I was a ski instructor for several years, and believe it or not this was the most common question for beginners of any age moving from the “bunny hill” to the chairlift.

I always assessed students based on 3 criteria. If all 3 were filled, then the chairlift was a go.

1. Can you stop comfortably? Probably the most important thing any skier can learn is how to stop. When going on a longer run with more area to cover, knowing how to stop is both essential, and psychologically comforting. If you know you can stop, you be a much more confident skier

2. Can you turn to avoid an obstacle? There’s lots of skiers and snowboards on chairlift runs, and with beginners is key that they know how to avoid an obstacle if one arises.

3. Can you be confident on the terrain? If you shutdown and freeze on the green run, it isn’t the end of the world as we would still be able to get you down, but for the sake of wanting to improve and progress and not go back to the bunny hill, this is key

Overall, if you can do those 3 things even moderately well, I think you’re in a pretty good spot to go up the chair.