First time's a charm

We had our very first ski outing this morning and I give the experience two thumbs up! The weather was great--high thirties and sunny, following a week of sub-zero temperatures which allowed the ski area to coat the "mountain" in man made white stuff.

One of the great benefits of our local molehill is that the parking lot offers easy access to the beginner area, so we didn't have much equipment toting to do. When we first got there Jordan was a little cranky and was reluctant to put on her boots and skis. Dad walked her around to go see what people were doing and also to check out the rope tow and the magic carpet lifts. Once we got her under control, we popped on her boots and skis and I put mine on as well, then up we went. We had talked about the magic carpet and how it was like the escalator at the mall (which she LOVES) so she was definitely eager to ride. As we got to the top, I kept her between my legs and held her under her arms and down we went. I made sure to do a few turns as we glided down the gentle slope, mainly to avoid the other little ones that dotted the hillside. She was so eager to ride the lift that she didn't want to stop to talk to Daddy who was filming at the bottom of the hill. So, we went up and down a number of times and I think I enjoyed the experience even more than she did!

I've heard that there is some controversy as to whether or not skiing with a toddler between your legs is helpful or not--some say that it offers no instructional value. I'm pretty sure that we're not at the point where actual instruction would be valuable and I don't see how it could hurt, unless it creates a comfort zone that the kid doesn't want to move beyond. Regardless, this method was how we got down the hill today and Jordan seemed to like it. I found that it was much easier to hold her armpits overarm with my arms in front, rather than underarm with my arms in back. The former method allowed her to have more arm flexibility and the latter method made it seem like I was almost lifting her off the ground.

Check out the following video to see how we did (please excuse the loud sound from the poor engineering of our digicam zoom):



There were a few drawbacks to the experience though (mostly related to my capabilities):

1. My skis and boots are made for speed, not comfort. It was cumbersome and a little painful to trek up and down the hill wearing my stiff boots and longish skis. My equipment is old (like 9 or 10 years) so it might be wise for me to get some boots and skis that are better suited to slow cruising with a little kid. My mom has offered to lend me hers for the season, so I might take her up on it.
2. I don't know that I'm physically fit enough to do this activity several times a week. Snowplowing isn't the most ergonomic exercise and my quads were screaming at the bottom of each run. I'm on the fence as to whether continuing this activity will help me get in shape or whether I'm just asking for an injury.
3. If I'm going to be doing this by myself during the week, I have to be able to manage Jordan by myself. Today I had the hands of my helpful husband to assist me in getting everyone/thing to and from the car, so the true test will be the next time we go just the two of us.

Whatever the circumstances, it has to remain fun for both of us, otherwise the whole experience won't be worthwhile.

Tomorrow is the big day

Thanks to some unseasonably cold weather, our local molehill is open for the season. We're heading over tomorrow morning for our first attempt. I'll post back with pictures and video hopefully tomorrow evening.

Getting interested

Today Jordan and I were working on cleaning up her bedroom which was a total disaster. This chore involved sorting out a million pieces to just as many toys, organizing the toys, and putting them in their proper place (to stay there only until Jordan decides that it's time to rip everything out of her closet just for fun, which means maybe an hour of organization?) As we were putting away her toys, Jordan noticed that her new skis were standing in the corner of her closet. She then proceeded to pull them out, chanting, "Go skiing mama?" I then explained to her that there needed to be snow outside for us to go skiing and that we would surely be able to use them in just a few weeks (fingers crossed).

Once we were done with our cleaning chore, I flipped on the television and lo and behold, there was a Warren Miller movie on one of our HBO channels. Jordan immediately acknowledged the sport with another chirp, "Skiing mama?" She was mesmerized by the extreme skiers, jumping off cliffs into the unknown, then silently schussing as they carved elegant S turns down the mountainside. I have to wonder what is going through her little mind, and how she perceives herself skiing even though she hasn't even done it yet. Even if she doesn't "get it" yet, I'm hoping that some gradual exposure will help prepare her to ski in a few weeks.

Resources

I'm starting to catalog online resources about toddler skiing. Even though I'm just getting started and likely only have one or two readers at this point, if you've stumbled on my site and know of any online or printed resources about teaching toddlers to ski or related information, feel free to post it in the comments and I will add it to my Resources section.

Merci beaucoups.

