• Welcome to AlpineZone, the largest online community of skiers and snowboarders in the Northeast!

    You may have to REGISTER before you can post. Registering is FREE, gets rid of the majority of advertisements, and lets you participate in giveaways and other AlpineZone events!

Your goals for next season 18/19?

shwilly

Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2006
Messages
311
Points
16
I should be able to help her descend with a harness and a leash. That's the goal for this coming winter.

Any tips for me?

I did this for my younger daughter a few seasons ago. Holding the harness while snowplowing with the board is a little tricky, but doable. Mostly I snowplowed, but sometimes I was pointed a bit downhill, sometimes a bit fakey.

When your tyke falls down, you have to make sure you don't run over her! Then getting her back up and going again can be a little tricky. At some points I had to let my daughter brace against me as she stood up, then I'd hop uphill, get the harness lined up, and we'd start going again.

Basically it's just awkward getting going. Once you're going, it's fun and you won't be going very fast.

I highly recommend learning to ski in the interest of your own fun, but unless you're a very quick learner, you won't be good enough at skiing quickly enough to help your daughter. I'd stick with the board if you're a confident boarder. The one part that's just not great is helping a small kid unload a chairlift.

Focus on making it fun and don't expect her to be ripping everything at first. Good luck!
 

CoolMike

New member
Joined
Oct 30, 2013
Messages
153
Points
0
Location
Pelham, NH
I did this for my younger daughter a few seasons ago. Holding the harness while snowplowing with the board is a little tricky, but doable. Mostly I snowplowed, but sometimes I was pointed a bit downhill, sometimes a bit fakey.

When your tyke falls down, you have to make sure you don't run over her! Then getting her back up and going again can be a little tricky. At some points I had to let my daughter brace against me as she stood up, then I'd hop uphill, get the harness lined up, and we'd start going again.

Basically it's just awkward getting going. Once you're going, it's fun and you won't be going very fast.

I highly recommend learning to ski in the interest of your own fun, but unless you're a very quick learner, you won't be good enough at skiing quickly enough to help your daughter. I'd stick with the board if you're a confident boarder. The one part that's just not great is helping a small kid unload a chairlift.

Focus on making it fun and don't expect her to be ripping everything at first. Good luck!

Thanks for the tips. Hadn't thought about fall recovery. Hoping up hill to tension the harness makes sense. I've got a little over 100 days experience on a snowboard under my belt but just 2 days on skis, so there will be some learning. I will probably do some of both and try to get to the point where I can ski with her next year. My wife is adamant that the girl learns to ski first which is fine with me. Even after just two days on skis I could tell that the learning curve was quicker than snowboarding.
 

tumbler

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 10, 2014
Messages
1,415
Points
83
Thanks for the tips. Hadn't thought about fall recovery. Hoping up hill to tension the harness makes sense. I've got a little over 100 days experience on a snowboard under my belt but just 2 days on skis, so there will be some learning. I will probably do some of both and try to get to the point where I can ski with her next year. My wife is adamant that the girl learns to ski first which is fine with me. Even after just two days on skis I could tell that the learning curve was quicker than snowboarding.

Buy a cheap package of beginner lessons- the instructors are good at what they do. The package might even include equipment.
 

ironhippy

Member
Joined
May 16, 2014
Messages
408
Points
18
Location
NB Canda
Buy a cheap package of beginner lessons- the instructors are good at what they do. The package might even include equipment.

agreed, the local instructors are against the leash method, they feel it leads to bad technique that needs to be corrected later.

I'm pretty sure I started on a leash and I have bad technique that need to be corrected 34 years later ;)
 

skifree

New member
Joined
Oct 16, 2012
Messages
664
Points
0
depends on your child. both my kids couldn't stand the leash. better just running next to them on the flat beginner/very beginner area. I always imagined going down easy trails with them attached to the leash would be cool. didn't happen.
last thing you want to do is have them HATE skiing. My kids did much better when they had a friend with them.
ski school is cool but at 3yrs old they will spend more time frosting cupcakes instead of skiing.

my kids are 18 and 21 and rip now!!!!
 

tumbler

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 10, 2014
Messages
1,415
Points
83
yes but at that age they do not have the stamina or attention span to do more than a run or two without something else to do like frost cupcakes. IF you do it yourself be prepared for lots of lodge time with hot chocolate and candy to reward them. It can be very frustrating. all 3 of my kids went through a ski program that started like day care and they all rip now. All you want them to do is have fun. Let them be taught, you go out and have fun on the mountain and maybe catch their last run so they can show off to you how well they are doing.
 

deadheadskier

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Mar 6, 2005
Messages
27,955
Points
113
Location
Southeast NH
My son turned 3 end of March. I got him out about 10 times last year. I actually felt we made better progress at a local park than at the ski areas. Less distraction. I have one of those leash back pack things, but never used the leash. I used the handle on the backpack. I'd hold the handle and then release him for a bit so he'd glide on his own and then catch up to him to grab the handle. Hopefully throughout this winter I get him so he's snow plowing on his own.

