7 Questions Every Ski School Parent Should Ask at Pickup

You just paid for ski lessons for your kid — now what? In this episode of Skiing with Kids, Jessica breaks down the seven questions every ski parent should ask their child's instructor at pickup, and why skipping this five-minute conversation means leaving the most valuable part of the lesson behind. If you want to actually teach kids to ski — not just survive the day — this is where it starts.

What You'll Learn

• Why the generic skills checklist from ski school barely scratches the surface, and what to ask instead to get information you can actually use on your next family ski day
• The exact words and phrases your child's instructor used to make skills click — and why using the same language is one of the most underrated family skiing tips out there
• How to figure out the way your specific child learns best on the mountain, straight from the person who just spent four hours cracking that code
• Why children learning to ski improve faster when parents know how to be a practice partner — not a coach — on family ski days
• The bonus move that locks in everything from the lesson while it's still fresh (and costs you nothing but two more runs)

More episodes, guides, and gear recommendations also at skiingkid.com

Key Takeaway

"You're not just picking up your kid. You're picking up four hours of professional insight about your child on the mountain. Don't leave it behind."

The seven questions cover: 

1. What the child did well
2. Where they need work and how a parent can help
3. The exact words/phrases used
4. What runs they skied and which to do or avoid next
5. What to practice to reach the next level and how to make it a game
6. What the child responded best to
7. What games were played and how they work. 

00:00 Ski School Sticker Shock

01:35 What You Miss at Pickup

02:59 Surviving Pickup Chaos

05:00 Question One Praise That Sticks

06:59 Question Two How to Help

08:51 Question Three Magic Words

10:49 Question Four Best Runs

12:23 Question Five Practice Games

13:39 Question Six Learning Style

15:09 Question Seven Steal Their Games

17:26 Bonus Two Runs Together

19:55 Why Parents Skip This

21:41 Quick Recap and Sendoff

Skiing with Kids is hosted by Jessica Averett, a ski instructor and mom of five who has spent more than 20 years helping kids learn to ski. This podcast helps parents create calmer, happier ski days by focusing on confidence, connection, and simple strategies that actually work with kids on the mountain.  She's the founder of First Tracks: A Parent's Guide to Teaching Kids to Ski, a course that walks parents through everything they need to know to skip overpriced ski school and confidently teach their own kids to ski.

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You can find me on Instagram @theadventuretravelfam
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The Most Common Mistakes Ski Parents Make (and How to Fix Them)
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This quick guide will help you avoid the common ski day meltdowns and create a much smoother experience for your kids on the mountain.

