Making your kid a grom

[Dr. Crank]

Great topic - it’s not so much about raising rippers but just wanting them to enjoy themselves and do fun stuff as a family. My kids like skiing for now but they’re still young. Who knows how they’ll feel about it later in life but hopefully they’ll still want to ski with their old man.

We also do xc skiing because it’s fun, almost all of our friends do it, and I don’t know if my kids will go into dentistry school.

My goal was to get them in a few downhill lessons a year. Although I think I’m the raddest skier on the mountain, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who agrees with me. So an instructor should help them tighten up their technique rather than inheriting their dad’s flailing style. But they don’t want to do classes and want to ski with us instead. I’m okay with that. The oldest wants to keep skiing until they won’t let us load on the chair anymore. The younger one’s coming along but I never hesitated to shut it down when they’re finished, even if it felt like a lot of freaking work for one or two runs. As they get older, that seems to be less of an issue.

In terms of the social side. They love skiing with friends but only once they got old enough. Too much chaos trying to regularly link up with other families/kids when they’re like 7 or younger, other than the odd run here or there. Just my opinion.

[EWG]

Great topic - it’s not so much about raising rippers but just wanting them to enjoy themselves and do fun stuff as a family. My kids like skiing for now but they’re still young. Who knows how they’ll feel about it later in life but hopefully they’ll still want to ski with their old man.

We also do xc skiing because it’s fun, almost all of our friends do it, and I don’t know if my kids will go into dentistry school.

My goal was to get them in a few downhill lessons a year. Although I think I’m the raddest skier on the mountain, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who agrees with me. So an instructor should help them tighten up their technique rather than inheriting their dad’s flailing style. But they don’t want to do classes and want to ski with us instead. I’m okay with that. The oldest wants to keep skiing until they won’t let us load on the chair anymore. The younger one’s coming along but I never hesitated to shut it down when they’re finished, even if it felt like a lot of freaking work for one or two runs. As they get older, that seems to be less of an issue.

In terms of the social side. They love skiing with friends but only once they got old enough. Too much chaos trying to regularly link up with other families/kids when they’re like 7 or younger, other than the odd run here or there. Just my opinion.

When they get older having them ski with other like minded crazies is a great way for them to improve by leaps and bounds.

[skaredshtles]

As many have alluded to - keep it fun and just keep skiing. Kids awhile back:





I always used to tell my wife that getting them on black/double black runs was the safest because there are way less beaters on those runs.

Now the eldest two kids are skiing regularly at Bridger, and I suspect they are tearing it up. They're def faster than me at this point.

[muted reborn]

Sunday my 4 year old said she hated skiing and didn't want to go because she sucked at it and then when we arrived at the ski hill it was really cold and she was crying about how cold it was and we had to take a break before we even went skiing.

Later in the day she was screaming with my wife saying "I LOVE SKIING!!!!! BEST DAY EVER!!!!!" and people were laughing at her (in a good way) as she skied by.

Kids are weird, man - I have no advice. Just see what pops out and adjust to the weirdness.

[oftpiste]

You will have SO many days like this. At least they end happy instead of the other way around!

Sunday my 4 year old said she hated skiing and didn't want to go because she sucked at it and then when we arrived at the ski hill it was really cold and she was crying about how cold it was and we had to take a break before we even went skiing.

Later in the day she was screaming with my wife saying "I LOVE SKIING!!!!! BEST DAY EVER!!!!!" and people were laughing at her (in a good way) as she skied by.

[Shorty_J]

I'm still hoping the kiddo decides snowboarding is better. There's like a 50 50 chance!

Right, but what if they are a skier but identify as a snowboarder?

[greenmachine]

I'll side with oft on this. In my family it was lessons then ski programs until 14 and then you can decide if you want to continue. Going up every saturday or sunday for a while was just what was going to happen. Of course I sweetened the deal with mcdonalds or sbux on the way there or back but not really getting to ski with dad until after lessons or until you can hang. They all like skiing and I wish we could do more multi day trips, I think that really helps their development and take away the pain of getting up early for the drive out of the equation. What they don't have which I wish they did is friends who are good skiers.

