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 “boring rule” that confidence builds when tasks feel easy and automatic), pushing for “one more run” (the peak-end rule), praising bravery instead of skill (which implies danger), and showing parental anxiety (which sets a regulation ceiling).

She recommends calm instructional tone, staying on easy terrain longer, stopping before fatigue, practicing falling, normalizing wobble as recovery, and detaching ego to play the long game, then mentions her parent-focused program, First Tracks.

Get First Tracks HERE

00:00 Welcome and Big Idea

01:15 Meltdown on the Slope

02:25 Kids Aren't Born Afraid

03:12 Co Regulation Explained

05:21 Panic Voice Problem

06:59 Terrain Too Hard Too Soon

08:29 One More Run Trap

09:41 Stop Praising Bravery

11:34 Your Anxiety Sets Ceiling

12:53 Architecture of Confidence

14:43 Beyond Skiing Check Signal

15:45 First Tracks Invitation

16:58 Final Reminder and Goodbye