Info for Mums & Dads

Kids on the Snow! Info for Mum's & Dad's

Fun and family friendly, Cardrona has excellent terrain for developing skills and confidence, we offer all types of ski and snowboard lessons for all kinds of kids. Our in house training is recognised internationally and with over 90% of our staff returning every year, your kids can be sure they'll have a familiar face to greet them when you come back for your family ski and snowboard holiday.

369k6527 At Cardrona we have our own dedicated 'children only' facilities and licensed childcare buildings with their own kitchens, toilets and trained inside staff on hand all day to help with the programmes and ensure a warm, secure, supportive environment for kids.

Youngsters can start learning to ski as early as two years old in the Ski Kindy and from there, the sky is the limit in our Kids Ski & Snowboard School (5 - 14 years) and High Performance Centre.

Cardrona is an easy 45mins drive from Queenstown Airport or a 35 min drive from Wanaka.

Helpful Hints

Get up the mountain early on your first day to allow time to organise your family and familiarise yourself with Cardrona. Once you have this first day done and dusted, it gets much easier.
Make sure you give kids the opportunity to go to the toilet before you drop them off at the Ski & Snowboard School.
Have your cell phone number on your child at all times. It can be a sticker on their helmet or even a piece of paper in the pocket.

What to Bring?

Here's a little checklist to make sure you have everything you need for your day at Cardrona before you leave your accommodation:

Skis, boots, poles or snowboards and boots
Helmets
Gloves/mittens
Goggles/sunglasses
Sunscreen
Food, drink or money to buy lunch and snacks. More information on food
Warm hats
Change of clothes in case first outfit gets wet. See our 'What to Wear' tab for more info.
Vouchers (if applicable)
Any regular medication

Make sure you also have all of these things in the car before you leave the Cardrona carpark at the end of the day.

What to Wear?

In the mountain environment, the weather can change rapidly and often when you wake up in town the weather is completely different to what it's like on the mountain. We recommend bringing and wearing several layers so that you can adjust to the changing conditions and make sure the kids do the same.

Dress everyone with:

Thermal layer – polypropylene or merino long johns and top
Socks – knee-length, not too thick and pulled up so there are no wrinkles inside the boots
A warm long-sleeved top, wool or fleece is best. Try to avoid cotton as it is very hard to keep warm if it gets wet. NOTE: The colder the day, the more mid layers you will need).
Waterproof (and preferably lined/insulated) jacket and pants
Warm, waterproof gloves or mittens
Warm hat
Eye protection – goggles or sunglasses*
Lots of sunscreen*

* Eye protection and sunscreen are extremely important, the sun gets reflected by the snow and can cause severe sunburn and/or snow-blindness if not properly protected.

What to Eat?

Being at a slightly higher elevation, you use more energy up the mountain, so it is important that you and your children have plenty of food and water throughout the day.

Breakfast can seem like forever ago, especially if you and the kids ate before getting ready and driving up the mountain. So make sure you plan for snacks on arrival at Cardrona.

To refuel the family's energy at lunchtime, include carbohydrates in the mid-day meal. The lunch break is also a good time to get lots of fluid. Water is much more beneficial than sugar-filled soft drinks.

What Next?

The kids are dressed, fed and watered and are happily taking part in their lessons, now what do you do?

Cardrona Ski & Snowboard School offers a number of different options to get you on the slopes and skiing or riding like you’ve always wanted.

Check out the Ski & Snowboard School group lesson, private lesson, package and programme options.