That time took three kids skiing for the first time in Mammoth Mountain in California was incredibly memorable…largely because it was a lot of work! We tried to prepare as best we could, but keeping track of three kids and three sets of snow gear in the midst of a mega snow storm that would force the Mammoth Resort to close most of its operations was challenging to say the least. We are by no means family ski trip experts but in talking with a few other parents who have done this a few times before, we gathered some useful advice so that you can be more prepared than we were when taking kids skiing for the first time.
- Try on all the snow gear beforehand. Then try it again. Getting kids into ski/snow gear is a pain but if you can eliminate what you don’t need or what they don’t like, as well as find out what they do like and what they do need before you get to the ski resort will save you time, money and tears. For instance, my daughter doesn’t like gloves without fingers but my son does. My other daughter hates anything on her neck but also hates having a cold face. Lol. And I should be clear, try on all the gear in your house before you fly or drive to the ski resort. Not once you are at the base of the lodge otherwise you will be forced to pay top-dollar for ski gear. (For ski essentials, we actually found snow pants and overalls at Target but splurged for better jackets at ski shops. Then we used Amazon* for things like neck warmers, hand warmers, boot warmers and the all-important snow-ball makers. Lol.)
- Rent ski equipment the day before you ski. If possible, get your kids fitted with their ski equipment the day before you plan to ski. Whether you do it at the ski school or through a ski butler service, have it done well before you hit the slopes. This is especially true for first-time skiers. The reason why is that fitting ski equipment can take a long time, especially if you are doing it at a shop or at the ski resort. Our fitting coincided with a power outage and the mountain shutting down and it ultimately made two out of three kids late for their lesson, even though we showed up two hours before the lesson time. The weather ended up being so bad that day that even these two had to reschedule.
- Consider buying different outfits for snow play. We found the kids wanted to go out and play in the snow a lot during our stay. We had rented a house and the snow banks outside were just too tempting for them. So they would play in the morning then their outfits would be wet by the time it was ready to go skiing. If buying two outfits is not possible, make sure to dry their snow clothes immediately after they finish playing in the snow. More work for you!
- Strategize drop-off. The hardest part after getting kids dressed for skiing was getting them to ski school with all their gear in tow. At Mammoth Mountain, this was somewhat easy. We were able to park in the drop off lane at the ski lodge, get them into their boots and have them walk over to the ski school at the base of the mountain, basically just past the parking lot. At Mammoth Canyon Lodge, it required a bit more of a walk up through the ski lodge (luckily there are escalators) but still not easy for kids carrying skis and tottering around in ski boots. Which meant mom and dad pick up the slack. It’s totally fine. This is part of taking kids skiing. I can remember my own dad schlepping all my stuff too. But if you can game-plan exactly where you need to go and how to get there before you arrive, the better it will all go. Provided there aren’t multiple power outages or fire alarms ringing, which is what happened to us on our first day.
- Remember that the kids are having fun. As someone who hates being cold and as someone who is always fretting over whether we forgot something, I for sure thought my kids were miserable out on the slopes. I kept imagining what they were doing, what they were saying and what they were complaining about to the ski instructor. So it amazed me when the kids finished skiing how much they freaking loved it, even though one daughter had frozen feet, another had a frozen face, and my son was wiped out. When I picked them up, they hopped in the car flush with excitement and adrenaline and eager to tackle the bag of candies I had waiting for them. Then they told me how much they loved it and wanted to do it again. Success.
- You are going to forget something or lose something. This is just unavoidable. One glove is going to go missing. Someone will forget their boot or hand warmers. A sock will disappear. A hat will find a new life in the lost and found bin at the ski lodge. Until kids can keep track of their items on their own, expect this to happen. And let it go.
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