Skiing with a baby in your backpack?

**Think Snow!** · 02-17-2006, 12:53 PM

saw a lady a copper a month or so ago who had a pack on her front side with her baby on the front facing forward and she was cruising along on some groomers.

**train07** · 02-17-2006, 01:51 PM

I remember a post from epic from a liftie in which he took it upon himself not to let a parent get on with kid in backpack...if i remember correctly the ski area hadn't established a ban.

**train07** · 02-17-2006, 03:06 PM

Well, I found the link over there for better or worse and if you are bored or really interested in this discussion, there's plenty of morons out there.

http://forums.epicski.com/showthread.php?t=4843

edit: the link referred to in the above link
http://forums.epicski.com/showthread...abies+backpack

**flatlander#2** · 02-17-2006, 04:36 PM

There are dumber things you can do, but not many. Get a fricken sitter and enjoy your day knowing your kid won't have the possibility of getting killed. I have a ten month old and a three year old. My 3 year old has ridden in the backpack alot while hiking and I've wondered about tumbling then and what I'd do. Much less worrying about some other skier or boarder colliding with me. I feel secure in my abilities to stay upright, but not in others to risk it. Its the old risk/reward equation.

**Tippster** · 02-17-2006, 04:41 PM

If I see you skiing with your kid in a BP I promise to heckle the fuck outta you.

**Powder Seeker** · 02-17-2006, 06:10 PM

Originally Posted by Bullet

Age of the baby is critical. An infant (in most cases) can not sit-up unsupported at less than 6 months of age. What's the first thing the Dr. says to you when he hands you the baby? "Support the Head".

18 months and older, the kid is stronger. The parent I saw in my post was traveling at a very slow rate of speed. Very slow. Yet the child was too young even for that.

If your kid is at an age where they can talk....probably strong enough to sit and stand on their own. Still risky. But the biggest risk is the infant that can't support his/her head effectively getting jostled around on even the slowest, mildest slope.

At 18 months, it won't be long before they start walking. My question is, when is a good age to first start them on skis? If it isn't much longer than 18 months, like at two years old, maybe it is better to be safe and just wait. Why take the risk?

**Jeffro** · 02-17-2006, 08:37 PM

In addition to all the comments regarding the potiential of falling/injuring your child another concern is frostbite...I've heard a number of horror stories of pre-verbal kids getting severe frostbite on their feet, hands and faces while riding in a baby-backpack. Remember, you're moving, and able to change the situation when you get cold. Your child can't change the situation and may not be able to communicate to you that he/she is getting cold...

I would avoid the baby-backpack. I figure I'll just teach my kid to ski when he's old enough to enjoy it.

**gimpy** · 02-18-2006, 02:16 AM

took my 2 year old (at the time) in a backpack skinning up real cruiser sno-mo packed trails w/a max incline of like 20 degress a bunch last year and he loved it, especially on the way down. 'cept the time i went too fast and too high off a whoopdee and his head smacked into the back of mine

at a resort i'd be more afraid of all the kooks then myself.

**XtrPickels** · 02-18-2006, 06:18 AM

at bridger, i saw a mom with one of those "hippy blankets" that you can wrap into a baby carrier. Baby was in front, in the blanket and mom had both arms around it. Definately an infant and possible protected from the bouncing of skiing in a pack, but something just didn't seem right.

**AsheanMT** · 02-08-2007, 04:27 PM

As a mom to be I am painfully aware of all the judgements other people will let fly about mine and my husbands parenting skills. god forbid I don't strap my kid into a child seat until they are 60 pounds. Or take them into Glacier Park as a meal for grizzly bears. I survived this cruel parenting (included the treachorous piggyback skiing) and so will Liam. So screw you if you think I'm a bad parent for taking my kid out with me , he's having fun!

**Steepdeepnlong** · 02-08-2007, 04:39 PM

I don't even have to read all the response to respond to this one.

Anyone who is thinking of skiing any slope with a baby on their back (or front for that matter) is out of thier freaking mind. You think you can control a fall so that you land on the side where the baby isn't? You think a baby's neck will tolerate the stress of being whipped around when you catch an edge? Are you sure?

How about this....try a little math: You weigh 150 pounds, baby weighs 20 pounds, snow surface on bunny slope is hard, baby hits surface, fragile bones shatter, soft tissue bruised, possible internal injuries, and then, crushing injury, likely fatal when you land on top of baby.

Jezuzh, the stupidity of some people really gets to me sometimes. And don't give me that "Get off your moral high horse" crap. You think you can ski safely with a kid on you back, you're a friggin idiot and need to be removed from the production end of the gene pool. I may be wrong, but if I am, my kid still lives. If you're wrong, your kid dies.