Shopping for gear and saving $$

I didn't start out with a firm budget for purchasing Jordan's ski equipment but I did start out knowing that I wanted to spend as little as possible just in case the whole thing doesn't work out for us this winter.

I figured that I had a few options:

1. Local ski shop
pros: get to talk to someone who might know what they're talking about, new equipment, size availability, warranty, guaranteed 50% trade-in within 5 years, get to see equipment before I buy it.
cons: price.

2. Local school sports sale
pros: low prices for used equipment, get to see equipment before I buy it.
cons: poor size availability.

3. eBay
pros: price (maybe), both new and used equipment for sale, adequate size availabilty.
cons: can't see equipment before I buy it, have to pay shipping.

4. Craigslist
pros: local pick-up.
cons: very little available in smaller sizes.

I started out by visiting our local ski shop to see what they had available. For toddler skis they had 167cm Rossi's with pre-mounted bindings that adjusted for 5 boot sizes for $169. They also had a flexible cuff front entry boot (Nordica Nordy) starting at a toddler size 7 (mondo 15.0) for $100. Both the skis and boots were available in gender-specific colors which I thought were pretty cute, but at this point impractical for us because we plan to hold onto the equipment for our next kid which could be a boy.

Armed with this baseline information, I started my online search and found that there was limited availability for toddler equipment on eBay and absolutely nothing on Craigslist (at least in mid-October). The one thing I did note was that small sized equipent was a commodity on eBay, and commanded a very good resale price [mentally filing this info away in case I decide to resell Jordan's stuff in the future].

After about a month of searching, I've managed to acquire most of Jordan's ski clothing and equipment through eBay. The deals on eBay were by FAR the best I could find. My advice if you decide to go the eBay route is to start early and wait it out for the right equipment to pop up. It definitely took some patience and dilligence on my part.

So here's what we've got...

Skis: Dynastar, 67cm My First Dynastars with Look 5-size adjustable bindings - DIN 0.5 - 4.0
(eBay, $89 shipped, new)

Sorry about the poor photo. The one thing about most of the newer toddler skis is that even though most have a sidecut, they're wide underfoot to make balancing a little easier. I've read that there's some controversy about whether or not sidecut is a good thing for toddlers learning to ski since they don't have the weight needed to carve. But really, I'm not sure whose toddlers are out there cutting up the slopes anyways. Unless the sidecut actually hinders their ability to maneuver the skis, I'm not sure that sidecut or lack thereof is all that important. I figure that the most important thing would be for the skis to be lightweight enough for the kid to handle on their own, so buying a retro pair of straight (but heavier) skis might not be such a good thing.

There are two other features to these skis that I think are really nice for a pair of starter skis. The first is that these skis have is "fish scaling" on the bases which is supposed to prevent backwards sliding (I don't have first hand experience with this feature so I'll update later when I know more about it). The second feature is the adjustable bindings, which will help the skis grow with her. From the basic research that I did, I found that most starter junior bindings have this adjustable feature and they also usually have a DIN range from 0.5 to 4.0 which is more than adequate for a toddler (I think .75 is the recommended setting for 22 lbs and 4.0 accommodates up to 100 lbs).

As for eBay availability, 67cm or 70cm used skis seemed to be pretty rare; however, there were many sellers offering new ski only and ski + binding combos. I went for the least expensive new ski + binding package that I could find. Girl-specific skis were also priced higher than their gender neutral counterparts.

Boots: Dolomite "Kid" size 15.0 (toddler 7.5) front-entry, soft cuff
(eBay, $38 shipped, new)

These boots are pretty much the same (visually) as the Nordica Little Nordy I saw in my local ski shop. The top cuff part is flexible which makes it pretty easy to get little feet in and out. They are also extremely lightweight.

EBay seemed to have a good selection of small sized boots, but most were used rental shop closeouts. I am a little wary about buying rental boots because they are usually really beat up, and where boots are concerned, they need to be comfortable and warm without too much wear on the sole so that they will fit the bindings properly.

A side note about used equipment: If you're thinking of buying used equipment on eBay, make sure that you get pictures of the actual pieces you are buying (since many of the used rental gear sellers show a sample and not the actual item in the auction listing). For boots, make sure to get a look at the soles and the inner padding. For skis, take a look at the bases to make sure there aren't any gouges (minor scratches are ok). The other thing to note about used skis is to make sure that the bindings are adjustable to the boot size you want so that you don't have to have the bindings re-mounted, since re-drilling will weaken the ski. Also, whether you choose to go with new or used skis, always have them tuned up by a ski technician before using them.


