Brains
For many of us, our passion for skiing and snowboarding began at an early age. Maybe it was when we were a young kid or picked it up in High School or college. Either way, if you have kids or plan to have them, it can dramatically change how you experience and enjoy the mountains. And I’m here to say that is a good thing.
There’s something truly special about sharing the mountains with your children. Watching their wobbly first turns, hearing their laughter echo down a run, and feeling the pride of passing along a lifelong love for snow and speed. Skiing with your kids isn’t always smooth or predictable, but that’s part of the joy. From early-morning gear wrangling to cocoa breaks and surprise powder days, the experience offers a rare blend of adventure, connection, and pure fun that creates lasting memories for the whole family.
It’s hard but worth it
Even the most committed parents will find it a lot of work to teach your kids to ski. I knew before I even had kids that skiing would be a part of our life, so when my first born was 18 months old, my wife and I got him up on the surface lifts sliding on snow. It didn’t go too well, but our expectations were low. Over the years we added another boy and a girl to our family, which adds to the challenge. Since raising kids is already hard, becoming a ski family just multiplies it. I remember many times sweating from carrying so much gear or being frustrated at their whining when something didn’t go their way, but I knew it was just part of my future vision of what days on the mountain would be like with them.
Teaching three young kids to ski can sometimes feel like herding snow-covered cats, each with a different personality, pace, and set of fears. One might charge down the hill fearless and wild, while another refuses to budge from the top, sobbing into their goggles. The third drops their gloves or poles halfway down the magic carpet. You spend more time picking up fallen bodies, untangling skis, and drying tears than actually skiing yourself. I remember being more tired after skiing a few runs on the bunny slopes with my kids than when I went all day by myself. This was mostly due to picking them up whenever they would fall, which put stress on my back. But through the chaos, there are tiny triumphs: the next progression of a first turn, a confident glide, hitting the next big jump, and suddenly the struggle feels worth it.
- Related: Top 10 Tips for Skiing With Kids
My kids are now 12, 10, and 7 years old, and while my boys take pride in the fact they can rip double black diamonds, this past season was the first time we all skied an intermediate blue run together as a family of five. I relished in the moment and thought about all the hard work it took to get to that point, and it was all worth it.
My adult ski buddies refuse to ski at the resort on weekends due to the crowds. However, I don’t mind at all because I’m with my family. We may not make the main lot for parking and have to take a shuttle to the base area, as well as wait in lift lines longer than desired, but it’s all part of the adventure. To ensure all aspects of the day are enjoyed, I always make sure to pack some “special treats” in our sack lunches as well as having hot cocoa available on the cold days. The kids look forward to lunch time almost as much as getting back out on the snow.
Perhaps someone who knows more than anyone about skiing with their kids is Jeff Gebauer, of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Last season, he and his four kids combined to ski over 10 million vertical feet. Gebauer started all the kids on the slopes at a young age. “They all started when they were three,” Gebauer said. “It’s tough. It’s the wet noodle age. At four it was like starting over for all of them which makes teaching them at three even harder. The retention from the previous season is much better when they are five and six.”
Gebauer’s kids are now 13, 12, 10, and 8. “Skiing is a lot of fun,” he states. “It’s exponentially more fun when you are skiing with others who are having a lot of fun also and when those others are people who you love, what can be better than that? Nothing makes me happier than skiing with my kids as often as possible. It’s a blast, blasting down groomers, trees, or bumps as a group of five with everyone in their groove.”
A shared passion
I’ve now had too many ski days to count with my kids and multiple trips with just my older boys. Every time we start our drive to the mountain they say “Dad, can we call the snow phone?” I probably wouldn’t call the snow phone if it weren’t for them since there is so much detail on the resort’s webpages these days, but they love it and when we listen to it, we talk about what the day will look like and what to expect and it helps build the stoke for the day.
When we ski our local ski resort of Mt. Hood Meadows, Oregon, I usually let them pick the runs as they know the mountain very well by now. To help, I’ll make suggestions every once in a while. Last season on a lift ride up they were having trouble deciding what run to do. “How about we do Backdoor Alley to Five Bowl to Waterfall,” I suggested. “Yeah!” they both yelled in excitement. “That will be so good!” I just smiled because their enthusiasm was so inspiring.
As their confidence has grown, they particularly enjoy skiing the trees and off piste runs. They have taken to naming some of the runs themselves, including one they call COVID-19, because it is “so sick.” But that is just the start. Their excitement for the sport includes looking at ski gear, asking when the next ski day is, and nagging me to open my Instagram so they can watch skiing videos.
