We are huge into skiing and took my kids for the first time when they were 3 and 5. The 5 year old did great. The 3 year old cried and ended up making snowballs for the day. He did much better a year later at age 4. They're 10 and 8 now and both love it, 3 was just too early.

DS Started skiing at 3.5. We only did the bunny slope for an hour or two that year. You can tell a little about how they will tolerate skiing if they will go out and play in the cold / snow at home. But 2 hours would be the limit. DD started at 4 or 5. All like it about the same and have the same level of skill now in high school.

I would wait a year. We started my kids at 5. At 4 or 5 it is hard to find mountains that really keep kids that age skiing all day vs having it mostly be child care with an hour or two of skiing. We ended up going to Deer Valley and put our kids in their Reindeer Club. it was a splurge but totally worth it in that our kids learned a ton, had incredible instructors and loved it. We were originally planning to take them skiing in New England but it happened to be a winter when the east coast had no snow so we switched to Utah and I am glad we did. I think you could also go to a local place but I would probably try to do it on an off weekend or a weekday (ie take your kid out of school for a couple days in kindergarten) so it won't be that crowded.

Anonymous wrote:On a holiday weekend with a three year old none of you will have fun. Save your money and go next year on a weekday.

- skiing family

+1. Wait another year

My family started skiing when my kids were 3 and 6. 6 years later, the younger has to be forced to go, and the older is pretty good. Just wait.

And then, to answer the question posed in your title, let them stuff their pockets with candy for the day.

Anonymous wrote:Make sure that they are warm - proper clothing and properly fitted boots, and lots and lots of cocoa. Do not underestimate how much a cold and wet experience will color their perception of skiing forever after.

+100. I remember a ski lesson when I was 6 or so, and being freezing, wet, and miserable. I had no desire to learn more after that. (I did eventually learn how to ski in middle school and now enjoy it)

Anonymous wrote:On a holiday weekend with a three year old none of you will have fun. Save your money and go next year on a weekday.

- skiing family

TOTALLY agree with this! I have 8 & 10 year-old girls. They learned to ski at Snowshoe in WV as part of the Kids World Ski School when they were 5 & 7. They had very positive experiences and we had a blast skiing as a family for a partial day after they learned and on subsequent trips.

Fast forward two years and my older kid broke her arm on our last family ski run of the day. Ski Patrol at Snowshoe took excellent care of her and, since it wasn't a bad break (not compound!) and we've previously dealt with a broken leg bone with this kid, we decided to see our amazing orthopedic surgeon in DC. She's fully recovered; however, now at age 10, she's very timid. We took her skiing out west recently and she was in the Adv Beginner group (rather than intermediate like most kids her age) since she didn't dare go fast. She's awesome at technique now and we're not concerned about speed, just her confidence. [Her little sister is more of a natural athlete, has the technique and I chased her down an icy double blue out west - the big sister finished strong with my husband, but 10 minutes later.]

So long story short, I'd wait to take your young kid until the crowding is better. Midweek would be awesome.

Echoing what the other posters said about no way on a holiday weekend. We went this year on a non-holiday weekend, and the wait for everything was insane - rentals, lift tickets, lifts, food etc. I cannot imagine how miserable it would have been if it had been a long weekend.

My kids all started at 3, but we are fortunate that my parents live 10 mins from a small hill in the Midwest, and they are both skiers as well, so we had extra adults on hand to help with the other kids and to take turns and the whole trip wasn’t tied to the skiing. Occasionally a kid at that age just was not feeling it that day, tired or cranky or cold, and wouldn’t/couldn’t even stand up on the skis. It would have been super frustrating if we had paid a ton and driven a long way and then meltdown city. Usually it was like a couple runs (holding between our legs with the edgie wegies and then a harness when they could stand better) and then an hour inside with snacks and hot chocolate, on repeat. My new 4 year old spent many hours on the slopes on our most recent trip, but she could just as likely have been a total pill.

Definitely recommend taking a day off work to ski when crowds are lower, and keeping expectations low. If you’ll still have a good time alternating skiing with your spouse, and have child care for the baby, then it can be great. But also make sure there are indoor spaces open to hang out when the kid is cold or needs a break. We went to Whitetail for a day off and the cafeteria was closed, no idea if that is typical there and I don’t know about other resorts.

When we took my 3.5 yo she skied for a couple of hours and then we dropped her with her nanny. That was plenty for her. After a short three days she was zooming down the mountain and pretty confident both turning and stopping.

I wouldn't go on a holiday weekend.

Anonymous wrote:Three is young but not out of the question. I wouldn't do it on a holiday weekend, though. It will be too crowded and there will be too much waiting around.

I would take a vacation day and go midweek. One great day at this age would be plenty.

THIS

Standing in line isn't fun, ski school with a million other kids isn't fun

When we taught our kids to ski (at 3), we went during off times the first few times so they had more fun and individualized attention

Anonymous wrote:On a holiday weekend with a three year old none of you will have fun. Save your money and go next year on a weekday.

- skiing family

This. My kids are middle school aged and there’a no way I’d take them skiing on a holiday weekend, let alone a 3yo. My cousins began skiing at 3, but they live out west, minutes from a mountain. Not sure I’d make the drive to ski around here with a 3yo.