If you’re lucky enough to have parents who like skiing and who took you on ski holidays when you were a child, you’ll probably have some great memories of those family holidays in the mountains like I do. However, if you continued to ski into your teenage years, you’ll probably have mixed feelings about your last few ski holidays with the family as a teenager. Suddenly, it was no longer fun having snowball fights and building snowmen with brothers and sisters, being filmed tobogganing and having to sleep in bunk beds in the hallway of your apartment!
As I mentioned in my first article on the subject “Ski holidays with babies”, the resort(s) where you have spent your last few ski holidays, may suddenly become the most inappropriate place to be once your little angels become teenagers. A resort ideal for young kids may be completely unsuitable for older kids – if there isn’t an après-ski bar to hang out in and watch extreme ski videos while drinking a coke, a cinema, bowling alley or pool room, then reconsider before risking spending the week with a very sulky adolescent!
So the kids are growing up and there are plenty of issues that you no longer have to worry about: always having a clear map of the mountain restaurants for emergency toilet visits up on the slopes; carrying your skis plus 2 sets of smaller (but strangely almost as heavy) skis or; even carrying exhausted, frozen little skiers back to your accommodation! However, these issues have actually just been replaced by others – how do they manage it I ask myself!
Looking cool on the slopes, meeting up with other like-minded youngsters, hanging out WITHOUT parental supervision and being able to say they’ve been to a hip resort are at the top of the teenage issue list!
This is a tricky one! Whereas smaller children are generally so excited about getting out and playing in the snow, they get dressed without even questioning what they’re wearing! Whether it’s James wearing big sister Sally’s purple, hand-me-down ski suit with pink flowers on the back (that he hasn’t noticed yet) or golden-locked Lizzie wearing a scuffed, grey and brown ski suit 2 sizes too small – they just don’t care! However, just as with all clothing, teenagers will make you suffer when choosing, buying and/or hiring clothing and equipment!
“The fluffy pink bit round the hood makes me look a bit a pale!”
“Put my hood on – you must be kidding Mum! How un cool!“
“These puffy ski trousers make my bottom look big!”
“I’m not wearing all those layers, I look like the Michelin man!”
“I don’t like the pattern on this pair of skis!”
When we’re talking about clothing to keep you warm and dry, however, it’s important not to give in while at the same time remembering that you were a teenager too – once upon a time! It doesn’t matter if the thermals have got holes in, or the socks aren’t the right colour, but do try to at least let your teenager choose the top layer – fleece, hat, gloves, jacket, etc… The Roxy brand is particularly popular with teenagers as they offer a wide range of styles and colours – the quality is pretty good too!
Luckily, it’s now very trendy to wear goggles, helmets and other safety equipment – it makes you look like you know what you’re doing! Of course, it’s better to have the technique that goes with all the kit or you’re likely to lose some snow-cred!
Helmets
are now practically given out free to all kids when you hire ski or boarding equipment these days, and the image of wearing helmets on the slopes is a cool one rather than that compared with cycling helmets so it’s no longer something to be ashamed of! It’s true that when you consider the speeds reached when skiing, it’s surprising that helmets are not compulsory for everyone on the slopes. To find out more about the subject, read our guest blog by Amber Howard from Holidaysafe.co.uk.
Boardies are a relatively new accessory on the market for your budding snowboarders. They prevent wrist fractures or damage caused when falling repeatedly very much like wrist guards used when rollerblading. There is no obligation to use these, but this is just extra security to prevent a nasty injury which could spoil the holiday for everyone!
Goggles are essential as it’s very important to protect those fragile young eyes from the strong UV in the mountains. As I said, luckily it’s trendy to wear goggles these days! However, if you do have a teenager who resists, just ask a young ski instructor or guide for his advice while with your child – he or she will be very persuasive and your child will be all ears! Read our article “A clear view of ski goggles” which explains everything you need to know about the different models on the market.
