worst way to teach a kid

[tree_skier]

I started both my kids in the 20 month range. Now before you jump all over me this is the short version of what I did and it worked. Both are now in race programs and love skiing.

1. I used real ski equipment, skis and boots, clothes that kept them dry and warm, tip ties and a harness once they were very comfortable moving.

2. Time, they dictated how long we stayed out. some days it was 5 minutes. by the end of the first season we had some 3 hour days and were on less travelled blue runs at mount snow.

3. terrian start on something very easy. at snow Ski Baba is great. it is away from the crowds and from about half way down once they can stand they can just go straight and stop before the road. It is important to get them standing on thier own and not leaning on you or a pole. thus hold ski tips and ski backwards. do not ski with them between your legs.

4. once they are comfortable standing on the skis while moving they can go to a harness for speed and / or direction control. At that age they aren't strong enough to do that on thier own.

5. The goal of all this was to get them loving being outside on skis, not to be great skiers.

 

[JimG.]

I started both my kids in the 20 month range. Now before you jump all over me this is the short version of what I did and it worked. Both are now in race programs and love skiing.

1. I used real ski equipment, skis and boots, clothes that kept them dry and warm, tip ties and a harness once they were very comfortable moving.

2. Time, they dictated how long we stayed out. some days it was 5 minutes. by the end of the first season we had some 3 hour days and were on less travelled blue runs at mount snow.

3. terrian start on something very easy. at snow Ski Baba is great. it is away from the crowds and from about half way down once they can stand they can just go straight and stop before the road. It is important to get them standing on thier own and not leaning on you or a pole. thus hold ski tips and ski backwards. do not ski with them between your legs.

4. once they are comfortable standing on the skis while moving they can go to a harness for speed and / or direction control. At that age they aren't strong enough to do that on thier own.

5. The goal of all this was to get them loving being outside on skis, not to be great skiers.

There is nothing wrong with any of this...sounds alot like how I teach my kids.

 

[from_the_NEK]

Teach them to skate. They will learn edges and balance. transitioning to skis is rather easy. You just have to get used to longer skates (see ice under definition for Eastern skiing ). They will also learn how to get through flat sections.
I actually have no idea since I have no children and have not taught anyone this way. I just know that this is why I was able to pick up skiing relatively easy. My sisters were the same way. They just hop on a pair of skis and go.

 

[from_the_NEK]

Teach them to skate. They will learn edges and balance. transitioning to skis is rather easy. You just have to get used to longer skates (see ice under definition for Eastern skiing ). They will also learn how to get through flat sections.
I actually have no idea since I have no children and have not taught anyone this way. I just know that this is why I was able to pick up skiing relatively easy. My sisters were the same way. They just hop on a pair of skis and go.

The one drawback to my method is learning a quality stance on skis. I started in a hockey player's power stance (feet shoulder width apart, knees bent). It took a season to realy get used to bringing my feet close together on a consistant basis.

 

[JimG.]

Teach them to skate. They will learn edges and balance. transitioning to skis is rather easy. You just have to get used to longer skates (see ice under definition for Eastern skiing ). They will also learn how to get through flat sections.
I actually have no idea since I have no children and have not taught anyone this way. I just know that this is why I was able to pick up skiing relatively easy. My sisters were the same way. They just hop on a pair of skis and go.

Hockey players are the easiest group to teach to ski...because they understand what edges do and how to transfer weight from one skate to the other.

But with a little 3 year old, it's six of one, a half dozen of another. Just as difficult to teach them to skate as to ski.

 

[Angus]

re: harness

I would make the following comments concerning there use. when harnessed, I would make a real attempt to leave slack in the line so that my daughter was not utilizing it as a brake. she figured out pretty quickly that it was a substitute for a good snow plow to slow her down. I used it only when we were skiing steeper terrain that otherwise I'd probably not taken her down (or would have resulted in lots of falls and frustration). Once we got to gentler terrain, it would come off. For example, at Crotched, I'd put it on at the top and take off right after we left the summit - either steep or busy, narrow trails are your exiting options. I found it to be a good piece of mind tool for me and allowed us to ski/have access to much more terrain. I don't expect to use it this year.

 

[Catul]

I disagree, we have the KID-SKI and it worked great

And I'll third this opinion. Put my oldest daughter on the plastic skis when she was 4 and pulled her around the backyard - just to get her used to the idea and feeling of sliding on the snow. She started group lessons that year, and loved it; also used the harness for the first few times out to get her more comfortable with being on the slops, and it worked well with her. She is now 6, and really enjoys skiing. My second daughter, now 4, was also on the plastic skis last year, just a couple of times - and she is now looking forward to starting lessons in a couple of weeks as well.

I think these Kid-Ski devices can be very useful when used for just a short period in ones backyard or the base area, very nice and easy way to get them accustomed to (and excited about) skiing.

 

[SkiDork]

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.

my son and daughter both started at 2, but we let Killington ski school teach them. Now my son is 9 and a competetive mogul skier. My daughter is 6 and is starting Alpine racing, of which she is hugely capable of.

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

the problem is that most ski schools wont take kids until they are 3 or even 4....

 

[SkiDork]

the problem is that most ski schools wont take kids until they are 3 or even 4....

yes - we encountered that when we went out to Steamboat. My daughter had already had a ton of skiing experience at K, but Steamboat wouldn't take her becasue she was too young. Both ASC BTW. Go figure.

 

[wintersyndrome]

Brought my Nephew (then 4) up to Okemo got him on a board and had him sliding down a gentle slope...he was really more interested in eating the snow on his gloves than learning how to snowboard, though when he saw some other kid with one of those kooky "dinosaur" hats (the ones with all of the spikes and Stuff) his mother told him that he'd get one only after he snowboarded good, after that he was zooming down the hill, no falls and even turning a little. (Amazing what a little bribery will do)

as an aside, when i told him I was going to the top of the mountain, he stated that he wanted to go with me...knowing his limitations,i told him "you have to get better, if you want to go the top" then he looks at me all puzzled and says
"I'm not sick".

well he's six now (or at least will be on monday) so perhaps this winter we will get him either on skis or snowboarding (I imagine skis are easier because is more natural for body mechanics, but he surfs al little because his grandfather shapes surfboards and skateboards a little so we'll have to see what he wants to do

 

[bill9009]

I learned when I was 4, i still have my first lift ticket from whiteface in a photo album somwhere, my parents said they had to keep me on a leash literally to kep me from taking off!