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Our Snowdonia National Park ambassadors are a super adventurous family, they can always found in the mountains. They recently went on a skiing holiday and yes you guessed it the kids were wearing Spotty Otter on the slopes! Kathryn has shared with us some tips to help if you take your kids skiing too!

Spotty Otter on the slopes! 

Skiing can provide the most awesome family fun. If you are lucky enough to get your kids on skis when they are young they pick it up very fast. Skiing can also be super challenging with cold conditions, and sometimes even in warm conditions. So having a good strategy for keeping your young ones happy and warm is key.

We use Spotty Otter Patrol dungarees and jackets (although we have also used the forest leader fleece lined jacket which are fab with their bright primary colours). The Patrol dungarees fit nicely over ski boots and can be zipped to stay snug and prevent snow getting into the top of boots. The chest pocket is ideal for ski passes too, just remind your little one to keep the pocket shut! My boys wear thermal leggings under their dungarees and thermal tops plus a fleece mid layer if it is colder. When the weather is warmer they are happy with just thermals and the fleece lined Patrol jacket, when colder it is easy to add another layer, put on a neck gaiter too to keep them cosy. When the weather is looking a little wild and extra cold I keep an insulated gilet for each of them in my bag, they can put this over the top of their outer layer to keep a little warmer.

When they were younger we used the Patrol suits, the zips on these allowed easy access for nappy changes and kept them super warm out in the snow.

Gloves wise I find mitts are the best - they keep small hands toasty. I try to make sure that the cuffs on a jacket go over the top of the mitt. The other benefit of mitts is that you can easily slide a hand warmer inside to keep little hands even warmer. Having a spare pair of mitts in your bag is also handy, if they get damp after snowman building a quick swap and we are ready to go again. When it is warmer my kids often want to take gloves off, not ideal as in warmer temperatures the snow is often grainy and would graze hands. I have some small pairs of thin wool gloves that they wear when it’s warmer to protect their hands.

Sunglasses with elastic straps rather than arms are ideal for being more comfy under a helmet, so on those days when goggles are too much we pull out the sunglasses.

If you’re about to head out on your first ski trip with little ones, here are my top tips.

Lots of snacks and lots of fun!

We often pack a picnic and stop amongst the trees somewhere for picnics through the day when the weather is nice. It’s amazing the wild life you see sat off to the side of a piste whilst having a snack. On a cold day look for the picnic rooms that many resorts have (salle hors sac in France). We also take as mall bag of sweat, nuts and dried fruit to boost energy or standard snacks. A Small flask of hot juice also reduces the amount of money spent on hot chocolate!

Mixing it up is important too; snowman building, building a slide in the snow, an igloo or going sledging help to break up the day and give legs a rest. To build an easy igloo, bury a bag under lots of snow and then dig into retrieve the bag and make the hole big enough to sit in, being careful not to get too close to the outside of the snow when enlarging your hole. It is called a shovel up, ‘cos you shovel up the snow and then dig out your shelter. Having a snow shovel makes this much easier too.

Keeping warm!

Along with everything i mentioned above it's always handy to pack the following;

Spare gilet

Spare mitts

Hand warmers

Follow @kathrynjames_mountainexpertise to see them head to the slopes again very soon!