In the early days, I would always ski behind my kids, just in case something happened like a fall or a lost ski. However, I remember the first time a few years ago when the snow was too good for me stop, and I ripped about 1,000 vertical feet of fresh snow over a groomer with my boys behind me. When I finally stopped to check on them, they were right behind me. That was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had.
Gebauer shared a similar story. “This season we had three powder days in a row,” he reminisced. “It’s always that third and final day which is epic. I was leading the way through some bumps and trees with my four kids behind me. I stopped and looked back. They looked so rad going through the fresh powder together. Eric, who is 8, was in waist deep powder and taking continual face shots.”
Life lessons
Skiing with your kids is so much more than just having fun. Skiing can teach valuable life lessons, especially at a young age. One of the most important is resilience as falling is inevitable, and kids quickly learn that getting back up is part of the process. This builds confidence and a sense of accomplishment. I often let my kids struggle just a bit if they fall or are in a flat spot as I feel it builds good perseverance and problem-solving skills. Other life lessons include patience, awareness, responsibility, a love of nature and being outside, and respect for the environment.
Skiing also fosters courage and teaches kids to take calculated risks. Whether it’s tackling a new trail or riding a chairlift for the first time, they learn to manage fear and push through discomfort. I am often surprised at how far they push themselves, especially on difficult slopes or just sending a run through the trees they have never done. Sometimes they are a little too confident. I remember the first time my middle child wanted to ski the double black diamond terrain of Heather Canyon at Mt. Hood Meadows. “That terrain is for experts only,” I told him. “Dad, I am an expert!” he exclaimed. Sometimes kids don’t know their limits and that can be a good thing. They are not afraid to try something hard.
A perfect example of this was when Gebauer took his kids to Crested Butte, Colorado, for the first time. They wanted to ski Rambo, which is the steepest tree cut run in North America with the top third to half being nothing but exposed rocks, roots, and ground. It is a no fall, eject area. “I went first and made it through the minefield,” Gebauer said. “As a father I was terrified for them to go down it, so I yelled up for them to not ski it and go around. I couldn’t see them over the ridge, so I didn’t know if they heard me. Next thing I see is them dropping in on skiers left where I dropped in. I thought, ‘Oh God no!’ However, they definitely skied it better than I did and made it to the bottom without incident.” The kids had no idea of their father’s reservations; they just went for it and accomplished something extraordinary — without a second thought.
This last March, I took my boys on a road trip to visit three ski resorts in Oregon. We had tremendous luck as we had 55 inches of new snow on our three days to Mt. Hood Meadows, Mt. Bachelor, and Hoodoo Ski Area. As I skied behind them, I marveled at their ability to find new lines, even in the trees, and explore areas they had never even been before. The confidence they have acquired is astonishing and I am sure will translate to other areas of their lives.
Most importantly, skiing with your kids creates deep family bonds as learning and growing together on the mountain leads to lasting memories and stronger relationships. Some of my best memories over the years have been from skiing, and ski days and ski trips continue to provide some of the best current memories. I’m sure that won’t change anytime soon.
“Anytime you share something you are passionate about with your kids it will strengthen bonds,” Gebauer admitted. “We are there to encourage, support, and push each other to get better. Anytime you share those epic powder or groomer days with someone else it will also deepen your connections. I hope the family bond and sibling bond from all the shared skiing experiences helps keep them close even as adults when they forge their own path. I hope we ski together for many years to come and their passion for skiing causes them to want to share skiing with their children.”
Giving your child the gift of skiing is providing them a lifetime sport that they can share with you, their own friends, and then with their own children. It has already crossed my mind that I will likely ski with my grandchildren years down the road. I’m sure at some point they will thank me for introducing them to the sport, but they won’t even know that I should be the one thanking them for all the priceless memories. “Skiing is probably the only sport where kids, even little kids, can keep up with or even surpass the ability of skilled adults,” Gebauer states. “It makes it a great family activity for all ages.”
For the skiing fanatic, the joy of skiing with your kids is hard to describe. In the beginning, it can be overwhelming, but once they find their rhythm, the reward is unmatched. Watching them carve turns beside you, grinning from ear to ear, is pure magic. Sharing the same passion transforms family ski days into something far greater than just a winter activity—it becomes a source of joy, pride, and unforgettable memories. Beyond the fun, skiing together builds resilience, confidence, and, most importantly, stronger family bonds that will last long after the snow has melted.
If you’ve been there, then you know. If you want to get there, it will be worth it.