Sent from my XT1635-01 using AlpineZone mobile app
 

mister moose

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 11, 2007
Messages
1,088
Points
48
last thing you want to do is have them HATE skiing. My kids did much better when they had a friend with them.
ski school is cool but at 3yrs old they will spend more time frosting cupcakes instead of skiing.
Is there an upper age limit on this lesson/cupcake thing?
 

bdfreetuna

New member
Joined
Jan 12, 2012
Messages
4,300
Points
0
Location
keep the faith
I was going through some pictures from this past season...here's a good goal...survive the Poma line at Pico again...

View attachment 23949

I finally got to ski it this year as it takes a monstrous amount of snow...even then it just gets pushed off I found. I traversed in as a family was hiking out, skis off. I asked if it was "skiable" and they gave me a pretty shallow "yes". Holy shit that is a gnarly, unrelenting trail. Rocks, the old cable, concrete, stumps, ice falls, and it's barely 10 feet wide. Most terrifying is that there's no way out once you're headed down with the super thick pine brush on both sides.

I skied it twice and I realized doing it again would just be looking for trouble.

Try Busted next time. Go straight past the tower instead of taking a right onto Poma Line. Small hole/trail in the woods directly past the tower.

Let me know which you think was tougher. Poma Line *looks* easier but I think it's probably a close-ish call. I skied Busted but haven't done Poma Line yet basically because I've been told the cable causes some bad wipeouts.
 

ss20

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 13, 2013
Messages
3,925
Points
113
Location
A minute from the Alta exit off the I-15!
Try Busted next time. Go straight past the tower instead of taking a right onto Poma Line. Small hole/trail in the woods directly past the tower.

Let me know which you think was tougher. Poma Line *looks* easier but I think it's probably a close-ish call. I skied Busted but haven't done Poma Line yet basically because I've been told the cable causes some bad wipeouts.

I will definately look for that next time. Yes, skiing over the cable was a pretty surprising feeling. The skis will wash out right under you.
 

bdfreetuna

New member
Joined
Jan 12, 2012
Messages
4,300
Points
0
Location
keep the faith
I will definately look for that next time. Yes, skiing over the cable was a pretty surprising feeling. The skis will wash out right under you.

I'm waiting for a pretty ser pow day (tbh I've had the chance but passed, then again I usually go to Pico with my Dad and he'd never ski that). Next time it looks like "bottomless" conditions I will ski the cable lol


At this point in the summer I keep dreaming of Mad River Glen and exploring more areas like 20th Hole and getting to know some of the hidden-ish stuff better. If we have a good winter I could see myself focusing my energy there more than usual.

If we have a good winter Magic will certainly be a top option as well.
 

Smellytele

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 30, 2006
Messages
9,936
Points
113
Location
Right where I want to be
i have skied part of the poma line before> i cut through the thick trees from Giant killer > which may have been tougher than the poma line. The snow was deep enough to cover most of the shit.

Once they removed the birch chair the poma was pretty useless.
 

deadheadskier

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Mar 6, 2005
Messages
27,955
Points
113
Location
Southeast NH
I liked it for lapping Upper Giant Killer. It's cool as a trail now, but I would have preferred they left it. Probably didn't make financial sense

Sent from my XT1635-01 using AlpineZone mobile app
 

Funky_Catskills

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 22, 2014
Messages
1,341
Points
48
Location
Hunter, NY
My goal is to find balance between my NYC existence and my home in Hunter.
To make money on my house when I'm not there and to enjoy the mountain when I am.
 

BenedictGomez

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 26, 2011
Messages
12,174
Points
113
Location
Wasatch Back
Tonight I learned that in Utah, not only can you not serve draft beer with > 3.2% ABV (rendering it useless), but you cannot order a hamburger < Medium.

First chink in the armor, Ted.
 

Edd

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 8, 2006
Messages
6,570
Points
113
Location
Newmarket, NH
Tonight I learned that in Utah, not only can you not serve draft beer with > 3.2% ABV (rendering it useless), but you cannot order a hamburger < Medium.

First chink in the armor, Ted.

Hmm..been there a couple of times and the draft beer thing is abysmal. I was not aware of the hamburger thing. Is that Mormon driven somehow?
 
Top