5 Things I Learned Taking My Child Skiing

Neither of us being Colorado natives, and with all the (cheaper) things to do outside, my husband and I aren’t big downhill skiers.  But we both want our kids to get a chance to learn how to ski.  Especially because it’s so accessible where we live, if nothing else we’d like for them to be able to ski with their friends later on, and decide for themselves whether it’s a passion of theirs.

So it was primarily for my daughter’s benefit that we finally made it to a ski area recently.    I was anxious, not having skied for over a decade.   She was excited, already knowing from her one skiing adventure two years ago that she loves it.   Here are some of the lessons I learned that day – a couple of them for the benefit of parents, and the others were tips which proved helpful to my child.

5 Things I Learned Taking My Child Skiing

 

1 .  Growing Age, Growing Fear

We first took my daughter skiing when she was in Kindergarten.  I didn’t expect she’d ride the chairlift and take her first green run on that very first day, but she did.

She surprised us both, did really well, and showed almost zero fear – pointing her little skis directly down the hill and cruising.  And she absolutely loved it.

In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have let so much time pass.  Now she’s in 2nd grade, and her second time on the slopes had finally arrived.

This time around, it took her a couple of hours to warm up enough to tackle the chair lift.  She knew that she loved to ski, but I think she was finding it harder than she remembered.  And once we did make it up the hill for our first run, I could see that she was now more cautious with her speed than before.  Understandable, because now she’s older and smarter.  🙂

There’s something to be said for that window of time when they are really young, and have no fear whatsoever of skiing.

2.  Accept Tips From Off Duty Ski Instructors (Even If They Are Stinky)

At one point during the day, we had an older gentleman offer his assistance.  He could tell my daughter was just learning.  He could tell I wasn’t doing an…err… “professional” job of teaching.  And his jacket logo patch assured us that he was in fact a ski coach for kids, there on his day off.  So he took a run with us, slowly skiing (backwards) in front of her the whole way down and instructing her with his time tested kid techniques.

Tips the Kids Ages 4-12 Ski Coach shared with us…

• “Lean forward down the hill, not back – it lets the front part of your skis give you more control”,
• “Just make a pizza with your skis, and make it bigger or smaller to go fast or slow”,  and
• “Squash the little bug inside your boot (instep) to turn”

I was thrilled for the free, helpful, expert advice.  And while many of the things were tips I had already tried to give her… this time they were coming from a non-parent.  You know, which meant she actually listened.

The downside?   My daughter is pretty shy in situations like this, and I couldn’t read how she was reacting to her new teacher‘s help, which I had accepted without asking her.  And even before he rode the chairlift up with us, we both detected the fact that he smelled like a homeless person??  My husband’s explanation:  “You might have just met your first real Ski Bum”

3.  Ditch Your Old Skis & Rent Newer Ones

This one’s for you, non-expert skier parents.  If you are like me, are nervous about not having skied for years, and still harbor a healthy dislike of your much-too-long, given-to-you long ago Disco Skis from times gone by (mine are black, with swanky multi-colored diamonds and a definite 70’s vibe to them)… do yourself a favor and rent some newer skis instead.

I didn’t realize this, but the technology and hence shape and design of downhill skis has changed quite a bit in the past decade (or two).  The skis they gave me were 165s (my scary ones, in the shed at home, are 190s), with a funny fattened shape towards the tips.

I thought I was wearing some embarrassing Super-Beginner style – not that I minded, as long as I could turn easily and they kept me from going too fast.  (I’m neither a talented, nor brave skiier.)   I loved them, they were much easier to ski on that my Old School pair.  Afterwards, my brother explained that’s how skiis are now made.  I approve of the change.

The Disco Skis are definitely going in the next garage sale.  In the free pile.

4.  School Days Make For Empty Slopes

We went this route primarily because my husband and I found ourselves with a rare simultaneous day off of work.  It was beautiful weather.  And since it was just a day trip for us, we pulled my daughter out of school on a Monday and hit the slopes.

The benefit?  Being an in-school week day, there were no crowds at all.  When your child is just starting out, having a deserted bunny hill with no one your child needs to swerve around (or possibly have collide into them) is much less nerve wracking.

5.  You Don’t Forget How to Ski

Honestly, with so much time gone by… did I even still know how to ski?  I can’t recall the last time I skied, but I know it hasn’t been during the past 10 years I’ve been married.  So I was nervous.

With my husband coaching the kids at the bottom of the bunny hill, I took a quick run by myself to make sure this wasn’t a total suicide mission.

Beautiful, sunny day.  Plenty of snow, and no icy patches anywhere.  This is really all I ask out of a skiing experience!  I was soon grinning from ear to ear and as ecstatic as a little kid.  And in case you too have had an unnervingly long absence from skiing, I’m happy to relate:  You don’t forget how to ski.  It came back to me almost instantly.

And as I glided past the trees, taking in the panorama of mountains around me, it all came rushing back:  this is the reason I want my kids to learn to ski.  It’s a truly amazing outdoor experience.  And a fantastic thing to experience together with your child!

Maybe we’ll turn out to be a skiing family, after all?

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 Do you take your kids skiing?  Any tips, do you feel it’s worth it, and where do you like to go…?