[oftpiste]

I had a joke with them. At various times in their early ski lives that all made noise about wanting to quit skiing and start snowboarding. My answer was that when they could beat me down the hill they could start snowboarding. I am not badass.

I'll always remember the first time Thing #1 did just that. It was a pow day at Dweebus. He was probably 13. Ripping little fucker. I got down to him, fist bumped and said, "well, I guess you can start snowboarding now!". He looked at me, with raised eyebrows and said "why the FUCK would I want to do that?".

[XXX-er]

IME if they suck at the boarding they will not want to keep snow boarding, cuz at 5 the older son tried snowboarding and sucked so by lunch he asked if we could swap the board for the skis ... YES !

At 13 the younger kid took up boarding, 20 yars later we were going BC skiing in BC so i told him if he really can't ski get a split but he can ski so I think he should probably get BC skis and it worked out good he did a week and didnt even fall once, I duno i he has skied much since but he can

I got ski bud who has skis and boards for the fam and he tells them today we board or today we ski so they have to learn it all

[Peruvian]

wrong thread

[wickstad]

Teach them how to handle the media.

[muted reborn]

You will have SO many days like this. At least they end happy instead of the other way around!

True. Also it's kinda ridiculous how we teach them such an awkward, demanding sport at a young age with adults 3 or 5 times their size (who are sometimes drunk and stoned) whizzing by them often out of control, and sometimes it all happens on ice, and sometimes in a blizzard and often it's cold as shit. And lets give them shitty hand-me-down packed out boots with two buckles and skis that have no wax as you ski to the lifts with no poles to help you get there. And you woke them up at 5am to beat the traffic.

But here's some candy, cheer up kid!

No wonder they get frustrated.

[EWG]

I had a joke with them. At various times in their early ski lives that all made noise about wanting to quit skiing and start snowboarding. My answer was that when they could beat me down the hill they could start snowboarding. I am not badass.

I'll always remember the first time Thing #1 did just that. It was a pow day at Dweebus. He was probably 13. Ripping little fucker. I got down to him, fist bumped and said, "well, I guess you can start snowboarding now!". He looked at me, with raised eyebrows and said "why the FUCK would I want to do that?".

Heh. We told the kids that they couldn’t snowboard on family days till they could keep us with us on our skis. They can both board well enough to keep up with us now but they are spent so much time on skis there was zero chance they would be boarders. My daughter does like to board now and then and will pull it out when she is going with friends that would otherwise create a boring day for her.

[EWG]

True. Also it's kinda ridiculous how we teach them such an awkward, demanding sport at a young age with adults 3 or 5 times their size (who are sometimes drunk and stoned) whizzing by them often out of control, and sometimes it all happens on ice, and sometimes in a blizzard and often it's cold as shit. And lets give them shitty hand-me-down packed out boots with two buckles and skis that have no wax as you ski to the lifts with no poles to help you get there. And you woke them up at 5am to beat the traffic.

But here's some candy, cheer up kid!

No wonder they get frustrated.

Builds character.

[muted reborn]

Builds character.

Yeah, dealing with 2 little kids skiing has toughened me up a bunch.

[EWG]

Yeah, dealing with 2 little kids skiing has toughened me up a bunch.

Excellent.

[wickstad]

Stickers for the helmet.

[wickstad]

Wax on. Wax off.

[muted reborn]

wickstad - awesome pics!

[oftpiste]

You forgot raining and unskiable snow. PNW. I was soaking wet ALL the time growing up.

True. Also it's kinda ridiculous how we teach them such an awkward, demanding sport at a young age with adults 3 or 5 times their size (who are sometimes drunk and stoned) whizzing by them often out of control, and sometimes it all happens on ice, and sometimes in a blizzard and often it's cold as shit. And lets give them shitty hand-me-down packed out boots with two buckles and skis that have no wax as you ski to the lifts with no poles to help you get there. And you woke them up at 5am to beat the traffic.

But here's some candy, cheer up kid!