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Transcript

0:02

All right, parents. I wanna have some real talk here on the podcast. Today we are talking all about ski school and the ways that you can get the most bang for your buck. So let's just imagine you just signed your kids up for ski school. You spent what feels like a small fortune, like we're talking lift tickets, the rental gear, the lesson itself, all the outerwear, the clothing, all the things. Uh, you started doing the math at breakfast and then you quickly decided you probably should just not think about it anymore, right? Uh, you finally got there, like you're juggling all the things, and your kid disappears with this stranger in a helmet for six hours. Now, maybe you had an awesome day out skiing with yourself. Or maybe you decided to try and relax, but stood around drinking, overpriced, hot chocolate, trying not to think about if your child was somewhere out on the mountain crying or actually having a good time. Both are valid, right? And then you walk to pick up, at the end of the day, your kid runs over and you say, and I, and I know you said this, because literally every parent that has picked a child up from ski school when I'm teaching ski school says, so, did you have fun today? And like, maybe you're gonna get a shrug from them. Uh, maybe a, yeah, uh, it was fine. Or if you're really lucky, uh, they're gonna start babbling about some game that they played or this trail through the trees that you really don't even know what they're talking about. And that's really about it. You're gonna grab your kid, thank the instructor, head to the car and call out a successful ski date. But here's the thing that's missing. You just left so much on the table and you had no idea. So that instructor that your kid was skiing with, hopefully spent the last six hours cracking the code on skiing with your kid. They figured out what makes them tick on the mountain, and also they probably saw a little bit of what shuts them down. Now they're gonna know what words actually work, what runs built, their confidence and which ones tore it down, and also which games made them totally light up. They built a lot of rapport with and learning with your kid. And unless you ask for it, it just goes away. Now today I'm gonna give you seven questions that you should be asking your child ski instructor every single time. Now these are the questions that turn a one day lesson into something that actually carries forward into more learning into your family ski days into the next season. And this is what helps ski school build the scaffolding for a kid who genuinely loves being on the mountain. Now as both a ski instructor and a mom of five, I have been on both sides of that pickup conversation more times than I can even count, right? It has been hundreds of times. And so I wanna help you get the most for all those hundreds of ski school dollars that you inevitably spent so that you can help your kid in the best way possible. Let's do this now before we get to the questions, uh, I just wanna talk about one thing really quick. If you have not put. Your kid in ski school before, you might not be totally prepared for the absolute chaos. Um, and I don't mean just a little bit of chaos. Um, it is full blown chaos when you're gonna pick your kid up from ski school. Um, you got a little taste of that at drop off, but the afternoon is just wild. So I need you to know this so you don't walk up. Um, see that instructor who looks slightly unhinged and decide, oh, like, I guess I probably shouldn't talk to him. Maybe this isn't a good time, guys. Here's the thing. Every parent shows up at the same time. They all wanna talk to the instructor, they all wanna talk to their kids, and every kid is either totally wired from the day or they're really tired and the ski instructor has been outside in their ski boots for probably seven hours. They have a gaggle of kids literally hanging off their arms, and to be honest, they probably have to pee. It feels like a lot for them. So here's what I want you to do. I want you to walk up, grab your kid and say to the instructor, Hey, I've got a few questions. I'm happy to just wait over here to the side until things settle down a bit. That's it. Just let 'em know that you're not in a rush and that you actually want to talk and then be patient, okay? They're gonna have a lot of parents who want their attention and most of those parents are just going to get a quick little checklist of what their kid during did during the day. They're gonna say, thank you, and they're gonna be off. You're probably not gonna be waiting very long. I also wanna let you know that most ski instructors will actually be really thrilled that you wanna talk to 'em, that you wanna spend a little bit more time engaged Parents and parents that have real, like, real questions besides, how was your day? They are not the norm at pickup, so you showing up with actual questions is probably gonna make their day or at least the last 10 minutes of it, right? Okay, questions. We're talking about questions today. Um, let's get started on that. Okay, so here are the seven questions I think you should ask. Question one, what did my child do really well today? I want you to always start here, and this isn't because we're like trying to like, you know, put your kid up for getting a part participation trophy sort of thing. But it's because it gets you real useful information. You're gonna find out what came really naturally. Not necessarily what they worked on, not what the instructor pushed them towards, but it's gonna tell you what clicked. Um, maybe it was balance. Maybe they're fearless in the trees. Uh, maybe your kid has zero technical skills, but an absolutely unhinged willingness to try anything. Those things are all worth knowing. And here's the thing about the praise, because your kid is gonna hear this generic praise is basically useless, right? Like the, oh, you did so good today. Nice work. Cool. Your