If you are a Singapore parent thinking of bringing your kids for a first ski trip, very normal to feel excited and scared at the same time. Cold, snow, language, cost, kids stamina, everything also become one big question mark.
Even though every winter trip felt like a fresh start, our family actually went through a few rounds of trial and error at Furano and Tomamu before reaching this version of “slightly more expert but still blur” ski parent.
Our actual ski journey started way back in Dec 2019, just a few months before Covid hit, when we brought our first kid to Furano on an ala carte trip.
That one was a lot of juggling childcare, snowboard activity, transport and meals on our own, and it really showed how tiring a non all inclusive ski holiday can be with young kids.
After Covid, we did our “first proper ski as a family of four” at Club Med Tomamu in March 2023, and that trip convinced us that the Club Med format fits our stage of life a lot better.
Along the way, I realised quite a lot of the planning skills are the same as any family trip, whether it is Jeju, Legoland or just a short road trip to Malaysia.
Step 1: Choose Your Ski Style – Ala Carte Or All Inclusive
Our first ski trip with our eldest was Furano, where we booked hotel, lift passes and transport all separately.
Good for flexibility and sometimes cheaper on paper, but very tiring when you add childcare runs, driving in snow and planning every single meal.
Later at Club Med Tomamu and Kiroro, almost everything was inside the package, which cost more per night but saved us a lot of mental load.
Simple rule of thumb for first timers:
- If your kids are young and you hate logistics, start with an all inclusive like Tomamu or Kiroro.
- You have backup of the Kids Club in case your kid bail out.
- If you already love snow, are okay to drive and want to save more, then consider ala carte places like Furano or Rusutsu later on.
You can get a feel of both styles from my 10 days winter in Hokkaido with kids and Rusutsu and my Club Med Kiroro Grand with kids review.
Step 2: Plan Around Your Kids, Not The Slope Map
The biggest mistake on our early trips was planning like two adults with bonus children, instead of planning around the kids.
With young kids, you must assume: gearing up takes 30 to 40 minutes, someone will need the toilet at the worst timing, and at least one person will have a meltdown from hunger or cold.
What works better:
- One “hard” ski day followed by one lighter or play day.
- Book morning lessons when everyone is fresh, keep afternoons flexible for nap, snow play or onsen.
- Add at least one buffer day in the middle just for free play, like how we plan our Jeju and Seoul trips.
Step 3: Decide How Many Lessons To Book
Across Furano, Tomamu and Kiroro, one pattern is very clear: kids usually progress faster than parents. By day two or three, most kids can already handle gentle slopes if they are in daily lessons.
Adults, on the other hand, need more time and ego management.
For a 5 to 7 day trip, a good starting point is:
- Kids: 3 to 4 days of group lessons (mostly half days, maybe one full day in the middle).
- Adults: join group lessons first, then consider one private lesson mid trip if you feel stuck.
Do not stress about squeezing maximum lessons. The goal is for your kids to enjoy snow and build confidence, not to turn them into national athletes in one holiday.
Step 4: Sort Out Gear Without Burning Your Budget
After three Hokkaido trips, the gear lesson is quite straightforward:
- Confirm buy: thermals, socks, inner gloves, heat packs. These are reusable and hard to rent.
- Usually rent: skis, poles, snowboards and boots. Your level will change, and these are bulky and expensive.
- Depends on your future plans: jackets and pants. If you will do more winter trips, buy during sale and reuse.
So we started in this order.
- Thermals
- Gloves
- Helmets / Goggles
- Ski pants, ski jackets
- Snowboots
- Snowboards / Ski Bags
Step 5: Use A Family Travel System That You Already Trust
What surprised me is how similar our ski prep felt compared to other family trips. The same “system” that worked for our 3 days 2 nights Desaru adventure with kids and other overseas trips still works, just with more layers and gloves:
- One parent in charge of documents, one in charge of kids.
- Shared packing checklist so nobody assumes the other already packed.
- Fixed “catch all” spot in the room for gloves, helmets and goggles so things do not go missing every morning.
If you have not built your own system yet, my ultimate checklist for family travel with kids is a good base to start from and tweak for snow trips.
Step 6: Pick A Resort That Matches Your Season Of Life
Furano with one toddler pre Covid, Tomamu with two kids after Covid, and Kiroro now with slightly older kids all felt very different, even though all are in Hokkaido.
What matters is not just snow quality, but whether the place matches your current season:
- Need full day kids club and simple buffet meals: Club Med type resorts.
- Want more local food, driving and sightseeing: ala carte towns like Furano, Rusutsu or Sapporo base.
- Want a mix of ski and non ski activities: look at resorts near kid friendly Hokkaido attractions.
Step 7: Treat This As A Journey, Not One Perfect Trip
If your first ski trip feels messy, welcome to the club.
Our Furano trip was tiring but memorable, Tomamu felt like a game changer for ease, and Kiroro let us refine what kind of balance we want between cost, comfort and freedom.
The important thing is that each trip teaches you what works for your own family.
So instead of chasing the “perfect itinerary”, think of this as building your own family ski playbook over time. Start with something manageable, adjust based on your kids, and by the second or third snow trip, you will look back and realise how far everyone has come.
PS: If you like this kind of step by step breakdown, you will probably also enjoy my 10 days winter in Hokkaido with kids and Rusutsu where we had to pivot last minute from Club Med because of norovirus and go back to a more DIY style trip.
That trip really highlighted again why an all inclusive setup like Kiroro or Tomamu can sometimes be worth the premium for families with younger kids.