No wonder they get frustrated.

[yeahman]

Yeah, dealing with 2 little kids skiing has toughened me up a bunch.

Ha, truth. It's strenuous physically as well as mentally. At first I dressed as if for skiing by myself. I quickly realized that holding them and picking them up and everything else was actually a sweaty workout. Best not to overdress.

And it's humbling. I recall one day my daughter lay down in the middle of a crowded liftline and had a total screaming crying meltdown, all these people watching like wtf while she's rolling around on their skis. Finally I just threw her over my shoulder and got the fuck out of there. Took her in for a drink and a snack and she was fine. Gotta be ready to abandon ship.

Advice to new dads, take a lot of photos on these family ski trips. It's great to look back at them and you mostly forget what a PITA it was.

[skinipenem]

True. Also it's kinda ridiculous how we teach them such an awkward, demanding sport at a young age with adults 3 or 5 times their size (who are sometimes drunk and stoned) whizzing by them often out of control, and sometimes it all happens on ice, and sometimes in a blizzard and often it's cold as shit. And lets give them shitty hand-me-down packed out boots with two buckles and skis that have no wax as you ski to the lifts with no poles to help you get there. And you woke them up at 5am to beat the traffic.

But here's some candy, cheer up kid!

No wonder they get frustrated.

My son likes the hoards of beaters.. . I have to yell back at people apologizing for him cutting them off. He thinks he racing everyone I think... tough to tell what exactly goes through the noggin. He turns six tomorrow still knock kneed and thus wicked underedged, and not that good, but loves it.

Most importantly make it fun. Listening to sir-mix-a-lot on the way to the hill and other antics that make skiing special helps. And post skiing cotton candy flavored ice cream sandwiches in the lodge... childhood goodness => adult diarrhea.

As for tools, detrusor turned us on to the pex tubing hula hoop instead of harness. Best thing ever for the early years. Multi-use. Pull the kid skiing while skating, ski behind the kid with kid in hoop, let kid ski ahead and then catch them in the hoop to slow them down, turn there hips with the hoop, and hula hoop in the lift lines/magic carpet to pick up ski milfs.

Serious golden times to create a stronger bond with the kiddos. Skiing, sailing, canoeing, barefoooting, reading, biking, ice racing, trials riding, Enduro riding, reading, wrestling, reading, swimming, reading, cooking, reading, building, reading, marbles, reading, blowing shit up with the science set, reading, and learning inappropriate lyrics to sir-mix-a-lots baby got back.

Pretty damn fun being a parent.

We are all incredibly fortunate!



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[MMP]

Skiing, musical instruments, golf...if you can keep your kids interested long enough that they can be turned loose with their friends and let it rip without you, you're golden.

Our youngest was hard in transition. Would ask that we define how many runs before lunch- so he could know when breaks, lunch, etc were coming. Fast forward to him when he was an undergrad on the freeski team at CU, dragging my old ass up the east wall, and generally scaring the shit out me when we ski together.

I would also make their first day a sunny, warm, spring day.

Good luck!


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[yeahman]

Would ask that we define how many runs before lunch- so he could know when breaks, lunch, etc were coming.

IMO it's not a bad strategy to do this on low morale and/or really cold days. Five runs, then we get a snack, etc. It helped with my kids to get their minds prepared, not because they didn't want to ski, just because they liked to know what's coming. Same thing with hikes, they always wanted to know the EXACT mileage so they could mentally prepare, possibly because we stupidly took them on a couple overly long death marches when they were really young.

Never used a hula hoop or harness or anything. Might have made things easier, I dunno. I always felt if you can't pizza to control your speed you should probably stay on the bunny hill until you can. It's pretty much the first thing a kid needs to learn. But whatever works. I alway liked flowing alpy's trick of having his daughter carry a pole in her hands to teach hands-forward stance.

[Danno]

We used a harness but just for the handle, we didn't use the straps.

We did wrap straps around her ski boots (not attached to harness). This allowed us to ski behind her and let her have the feeling (and body control) of independent skiing, but we could control her speed without her being consciously aware of it.