Utah ski school for kids

PCMR is the worst we have experienced

Can't comment on DV or the Canyons, but would NEVER put my kids in the ski school at PCMR again. Absolutely the worst experience we have at any ski resort. It was difficult to convince my kids to a take any lessons again after their experience there. They were disorganized and incompetent. Complete was of time and money.

Gary

Deer Valley has a great ski school for kids. Its only problem is its popularity. The classes are often full of kids.

Our one try at the Canyons didn't work out very well but that was basically due to the weather. We've had luck at Snowbasin on weekdays where the kids have basically had a private lesson experience at group lesson prices.

I don't have any experience with PCMR or DV, but did utilize the Ski School at The Canyons. We put our 2 kids (4 and 8 at the time) into their kids program for 2 successive mornings. They both had a had a great time and enjoyed it enough to want go back. However, I didn't feel like they had the opportunity to learn as much as they could have, especially the 1st day. I believe this was a result of being placed in groups with similar aged children as a priority over ability. By the second day the instructors realized this and switched the groups they were in, which made a big difference.

Our plan was to have them go to ski school in the morning and then ski with us in the afternoon. This worked out very well as the kids had fun in the morning sessions while us parents got to ski 9990. We would then use the afternoons to let our kids show us what they learned and "teach" us the new techniques.

All in all - it was a good experience. Probably about as expected.

This is where a big mountain gets in the way. If we have a kid who is in the wrong class at Liberty (600' vertical) it isn't hard to have someone find the apppropriate class on the hill and put the kid in the right class. On a large mountain it might be impossible to find a particular class except at lunch.

Part of the issue I think ski schools with large intakes face is that parents seem to often overestimate their kids' ability. To get my kid placed in the appropriate group skill-level wise I seem to have to lie, considerably, on the high side. I try to figure the level that makes me blush, then rate a bit down from there so I can keep a straight face; this seems to work well in getting the right class.

kinda of wrong.... at snowbird most of the lower level classes(under L6) meet back at the main lodge for lunch and the kids instructor will use our cell phones to switch kids on the mountain. Also even though the mountain is brutal steep the instructor find way to work with what we have and the kids normally have a blast.

PM me if you want to talk about snowbird.

I agree that cell phones could take a lot of the problems out of switching kids around. I guess we don't use it because cell phone service on our hill is terrible except near the top. It is hilarious to see the "Verizon Luge Challenge" at the foot of our hill along with ads touting their coverage when the only place my Verizon phone works is on top of the hill. I did say that lunch was agood time to move kids.

FWIW I will be at the bird for the national academy in late April. The last time I was there I was awed by the local skiers, one of whom jumped the big snow fence under the tram. It's a great mountain.

Anyone know about the Alta program for kids? I always see the little ones going down Sunnyside and they look cute with their little Alta patches etc .

My wife taught for a couple of months at DV a couple seasons back. Kids are treated like royalty there. That said, if you're considering the Cottonwoods at all, the instructors at Alta seem to be top-notch. All the kids I've noticed there seemed to really be enjoying themselves. Alta's got probably the best beginner terrain in Utah as well.

ironic snowbird has coverage on everylift but little cloud for me(verizon phone myself)

I too am awed by the local skiers, one day I hope to do the awing.

Maybe catch you out here in april

Although my chidlren were not in the ski school at our last visit to DV, I did see a number of children with instructors. We witnessed one group (5 children, 1 instructor) and the instructor was *very* attentive to the needs of all 5 children - on the hill and off. The children looked like they were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

We saw this group enjoying the group lesson on the hill - the instructor seemed to be well organized and had the children in his sights at all time. When we went into one of the lodges for a hot drink, he was there with all 5 children at one table. He was doing a great job ushering them around the lodge to get a hot chocolate and a cookie and never let them out of his sight.

Now this is just one data point, and we may have witnessed the Uber Instructor @ DV. If I had children and were intending to sign them up for lessons @ DV, I would not have second thoughts.

Alta kids ski school

Both my daughters, now in their 20's, learned to ski at the Alta Children's Ski School, and my oldest spent part of a season as an apprentice instructor while also working at the Peruvian. They both kick my butt on tele skis, now.

I would recommend it highly. Many of the same instructors and staff have been there year after year. They have an entire network of trails in the woods, off the main trails, where they take the kids. I think they do a pretty good job of matching kids to ability levels.

Christmas and Presidents Weeks are crowded, but manageable.

A few years ago Alta expanded their indoor space for assembly, hot chocolate, etc., and now has a kids gear rental place at the ski school.

Like everything at Alta, they don't hype themselves a lot, but the quality speaks for itself.

My son is 6. He has taken lessons at Breckenridge, Deer Valley, and Park City Mountain. First, I have to say that I don't think I could be more impressed with the instructors at Deer Valley. Furthermore, my son's skiing ability soared having taken lessons there for pretty much an entire week.

