“To guarantee safety, it´s always better to have an enclosed arena at disposal. Only instructors and their clients are there so the approach is more individual and really safer. We have various teaching aids for kids that can motivate them. Our education is complex – we learn colours and animals together. It is much more interesting for them than being on a ski piste where instructors would have to pay attention all the time so that kids don´t get hurt by other skiers,” explained Gabriel Špak, an experienced instructor of the Tatry motion ski school in Tatranská Lomnica.
He thinks it is important to combine teaching with playing. “We always begin with an amusing warm-up and try to guarantee a lot of fun for the kids. The learning process is much easier in this way and kids fall for skiing,” added Mr. Špak. The process and the length of lessons depend on the age. “Based on our experience, 3-4 year-old children can focus for a maximum of one hour per day. For older kids from 5 to 6 years, two days are sometimes enough to learn how to ski. If they are skilled, they can make it even in one day and start skiing on their own. It depends, of course. Some kids are physically more gifted and some, even 10-year-old ones are not very good at movement coordination. But one week of holidays is more than enough to ski down a blue, or even a red piste,” said the instructor. Kids set their feet on regular ski pistes along with their instructors only once they complete basic training. And this includes learning the rule of wearing ski helmets which are compulsory for children in Slovakia. Reflective vests are recommended too because they help other skiers on the pistes notice the kids and avoid them soon enough if necessary.
Some parents want to be there when their children learn how to ski. Sometimes they even join the lessons themselves. Ski instructors don´t think it is a good idea, though. “We try to deal with it separately because when kids see their parents, they cannot concentrate on the learning process and their own movements. That is why children and their parents are usually taught by different instructors. The teaching methodology differs,” added Mr. Špak.
Parents who can ski and want to combine the skiing lessons of their children with their own skiing adventures will love the attractive special offer in the High Tatras, with ski passes at €10 or more if purchased 30 days in advance. This means that family skiing trips with skiing lessons for kids included can cost much less than ever.
The Tatry Motion ski school offers lessons in the resorts of Tatranská Lomnica and Štrbské Pleso in the High Tatras, and in the area of Biela púť, Lúčky and Krupová in Jasná. The ski school guarantees top-quality lessons for everybody, from skiing and snowboarding beginners to experts of all age groups – from 3-year old children to seniors.
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Tatry mountain resorts, a.s. (TMR) is the leader in tourism in Central and Eastern Europe; it owns and operates attractive mountain resorts, amusement parks, restaurant facilities, sports services, shops and hotels. In the Low Tatras TMR owns and operates the resort Jasná Nízke Tatry and hotels Wellness hotel Grand Jasná, Boutique Hotel Tri Studničky, Chalets Jasná De Luxe, Hotel Srdiečko, and Hotel Rotunda. TMR is also the owner of Aquapark Tatralandia, the largest Slovak aquapark with year-round operation, which besides water entertainment includes Tropical Paradise, a special tropical indoor hall with sea water, as well as Fun Park, and accommodation in bungalows and apartments of Holiday Village Tatralandia. In the High Tatras TMR owns and operates the resort Vysoké Tatry with mountain areas of Tatranská Lomnica, Starý Smokovec, and Štrbské Pleso, which TMR co-manages. In the High Tatras TMR also owns hotels Grandhotel Praha Tatranská Lomnica, Grandhotel Starý Smokovec, Hotel FIS Štrbské Pleso and Mountain hotel Hrebienok. TMR also owns a 9.5 % share in Melida, a.s., which leases and operates the resort Špindlerův Mlýn in the Czech Republic. TMR also leases and operates the ski resort Ještěd. In Poland TMR owns a 97% share in the mountain resort Szczyrkowski Ośrodek Narciarski S.A. (SON), a 75% share in a company that owns and operates Silesian Amusement Park (Śląskie Wesołe Miasteczko) and a 7.3% share in an amusement-educational project via the Polish company Korona Ziemi Sp. z.o.o. TMR also owns and leases hotels Slovakia, Kosodrevina, Liptov and Ski&Fun Záhradky a Bungalovy to third parties. By the end of 2017, more than EUR 300 mil. had been invested into development and modernisation of TMR’s resorts. TMR shares are traded on three European stock exchanges – in Bratislava, Prague, and Warsaw.