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!
3 comments:
I like your pluck. I posted an earlier comment, but I don't think it worked.
My Two year old is ready to go (late September 2005 birthday). Her 4 year old brother went out last year.
I bought skis and boots on ebay. $100. It was very hard to find boots small enough (size 7). She has 70 cm Elans.
We just want to make sure it is fun so she doesn't get tained on teh whole activity. They ahve such a natural ability, you'll be surprised. I suggest getting one of those vests so they ahve an easy handle for you tograb if they fall ro get going too fast.
Good luck!
Hi Jodi,
I saw your other comment. You got a great deal on the skis! I know what you mean about making sure it is fun for them. I don't want her to think of skiing as this awful activity.
Jordan is already interested in her equipment. When we got her boots, all she wanted to do was walk around the house in them (which was too cute btw).
Hope to hear from you again!
Laura
Thanks for the blog. I got my son Bodie 70cm Atomics with bindings on ebay for $130 shipped, boots were hard to find but I eventually found some size 7 Dolomite boots on ebay for only $30...wish mine only cost that much. I suspect that the boots are a bit big on Bodie but comfortable and get the job done. We started him in the back yard at 22 months before the local ski hill opened, he would hang onto a ski pole as we pulled him around, he loved it and was hooked instantly, "more" is all he can say when it comes to skiing. When the local ski hill opened we did the bunny hill, having him between my legs holding onto a horizontal ski pole. This method seems to work great to establish balance and he quickly learned to stay center on his skis without leaning back. Shortly into day 1 he kept pointing up hill to the other lift and insisted on going bigger. We went mid mountain with a leash which works great, but wow, what a workout for me or my wife doing the snowplow holding back his weight for 40 minutes, I could barely walk at the end of the day. He likes to go "fast" but pretty much goes straight (point'm and prey) and has no concept of the wedge yet. At times he gets distracted and looks around as he skis, sometimes resulting in a "fall down", which as far as I can tell is his favorite thing to do...and also insists that skiers around him "fall down" too....it's been a bit of a struggle at times to make him aware that falling down is not the objective. I'm wondering what the next step should be? Are people getting good results with the ski tip holders? Are there any known methods to get him making turns without first getting into the apparently popular wedge/snow plow technique? ...I mean, is it possible to skip this step or am I just being too optimistic about his abilities? We still have 2.5 months of good skiing here in MT and we try to get him up to the hill at least 3 times a week, although he asks to go everyday, am wondering if this 25 month old will be able to ski independently by then. Either way it's all good, it's so exciting to see his growing passion for skiing, it's a great time and activity to do together. I do strongly agree with the note about avoiding long lines, it's important to keep going or the kids lose focus quickly, this includes the lift lines and stopping on the slope...gotta keep going. Best of luck to all those young skiers out there.
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