Ski School at Pico Mountain

"Learning to Ski at Mini Stars Slide and Play in Pico Mountain"

A couple of weekends ago we visiting Pico Mountain, in Killington, VT for a family ski trip. Except for my husband no else in our family had ever been skiing before.

We traveled with our 12, 4, and 3 year old sons.  My 12 year old had done some snowboarding, but very little, and the younger ones had never even been to a ski resort.

The resort offers both a day care and a ski lesson program.

My 4 year old participate in the Mini Stars Slide and Play program, a ski lessons program set for kids ages 4 to 6. The program starts at 8:30AM, and we never managed to get there that early, which might have interfered a bit with the schedule.

Both the day care for the younger children and the ski lessons program were near each other so it was very easy to drop the children off where they needed to be.

The site was clean and spacious. All the equipment was clearly labelled and the check in wasn't too much of a hassle. There was always a staff member around to greet anyone that walked in.

However, we were hurried through the process of getting my 4 year old geared up and ready to go outside with the other kids for lessons on both days we were there.  Things were a bit smoother on the second day, but on the first day the hurried drop off did not help my 4 year old son feel comfortable with all the new faces and being left alone.  As a result, he was as any child would be in a unfamiliar environment and hesitant to jump right in with the others.  

We found the Team Leader for the Mini Stars program to be amazing at getting everyone organized and out the door, but she seemed to lack an understanding of how to help really young children adjust to what could be an intimidating situation to a preschooler.  I thought she was nice overall, but found her to be unsympathetic and confused as to why my 4 year old son would not warm up to a group of strangers, in a new environment. I was taken a back when she asked if my son had "health" issues, insinuating that maybe he had some mental issue or learning disability. She asked me this both days I saw her, and on the second day I was quite upset by it.  The other children in the group were mostly children of local residents who frequent the program.

Despite my initial worries on how he might've been perceived or treated, my 4 year old spoke fondly of his friends and his experience, even after a rough start on his first day at ski school. I watched behind a bush as he fell on the snow at one point, got up, arranged his little skis so that they were parallel to one another and snapped his boots right in without any assistance. I also watched as he slid down a small slope, a smile full of pride and sheer joy on his face.  It was incredible to watch.

Despite my initial reservations, he had a great time, though I would hope that better training is offered to the Team Leader on how to deal with the children who aren't regulars, and who might respond shyly or with hesitance upon their initial arrival to the program.

2 full-days at Mini-Stars for 4 year old estimated total cost: $260.00 ($109 non-peak/$129 peak). Half days are $80 non-peak/$90 peak. I found the value of the program in general to be worth it. My son was learning the basics quickly and the instructors were very nice.

Bottom line, I was recommend that you arrive very early so that if this is your child's first experience, they have time to acclimate a bit to their environment before they are taken out to the slopes. My 4 year old loved his "school" and often asks to return, so that and having seen how he handled himself with the skis makes it an overall good experience for us.

This review is based on a complimentary visit to the Mini Stars Slide and Play Program in Pico Mountain. I received no other compensation and the business owner did not state any requirements that I express a particular point of view.