worst way to teach a kid

[billski]

This has to be the worst way to teach a kid to ski. All these gimmicks bundled into one terrible package. Besides, no 1 or 2 year old worth their diapers and sippy cups would stand for it. Kids that age just walk around on the snow, even if you put boards on them. better to put them on a sled on your lap and let them feel the excitement and leave it at that. You'll be in the lodge more often than out.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

I know that some people have super athletic 18 - 24 mos. old, but IMO most kids that age just want to play in the snow. The whole pushing a kid before they're ready is lost on me. :roll:

 

[mckay]

I met a guy on the bunny hill lift at Bretton Woods a couple of weeks ago who saw me with my 4 year old. I was saying that I might take her up to the top of the green trail that was open and we would just take as long as it takes to get down. He talked me out of it. He told me that when his son was 4 he took him up the Bethlehem express at Bretton Woods and the kid was so scared he literally pooped his pants.

 

[Jay's Dip Powcher]

Save yourself $90 bucks and duct tape the tips together and duct tape a broom handle to there jacket. That has to be under $5 right there!

 

[AdironRider]

I teach swim lessons to kids in the summer and every once in a while Ill get a kid whos 1 or 2. Worst part is the parents of the kid who get pissed when their kid cant swim laps before he can walk. I honestly think that kids younger than 5-7 dont have the physical development to take on an extreme sport like skiing.

 

[tcharron]

LOL. My third son is currently a year and a half, and we where planing on getting him at least at the slopes next year, but more then likely, not skiing. We joked around about the 'terrible twos' and how it might actually feel rewarding (I SAID JOKED!) to just put em on a small pair of skis, bring him up the bunny hill, and push..

GDI, I said Joked people!

But seriously. If we got him anything it'd be the little plastic toy skis so he could play around at the bottom of the bunny hill and feel part f the activity. I know I've seen lots of little kids screaming down the slopes since I restarted skiing last year, but I have to wonder if it's healthy for kids as small as I've seen trying to learn to have the pressure.

 

[skidbump]

started my kids in/on skiis at 3....just arround house...at 4 we visited mohawk in ct for a couple walks up and ski"hahahahhaha"downs..then a try on the bunny lift right out in front.... at 5 they were in ski wee at jimminy for about 2 yrs"5 or 6 times a yr....then it was i wanna learn how to snowboard..now that was a living hell ...they both refused lessons and are self taught..21 yr old went once last yr ,17 yr was told he WILL break even on seasons pass after only going 4 time last yr...Oh and i tried to teach them myself but failed miserably

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

I disagree, we have the KID-SKI and it worked great...we used it with our 2.5 yr old at Thunder Ridge and Jiminy and she loved it......you have to know how to balance having them on the snow skiing, playing and in the lodge....if you make it fun they will learn...last year when she was 3.5 she is skiing all greens with out any assistance, with any tip lock or anything.....yes, she is very athletic, some kids might not take to it, but we used the kid-ski stuff in the house, in the backyard and it was a blast.......cant wait to get my now 1.5 yr old on the KID-SKI next year.......

 

[tcharron]

started my kids in/on skiis at 3....just arround house...at 4 we visited mohawk in ct for a couple walks up and ski"hahahahhaha"downs..then a try on the bunny lift right out in front.... at 5 they were in ski wee at jimminy for about 2 yrs"5 or 6 times a yr....then it was i wanna learn how to snowboard..now that was a living hell ...they both refused lessons and are self taught..21 yr old went once last yr ,17 yr was told he WILL break even on seasons pass after only going 4 time last yr...Oh and i tried to teach them myself but failed miserably

How'd that go, the self taught snowboard thing? My 12 year old had some lessons last year and wasn't.. Lets just say, that good. His 8 year old brother took to skis like a fish out of water, and torments him (not intentionally. Just.. skiis around him several times after he's fell dow.. Ok, maybee it is torture..) which kinda discouraged him. He suggested trying skiing this year, but I know he likes the 'idea' of skiboarding more, so I really dont want him to give up quite yet, but at the same time, lessons are kinda expensive to do all the time...

Do you think it's worth it to just give him the snowboard, point him at the bunny hill, and let him go?

 

[MarkC]

I have mixed opinions about this. I have seen kids as young as 2½ succeed on skis but only if they are very athletic and mature for their age. In the ballpark I would say about 95% of children that young would not be successful with this type of equipment. Also with exception to the plastic skis most of this equipment can be made inexpensively with items found in a hardware store. I have seen great success with a small clamps and rubber tubing to keep skis together.

