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How to carry kids' skis on your family ski holiday

Is there a best way to carry your kids' skis?

Carrying kids' skis can be a challenge, especially if you're also carrying your own gear. At the time of writing this, my children are 4 and 6, and we have varying levels of success with them carrying their own skis (more on that later!)

Click to the bit you need, or keep on reading!

But, when I head out skiing with them, their friends and parents, or with my kid's ski instructors, it's clear that we all have our own preferences on how to carry our children's skis.

So whilst these are my 5 top tips for how to carry your kids' skis, I think the best thing you can do is try a few different methods. Show your kids some different styles of how to carry their skis, and then they will be able to choose their own preferences without you having to push a method on them.

With a few simple tips, you can make the process easier and more efficient. Whether you're heading to the slopes for a day of skiing or a family ski holiday, these tips will help you carry your child's skis with ease. Once you have that mastered, read this post on how to take awesome photos of your ski kids!

1. Teach Your Child to Carry Their Own Skis!

One of the easiest ways to avoid the hassle of carrying your child's skis is to teach them how to carry their own!

Teaching kids from a young age how to carry their own skis not only takes the weight off of you but also teaches your child responsibility and independence. And I'm a big fan of teaching our ski kids independence! It's one of the reasons why I love putting the kids in ski lessons; they are taught these ski-life skills as well as skiing. I love Oxygene Ski School for this – it's who my 2 boys learnt with.

But this isn't always possible, based on age, snow conditions or how far you are walking – especially in ski boots! Having said that, I will also say that our ski school here will be encouraging children from the age of 4 to carry their own skis, and our ski instructors always say that kids can do a lot more than their parents give them credit for! My kids are 3 and 5 in the photo below and could carry their skis in a car park, but they couldn't do it in the snow.

So, whilst this is always my first recommendation, and I always leave our apartment with the kids carrying their own skis, I also always have a backup plan to keep the day running smoothly.

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Hug-and-carry method

When it comes to kids carrying their own skis, make sure they are wearing ski gloves or mittens to protect their hands from the sharp edges. Start by showing them how to hold the skis together.

The hug-and-carry method is a great option. This technique is easy for even young children to understand and allows parents to adjust the positioning of the skis if needed easily. By using their own two hands, kids can confidently carry their skis to and from the slopes.

With practice, your child will be able to carry their own skis with ease.

On the on-the-shoulder method

From this hug-and-carry, your ski kids can then progress to balancing their skis on their shoulders. You will find they are keen to do this as a lot of the ski instructors carry their skis like this and are role models for children in their ski lessons.

The shoulder carry method is a great option for older children, as it provides more coordination and spatial awareness. It's easy and efficient, and most kids find it comfortable. Simply lift the skis onto your shoulder and hold them with one hand. If they start to slip, rotate them 180 degrees on your shoulder so that the binding brake holds them together tightly. This way, your kids can carry their own skis for a long distance without any trouble.

2. Use a Ski Strap

Another way to carry your child's skis is to use a ski strap. Ski straps are designed to hold skis together, making them easier to carry. Simply place the skis together, with the bindings facing each other, and wrap the ski strap around them. Then, sling the skis over your shoulder or carry them in your hand. Ski straps are lightweight and easy to use, making them a great option for parents who want to simplify the process of carrying their child's skis.

However, from my experience, whilst a ski strap will keep your kid's skis together if you are carrying your own skis and poles, plus one or two children's skis (and possibly poles), the ski strap doesn't actually help you carry the ski equipment.

3. Use a Backpack.

My third option for how to carry your child's skis on the slopes is to use a backpack. This method allows you to keep your hands free and evenly distribute the weight of the skis on your back.

As a snowboarder, I rarely snowboard with a backpack as I find the extra weight throws off my balance whilst riding. However, since having kids, I've moved back to skiing with family, and I need a backpack with me to carry snacks, water, tissues, suncream and, of course, the kitchen sink.

Simply place the skis together, with the bindings facing each other, and slide them into the backpack. Make sure you have knocked as much snow as possible off the skis before putting them into your backpack. Then, make sure the skis are secure and won't slide out while you're walking. Look for backpacks specifically designed for skiing or snowboarding, as they often have additional features like hydration systems and gear loops.

how to carry kids skis with a ski a backpack

I tried this method for a long time, as I was resistant to buying anything specifically to help with carrying both mine and my kids' skis. However, what I actually found happened was that no matter how much I cleaned off the skis before putting them into my ski backpack, there was still snow on them, and so anything in my bag, such as a change of clothes or beanie hats, got wet. I also ended up squashing any snacks that were in there.

So, whilst it might seem like the easiest method, especially if you already have a ski backpack, it's not what I do anymore.

4. Use a Sledge

A really easy way to carry your child's skis on the slopes is to use a sledge. This can be great if you have a large group of children to coordinate and move around the slopes. It is often what we see ski instructors using here to move their ski lessons from point A to B. Especially for smaller children as you can also pop a tiny child into the sledge with the skis.

I can recommend this way to carry kids' skis if you are moving from, e.g. your ski accommodation to the ski school meeting point and then back again. However, if you are out for a family ski day, then this isn't really a solution because you would have to lug a ski sledge around with you all day!

So I recommend this method for larger groups – but please do make sure you lock your ski sledge up if you do leave it at the ski school meeting points as it will get collected or “borrowed” by other desperate ski families!

5. Use a Ski Carrier

As you might have guessed, this is absolutely my preferred way of carrying my kids' ski equipment. Ski carriers are an excellent option for parents who want to keep their hands free while carrying their child's skis, which is definitely what most ski parents need!

I only discovered the trixski ski carrier this winter! After struggling on the slopes with my children for 4 years, Tricia from trixski sent me her ski carrier to try out, and I haven't looked back! For me, it's, by far, the easiest way to carry your child's skis when you are also carrying your own skis and poles as well.

Ski carriers are designed to hold skis together and can be worn kind of like a backpack. You can use this ski carrier on one pair of skis and poles. However, to carry a second pair of, say, children's skis, place the two pairs of skis together with the poles alongside, and the bindings staggered but facing each other, attach the extensions to one end of each strap, with the shoulder pad at the top, wrap the extended trixski ski carrier straps around both sets of skis/poles, above and below the bindings. Then, put the carrier on your back and adjust the strap for a comfortable fit.

The straps on the trixski are wide, made of a seatbelt-style material, and connect with velcro, making it easy to wrap up your skis on the slopes. It doesn't matter if it gets wet from snow because it is super lightweight and dries quickly. I can also throw it into my backpack when I'm not using it.

I have the trixski ski carrier in black; there is also a red version, and I also have the extension kit so that I can carry both my skis and my kids' skis in the same carrier. It also then fits my snowboard if the kids let me get out on my board instead of on skis with them!

The trixski ski carrier is £19.95, and the trixski extension kit is £4.95. But even better, I've got a special discount for my readers. With the code TSANG10 you will get 10% off of your entire order with trixski.

That's La Plagne and how to carry your kids' skis

Hopefully, these 5 ways of how to carry your kids' skis will give you some ideas to try with your children this winter. As I said, the best thing you can do is try out a few different methods to find your comfort zone. However, if you just want to learn from my journey (or mistakes!), head over to the TrixSki site and save yourself some unnecessary stress on your next family ski holiday.

You'll find these posts helpful for getting ready for your ski trip:

If you've got any questions, pop them in the comments below, or head over to the That's La Plagne Instagram and ping me a DM, and I'll get back to you a bit quicker.