Mid-week Skiing / Kids

[zinger3000]

Does anyone else ever think to themselves why they see kids on the slopes mid-week (non-holiday) and wonder why they aren't in school? It sort of bothers me, though I guess it really shouldn't. I suppose I want even more of the mountain to myself (as if I don't already seeing as I'm talking about mid-week). I also had more of a strict upbringing, and my parents would never have taken me out of school for recreational purposes. Just wondering if anyone else has ever had this cross their mind.

 

[severine]

Homeschooling? More and more people are doing that these days.

My parents rewarded me for good grades by allowing me to take a few days off from school. This wasn't until I was in high school. Of course, I didn't ski then, but the mental health days were nice.

I also know that where I used to work, we weren't allowed to take time off during Christmas vacations--no Dec or Jan vacations. If I planned on vacation time to spend with the kids, it would have had to have been by taking them out of school (if they were old enough).

 

[Greg]

Haven't thought much about it. Haven't pulled my kids out of school to ski, but they're still young. I would consider it for a family ski trip if there grades and behavior were good.

 

[snoseek]

My father used to take me one midweek day every week and in return i kept my grades up. The school knew about this pretty much kept it on the D.L.

In my freshman year he took me to Utah. We were supposed to be there for a week and I returned two weeks after school started back up. My mother was pissed. The school was pissed. It was a very pivotal point in my life, 25 days, open road, sleeping in a seedy hotel room, eating cheap.....I knew right there I would be a skier.

It has taught me and others a lot I think. A positive way to live your life and a motivator to make it all work. I still to this day am happy my father showed me how to have fun and balance in life. This is an important life lesson that is missing from any school.

edit-I just had a great memory of how he would often show up at home room, excuse me, and have all my shit ready to go in the car. I'm not sure if it was a last minute decision or a planned thing but I still to this day can't think of better memories!

 

[drjeff]

Way too many variables compared to the past. #1 as mentioned already, the "standard" schooling isn't always standard nowadays. Home schooling, Montessori Schools, and even a generally increased number of "teacher development" days than in the past do free up more midweek days than before.

#2 the adult work week isn't always the standard M-F 9 to 5 that it once was, and with more adults having a shorter work week and/or a weekend day as part of their standard work weeks, or working from home, the option to spend a midweek, non crowded day on the slopes with one's kids is much easier than it used to be.

Personally, when I see a family, or atleast 1 parent out with their kids on a midweek day having FUN together, I'm fine with that. How the parent then handles their child's missed school (if any that day) is for them as a parent to decide and for me and my views of parenting not to decide.

 

[4aprice]

I don't think its too wierd seeing kids out on weekday afternoons. Alot of schools have programs and for local kids its better then sitting at home watching TV. I get to ski alot of weekdays and I haven't noticed them in the morning hours. I should mention that this is a local mountain not a remote resort.

Out west you see alot of kids vacationing but I would think that has more to do with adults schedules. I think you will always see more on the shoulder days (Mon, Fri). I know I'll take my kid out for a day or two to extend a good weekend.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

 

[tarponhead]

My father used to take me one midweek day every week and in return i kept my grades up. The school knew about this pretty much kept it on the D.L.

In my freshman year he took me to Utah. We were supposed to be there for a week and I returned two weeks after school started back up. My mother was pissed. The school was pissed. It was a very pivotal point in my life, 25 days, open road, sleeping in a seedy hotel room, eating cheap.....I knew right there I would be a skier.

It has taught me and others a lot I think. A positive way to live your life and a motivator to make it all work. I still to this day am happy my father showed me how to have fun and balance in life. This is an important life lesson that is missing from any school.

edit-I just had a great memory of how he would often show up at home room, excuse me, and have all my shit ready to go in the car. I'm not sure if it was a last minute decision or a planned thing but I still to this day can't think of better memories!

Thats awesome SS. (I would have hated being in your fathers shoes when he got home to face the Mrs.....)

 

[HD333]

I for one will not hesitate to pull my kids, in Kindergarten now, out to ski mid-week (or anything else we/they are passionate about) when the opportunity presents itself. I would say all the way through HS at this point (things may change).

I agree that there is more to learning then sititng in a classroom.

HD

 

[Riverskier]

I always wondered that, though it really doesn't bother me. One would hope it isn't a regular thing, and that their grades were fine. Personally, my parents only ever let me take one day off to ski. My Senior year, Sunday River opened midweek, sometime around October 6th and they let me go.

 

[Smellytele]

I usually take my kids out atleast 1 time a year each for a ski day. Also when going on vaca always fly out on a Wednesday or Thursday for cheaper rates so pull them out for that as well.

