"Barry Fieldman, please report to the children's ski school," the announcement blared over the din of the crowded slope-side cafeteria.
Mr. Fieldman raced over to Northstar-at-Tahoe's ski school on the north shore of California's Lake Tahoe, where his 6-year-old son was enrolled. "I was sure Michael had gotten hurt," he explained later.
But nothing so dramatic had happened. When Mr. Fieldman, a Las Vegas developer, arrived at the ski school breathless, he found Michael all in one piece and grinning from ear to ear. "I just don't want to ski anymore," the kindergartner told his dad.
So Michael, my nephew, spent the afternoon happily playing in the snow near the condo where his family and mine were staying. "You can't make a kid ski," said his father, himself an avid skier. "It would just aggravate you and ruin your vacation. Find something else that's fun for kids to do at the ski area."
Children's ski instructors around the country say he is right on the mark. "Making sure the kids are happy in the winter environment should be parents' first goal," explains Rick Devos, director of Steamboat Ski School in Steamboat Springs, Colo., where half of the 50,000 lessons given each year are to children.
"Forcing it won't work. Too many parents have got unrealistic expectations for their kids," says Mr. Devos.
(For information about ski programs at Steamboat, call [800] 922-2722.)
Younger children, the authorities explain, may be the most reluctant skiers in the family, though older ones certainly have their moments too. They may be tired after traveling or unaccustomed to the altitude.
"Parents forget how much kids have to go through before they even get to ski school," says Sue Way, who oversees Aspen's programs for younger children. (Call Aspen at [800] 290-1325 and ask about Tiehack Mountain's First Time on Skis/Snowboard package.)
"Don't let ski school be their first experience with organized day care," urges Ms. Way. That, plus trying to learn to navigate on skis, may be too much for a preschooler to handle.
Still, parents, paying $50 and more a day for their kids to learn to ski can't help but get frustrated when the kids refuse to try.
That's all the more reason to invest time beforehand preparing the skiers-to-be for the experience. Explain that ski school will be a lot like nursery school, day care or kindergarten, with ski lessons thrown in. Tell the older ones how much fun they'll have exploring the mountain with kids their age.
"The idea is for them to see the mountain as a big playground," explains Dave Merriam, director of Stowe Mountain's ski school in Vermont where teaching programs were pioneered. (Call Stowe at [802] 253-3000 and ask about the Traditional Ski Week programs.)
Even if you plan to rent the kids' equipment at the mountain (always a good idea in case something gets broken or doesn't fit properly), visit a ski shop near your home and let the kids clomp around in skis and boots, instructors suggest.
Have a "dress up" night at home to try on ski clothes. They'll need waterproof pants, layered shirts and sweater, wind-proof jacket, heavy socks, hat and a neck gaiter rather than a scarf for warmth. Don't forget goggles and sunscreen.
Spread out the trail map on the kitchen table -- some areas like Aspen now have children's trail maps -- and talk about the most fun runs.
Then, when you arrive, check out the facilities with the kids late in the afternoon the day before you plan to start skiing. Let them talk to some of the instructors. Buy some new goggles, a pin for their hat, a wool headband with the mountain's name.
If the kids still balk at the ski-school door, suggest they at least try for the morning. Promise to check in at lunch time.
Rest assured that ski resorts have ways to reach parents on the mountain, if necessary. At Vail, for example, there are boards at the top and bottom of every lift where messages are posted.
"But once the kids get going, they usually have a great time," says Vail's John Alderson, who leads workshops across the country on teaching kids to ski. (Call [800] 4-SKI-KID for Vail's new "Guide to Kids Winter Vacations in the Vail Valley.")
No matter, it's never easy to leave a nervous child. Just ask
Carolyn Hinckley Boyle, a communications consultant who lives in Austin, Texas. Her 6-year-old daughter Amanda was so nervous that she threw up outside the ski school at Breckenridge, Colo.
Ms. Boyle, worried but convinced that Amanda was just scared, not sick, persuaded her daughter to at least give ski school a try. "I came back and she was out skiing, smiling away." said Ms. Boyle. "She thanked me for making her go."