Ski Levels and Grades

You're planning a family ski trip but aren't sure of your skill level or how ski school classifications work? Are you hesitating between the ESF (École du Ski Français) and the ESI (École de Ski International)? Your choice will mostly depend on your skiing ability and the resort you choose.

ESF Daycare (18 months to 3 years old)

  If you want to enjoy your week on the slopes but your child is between 18 months and 3 years old, most ski resorts offer daycare services for little ones who are not yet ready to ski or join the Piou Piou Club. They will be looked after by early childhood professionals, with both indoor and outdoor playtime, as well as a nap time. Make sure to contact the ESF in the resort you’re considering to ensure they provide daycare suitable for your child’s age.  

Piou Piou Club (3 to 5 years old)

If your child is between 3 and 5 years old, the Piou Piou Club is available in nearly all French ski resorts to introduce them to skiing. Each child will be placed in a group lesson with a certified ski instructor. They will discover how to use their equipment, take their first slides in a specially designed area, and learn to move through the snow on foot or on skis. Instructors use playful methods to help little ones learn. They’ll leave with amazing memories of their holiday and their very first ski lesson in the mountains.

Teddy Bear Level🧸 (From Age 4) 

Has your child already had a first experience with skiing or is just discovering it? Enroll them in the Teddy Bear (Ourson) class. This is the first level where they can earn a medal. They'll learn how to put on and take off their skis on their own, use their first ski lifts, and glide with their skis. They’ll be able to control their speed by making turns, and slide with their skis parallel while facing downhill. Thanks to this class, your child will be able to follow you down their very first green slopes.

Snowflake Level ❄️ (From Age 5)

Your child can join this class even if they’ve never skied before or haven’t earned the Teddy Bear medal. They will learn to control their speed, brake, and even come to a stop. They might impress you by skiing down a small hill in a more or less straight line and starting to skid on the slopes just like grown-ups. The ski instructor will be proud to see them linking 7 to 8 snowplow turns and returning to parallel skis to go down a slope. Your child will have learned to stay balanced on their skis — and will do so with pride.

1st Star Level ⭐

The 1st Star level follows the Snowflake group lessons. Your child will learn to glide on gentle to moderate slopes, go straight downhill, and make basic skidded turns. The instructor will be proud when your child earns their medal after successfully linking easy skidded turns while staying balanced on gentle slopes. At the end of the week, your child will be thrilled with their progress and will probably ask to come back next year to earn their next star.

2nd Star Level⭐⭐

Your child will start feeling more and more confident on the slopes as they continue with group lessons. They’ll learn to navigate bumps and dips, and will switch from snowplow to a skating step. They’ll also need to link more turns like adults do — on a moderate slope with parallel skis — while staying aware of their surroundings. Your child will now be able to go skiing with you and proudly show that they can make controlled turns on small hills.

3rd Star Level⭐⭐⭐

After practicing year after year, your child will become a real little ski pro! They’ll be able to ski down slopes, link multiple turns, and ride alongside you on more challenging terrain. At this level, they’ll need to master parallel skiing (which they began learning in previous levels), maintain better balance, control their speed, and brake using a skidded stop. They’ll have become confident and precise skiers.

Bronze Star Level

Has your child reached the 3rd Star level or earned that medal? You can enroll them in this course to become even more comfortable on the ski slopes. They will learn combinations of turns, tighter or wider turns, maintain balance on the slopes or on a prepared terrain, and perform mogul turns, for example. Thanks to all their ski trips, your child will become a skilled skier.

Silver Star Level 

You should be proud of your child who has become very confident on the ski slopes. Thanks to the group lessons you’ve arranged for them, they want to keep improving and earn another star. The Silver Star will help them ski on all types of snow. They will improve their precision by learning to reduce skidding, perfect their stance and style. Your child will be proud because they will have learned to perform their first simple jump tricks. They will enjoy skiing down the slopes with you during your ski trips.

Gold Star Level 

This is the final step in ski learning. Your child has passed many stages over the years during their ski trips to improve their level. They will now ski at the top of the slopes on a timed course like in competitions. Here they are on the slopes working to improve their skiing technique. They will ski continuously without stopping, while staying aware of their surroundings. They will chain together turns and mogul skiing on varied terrains and finish with a mini timed giant slalom. Your child will have reached their goal by skiing down the slopes just like you. They will know the ski slopes better than anyone.

Beginner Level

If you have never skied before or are apprehensive about your first steps on the slopes after several years without skiing, this course is for you. The instructor will help you get familiar with your equipment and adapt to this new environment. After this course, you will be able to use ski lifts, glide on smooth terrain, and make a turn with your skis in a snowplough position.

Class 1 Level 

Thanks to the previous course, you will feel more confident on your skis. You will have mastered simple movements, controlled your speed on the slopes, and even changed direction while still in the snowplough position for now. After this course, you will see progress as your instructor helps you improve.

Class 2 Level

This course allows you to improve further with the guidance of your instructor. You will learn your first skidding techniques and finish your turns with parallel skis. This is a great step after starting out with snowplough skiing. You will also be introduced to different types of snow (icy, deep, groomed…) and various terrains (slopes, bumps).

Class 3 Level 

This level confirms that you no longer ski in a snowplough but with parallel skis. Very good news! After taking several lessons each year, you will see your progress. You will be ready to perform rounded skids, slalom turns (moguls), and feel comfortable in specific turns. You can enjoy your ski trips by confidently going down the slopes.

Class 4 Level 

After skiing in group lessons, your level allows you to ski on different types of terrain with the right techniques. Thanks to this course level, you will continue to perfect your skills to become an expert skier. After this level, you can discover ski touring with the ESF. This level will help you become increasingly confident as a skilled skier.

We hope this information will help you better understand the ESF ski levels.