check all the boxes, New Zealand ski fields offer a great range of different kids lessons with loads of different options to suit. For the younger kids that aren't quite ready to hit the slopes just yet, there are also some great on-mountain childcare options as well!

Categories:
- Skiing with Kids
- Planning Your Ski Holiday

Why Ski New Zealand?

Simple - Because every visitor to New Zealand deserves the very best experience.

At Ski New Zealand we know that simply selling you one of our Ski Packages isn't enough to ensure a great experience.

That’s why we take the time to prepare our suggestions to include the things we know our guests want and will enjoy. Almost 90% of the SKI NZ packages we create and book are tailor-made for our guests. We take the time to consult with you, learn about your group’s abilities, the kind of place you enjoy staying in, how you want to travel up and down the mountain and of course how you want to feel about your Ski Holiday. By this we mean some people want to be completely exhausted and exhilarated at the end of each day, some want to take it easy, enjoy a few runs and then a coffee or a wine. Everyone is different.
Our team of New Zealand specialists are based in Wanaka which if you didn’t already know is probably the best location to be in if you enjoy winter snow sports. Nearly everyone here enjoys skiing or snowboarding, some to extreme levels and others enjoy a more relaxed and family approach to the slopes. This means we have people who with real-life, real-time experience located right in the heart of New Zealand’s ski area. The advice they give comes with true local knowledge.

So if you want to explore Coronet Peak or the Remarkables in Queenstown, Cardrona, Snow farm or Treble Cone in Wanaka, Roundhill & Mt. Dobson in Tekapo or Mt. Hutt near Christchurch then talk to the team at Ski New Zealand before you book your next winter holiday.