Safety & Happiness for Kids
To make your winter holiday as relaxed as possible, and to ensure that your child has a maximum of fun while still being safe we would like to give you some information and tips on the children's ski course:
Prepare your child for the planned ski lessons: Explain to them that the ski course will take 5 days, for example. You should go with your child in the morning, but then explain that they will be practicing alone with the ski instructor. Explain to them that if they learn to ski well then it will be possible to go skiing with their parents on the last day and show them what they have learned. :)
When you bring your child to ski lessons in the morning, it is important for you not to stay too long. The longer you stay, the more difficult the farewell for the child. Give the ski instructor the chance to take care of your child and observe the lessons from some distance, so that the attention of your child is with the teacher and not the parents.
In the beginning, we need time and your patience! If you cannot see success with your child in the first few hours, then please give us and your child even more time. It is important that the children become acquainted with the new situation on snow and with the heavy ski equipment, and that they get to know their new friends.
Toddlers ski course: Especially during the first ski course, it is an advantage if we are allowed to look after your child all day! This way, we get to know the young skier better and can more specifically address his / her needs.
Ski equipment: Please do not use old ski equipment for the children. It is best to rent the equipment - with the newest materials, children learn much better and faster!
Mandatory helmet: For children (up to 15 years old) who take part in a ski course, wearing a helmet is mandatory!
Minors under 16 years of age must wear a standard commercial winter sports helmet whenever using the ski slopes to participate in winter sports.
- Parents, guardians or chaperones are responsible for insuring to the greatest possible extent that those in their charge comply with this requirement.
- Head protection must also be worn on maintained pistes when using all types of winter sports equipment, such as ski bobs and toboggans.
- The helmet requirement only applies in the following Austrian provinces: Salzburg, Upper Austria, Styria, Lower Austria, Carinthia, Burgenland and Vienna.
- No legal requirement is currently in effect in the provinces of Tyrol and Vorarlberg. However, Vorarlberg has issued a public recommendation that ski helmets be worn.
- The law does not foresee inspections to insure that the helmet requirement is being met. Guardians are also not subject to penalties if a child does not wear a helmet. The intent is purely to make people clearly aware of the dangers associated with children skiing or snowboarding without a helmet.
- That said, failure to comply with the helmet requirement may result in problems with insurance providers, who may refuse to cover costs resulting from an accident.
Nonetheless, outfitting children under your supervision with helmets (which can be borrowed either for free or at minimal expense from area rental centers as well as ski schools) is the most sensible step, since most skiing accidents also involve a high risk of severe head injury – with a helmet, you can significantly reduce the risk of major head trauma.
Sun cream & cold protection: it is extremely important to make sure that the children are always protected with a sun cream with a high UV factor and cold protection - even if the sun does not shine! In addition, children should have good sunglasses or snow goggles (depending on weather and season)! When cold, please make sure that your child is warmly dressed (scarf, helmet pullover, waterproof ski suit, warm gloves and thermal underwear).
Please leave a telephone number with the ski instructor (preferably written on the back of the course card), where we can reach you during the ski lessons!
If your child has an illness, allergies or the like, please let us know.
Equipment check - Summary:
- Approved ski helmet is mandatory for children up to 15 years of age
- Helmet balaclava & scarf for cold days
- Suitable gloves (mittens are warmer than finger gloves)
- Warm and functional ski clothing (thermal underwear)
- Sun protection for eyes (snow glasses) and skin (cold protection & sun cream)
- Customized ski equipment (age, capability, weight, size)
- Children who are just starting to ski do not need ski poles
Some advance information about the first ski course for your children
- 3-4-year-old children need 3 to 5 days to learn the snow plough
- 5-6 year old children only need 2 days to learn the snow plough
- From an age of 7 on, children can even snow plough after only one day
- We recommend that the toddlers start to ski at about 3 years of age – only if the child wants to, of course! The children make their first acquaintance with skis and snow, we train their balance and practice the turning of the feet. So we are slowly moving forward in the direction of the snow plough, and the toddlers have a great basic knowledge for the next winter.
- At 4 years, we need about 3-4 days to teach the children the snow plough and their first carving turns. The joy of skiing is the focus of the course. Braking and carving are first practiced on very easy practice slopes, and by the end of the week we can usually make some runs on easy blue slopes.
- At 5-6 years, the coordinative and conditional learning ability is optimal and thus learning to ski is possible for all children of this age group, with only a few exceptions. Most of the time, the snow plough works after 1-2 days and at the end of the week it is possible to go downhill with safe cornering and at a controlled pace.
Additional information
Course bookings: We recommend booking all courses (group or private lessons) in our Onlineshop. So you have a guaranteed place!
Please gather all the information you need in the ski school office to avoid any surprises.
This concerns: meeting point, lesson times, lift ticket, course group, ski race and prize giving
Course times: 10:15 - 12.15 Uhr & 13:30 – 15:30 Uhr
Children's Ski School - final race: Friday afternoon is our race day! In the morning, the course takes place as usual, and in the afternoon the race will take place with a prize giving ceremony. For further information please contact your ski instructor.
On Saturday, no group courses take place.
On New Year's Day 1.1. there are no group courses either.