kid is gonna store that under the like, good job, you're the best. And for most kids, it doesn't mean very much by tomorrow. But if you can get specific praise that lands totally differently. Hey, your instructor said your balance is actually really impressive for your age. Your kid is going to think about that. They're gonna think about it on the chairlift. They're gonna think about it for the rest of the day and possibly for like the rest of the season. Right. Also, um, this is kind of like a sneaky little second reason here that you should say it. You are setting the emotional tone for the rest of your day. Remember, your kid has had a really, really big day, okay? They have a lot of feelings going on, and the story that they're walking away with from ski school really matters. Now you want to prime the pump so that what they're thinking when they leave ski school is, I'm good at this, not. I'm still learning and it's kind of hard. There's nothing I'm doing right now. Both, honestly, might be totally true, but only one of them makes them wanna come back next week. And what makes them wanna keep learning? Okay, question two, where do they need more work? And how can I as a parent help? Now notice that second part. How can I help as a parent? Now that is the most important bit that most people forget to add because look. You are not a ski instructor. So even that, when you teach your kids something, you are gonna be doing it differently than they do in a group class setting. Right. But you absolutely can be a useful practice partner if you actually know what to work on. Now, there's a big difference between like randomly telling your kid, Hey, your form is wrong, and knowing that they're working on linking turns and casually suggesting, Hey, let's count our turns together on the next run. Now, one of those feels like tearing them down because you're just saying what, what they're doing wrong. And the other one feels like, Hey, we're working on something, but we're really just skiing together. It's the same run. Totally different vibes, right? So you get the information, but hold it lightly. Your job is not to be like this strict enforcer. You wanna know what's happening so that you can know what's helpful. Now, if you've taken my course, first tracks a Parent's Guide to Teaching Kids to Ski, you have a huge advantage here Before you drop your kid off, get a good idea of the drills that are at their level from the course. Talk to the instructor. Ask them which drills they think would be the most effective with your child. Now the First Tracks course teaches you everything you need to know and do, and at this point, you are creating a partnership between you and the ski School. First Tracks isn't designed necessarily so that you always do everything on your own, but ski school can be a really useful part, especially when you're trying to teach something difficult or your kid is just not understanding something. Ski School can really be a good tool to use alongside first Track. All right, question number three. Um, you wanna ask the instructor what specific words or phrases you are using to teach them? Okay. This is my absolute favorite question, and I think I've only been asked this as a ski instructor like once, which is like wild to me because it's so useful. You guys, kids ski instructors are genuinely in incredible at finding the exact right words. To make something click. Now, they're not gonna say, Hey, I want you to transfer your weight to your downhill ski while keeping your hips facing the fall line. They're gonna say, Hey, I want you to stomp on that bug in your boots, or push your knee towards your pinky toe, or, okay, I want you to hold your hands out really gently, like your whole carrying a pizza. Don't drop it. Hold your hands out gently. Keep 'em in front of you. And once a kid hears that little phrase, once they hear that thing, that the instructor is prompting them that they already associate with a skill. That's like a magic word, like literally every time. Now, the problem is when you don't ask that question and you show up next weekend and you try to like give them your own helpful cues, you try and walk 'em through something like you might be saying something perfectly logical and your kid is just gonna stare at you like you're speaking some sort of a foreign language. You say it again louder, you say it again faster, and really now everyone's just frustrated and you're not even like past the magic carpet. Right? Guys, it's not your fault. You just didn't know the language that they were taught to connect with skiing. So ask for those code words. Literally like, pull out your phone and write it down right there at pickup. Like do it on the spot, because you're probably gonna forget if you're anything like me, you're gonna forget by the time you get to the parking lot, right? Um, maybe they had like pepperoni. Pizzas are great for slowing down, okay. Or french fries with extra ketchup for keeping it straight. Okay, these phrases are worth gold, and they cost you absolutely nothing to ask for other than the money you already put into ski school. Now, question number four is what runs did you ski today, and where would you recommend taking us next? Now, here's a trap that catches parents. Every single time you look at the trail map, you see the green runs, and you think green means easy. We'll be fine. And then you take your newly ski schooled little 6-year-old onto a green run that happens to be narrow and steep and icy, and basically it feels like a lose track with trees. And you spend the next 20 minutes doing a very stressful, sidestep descent while your kid freaks out. Not all greens are equal. Not all blues are created equal. I cannot stress this enough. You guys, I have seen runs that are labeled greens that would genuinely humble some intermediate adult skiers. Think of the trail maps as a suggestion, not a promise. Okay, now on the flip side, your kids ski instructor, they have skied this mountain over