 

[Greg]

My oldest turns 4 in January and this will be her first season. I purposely waited until she was a bit older to get her started. I plan to include about ten lessons this year if she takes to the first couple, along with maybe a few outings just with me once she gets to a certain point and again, if she enjoys it. She's taken a dance class and is currently in gymnastics so she responds to instruction from others. Emotionally and physically, she just hasn't been ready until this point. Personally, I think a child under 3 is too young. Our oldest daughter started walking at nine months so she may be ahead of where her sister is though...

 

[ann in ma]

We taught my youngest to ski last year when she was 3 1/2. We took it slow, and by the end of the season (probably 8-10 days on snow) she was skiing the easy greens at Okemo and Bretton Woods. She had a few private lessons, and lots of practice on the Magic carpet. The Magic Carpet is the best ever invention -- sure beats my early ski days, sidestepping up the hill then "graduating" to the rope tow.

A lifesaver was a ski harness thing -- it wraps around the child's chest and has a little pocket, and you can clip a leash onto it. The pocket also has a handle on it. We didn't use the leash much because she tended to rely on it too much and let us do all the work -- but the handle around her was great. We used it to help lift her onto the chair lift, and also if there was a particularly steep (for her) or icy spot, we'd hold onto her via the handle and keep her tucked into our hip while skiing slowly down that section.

 

[MonkeyBrook]

In my opinion, each child is different. We have three kids. My youngest was 4 1/2 last year and could not stand up on Thanksgiving. After some ski school lessons and about 25 days on the slope she was skiing easier groomed blacks at Sunday River and often beat my other two kids (age 6 and 8) down the hill. They are all different. No one should say how early you should start them, that is up to the parents and the kids.

 

[PowderDeprived]

How about getting a bunch of old beat up cross country gear, and having it for the kid to play with whenever he or she wants, probably better for 3+

Below 3 years, There is no shame in trying, as long as it is safe. If the kid has fun, stick with it, if he or she hates it, wait a while.

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

when we started our 2.5 yr old, we went on warm days, had plenty of snacks on hand, made it fun and played games on the slopes, it was more for her to get the sensations of gliding on snow, the feel of the boots, the lifts...we'd spend 30min to an hour skiing, go into the lodge, I'd go ski 5-6 runs, go back in and if she wasnt ready to head back out, my wife would take 5-6 runs, then we'd all go back out together......there are alot worse ways to spend a weekend...................

 

[Angus]

My experience was with my daughter who started last year at 4 1/2 - we waited until March and then skied 4-5 times progressively increasing duration and terrain. Started one afternoon at the rope tow at nashoba, then crotched a couple of times for the afternoon - just went to the top, and finally one run from the top of stowe on toll road to end the season - although she pooped out about half way down. it was pretty amazing that she intuitively understood the snow plow technique. I did put on a harness which I liked but wouldn't recommend if you're not a competent skier - risk of running over your child. we just took it real easy, big thrill was to ride chair lifts and had lots of talk about the trips beforehand - the older sibling who's into skiing helps alot. a couple of runs, take a break, a couple runs, take a break, bring lots of food! would pull over on the side of the slope and sit down and chat for a bit, etc. she's all pumped up for the ski season this year.

 

[drjeff]

I disagree, we have the KID-SKI and it worked great...we used it with our 2.5 yr old at Thunder Ridge and Jiminy and she loved it......you have to know how to balance having them on the snow skiing, playing and in the lodge....if you make it fun they will learn...last year when she was 3.5 she is skiing all greens with out any assistance, with any tip lock or anything.....yes, she is very athletic, some kids might not take to it, but we used the kid-ski stuff in the house, in the backyard and it was a blast.......cant wait to get my now 1.5 yr old on the KID-SKI next year.......

I'll second this opinion. My now 3 year old started on Kid-ski when she was 15 months and after some snow play time an giving a slow intro to the kid-ski, she loved it. No she wasn't out on the hill all day, but with a few 30 or so minute session, she really had alot of fun which tranlsated into the her advancing abilites as a 2 year old last year, first on kid-ski equipment and then later in the season on "traditional" ski equipment.

Now, this year, my 3 year old can't wait ot go skiing, and if the interest level is there, I'll get my soon to be 1 year old up on the kid-ski in March or so when he hits the 15 month age. The bottom line though is that its about keeping it fun for your kids, and if they want to just play in the snow in a sled instead of skiis, or just jump in the snow, fine.

 

[JimG.]

I have 3 sons...I taught all of them myself (I'm PSIA level III certified), and all of them started on snow before the age of 3. I'm a big believer in the tip lock, but that's all I use.
No harnesses or ski bars.

I've found that most issues that keep kids from learning at that age are adult oriented:

1) Expectation level way too high; parents. keep your mouths shut unless YOU are doing the teaching. This goes for terrain choice, level of ability, and time out on the snow.