My experience is at odds with one of the comments above as it relates to placement. My wife and I actually underestimated his ability the second trip we made there, and within 15 minutes on the hill, they had him placed in a different, more accelerated group. In fact, the head of instruction told us that they contiuously evaluate progress an will place in a higher (or lower) group whenever necessary.

They simply have the whole children's ski school thing down to a science, and I have absolutely no idea how they manage to find such uniformly patient and enthusiastic coaches for kids. Moreover, if your kids are just starting out, the placement of the ski school is ideally situated so that you can enjoy breakfast, lunch, a beer, whatever from the base lodge and watch your kids. I just don't think you can be disappointed putting your kids in school at DV, and the 30 bucks or so more it will cost will seem like a non-issue when all is said and done.

I wish I could be as enthusiastic about PCMR, but I just can't. Echoing a sentiment above, it is chaotic, disorganized, and my son was definitely not happy with the experience (which made me not happy with the experience). I think PCMR realized they had a problem, because this year they are changing their children's instruction system.

Bottom line: if you want your kids to have a fantastic time and be excited about skiing, put them in the Deer Valley school.

I hate to disagree with some of the thoughts in this forum but I have had kids in a bunch of the ski schools in Utah.
Deer Valley- forget it -was a MAJOR disappointment on several occasions.
The classes are way too crowded and it amounts to mostly babysitting.
I've tried the school several times due to its reputation but each time was the same. I wouldn't do it again.
My pick would be The Canyons Ski school. I've used it numerous times with the best result. The terrain at the Canyons is varied enough that the instructor can usually find an appropriate area to go where it isn't too crowded unless you chose President's week.
Trust me on this one.
Of course, any lesson depends on getting the right instructor who "clicks" with your kid but I started my step daughter at age 4 and the Canyons did the most for her.

Given that I'm about to join the PCMR kids' programme as an instructor, I really hope that the above comments are inaccurate or at least out of date!

Well, as I mentioned, PCMR has changed its program to a "Max 5" program, and now takes reservations. I think one problem before was that it was pretty much a "free for all," with no reservations. That delayed the start of classes, did not allow for proper placement, and probably frustrated the instructors to such a degree that they did not have a very good attitude to start with, which rubbed off during the class.

I actually shadowed my son's class while he took it at PCMR, and while he did get good exposure to different parts of the mountain, the level of instructor interaction was just markedly lower at PCMR than at DV. Again, I hope that has changed now that they have changed their program, because we actually prefer to ski as a family at PCMR (my wallet prefers it too).

Good luck at PCMR, and I will listen for the British accent in December when we go for our first trip.

As for the other poster's comment that DV is "way too crowded" and "amounts to babysitting," that just does not make sense. DV limits each group to no more than 5 kids. Also, they spent WAY more time on the mountain than I thought they would. Perhaps Canyons limits its classes even further. I can't say as I've never had my son in class there.

Any way you slice it, though, the best part about any class is getting your kid enough skill to ski down the mountain with you. About the coolest thing ever.

What Deer Valley does however do, is join 2 and 3 instructors together and the "group" ends up being 15 kids.
I've also seen as many as 7 little kids with 1 instructor.
I have no bones to pick with Deer Valley, I'm just telling you what I have seen and experienced on more that 1 occasion.

I know like I am sounding like a total Deer Valley shill, but you really can't have a "busy day" at Deer Valley. They limit the lift tickets they sell to 6500 a day and they have something like 6 times that in hourly lift capacity. They also just don't take more kids than they can handle (make reservations soon), which was a huge difference between it and PCMR.

For the age of your child, Alta might be overwhelming. Also, it just does not have nearly the convenience, amenities, etc. of DV. While this is not a concern (and actually might be a negative) for hard-core adult skiing, when you have kids, convenience is a VERY important thing.

To me, no brainer. Go to DV and have a great time (but stay at a condo in PC and take the shuttle).

I might be wrong, but I don't think the Alta ski school allows children under 4. I looked on their website and it says 4 and up, granted 3.5 is close to 4 I was going to call and ask, because I am in the same situation. We would like to go to Alta for a day and spend the rest of the time at Deer valley. I know Alta says they have a parent/tot lesson, which I think we will do if she can't get into the ski school.

I have found that almost 100% of people agree DV has a top notch program. And last year I talked with a handful of folks on the mountain, that had their kids in the program and were very pleased. As others mentioned, they limit the skiers on the DV mountain, so as long as you call early and reserve a spot, I don't think there will be a problem.

Although, realize that your tot, like mine, wont be skiing all day. At that age, it's part play/part ski. They get a 1hr private lesson, and you can purchase an extra hour of private. On the phone they told me that the 3yr olds only get 1:1 instruction because of their age. Now I assume you can always purchase a PRIVATE 1:1 instructor and ski all day but like many others have said before, kids get tired and cold and it's doubtful they will want to ski that much. You never know though your child might be different

pcskier: don't listen for a British accent - listen for an Australian one (ok, with British overtones).

Unless Australia are winning the Ashes (cricket) v England at that point, in which case there will be no British overtones whatsoever and I will make Crocodile Dundee sound like the queen. Would your kids like to be introduced to cricket as a sort of added extra bonus?