and over and over again, not just with your kid today, but with so many kids throughout the season, they know which runs are gonna build confidence. Which ones are gonna like produce that face, you know, like the face where the eyes go wide, the body like freezes, it gets rigid and suddenly your kid has really strong opinions about going inside for hot chocolate. Okay? Like that's the terror face. So ask them specifically what runs, worked. Where should we go? What should we avoid right now, guys, this is free expert advice from someone who spent the whole day with your kid and knows the mountain inside and out. Use it. Okay. Question number five, what does my kid need to practice to get to the next level? So there's a really big difference between just skiing and actually getting better at skiing. And for kids, the difference is almost entirely about whether practice feels like a game or it feels like a job. Now, if you put your kid on a run and say, okay, I want you to focus on your turns. I'm just gonna tell you, you're gonna get a half-hearted attempt and then they're gonna go back to doing whatever they were doing before, which is probably just pointing 'em downhill and hoping they go fast. But if you say, I bet you can't make it all the way down using only tiny turns, now you have their attention. Now there's a challenge. It's something specific. Now they're doing the exact same thing, but they think it's a competition, and so they're gonna do it 12 times. Before you can suggest moving on. Okay. That's the way their little brains work. So ask the instructor what skill to focus on and then ask them what games they used to teach it. Okay? You guys, they're gonna have so many ideas for you because this is literally what they do all day. Come home with a specific challenge, not just a vague work on your turns instruction. 'cause that's, it's gonna immediately evaporate in the parking lot. Right? Okay. Question number six. What did my child respond best to today? This one is really about cracking the code on how your specific kid learns, which if you've been trying to figure it out for years without success, it might be worth asking someone who is with kids all day long and just spent six dialed in hours with your kid. Some kids need competition. Everything's a race, everything's a challenge. And the second you make something feel high stakes, they're completely locked in. Other kids completely shut down the moment they feel any pressure and they need everything framed as low key and no big deal. Other kids just need you to explain the why before they'll even try the thing they might need you to show them and then just get out of their way and let them play around with it for a little bit. Hopefully your kids' instructor figured out which one yours is today, and before you say, oh, I already know how my kid learns. I mean, you probably know some aspects of it, but maybe they can offer some insights. Remember, they are seeing so many kids a season and they're really good at reading what works because it makes their job easier. It is so worth asking because when the instructor tells you, Hey, she really responded to competition the second I made anything erased, she completely transformed. That gives you a tool that you can use every single ski day for the next decade. Right. That's not nothing, and that is helpful feedback. Question number seven, what games did you play today? Tell me how they work. You guys, this is the one. If you only remember one question from this whole episode, make it this one. The best ski instructors out there teach almost entirely through games, not because your kids can't learn real skills. But because when a kid is focused on a game, they're focused on doing it right? They might be focused on winning and they're not even thinking about the thing you're trying to teach them. And that little skill, it kind of sneaks in through the back door, right? Like they're so pumped about playing red light, green light that they don't even realize that they just learned to stop and start and use their edges. Uh, follow The leader is helping them. To develop good technique and mimicry, right? It is helping them to learn how to make their turns and how to be fluid in their motion, but they're not even thinking about it. So as your kids are doing these games, the skiing becomes second nature because it just becomes natural for them. Now when you walk away with the games that you can use with your kids, you are walking away with a toolkit for your family ski day next time, and that you can use for the rest of the season. You don't have to come up with every drill. You don't have to be the perfect coach. You can just suggest one or two games that your kids already played that day and they immediately want to do it 'cause they already like it. And also because they wanna show you how good they're at it, right? Like kids love showing off things that they're good at, or even better, like my kids love having like that inside edge and knowing, Hey, I know how to do this, but mom doesn't know how to do this, so I'm gonna be the expert right here. You guys, this is so much easier than trying to give them any technical feedback. Trust me. Ask for the games. Now, if you're in my course, first Tracks a Parents' Guide to Teaching Kids to Ski. You have already learned so much about games for kids and this is how if you're in my course, first tracks a parents' Guide to teaching Kids to ski. You've already learned so much about games for kids on skis and how this is usually the best way to teach kids to ski. Now, if you haven't joined First Tracks yet, you can find it@skiingkid.com under the first tracks tab. Again, that's skiing kid.com. Now I wanna add in one bonus move, and this is something that I really think that everyone should do, and that is Ski with your Kid after the lesson. Alright, I told you that. I would have seven questions and there are seven. But guys, I really just cannot leave and let you go without saying this. After