About Skiing With Kids: Expert Tips for Ski Parents
Teaching kids to ski doesn't have to be a battle of wills at the top of a run, a meltdown in the lift line, or a day that ends with everyone in tears — including you.
Welcome to Skiing with Kids, the podcast for every ski parent who wants to raise kids who genuinely love the mountain. I'm Jessica Averett, a professional ski expert with over 20 years of experience teaching kids to ski, a mom of five kids I taught to ski before age three, and someone who has spent two decades watching families transform their ski days from stressful to spectacular.
Whether you're trying to teach kids to ski for the very first time, troubleshoot why your six-year-old suddenly hates skiing, or figure out how to actually enjoy a ski day instead of just surviving it — this is your show.
Each episode, I'm bringing you real, practical, been-there-done-that advice on skiing with kids at every age and stage. We'll dig into ski technique, gear that actually works, how to handle the hard days on the mountain, resort tips, and the mindset shifts that make all the difference when you're a ski parent trying to raise confident little skiers.
No fluff. No generic advice. Just honest, expert guidance from someone who has taught thousands of kids to ski and raised five of her own — and knows that the best ski days of your family's life are absolutely possible.
This is Skiing with Kids. Let's get your family on the mountain.
Publisher
Jessica Averett | Ski Instructor, Ski Mom & Founder of First Tracks: A Parent's Guide to Teaching Kids to Ski
The End-of-Season Gear Routine Every Ski Family Needs
The ski season may be winding down, but what you do now with your gear determines how next season starts. In this episode, Jessica — PSIA-certified ski instructor and mom of five — walks ski parents through a complete end-of-season gear care routine: from storage wax for your skis to washing and drying all your soft gear before it goes in a bin. Whether you're teaching kids to ski or just trying to protect a significant gear investment, this episode is your spring checklist. What You'll Learn...
2 Apr 2026
The 20-Minute Assessment That Makes Next Season So Much Easier
Most ski parents pack up at the end of the season and try to reconstruct where their kids left off come October, and that gap costs them days on the mountain every single year. In this episode, Jessica shares the end-of-season assessment she uses both as a PSIA-certified ski instructor and as a ski parent herself, so you can capture exactly where your kids are while it's still fresh. If you're serious about how to ski with kids in a way that builds real, lasting progress, this is the episode ...
20 Mar 2026
What the 2026 Winter Olympics Can Teach Parents
Episode Summary: The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina just wrapped up, and and ski instructor and mom of five Jessica Averett was watching with a very specific lens. In this episode, Jessica pulls four powerful lessons from the Games and translates them directly into practical, usable advice for ski parents at every level. From Chloe Kim's mentorship of Gaon Choi, to Federica Brignone's comeback from injury, to Eileen Gu's refusal to let others define her success — the stories com...
18 Mar 2026
Choosing the RIGHT Season Pass for Next Season
Episode Summary Skiing with kids is expensive — and buying the wrong season pass can cost your family hundreds of dollars before you ever click into a binding. In this episode, Jessica Averett, a PSIA-certified ski instructor and ski mom of five, breaks down the four major multi-resort passes (Ikon, Epic, Mountain Collective, and Indy) so you can stop guessing and start skiing with a real plan. She covers every tier, every price point, and the exact questions every ski parent needs to ask bef...
17 Mar 2026
Don't Take Your Kid Down That Run Yet: How to Know When They're Actually Ready
Episode Summary One of the biggest mistakes ski parents make is pushing kids onto harder terrain before they're actually ready — and it can undo months of progress in a single run. In this episode, Jessica Averett breaks down exactly how to know when your child is ready to move up, from the bunny hill all the way to black diamonds. She walks through five key questions every ski parent should ask before bumping up the difficulty, plus the specific skills that need to be in place at each terrai...
13 Mar 2026
Do Edgie Wedgies Actually Work? A Ski Instructors Honest Take
Episode Summary If you've ever stood on a bunny slope repeating "make a pizza!" while your kid stares at you blankly, this episode is going to change your next ski day. Jessica breaks down the Edgie Wedgie — a $12 ski tip connector that she's carried in her jacket pocket for 17 years — and explains exactly why it's one of the most effective tools for skiing with kids under six. Every ski parent needs to hear this before their next trip to the mountain. What You'll Learn What an Edgie Wedgie a...
