Tips from Felix Neureuther: How to teach children to ski

Mr. Neureuther, we'll talk at the beginning of the ski season.

As every year, parents ask themselves: What is the best way to get children to ski?

Achim Dreis

sports editor.

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The most important thing is that you approach it with joy and fun.

And that you don't try to force children to ski, but instead focus on the playful aspect.

Can you share a few tricks?

I always like to get over the nonsense: maybe put the skis in the children's room and treat them like toys.

And then have a little snowball fight in the snow or just walk around with your ski boots - or balance on a ski.

The point is that the children come into contact with snow and realize how wonderful this gliding feeling is.

And the first downhill slide?

You can take the children between your legs for this.

So they see, wow: now we're building up the pace - wow, that's cool.

Children learn mainly through visual stimuli and little through verbal corrections.

That's why demonstration is so important.

So please always choose a good ancestor.

So it doesn't make sense for the parents to try their hand at coaching?

Should you contact a ski school?

Necessarily.

The ski instructors in the good ski schools know all age-related learning steps and use them in a way that is child-friendly.

They know exactly which screws to turn so that the children can have fun and enjoy themselves.

In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, I set up "Ixi-Land" in the ski area with the people in charge - Ixi is the character from my children's books - fun with an educational background is the order of the day there.

There is a wave track, you can drive through a tunnel or touch a punching bag while driving.

The children can throw a snowball in the air and try to catch it while driving.

These are little things that the children have a lot of fun with, but at the same time train their brains and their coordination skills.

And in addition, they playfully establish a connection with the snow and nature.

What's funny is that the adults in Ixi-Land have just as much fun as the children.

That sounds more like an adventure playground than a ski slope.

It is exactly like that.

And that should also be an adventure playground.

Our big one, she's five now, she just wants to jump and ride over bumps all the time.

This is much, much more fun for the children than skiing down a normal ski slope.

Children are looking for challenges, and they should be given them.

Then there is a lot to tell.

That's what skiing is all about.

What's the gain for a child if they can ski?

The glow in the eyes.

The joy.

That is the greatest good.

Also that the children establish a connection to nature at an early age.

That they learn to fall down and get up again - which is very, very important.

And the social aspects, of course: you have to learn to deal with the cold and wet, you have to adapt to the group, you learn to help each other, and you soon realize that cockiness is often not good.

The group dynamics in skiing is something very special, it's not so much about being the fastest as it is about working together.

The skiing experience is something you will never forget for the rest of your life.

And you can ski until old age.

How do I make children aware that skiing could also be dangerous?

Honestly, children learn so much themselves. You have to have the courage to just let them do it.

I'm not the “watch out!” type.

Children learn a lot on their own, the sport itself shows them their limits.

They don't fall that deep either.

Yes, as an adult it's easy to forget that.

A fall often looks bad, but the children don't mind.

I would rather draw attention to another danger.

Unfortunately, many adults overestimate themselves and endanger children in particular with uncontrollable driving.

That's why I usually move behind the children.

Only when the slopes are quieter do I play the classic ski instructor and drive ahead.

I always have my eyes and ears everywhere - so I can recognize early on when I need to put my body between the kids and a hooligan.

Hence my big request to all skiers to keep as far away from children as possible and to slow down.

So reckon with the inability and ruthlessness of others?

It's like driving a car: You have to be very careful when driving.

And unfortunately, that happens far too little for many people.

Can you still learn to ski at the age of 40, or do you have to admit that you are too late?

Of course you can still learn that.

If you dare and look forward to it, it's never too late.

There is perfectly tailored material for every target group, and the ski schools are so well versed in the methodology that you can easily become an enthusiastic skier at 40 plus.