Teaching the kids to ski - cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

TripletDaddy · 10-19-2008, 04:53 AM

I really love to ski and look forward to our annual winter trip to Utah...truly the greatest snow on Earth.

My kids will be 4 in December and my wife and I have been discussing getting them out on the slope. I am really hoping my kids enjoy being on the hill as much as their old man, so I am extra excited about this coming trip in December.

My question for the group....how and when did you teach your children to ski, if at all (less interested in snowboarding anecdotes because we are going to start them on skis)? Did they enjoy it? What things would you avoid or suggest? How quickly to they get tired? Obviously each child is different, but looking for general observations.

I love Alta but we also ski PCMR regularly. My guess is that we would try to take the kids to Alta.

Any advice would be appreciated.

PS also, where the heck do I get all the kiddie gear? can you rent ski clothes for little dudes? do you just buy kiddie ski clothes at Wal Mart or Target? They will only be out there one day this year, so not sure I need to invest in an entire expensive wardrobe.

creekster · 10-19-2008, 05:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TripletDaddy

I really love to ski and look forward to our annual winter trip to Utah...truly the greatest snow on Earth.

My kids will be 4 in December and my wife and I have been discussing getting them out on the slope. I am really hoping my kids enjoy being on the hill as much as their old man, so I am extra excited about this coming trip in December.

My question for the group....how and when did you teach your children to ski, if at all (less interested in snowboarding anecdotes because we are going to start them on skis)? Did they enjoy it? What things would you avoid or suggest? How quickly to they get tired? Obviously each child is different, but looking for general observations.

I love Alta but we also ski PCMR regularly. My guess is that we would try to take the kids to Alta.

Any advice would be appreciated.

PS also, where the heck do I get all the kiddie gear? can you rent ski clothes for little dudes? do you just buy kiddie ski clothes at Wal Mart or Target? They will only be out there one day this year, so not sure I need to invest in an entire expensive wardrobe.

You willneed tpo buy the cloyhes. Look into one of the preseason ski equipment swap meets. You can get some good deals there.

At Alta enroll the little grubbers in a 1/2 or all day class. The are low pressure and they have fun and play as much as ski, which at that age is important. The Engen school does a nice job. 2 of my 3 like skiiing and winter stuff, one doesn't at all, and that is, as you say, becaseu each child is different.

UteStar · 10-20-2008, 03:14 PM

My wife is a fabulous skier. She buys the skis and the clothes. But, from what I understand, you can also rent pretty much everything at the resort or at many of the numerous ski stores in SLC.

My boy has really enjoyed it...he was 4/5 last year and went five or six times with her. My other boy is around 3 years old and I think she is going to take him out once or twice and see how he does. You can't push the kids (as you probably already know that)...when they start getting cranky, she would take him home so that he had only good memories of it. The first few times were OK, the last couple of times, he was really enjoying it.

ERCougar · 10-20-2008, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TripletDaddy

I really love to ski and look forward to our annual winter trip to Utah...truly the greatest snow on Earth.

My kids will be 4 in December and my wife and I have been discussing getting them out on the slope. I am really hoping my kids enjoy being on the hill as much as their old man, so I am extra excited about this coming trip in December.

My question for the group....how and when did you teach your children to ski, if at all (less interested in snowboarding anecdotes because we are going to start them on skis)? Did they enjoy it? What things would you avoid or suggest? How quickly to they get tired? Obviously each child is different, but looking for general observations.

I love Alta but we also ski PCMR regularly. My guess is that we would try to take the kids to Alta.

Any advice would be appreciated.

PS also, where the heck do I get all the kiddie gear? can you rent ski clothes for little dudes? do you just buy kiddie ski clothes at Wal Mart or Target? They will only be out there one day this year, so not sure I need to invest in an entire expensive wardrobe.

Tackling the same question. The cheapskate in me doesn't want to pay for a full-day pass when we're going to leave after a few hours when they get bored/cold. We're probably going to wait. I didn't start skiing until I was about 8 or 9, and that late start didn't stop me from being the skiing sensation that I am. Some of my friends who started even later are even better. I think it's like any sport--the real improvement happens as a teenager.

As for clothes--they're cheap at Walmart or Target. It's tougher with triplets I guess, as you can't pass anything down, but I'd still say that their clothes will probably be cheaper than their lessons.

RC Vikings · 10-20-2008, 03:41 PM

Two words are key to teaching the young ones

edgy wedgy - the little connector that keeps the ski tips together were a big helper with my kids. Later on they threw away the ski's for a snowboard so think about just starting them there.