12 Mar 2026
The Case for Spring Skiing: Softer Snow, Shorter Lines, & Happier Kids
If you've been skiing with kids in the middle of winter and wondering why it feels so hard, this episode is going to change how you plan your ski season. Jessica breaks down exactly why spring is the single best time of year for a ski parent to take their family to the mountain — and what you need to do differently to make the most of it. What You'll Learn Why spring conditions — softer snow, warmer temps, and smaller crowds — make it dramatically easier to teach kids to ski and build real co...
10 Mar 2026
Preventing and Treating Altitude Sickness While Skiing
If you've ever had a ski day fall apart before lunch and couldn't figure out why, this episode is for you. Jessica — PSIA-certified ski instructor and mom of five — breaks down altitude sickness: what it is, why it hits kids especially hard, and how every ski parent can prepare for it before setting foot on the mountain. Skiing with kids at elevation requires more planning than most families realize, and this episode gives you the framework to do it right. What You'll Learn Why altitude sickn...
10 Mar 2026
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, an...
7 Mar 2026
Stopping Your Ski Day Early So You Can End on a High Note
If you've ever squeezed in one more run and watched the whole day fall apart, this episode is for you. Jessica — ski instructor of 20 years and mom of five — breaks down why knowing when to stop is the single most underrated skill in skiing with kids, and why the ski parent who leaves early is often the one raising a lifelong skier. This isn't about doing less. It's about understanding how your child's brain actually remembers experiences — and using that knowledge to build something that las...
6 Mar 2026
First Hour Strategies for Stress-Free Family Skiing
If you've ever had a ski day fall apart before 10am, this episode is for you. Jessica breaks down why the first hour of the ski day is the single biggest factor in how the day goes — and why this is true whether your kids are brand new to skiing or already ripping down black diamonds. Every ski parent needs to hear this one. What You'll Learn Why rushing through the morning is the #1 mistake parents make when they teach kids to ski — and exactly what to do insteadHow to use a simple 4-step fr...
5 Mar 2026
The Science of Fear: What Ski Parents Get Wrong
In this episode of Skiing with Kids, your host Jessica Averett, a ski instructor and mom of five with 20 years’ experience, explains that kids’ ski fear is often accidentally created by well intended parents on the mountain. This happens through co-regulation: children under about 10 read safety from parents’ tone, micro-expressions, and body tension more than words. She outlines five common fear-installers: using a panic voice, taking kids on terrain that’s too hard too soon (violating her “...
4 Mar 2026
Unlocking Confidence: The Crucial First Three Days of Skiing with Kids
In this episode of Skiing with Kids, host Jessica, the parent ski expert, explains why the first three days on skis can shape a child’s entire relationship with skiing. These early days aren’t really about technique. They’re about building comfort, confidence, and a sense that the mountain is a place where they belong. In this episode, Jessica shares how pressure, complicated gear, and pushing kids too fast can trigger “threat mode,” leading to frustration and meltdowns. Instead, she walks th...
26 Feb 2026
The EXACT Moment Kids Decide Skiing Is For Them
There's a two-second window on the mountain when your child quietly decides whether skiing is going to be their thing — and most ski parents have no idea it's happening. In this episode, Jessica breaks down the exact psychology behind that moment, why it has nothing to do with ski technique, and what you can do to make sure it lands the right way. Whether you're brand new to skiing with kids or trying to turn around a bad experience, this one will change how you show up on the mountain. What ...
25 Feb 2026
When You Kid Refuses to Ski...and What to do about it!
When your child refuses to ski, it's easy to feel frustrated, defeated, or just plain confused — especially when you've been looking forward to the day. In this episode, I share my 4-step rescue plan for turning a resistant skier around, drawing from both her 20 years as a professional ski instructor and her own real moments of struggle with her five kids. She walks through why kids push back in the first place (fear, frustration, or simply feeling powerless), and then breaks down exactly wha...
22 Feb 2026
7 Mistakes Every Ski Parent Makes with Their Kids
If you've ever had a ski day fall completely apart and had no idea why, this episode is for you. Jessica Averett, a certified ski instructor with 20 years of experience and mom of five, breaks down the 7 most common mistakes ski parents make when skiing with kids, and exactly what to do differently. Whether you're brand new to family skiing or you've been at it for years, understanding these patterns is the first step to raising kids who genuinely love the mountain. What You'll Learn Why hand...
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