2) NO FUN; kids enjoy snowball fights and rolling in the snow. Some parents want their kids skiing gates and bumps by the second day. I've had parents complain about how I'm teaching their kids because I don't consider much other than having fun with 3 year olds. Get real!

3) My favorite...parents don't ski, closely related to parents who want to ski alone and who dump their kids to do so. Kids that age want to be with Mom and Dad. If you don't want to spend time with your kids while they learn, don't have kids.

I'm sure I've offended someone. Think about it if you are.

 

[tcharron]

Silly question, but for someone like me, who as a parent would like to be involved in the kids learning for a family sport, are there any pointers you can give that might help? Honestly, I can ski alright, but I'm certainly not at the level to be able to ski backwards in front of my sons as they ski, but at the same time, it kinda hit me last year while my 8 year old was taking lessons.

Little background.

Last year we put Jean-Luc and Billy in Crotched Mts kids all day ski camp program (calling it a ski camp feels overrated, I suspect many parents use it as a dumping group for their kids while they ski). Anyhow, it was a relatively slow day, so the kids ended up with all day one on one with an instructor, which was GREAT. For the most part, I spent the entire day 'mirroring' the boys, so pretty much at least half the time they where skiing, I was there, or close behind, much of the time with a camera. What kinda hit me was after the first time Billy, (the 8 year old) went up the lift after being on the bunny hill, when he came down the instructor was talking to Billy about a few things, and when he was done, Billy looked at me, looked at the instructor, and said 'But why do I need you when my Dad can teach me?'. I was glad I was there so I could explain that daddy would end up in the emergency room if he tried to ski backwards, and would know WHAT to do if he suddenly started careening down the hill at a beeelion miles an hour and someone had to save him.

But it did make me think about how I can help him more, and have more of a hand in directly learning/teaching WITH him. My initial reaction after the season was over was considering what sort of training it would take to BE an instructor, but once I actually considered it, the obviouse fact that billy will, more then likely within a year or two be a bettr skiier then *I* am.

Guess I'm not sure WHAT I'm asking really, I'd just like to be more involved, become a better skier myself, and BE more involved with the kids. Any sort of programs, or maybe DVD videos or the such you'd recomend?

 

[JimG.]

Silly question, but for someone like me, who as a parent would like to be involved in the kids learning for a family sport, are there any pointers you can give that might help? Honestly, I can ski alright, but I'm certainly not at the level to be able to ski backwards in front of my sons as they ski, but at the same time, it kinda hit me last year while my 8 year old was taking lessons.

Little background.

Last year we put Jean-Luc and Billy in Crotched Mts kids all day ski camp program (calling it a ski camp feels overrated, I suspect many parents use it as a dumping group for their kids while they ski). Anyhow, it was a relatively slow day, so the kids ended up with all day one on one with an instructor, which was GREAT. For the most part, I spent the entire day 'mirroring' the boys, so pretty much at least half the time they where skiing, I was there, or close behind, much of the time with a camera. What kinda hit me was after the first time Billy, (the 8 year old) went up the lift after being on the bunny hill, when he came down the instructor was talking to Billy about a few things, and when he was done, Billy looked at me, looked at the instructor, and said 'But why do I need you when my Dad can teach me?'. I was glad I was there so I could explain that daddy would end up in the emergency room if he tried to ski backwards, and would know WHAT to do if he suddenly started careening down the hill at a beeelion miles an hour and someone had to save him.

But it did make me think about how I can help him more, and have more of a hand in directly learning/teaching WITH him. My initial reaction after the season was over was considering what sort of training it would take to BE an instructor, but once I actually considered it, the obviouse fact that billy will, more then likely within a year or two be a bettr skiier then *I* am.

Guess I'm not sure WHAT I'm asking really, I'd just like to be more involved, become a better skier myself, and BE more involved with the kids. Any sort of programs, or maybe DVD videos or the such you'd recomend?

You have already taken the biggest step...willingness.

Many mountains offer "family" lessons. These work best if the skiers are of similar ability, but they are alot of fun regardless. This is a great way to ski with your kids, see how they are taught, and know what to practice after the lesson is over.

That leads me to number 2...ski with your kids after their lessons. You know, you don't need to be there during the lesson if your child already knows that you will be there to ski with him/her after the lesson is over. This is a great motivator to get them to learn; they want to show you the new things they can do.

Talk to your child's instructor. This does not mean you tell them how to do their job. Find out what they did in the lesson and what the instructor wants you to practice with your child. Skiing is like any other sport...more mileage means better skiers. Practice makes perfect!

Finally, many mountains offer ITC courses...instructor training courses. If you have a real interest in teaching your kids a bit, sign up for one. You might find out you have a knack for teaching and that you want to be an instructor. But even if you don't, you will learn about how to teach people to ski.