5 Top Tips For Skiing With Your Kids

Hitting the slopes with the little ones in tow? We feel you - it can be a wilder ride than the slopes! So, we asked our expert parents who ski and ride for their top tips for what to do, what to pack, and where to go with your kids when they’re spending time on the slopes. Trust us, with the right gear and a positive attitude, you're gonna have an absolute blast. Places like Cardrona and Treble Cone are perfect - they've got gentle, wide-open runs, awesome ski schools, and a real focus on making skiing fun for little shredders. Read all about it below.

1. Get organised the day before:

Our first top tip for heading up the mountain for a family ski holiday in New Zealand is to get yourselves all sorted the day before. There’s nothing worse than trying to find a stray ski sock or glove in the morning while you’re wrangling a couple of kids, breakfast and getting yourself ready in the process!

If you’ve got the space, our best tip is to lay everything out the night before in the order the kids will put them on the next morning. It gives you a chance to make sure everything is in the right place. Do it with a glass of wine once the kids are in bed…you don’t want them messing up your piles before the morning!

When you rent ski or snowboard gear from Cardrona, you can even pick up your gear the day before from our Queenstown or Wānaka offices - it makes the next morning SO much easier! If your child is booked in one of our kids’ programmes (Ski Kindy or Skiwees/ Lowriders), rental gear is available on-site, and our team will fit them out.

2. Check the Snow Report:

Knowing what the weather forecast is doing is key to having a good time on the slopes with your kids. If it’s looking a little chillier, pack a few extra layers for the kids. It’s always better to ditch layers than try to make your fleece fit a 6-year-old…

Kids do get warm when they ski and ride, so don’t overdo the body layers. Instead, cover up their cheeks and nose with a cosy neck warmer.

Cardrona’s daily Snow Report gets updated at around 6.30am each day – leave the page bookmarked on your device and give it a check when you get up. It’ll tell you everything happening up on the mountain that day and what to expect weather-wise.

3. Take your time to get their gear right:

This is SO important for a good day on the slopes with your little ones! Really take your time to make sure:

• Their socks aren’t bunched.

• Their ski or snowboard boots fit them well.

• Both layers of their ski pants are over their boots (not inside them!).

• Their neck/ face warmers don’t have any gaps on a cold day.

• All layers under their ski jacket are tucked into each other.

• Their gloves are the right size, warm and waterproof.

• RFID lift passes are in a high jacket pocket or sleeve pocket if they have one (so they can reach the scanning gates).

One pinch point or cold point can mean the end of your day on the slopes, so if you’ve double-checked all the above, they should be good to go for hours! A warm kid is a happy kid…

4. Stuff your pockets…

…with aaaaall the things your grommies may need:

• Tissues (a MUST for cold noses!).

• Muesli bars.

• Sunscreen.

• Lip balm.

• Goggle bag (to wipe/ clean goggles).

If you forget anything, at Cardrona we’ve got heaps of cafés and restaurants around the mountain to grab food from, plus the awesome on-mountain Cardrona Retail Store!

5. Progress them at a safe & fun pace!

Our final tip for skiing or snowboarding with your kids is to remember that you’re shredding at their pace, not yours… Just because you’re frothing to take them to the top of the mountain or down the Arcadia Chutes doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ready to!

Start them off on terrain they know and feel comfortable turning and stopping on. Have a look at the ski area trail map and see what the next step is.

At Cardrona, a general terrain progression for your kids (once they’ve mastered each step) is:

• Start on the Beginners’ Area (small conveyor & big covered conveyor).

• Head up in a gondola cabin on the McDougall’s Chondola and ski down Skyline.

• Up the Chondola and down McDougall’s trail.

• From the top of the Chondola out to Captain’s Basin via Shaun’s Way/ A Real Journey.

• Captain’s Basin.

• Whitestar Express.

• Valley View.

If you’d rather we take care of the progression for you, you can book your kids into single - or multi-day programmes. Check out our Kids' Multi-day Programmes or single-day Kids’ Group Lessons for more info!

We really recommend getting a lesson for your child. Like in any learning situation, they’ll listen better to an instructor and learn more with kids their own age. There are heaps of different lesson options for all ages and levels, so you can pick the one that fits best with your holiday plans.

We can’t wait to see you & the kids up here soon!