Games/activities etc. for advanced beginner skiers?

[FridayHiker]

I'm going to be teaching a school group of advanced beginner skiers, age 7-12 this winter. I have never taught skiing before, and would love for any of the vets here to share any games or activities that might work well with this age and ability level. I haven't skied with my group yet, but believe that they are all able to negotiate the beginner slope with snowplow turns (all have had at least one previous year of lessons) but it might be a week or two or more before they are ready to go to the greens higher up the mountain.

I would LOVE any advice anyone can offer, or links to websites that might have suggestions. I am hoping to have a true instructor with us for the first week, but it's quite possible that that won't happen, so I am trying to be prepared to lead the class on my own.

Thanks!

 

[billski]

duck...

I'm going to be teaching a school group of advanced beginner skiers, age 7-12 this winter. I have never taught skiing before, and would love for any of the vets here to share any games or activities that might work well with this age and ability level. I haven't skied with my group yet, but believe that they are all able to negotiate the beginner slope with snowplow turns (all have had at least one previous year of lessons) but it might be a week or two or more before they are ready to go to the greens higher up the mountain.

I would LOVE any advice anyone can offer, or links to websites that might have suggestions. I am hoping to have a true instructor with us for the first week, but it's quite possible that that won't happen, so I am trying to be prepared to lead the class on my own.

Thanks!

Epicski.com has a lot of instructors, but I'm not sure how much guidance you would get. You might get union-think, I don't know. They might shun your request since you're not a "professional." I could be very wrong, I don't know. Duck the rope, take a chance....

 

[FridayHiker]

Epicski.com has a lot of instructors, but I'm not sure how much guidance you would get. You might get union-think, I don't know. They might shun your request since you're not a "professional." I could be very wrong, I don't know. Duck the rope, take a chance....

Thanks. I'll give it a look. Between you and me (and everyone else with an internet connection... :lol: ), I was also quite surprised that the mountain requires non-certified parents to instruct the program, but that is how the mountain structures it, so I just thought I'd try to be as prepared as possible.

 

[Paul]

Thanks. I'll give it a look. Between you and me (and everyone else with an internet connection... :lol: ), I was also quite surprised that the mountain requires non-certified parents to instruct the program, but that is how the mountain structures it, so I just thought I'd try to be as prepared as possible.

That is odd... Which mountain is this?

 

[FridayHiker]

That is odd... Which mountain is this?

I don't want this to turn into a mountain-bashing thread, as I'm guessing that the approach is controversial (though it is apparently working quite well at all of the schools that are doing it), so I would prefer not to name it, if that's okay.

 

[Paul]

I don't want this to turn into a mountain-bashing thread, as I'm guessing that the approach is controversial (though it is apparently working quite well at all of the schools that are doing it), so I would prefer not to name it, if that's okay.

Cool, wasn't going to bash, just curious. My wife is a GS leader, and might end-up in a similar situation.

 

[JimG.]

I'm going to be teaching a school group of advanced beginner skiers, age 7-12 this winter. I have never taught skiing before, and would love for any of the vets here to share any games or activities that might work well with this age and ability level. I haven't skied with my group yet, but believe that they are all able to negotiate the beginner slope with snowplow turns (all have had at least one previous year of lessons) but it might be a week or two or more before they are ready to go to the greens higher up the mountain.

I would LOVE any advice anyone can offer, or links to websites that might have suggestions. I am hoping to have a true instructor with us for the first week, but it's quite possible that that won't happen, so I am trying to be prepared to lead the class on my own.

Thanks!

Follow the leader is a good one...have them follow you down the hill a few feet apart and make them follow your tracks. Vary your turn size and shape, speed up, slow down.

Make a little slalom course out of poles if the kids are using them...have a bag of gummi worms ready when you're done, everyone gets a gummi worm, the winner gets 2.

Have them ski side by side synchronizing their turns. Try a triangle of 3 skiers, one in front and 2 behind, the 2 behind have to synchronize with the leader.

Have a big snowball fight.

 

[Brettski]

I would think a human slalom course would be fun

 

[FridayHiker]

Thanks, everyone. Epicski's instruction forum was new to me. I'm actually going to try to avoid the human slalom course, as there is a huge range of size/weight, and I don't want to tempt the fates.

 

[thetrailboss]

Follow the leader sounds fun!

Just don't play any football while skiing if you know what I mean. :wink:

 

[JimG.]

Thanks, everyone. Epicski's instruction forum was new to me. I'm actually going to try to avoid the human slalom course, as there is a huge range of size/weight, and I don't want to tempt the fates.

Use poles like I suggested, not people!

 

[Paul]

Use poles like I suggested, not people!

People may end-up being an unintentional, yet inevitable consequence. :wink: