Kids on the Summit. [Tourist Office Cranmore]

As children grow, they become more adventurous skiers. This presents parents with a difficult problem: how to allow the child enjoyable skiing without excessive risk.

Trying to ensure your child's safety by forbidding certain things (such as jumping or skiing fast) is unlikely to succeed and is not in your child's interest in the long term. It is far preferable that children develop their own understanding of the risks of skiing and the ability to make responsible decisions for themselves. However, a ban on off piste skiing without adult supervision should be enforced.

Nobody should ski alone; you should help your older children to find a group with which they enjoy skiing. The ski school is a good place to start, or you may be able to share the cost of a private instructor with the parents of your children's friends. If your children want to go off in a group, make sure that they have a piste map, that they understand when they have to return, and that they take an appropriate telephone number and some money in case of problems.