Each mountain has a different programs. At Berkshire East where my kids have grown up skiing has the racing development program which starts are 7 or 8. My son as I remember started at age 7. My friend right now has his 8 year old daughter in the program. Not all mountains are the same, Berkshire East has a rich race heritage and starts their programs very young. Other mountains are likely to have some sort of mountain explorers or development club. If you are interested I'd ask around.