Seeing as my son has very little use for American baseball (which slightly breaks my heart), cricket may be the "bat and ball" sport for him.

Im with PCskier on Deer Valley. My kids have been in their locals program for a few years, since they were 3 & 4 (six Saturdays, all day+ lift& lunch, under $500) and it's been outstanding. Before that, the daycare, even for infants , was outstanding. I think people can have negative experiences anywhere, and nobody's perfect- but these guys are everything that Pcskier says they are. And on presidents week, they find even more patient, cheerful, attentive young instructors to handle the extra kids and everybody's happy. Even my houseguest's moody big city kid...
Joey, my three year old daughter (now four) had a small class- not a lot of students that young- and on many Saturdays last season I spotted her in a wedge right behind a terriffic 20 year old kid skiing in a backwards wedge, leaning down and chatting with her... one on one. So say what you will, but DV is the gold standard, and that's that. For day care, and if you got a kid in diapers, DV is the only place, IMHO.

Alta ski School is great, especially for the terrain, and they have wonderful people.
Sundance is wonderful too, with it's easy lower mountain, small resort relaxed atmosphere, and earnest, cheerful, "well scrubbed" staff, mostly from BYU.

I've posted before that of the resorts I spend a lot of time at, DV and Alta have large areas that are beginner only, without knuckelheads maching through to get back to the lower lifts. Sundance is no danger because it's so uncrowded and the lower mountain is vast and pretty flat. (no bottlenecks) I'm not very familiar with Canyons, Solitude, Brighton or Snowbasin. Snowbird has a good rep. No personal experience, though. The Adult school is killer, I can attest.

PCMR is hosting a new Friday kids program for our school so my 8 year old will be in that- I'll make a full report come February.

ok how do do this without sounding like I work at snowbird(which obvisousally i do). Work kids alot by choice.

IMO ski classes are affected most by these 3 things.

The teacher
Terrain (some teacher are better at other of making bad terrain good)
Ski School Policy

Ok so I ll start with snowbirds policies that directly affect your kids. Our Kinderbird program(4-6 year olds) are broken down into classes determind by ability with no more than 3 kids per instructor. In my time there I have not seen one class go out with more than 3 kids. Which is good for the student and for the teacher. The student gets alot more attention, there for learning more. The teacher is happy because well instead of keepign track of ton of unhappy kids we have 3 happy, occupied kids that are learning. when the kids are happy and learning everyone is happy. I know I am.

As for the terrrain, to be honest for people learning snowbird has the chickdee slope which is very nice to teach beginners. After that is where it gets pretty complicated. off of Midgad we have a couple routes down for L3ish students. we also have are very cool town trail in the woods. The problems come next as you have very very limited terrain untill we can get some type of matching acuring so we can attempt Upper Big Emma. Big emma freaks alot of kids out the first time they are up there and is huge hurdle for them to overcome. Once they can "survive" big emma it opens up tons of useable learning terrain that they can actually learn on. so yeah snowbird terrain not the best but We make it work for us.

As for the teachers all I can say is we for the most part are easterns(more easterns thann western at snowbirds ski school) that wanted to work in what we consider paradise, everyday I show up to work I cant believe I actually get to work at such an awesome place. Other than that it would just be gloating. So I hope you take this insiders opinion for waht its it worth and dont write off snowbird.

Used them all except Brighton, Solitude, Powder and Sundance. Vote goes HANDS DOWN to Snowbasin, then Alta. Snowbasin has Gondolas, and Alta has the professors.

Brighton's beginner lift is set sp the chair is about 18 inches off the ground when you load. Or maybe it just seems like that.

Go ahead and laugh, but I like Brighton. It's cheap and it has lots of my beloved green and blue terrain.

They advertise themselves as "the place where Utah learns how to ski".

But does anyone have any experience with their instructors? Are they very patient?

I know one of snowbird's former best kid instructo now works there with kids and in the terrain park with anyone. His name is Steve Matz 21 year old full cert from my home resort in Pa.

Actually, I think I'm going to put my kids in the Brighton program this year. The cost looks very reasonable, plus kids under 6 ski free, so no need to buy a lift ticket along with the lessons.

This may sound petty, but to be honest, I was a little put-off by the pricing of Alta's kids ski program. You can have an all-day group lesson for $93, which includes lift ticket. But my kids have never set foot on skis before, so I know a full day would be too long. Their half-day program is about half the cost, but DOESN'T include the lift ticket. How much sense does that make? So, when it comes down to it, I'm not saving a whole lot of money, but still getting only half a day. Brighton's price structure looks ideal for first time skiers. You can do a lesson for $40, including lift ticket, and I think I read somewhere that adults even get a discount on their ticket when they have a kid enrolled in the ski school.

Now, if my kids enjoy it and start advancing a little bit, then a full day lesson at Alta may be well worth it, but for rank beginners, it seems a little overpriced. JMHO, of course.