Sun cream is an absolute must! However, if you’re teens go off skiing or boarding without you, of course you cannot remind them to keep re-applying cream. And, of course they will ignore your advice! However, the harsh reality is that they will soon learn by themselves! There can’t be many things more un-cool than having a face like a tomato on fire!
Even as an adult, you would prefer to hear “oh wow, how amazing” when you say the name of your chosen ski resort rather than “oh really, where’s that then?” – come on admit it… So for a teenager, these feelings are multiplied by at least 10! This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to pay the high prices of the luxury resorts but maybe choose one of the more well-known!
Also maybe choose a pedestrian ski resort where everything you need is in the center - including your accommodation. This will allow you to give your teenager(s) some freedom without you worrying too much about where they are or how they’re going to get back. Also choose a resort where you can ski back to the village to avoid shuttle buses with timetables and last services! Check our Ski Resort Guide for more info about European ski resorts.
Your teenagers like a little privacy at home and it’s the same on a family holiday. If possible avoid apartments where your children are sleeping in the corridor and everyone has to get dressed together in the lounge!
If you stay in a large chalet-hotel there will probably be plenty of other families, which means, plenty of teenagers.
Being stuck in a group every day with younger kids, or adults for that matter, might put your budding skiers off ski holidays for ever! Unthinkable, I know! Over recent years, however, ski resorts and, in particular, ski schools, have been taking into consideration the needs and desires of teenagers. Things are changing; ski instructors are learning better social skills and there are more and more special programs catering for this age group including snowboard camps and clinics.
If you have several teenagers of the same ability and/or are traveling with friends with teens, consider booking them a private lesson together. This will be completely geared to their age group, they will learn more and this may even work out to be cheaper than a week of group lessons for each one. They will have a lot more fun too – if they get on well of course!
Choose a ski resort large enough to have at least a cinema, skating rink, bowling alley and/or other après-ski activities. Kids clubs generally take kids up to 14 or 15 years old but the activities are not always well adapted and the older kids often have to hang out with the younger ones – including their brothers and sisters! This could be compared to a torture chamber for some teenagers!
Check when booking whether other activities such as tubing, ice-skating, snowmobiling, floodlit skiing are on offer in your chosen ski resort. Also see whether there are designated places for them hang out such as pool or games rooms.
If you are traveling with older teenagers, then they are more likely to be more interested in the nightlife. Therefore, it’s important to know that even though the legal limit for entry and alcohol consumption in bars is 18 in Europe, that in ski resorts, it’s often just about filling the place and the doormen don’t even check! So, if you’re worried about alcohol, then bars and nightclubs may be out of bounds for your teenagers! If you do let your youngsters out in the evening, make sure they know the ski resort well enough to find their way back – wandering around in the cold in the early hours of the morning is not a good idea!
Freestyle skiing and boarding is hugely popular among teens on the slopes, meaning snow parks have become THE place to hang out on your ski holiday! Over recent years, snow parks have been appearing like mushrooms all over the European mountains to keep up with the growing demand. With competitions, live music and of course, crowds of unaccompanied youngsters, you can understand why! Make sure, however, if your kids are taking part in the activities, that they have the required skills – nasty accidents can happen when confidence overtakes ability! Also, if your children do tricks and jumps, then make sure they wear back protection.
The French ski resort of La Plagne has really gone to town and has created a Teenager Zone with a half-pipe, 2 freestyle zones and a snow park for all ability levels. The park has been built to strict safety standards and resort staff patrol regularly to make sure everyone is sticking to the rules so you don’t need to worry too much about safety issues!
With all of the above in mind, we hope your ski holiday with your teenagers is the best yet! Leave a comment or join us on Facebook if you’d like to share your experiences.
Being lucky enough to have parents who were crazy about skiing, my love for the mountains started when I was 4 years old on our first family ski holiday to Austrian ski resort of Obergurl. One ski holiday a year was never enough and tears rolled down my face as I looked out the back window of the car on the drive down the valley on the way home!