Helmet: Giro, youth size XS
(eBay, $26.50 shipped, used)

This was my one "I dunno" item. I didn't grow up skiing with a helmet, but the thought of Jordan getting hurt absolutely pains me. I already know that this helmet is going to cause a battle of toddler proportions when I have to get it on her because this girl hates, hates, hates wearing anything on her head. My thought was that I would buy a solid color helmet and decorate it with cool stickers, but then I found this really cute one with polar bears on it. I will update on this battle as it unfolds.

Update: The helmet arrived in the mail yesterday. I tried getting Jordan to wear it and it was almost successful. The graphics definitely piqued her interest. The helmet itself is much lighter weight than I thought it would be, and it also has this really great adjustment mechanism inside to ensure a proper fit. So far, so good.

A note about ski helmet sizing: Ski helmet sizing isn't consistent from brand to brand. Most of the brands have a sizing conversion in centimeters. Jordan's head measured 49 cm which was too small for some of the brands I looked at, even their XXS size. Having a helmet that fits is key, since an ill-fitting helmet can actually cause injury in a fall. Check out this web site for size/fit information for ski helmets.

As for availability, eBay had a decent selection of sizes and colors for youth helmets.

Ski suit: Couloir one piece ski suit, size 2T
(eBay, $16 shipped, used?)

Ok, so the clothing isn't totally integral to the ski experience, but I had to share this deal. The seller didn't know what they had because they didn't put the brand in the listing. She also said that it was used, but from by my own inspection I didn't see any evidence of wear. Based on the picture alone I had a hunch that it was something good so I took a gamble and got a steal.

Total cost thusfar: $169.50


Items I am still looking for: socks, mittens, goggles. I might go to a *real* store to get these.

In other news... it snowed here today. It was just under an inch, but at this point I will take what I can get!

A little background

It might be helpful to share a little bit about my daughter and myself, and how I reached the conclusion that I'm not crazy to try to teach her to ski, and that it might actually be a good activity for us to do this winter.

My daughter's name is Jordan. She was born in September 2005. She has very good balance:



This video was taken at 15 months. She is now 2 years old, has improved motor skills and speed. I have a feeling that she is ready for something new. If I can psych myself up to follow through with it, I could be the one to teach her how to ski.

As for me, I've started hitting the gym to get in shape because I know trekking up and down the bunny slope with a little kid isn't a cakewalk, and I'm sure to get a good workout each time we go. In my younger high school days I actually taught ski lessons to school age kids at the local ski hill (I say "hill" because we live in Eastern Massachusetts where there are no mountains), and I remember that even then, when I was in the best shape of my life, that I would be exhausted after a day of teaching. I know a lot has changed in the sport since my "straight ski" teaching days so I expect that there will be a steep learning curve for both of us.

At this time I think we're both capable of doing this. Although, talk to me about it again in a few months. Hopefully I'll have the same outlook.

Again, wish us luck!

Starting the Endeavor

My mother thinks I'm crazy.

Why on Earth would I even consider teaching a child to ski at age 2? Don't I know that at this prone-to-tantrum age, that it is virtually impossible to get a child to listen to instruction? Don't I know that she will be scarred for life, forever hating the sport which her family loves so much?

I must be crazy.

Hi, my name is Laura and this winter I am planning to teach my 2-year-old daughter how to ski. Ever since she was born, I have been dreaming of introducing her to the only sport at which I excel (I'm pretty much a klutz in all other areas). Last winter I had some grandiose dreams of getting Jordan to slide around the back yard with strap-on plastic skis, but since she had pretty much just started walking only a few months earlier I decided to wait.

Then this year, when the weather started to cool and my brain returned to "countdown to ski season" mode, I started doing some online research to see what others had done with their kids and was disappointed with what I found. Why is there so little information about how to introduce kids to this sport? This lack of information is what inspired me to start this site. There have to be other parents out there like myself that want to teach their younger kids how to ski and might be looking for insight and information about gear, what works and what doesn't, training tools etc. Hopefully, by sharing my successes and pitfalls, I can help someone else get their kid up on sticks and introduce to the sport of skiing. Wish me luck!