"You need a license to fly, a license to drive a car, hell, you even need a license to catch fish. But any asshole can be a parent."

Keanuu Reeves, "Parenthood"

**AsheanMT** · 02-08-2007, 04:49 PM

Originally Posted by Steepdeepnlong

I don't even have to read all the response to respond to this one.

Anyone who is thinking of skiing any slope with a baby on their back (or front for that matter) is out of thier freaking mind. You think you can control a fall so that you land on the side where the baby isn't? You think a baby's neck will tolerate the stress of being whipped around when you catch an edge? Are you sure?

How about this....try a little math: You weigh 150 pounds, baby weighs 20 pounds, snow surface on bunny slope is hard, baby hits surface, fragile bones shatter, soft tissue bruised, possible internal injuries, and then, crushing injury, likely fatal when you land on top of baby.

Jezuzh, the stupidity of some people really gets to me sometimes. And don't give me that "Get off your moral high horse" crap. You think you can ski safely with a kid on you back, you're a friggin idiot and need to be removed from the production end of the gene pool. I may be wrong, but if I am, my kid still lives. If you're wrong, your kid dies.

"You need a license to fly, a license to drive a car, hell, you even need a license to catch fish. But any asshole can be a parent."

Keanuu Reeves, "Parenthood"

But you won't hesitate to take your kid(s) for a ride in your car will you?!? DO YOU HAVE ANY FUCKING IDEA HOW DANGEROUS DRIVING A CAR CAN BE?!? Oh, let me guess, you're a "safe" driver cause you have a license and drive carefully. The chances of you killing your kids due to a car accident ARE FAR HIGHER than killing them out on a mellow rolling hill with skis on your feet and them on your back.

**Lone Star** · 02-08-2007, 04:54 PM

Anyone who is thinking of driving any car with a baby in the backseat (or front for that matter) is out of their freaking mind. You think you can control a skid/slide/other out of control vehicle so that your car hit the side where the baby isn't? You think a baby's neck will tolerate the stress of being whipped around when you slam on the brakes? Are you sure?

How bout this....try a little math: Your car weighs thousands of pounds, baby weighs 20 pounds, pavement surface is wet, the car skids, the car gets hit, fragile bones shatter, soft tissue bruised, possible internal injuries, and hen, crushing injury, likely fatal when you get hit head on.

Jezuzh, the stupidit of some people really gets to me sometimes. And don't give me that "Get off your moral high horse" crap. You think you can drive a car safely with your car inside, you're a friggin idiot and need to be removed from the production end of the gene pool. I may be wrong, but if I am, the kid still lives. If your [sic] wrong, your kid dies.

**Stu Gotz** · 02-08-2007, 04:55 PM

I am 33 and I still ride in my dad's backpack. We get a few odd looks, but I just yell "Thunderdome, bitches!" and that usually shuts 'em up right away.

**sirbumpsalot** · 02-08-2007, 05:13 PM

in the front seat of the car with no seat belts or infant carriers! In fact everyone did it!

The horror of how careless and evil my parents were! I am damn lucky to be alive no thanks to them!

**skiski** · 02-08-2007, 05:27 PM

I don't have kids, but a lot of my friends do, so I'm around the buggers a lot. (And I slept in a Holiday Inn last night. Okay, it was a van, but I was in the Holiday Inn parking lot). Anyhoo, seems to me that everyone raises their kids differently. Some friends are willing to take some risks in the name of having fun with their kid, and some rarely leave the house now that they have kids.
Parents who ski with their kids in a backpack know the risk. (Though I don't think that skiing a blue groomer is any more dangerous than driving). They're not idiots. They care about their kids as much as the person who won't leave the house because they're scared the kid will be unhappy somewhere. I don't think it's selfish. Kids seem to be stressful, and stressed out parents make for stressed out kids. If skiing with the kid in a pack makes the parent happier, it will be better for the kid.

I'm not sure I'd do it if I had a kid, but I certainly wouldn't tell anyone else not to. Their kid, their life.

**~mikey b** · 02-08-2007, 09:07 PM

**Dexter Rutecki** · 02-08-2007, 09:24 PM

It's been said here before, but I just don't really see the upside to this. The kids won't even remember their first time on skis (let alone riding around in a pack) if it's before the age of three, and being in a backpack won't have any impact later (unless you do get hit/tumble and the kid's injured). Personally I have more confidence in my ability to ski with a kid in a pack and keep from falling than I do walking down stairs holding a kid in front of me, but I never seriously considered skiing with one of my kids in a pack--I just don't see a good reason to do it. In a year or two they'll be able to ski on their own, just wait for that (and on any sort of a crowded day even that's not a great idea--a few weeks ago I had to knock down two snowboarders on collision courses with my four year old).
But with a strong skier doing it in temperate weather and no crowds it's not all that reckless, I just don't see a strong reason for it.