Archaea · 10-20-2008, 03:51 PM

Instructors half day, parents the rest.

They are never too young to learn but as soon as they are in school they will wish to switch to snowboards.

il Padrino Ute · 10-20-2008, 08:28 PM

Teach them the way Utahns teach kids to ski:

Wait a few more years until they're bigger then take them on the Tram to the top of mountain, point them in the direction of High Stakes and tell them you'll see them at the bottom.

livecoug · 10-20-2008, 08:57 PM

Growing up in Heber we always got season passes for cheap to Park West (later Wolf Mountain and now a non recognizable monster in The Canyons). I love to ski, but it's so expensive it's hard to justify it. Last year, however, we were able to score 10 dollar passes to Sundance through my wife's work. Yeah, it's only Sundance, but that's better than nothing. Thanks to the wonderful economy, my wife's work will no longer be extending this benefit this year.

10-19-2008, 04:53 AM	#1
TripletDaddy Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 9,483	Teaching the kids to ski I really love to ski and look forward to our annual winter trip to Utah...truly the greatest snow on Earth. My kids will be 4 in December and my wife and I have been discussing getting them out on the slope. I am really hoping my kids enjoy being on the hill as much as their old man, so I am extra excited about this coming trip in December. My question for the group....how and when did you teach your children to ski, if at all (less interested in snowboarding anecdotes because we are going to start them on skis)? Did they enjoy it? What things would you avoid or suggest? How quickly to they get tired? Obviously each child is different, but looking for general observations. I love Alta but we also ski PCMR regularly. My guess is that we would try to take the kids to Alta. Any advice would be appreciated. PS also, where the heck do I get all the kiddie gear? can you rent ski clothes for little dudes? do you just buy kiddie ski clothes at Wal Mart or Target? They will only be out there one day this year, so not sure I need to invest in an entire expensive wardrobe. __________________ Fitter. Happier. More Productive. "Everyone is against me. Everyone is fawning for 3D's attention and defending him." -- SeattleUte

10-20-2008, 03:14 PM	#3
UteStar Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,817	My wife is a fabulous skier. She buys the skis and the clothes. But, from what I understand, you can also rent pretty much everything at the resort or at many of the numerous ski stores in SLC. My boy has really enjoyed it...he was 4/5 last year and went five or six times with her. My other boy is around 3 years old and I think she is going to take him out once or twice and see how he does. You can't push the kids (as you probably already know that)...when they start getting cranky, she would take him home so that he had only good memories of it. The first few times were OK, the last couple of times, he was really enjoying it. __________________ UteStar's words to live by: "I'm not about play-play, I'm really about business." Goatnapper: "UteStar is the only one who is not scum."

10-20-2008, 03:41 PM	#5
RC Vikings Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Rexburg, Idaho Posts: 2,236	Two words are key to teaching the young ones edgy wedgy - the little connector that keeps the ski tips together were a big helper with my kids. Later on they threw away the ski's for a snowboard so think about just starting them there. __________________ "I always rode to my limit. If I won by three minutes, that's because I couldn't make four." Eddy Merckx Last edited by RC Vikings; 10-21-2008 at 05:44 AM.

10-20-2008, 03:51 PM	#6
Archaea Assistant to the Regional Manager Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: The Orgasmatron Posts: 24,338	Instructors half day, parents the rest. They are never too young to learn but as soon as they are in school they will wish to switch to snowboards. __________________ Ἓν οἶδα ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα

10-20-2008, 08:28 PM	#7
il Padrino Ute Board Pinhead Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In the basement of my house, Murray, Utah. Posts: 15,941	Teach them the way Utahns teach kids to ski: Wait a few more years until they're bigger then take them on the Tram to the top of mountain, point them in the direction of High Stakes and tell them you'll see them at the bottom. __________________ "The beauty of baseball is not having to explain it." - Chuck Shriver "This is now the joke that stupid people laugh at." - Christopher Hitchens on IQ jokes about GWB.

10-20-2008, 08:57 PM	#8
livecoug Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 1,176	Growing up in Heber we always got season passes for cheap to Park West (later Wolf Mountain and now a non recognizable monster in The Canyons). I love to ski, but it's so expensive it's hard to justify it. Last year, however, we were able to score 10 dollar passes to Sundance through my wife's work. Yeah, it's only Sundance, but that's better than nothing. Thanks to the wonderful economy, my wife's work will no longer be extending this benefit this year.