 

[bigbog]

Just my $.01...at the pre-teen level...I see a family or part of a family having fun outdoors...improving their youngster's self-esteem...which breeds improved awareness of the world and a future thirst for learning the details..., however, I don't like teenagers out of school continuously = clearly a case of a disinterest in learning. Guess I just come from the angle of strengthening kids' self-esteem along while they acquire knowledge...although I guess that comes from one end of the spectrum...hopefully aiming towards the middle, as other people come from the opposite end of a happy family but lack of discipline.

$.01

 

[MogulQueen]

I think it's ok to let them loose once in a while. My parents let me skip school on St. Patrick's Day every year. Those days were some of my best memories and the reason I love skiing so much. We would go up to Brodie Mountain...anyone remember that place.....and ski on the green snow they would make in honor of St. Patrick's Day. It was always sunny, warm and moguls everywhere. After skiing all day, my mom would make green spagehetti for dinner. Who would want to deny any kid an experience like that!!

 

[denvervega]

Our family is fortunate to live in a school district (Roxbury, NY) that values this form experiential education. Our kids (it 's purely voluntary and there is a discounted cost) spend 1/2 day's on Fri. skiing and boarding at Plattekill. One hour of instruction, followed by free ski/ride. This 6 week program is avail. to 2nd -6th gr. w/ discounted season tickets avail. to all incl. upper school kids and participating parents as well.

 

[Euler]

School Programs

Mt. Snow hosts lots of school programs during January and February. Kids from local schools get provided with a group lesson and a 1/2 day lift ticket for a really low price. It's a nice way for the resort owner to give back to the community.

I'm both a parent and a teacher and I think it's perfectly fine for a parent to make a decision to pull his or her child out of school now and then for something worthwhile like spending a fun day outside with family.

 

[riverc0il]

Many states with tourism based economies have their vacation weeks on different weeks than the metro oriented states. So you may see a lot of kids skiing mid-week in February because pretty much every week is a vacation week for at least one state.

That said, there are more important things to feel bothered about than how someone else raises their kids.

 

[witch hobble]

The homeschooling and off-set vacations have already been mentioned. There are a hell of a lot of prep schools and "academies" with an emphasis on snowsports these days too.

And on those powder days where the big yellows can't safely get the kids to school, armies of SUVs can still somehow make it to the ski area parking lots!

 

[AMAC2233]

Don't forget that school districts give random days off for "professional" days, parent-teacher conferences, freak accidents, etc. In our school district, for example, there are always 2 separate professional days in January, which are usually workshops for teachers, and a day for P.T. conferences in February. I can also remember several instances in the last few years alone when one school or another closed down because of power outages, structural problems, etc. If you consider all the different districts in the area and thousands of schools, chances are that at least a few days each week the kids you see out there might not even have school. Also, all the vacation weeks are different everywhere, considering private schools and different school districts.

 

[mikestaple]

Don't judge until you see the price of a resort condo and lift tickets over, say, MLK weekend and the last 3 week days of a kids ski free week.

It is soooooooo freakin' expensive and the resorts gotcha by the school schedule.

I am fortunate enough to be draggin the family out to Steamboat in February.

You know Steamboat "the family friendly place" with Kids Fly in Free (actually just at the start and end of the season - non school holidays) and the Kids Ski For Free (actually only if the adult buys a full price 5 day ski ticket - so no coupons, or early season purchase discounts on the adult ticket).

And if you have a mix of pre-teens and toddlers and don't get some form of ski in / ski out, then you're a fool who will spend the entire vaca nursing sore muscles from sherpaing all the gear around the mountain. (Not to mention the kiddie tax called ski lessons that you basically have to pay if you want anytime for you to ski.)

And I love to ski with the family. You really can't, though, spend any quality time with the 8 or 10 year old if you also have a 4 year old on the leash.

So - take them out of school. Pay about 50% less. No crowds. The group lesson for the wee one often becomes one on one. And make some memories for the family.

 

[kcyanks1]

I missed 2 days of 2nd grade to ski. That was it for missing school for vacation, until my second year of law school, when I (myself, obviously, not my parents) took off a week to ski. That week I missed more class than I missed in high school and college combined (including sick days, religious reasons, etc.). Totally worth it though.

 

[MommaBear]

I agree wholeheartedly with Mikestaple. We pulled our kids out of school for a week in late January to go to Colorado two years back. Pricing for that week was about half of what it would have cost us during a school break period.

I have no problems pulling my kids out of school for family trips. The way I see it, teachers have no problem assigning homework and major projects during school downtime like Christmas and Spring breaks (including huge math packets and reading lists for the summer!) why shouldn't I give my kids a break? Time off should be time off.