**45hill** · 02-08-2007, 09:25 PM

Originally Posted by AsheanMT

But you won't hesitate to take your kid(s) for a ride in your car will you?!? DO YOU HAVE ANY FUCKING IDEA HOW DANGEROUS DRIVING A CAR CAN BE?!? Oh, let me guess, you're a "safe" driver cause you have a license and drive carefully. The chances of you killing your kids due to a car accident ARE FAR HIGHER than killing them out on a mellow rolling hill with skis on your feet and them on your back.

vs

The structural integrity is a bit different. Do whatever you want to do but don't get all in a huff when you ask for people's opinion and it differs from yours. Why did you ask what everyone thought when you knew what you were going to do anyway?

Best of luck.

**train07** · 02-08-2007, 09:29 PM

A car has four wheels..pretty stable..smooth ride.. yeah, someone could hit you.
You're on skis, slippery shit, two legs, skinny boards strapped to feet, little kids head shaking to and fro. Fuck you, you selfish fucking fucks.

**Dexter Rutecki** · 02-08-2007, 09:36 PM

Originally Posted by train07

A car has four wheels..pretty stable..smooth ride.. yeah, someone could hit you.
You're on skis, slippery shit, two legs, skinny boards strapped to feet, little kids head shaking to and fro. Fuck you, you selfish fucking fucks.

Dude, that's a little bit overboard. You're right if the kid's 2 months old (or less than a year, really), but thinking back there were times last year when my daughter was three and I would carry her while we were skiing because she got tired or didn't want to ski anymore, and skied down good portions of the mountain with her in my arms. I had no problem/fears doing that (it was actually probably safer than when she's skied on her own a few times), and I don't see the pack as that much different.
Again, though, it's not something I would do as I don't see any real benefit, and a definite potential downside.

**dk_alaskan** · 02-08-2007, 09:46 PM

Originally Posted by AsheanMT

But you won't hesitate to take your kid(s) for a ride in your car will you?!? DO YOU HAVE ANY FUCKING IDEA HOW DANGEROUS DRIVING A CAR CAN BE?!? Oh, let me guess, you're a "safe" driver cause you have a license and drive carefully. The chances of you killing your kids due to a car accident ARE FAR HIGHER than killing them out on a mellow rolling hill with skis on your feet and them on your back.

but skiing is more of a luxury than driving a car. and no, i disagree with the car not being safer. i think there are many more babies hurt in falls while skiing than in car accidents. Most people with babies don't ski with them because of all the uncontrollables and because they have MUCH less protection while out on the slopes than riding in a car. The reason why there are more children injured in a car is the SHEER number of cars out there.

**jfost** · 02-08-2007, 11:06 PM

this is lame.

as a parent, you get to evaluate the risk exposure for your child. Then you get to regulate their involvement. Other people get to comment about your worth as a human, and you get to react.

There are risks inherent in any activity. My opinion is that babies are pretty durable, for those 2 or 3 undoubtably horrible stories of serious injury or death, there are likely thousands upon thousands of falls taken which resulted in no harm to the baby. Falls while walking, skating, skiing, standing, sitting at the dinner table etc... It is all fun and games until someones eye gets poked out!

So do what you want, and be confident in your choice, and you won't be so bothered by others.

**dk_alaskan** · 02-08-2007, 11:09 PM

when someone goes out and solicits comments before they take action(s) they open themselves up to ridicule and comments. This thread has presented both sides of the argument of skiing with a baby on your back. If you are judged by others, you have asked to be just that, judged. If you don't like, don't ask for comments, suggestions, questions or smart remarks

**jfost** · 02-08-2007, 11:39 PM

Originally Posted by dk_alaskan

when someone goes out and solicits comments before they take action(s) they open themselves up to ridicule and comments. This thread has presented both sides of the argument of skiing with a baby on your back. If you are judged by others, you have asked to be just that, judged. If you don't like, don't ask for comments, suggestions, questions or smart remarks

good points dk... The OP did ask what the collective opinion was.

I am guilty of judging others' rants, I wish they would mind their own business. I guess that really doesn't apply here, since this is a discussion on the very topic... to be more accurate, I would amend my previous post to say that, as it often plays out in public this issue is lame!