you talk to the instructor, go ski with your kid, even if it's just a couple of runs. Please, please, please, please. I am begging you. I know you're tired. I know your kid's probably tired. I know it's getting late. I know there is a very compelling argument for more hot chocolate, but here's the reality. The stuff your kid learned today is at peak freshness right now. Their muscles remember it. Their brain remembers it. Everything the instructor carefully built is sitting right there. Totally accessible. Now, you could wait until the next weekend, but some of it's gonna fade. Not all of it, but enough that you're gonna spend half the morning warming up to where they were yesterday. Right? You paid for a six hour lesson and you could basically extend it for free by just taking two runs together. Get out there on the snow with your kids. Now, here's the move that I love. Before drop off in the morning, tell your kid, Hey, after ski school, you and I are going to go do two runs together, and I cannot wait to see everything you learned. I want you to show me all your favorite trails and the best things that you learned. Now that does three things. Number, number one, they have something exciting to look forward to all day. Number two, they're mentally prepared to show you things, which means they're paying more attention in the lesson. And number three, when you're actually skiing together, they're the expert. You're the student, okay? They're the pro here, and there is nothing a kid loves more than getting to be the expert, especially in when mom and dad don't know everything. Have 'em show you the games, ask them to teach you like the little phrase words. Let them explain what they're working on. Now, you've already talked to the te, their instructor, so you have some background knowledge here, but when your kid is actually teaching this, when they're actually spitting it out, they are learning so much, and that is cementing what they've learned in their little brains, okay? You are not just extending the lesson, you are turning the whole day into a shared experience. Now that's the stuff that they remember. That's what makes them want to come back, get on the mountain and spend more time with you. So if these questions are helpful, why doesn't everybody ask 'em, right? Honestly, it's because nobody told 'em to the resort definitely didn't hand you a sheet that says, here are the questions that you should ask us at pickup. Most ski schools are just gonna hand you a generic skills checklist. That tell you that their kid worked on pizza and stopping, which great, thanks. I mean, most of you could have guessed that right now. Some of it is the chaos of pickup. Everyone's cold hungry, they're a little bit over it, and they just wanna get to the car, like your instructor wants to clock out for the day. It's understandable. Right? And some of it is that parents assume that that little lesson summary checklist that the instructor hands you is the whole picture. Let me tell you. It is definitely not. Um, as a ski instructor, I can tell you that there is so much more that goes into your lessons than that checklist that you're gonna be handed at the end of the day. That's like the official version, right? But the, the real version, the stuff about what actually clicked, what your instructor figured out about your kid, the language that worked, the games that landed, that's only available if you ask guys. This literally takes like three to five minutes at pickup. That's all it takes, and. You will know your kid better on the mountain. Your family ski days will go smoother and your kid will feel like you're actually paying attention to their skiing, not just like hurting 'em down the hill. Right? And for what it's worth, one, I teach ski school. The parents who ask these questions were always the ones whose kids improved the fastest. Now this isn't because their kids are more talented or athletic or anything like that. It's because the parents actually knew how to help. And that's a skill, and it all starts with asking, okay, here's what I need you to walk away with today after your kids' next ski lesson. Find a quiet moment with the instructor and ask these seven questions. Number one, what did they do really well today? Number two, where do they need work? And how can I help as a parent? Number three. What specific words and phrases were you using? Four. What runs did you ski and where would you recommend us taking them? Next? Five, what do they need to work to practice to get to the next level? Six, what did my child respond best to? And seven, what games did you play today and how do they work? Honestly, I recommend you put your ques these questions in your phone right now so that you know exactly what to ask. And I've put 'em all in the, in our show notes here, so you can find them all really easily there. You guys, this will help so much so that you're not trying to think of, okay, I'm trying to pick up my kids. I'm trying to, uh, juggle all their gear, trying to talk to the instructor. If you have an actual list right there, I have questions that you need to ask. You're gonna get so much more information and you're gonna get so much more bang for that ski school dollar. And at the end of it, remember, go take two runs with your kid. Let them show off. Let them be the expert. And you only have one job right there, and that is to be genuinely impressed. Even if their pizza wedge is like a little bit wonky because they've been working on it all day and they want you to see it. That's the whole thing. Honestly, be curious about your kid on the mountain. Be fully engaged in the process. Ask questions. Ski with them, the technical stuff will come. What you're building is a kid who feels like you're in it with them, and that is what makes this sport a thing that they wanna do for the rest of their life. If you found this episode useful, please send it to another ski parent who's doing ski school this season. I'll see you out on the mountain.