Poster: A snowHead
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I've just come back from my first father and son trip and we both had a blast. My son takes lessons at XScape and was comfortable crusing around on blues and the odd easy red. Me on the other hand, I was a bag of nerves constantly watching where he was going worried he'd crash etc. Coupled with the fact I've recently switched back to skiis after a long time on a board some days we're pretty stressful.
I'm guessing this is completely normal but any parents with tips for skiing with kids much appreciated
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Pretty much, I skied with my daughter for several years. You only have to wait a few more years though and he'll be far better than you worrying about whether you are capable of following him down .......
Skiing with others with similarly aged kids works well.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Vessigaud, I was feeling petrified skiing behind my daughter when there was a drop to the side of the run. She was doing it in a lovely snake no trouble it was just me feeling a paranoid mum.
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Mon 16-02-15 13:08; edited 1 time in total
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I wish I could help you, but I can't keep up with my little blighter! Mind you, we always go to the same resort, so we have well known rendezvous points on each run where he will stop and wait for me to catch up.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I was terrible when we too our children at New Year scared my son 7 was going to fall of the edge. Toward the end of the week I was a little more relaxed but not much. When my daughter 10 came back from ski school telling me she was having to go on the lifts on her own because there wasn't anyone else to go with her as they needed to go with the yon get ones. Now that petrified me. We are going again in 5 weeks and like you @Shimmy Alcott, I really shouldn't read the Avalanche posts.
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Children are probably a lot safer on the slopes than they are hurtling down the autoroute at 136 kph in a car.
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Especially if the driver is one of those who boasts of getting from Calais to resort in 8 hours.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@pam w, I know it wasn't logical for me to feel so worried as I happily skied the same line myself previously.... That knowledge didn't stop me feeling worried.
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@NickyJ, nothing wrong with being concerned parent - the harm would be done if we stopped them skiing etc because we worried about them.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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On a different note, I am amazed how much skiing with my children improved my own skiing. For the first time ever I had to concentrate on taking the perfect line, exaggerating my movements, maintaining a steady speed, etc. I think I learned more from it that they did.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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If you can't stop the little blighters straightlining, get them off the slopes! Instructors don't let them get away with it.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I find that Mrs H is more worried than I am. Little H is 6 and she is progressing well. At NY I was comfortable skiing down a lovely big blue run in La Rosiere (tetras) with her. She enjoyed it, was a bit tired by the end, but we took our time, worked the turns and I was immensely proud of her. Mrs H would have stopped me had I told her where we were going as she worries more than I do.
We make skiing fun and Little Miss H loves it and Little Mr H is just starting a 4yrs old. That way we all benefit in a few years time and get to ski as a family (leaving Mrs H behind )
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The "Turn Turn Turn" shout is a regular occurrence when skiing with my 5 yro daughter
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Little Martin, the same with us with my son though he is 7 and just wants speed. We threatened him with taking his skis away if he didn't do turns. Thankfully we saw a young boy 10ish completely out of control at New Year going from top to bottom straight line arms waving and screaming havevhis skis taken away buy a lift operator. So our son knew it could happen. Our daughter who is 10 did lots of turns but is very graceful though rather slow.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Vessigaud wrote: |
I've just come back from my first father and son trip and we both had a blast. My son takes lessons at XScape and was comfortable crusing around on blues and the odd easy red. Me on the other hand, I was a bag of nerves constantly watching where he was going worried he'd crash etc. Coupled with the fact I've recently switched back to skiis after a long time on a board some days we're pretty stressful.
I'm guessing this is completely normal but any parents with tips for skiing with kids much appreciated |
Last year was my first trip with my son - see trip report here - and we've just returned from our second trip together yesterday. He is 7 and reasonably sensible and I didn't have to worry too much about him. He is in his third year of skiing and successfully achieved the esf "Etoile de Bronze". The key to enjoying the trip was to have him in lessons and then for a few days "supervised lunch" so I didn't have to rush back. As it was we skied together almost every afternoon and did a few hard reds and easier blacks. He managed to ski down the rather icy an mogully "Kamikaze" run from La Grand Rochette.[/url]
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Within minutes of us first getting off the first lift, our then 4 year old just straightlined into me, deliberately. And laughed. I asked her why she did it and she claimed she couldn't be "bothered" to turn..! Pack of lies, she was boundary testing.. she'd never do that for her instructor.
She didn't pull that stunt again after the lecture she got from us with graphic warnings! We spent the rest of the afternoon having a mostly pleasant time with her turning perfectly although I have to say I was bricking it just in case. We didn't take her out on any other afternoons, she stayed in the childcare as it was just so utterly stressful even though she had been good apart from that incident! I swear we must have yelled "WIGGLY WORMS" about a million times even though she was doing them, just in case!
Our 6 year old was fine, no bother at all, I had trouble keeping up (luckily husband could, but she did wait when called to anyway!) at times! She would have probably been the same at 4. Whereas now our 4 year old is 6 I still wouldn't trust her, it's bad enough at Hemel! I'm taking the oldest skiing on her own in a few weeks for the day on Eurostar as I know I can trust her to be sensible even though it's just us. Our nearly 4 year old son I imagine will be a similar story once he learns to ski too.
It's all in the child and their temperament..
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Quote: |
It's all in the child and their temperament..
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and how consistent parents are in following through on the consequences if they disobey. My daughter is a teacher and also a dinghy sailing instructor who does quite a bit with young kids. They learn very quickly to do as they're told! And if the watching parents don't like it they are welcome to remove their kids from her group.
Hobbies like sailing and skiing are not inherently dangerous - but both require instant obedience and, if necessary, a discussion later about the "whys".
Mind you, having told my 14 year old he was not allowed to ski off piste and found him sitting obediently at the edge of the piste - smoking! He didn't look pleased to see me.
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Absolutely! I'm a big one for following through on consequences as my children know only too well. Hence the threat of no hot chocolate works quite effectively (especially at their current ages) when skiing!
I am so not looking forward to the teenage years and stuff like that
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@RobW, I can imagine! He does look rather nippy. I can keep up with two of my kids (now 32 and nearly 40) but the middle one is outtasight.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The hot chocolate still works... But with a touch of spiced rum now
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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pam w wrote: |
Mind you, having told my 14 year old he was not allowed to ski off piste and found him sitting obediently at the edge of the piste - smoking! He didn't look pleased to see me. |
This made me laugh a lot more than I think it should have done.
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Skiing is generally ok. Just don't let them do the sledging run....
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You know it makes sense.
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It's funny how "Ok, no more stops, let's go straight down the mountain" means one thing to an adult and a completely different thing to 5 year old. One year my husband had to belt it down to catch the little one up who inevitably stopped perfectly and was bemused by the horrified face of his father. We're more careful with terminology these days.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@snowfraise, lol
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I love how they can be ready in ski gear, including helmets, gloves, sun cream, even teeth cleaned, but can't put school uniform on this week.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@snowfraise, I know also they find it very easy to get up and have no trouble going to bed or sleep. My son sulks when it's time to come of the piste and the lifts close. His usual response is either just one more run or it's not even dark yet.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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My sister and I had the reverse of this when we took our parents on their first ski trip when they were mid 60's.
Dad in particular kept snowploughing cheerfully straight down the mountain with us bellowing, "turn! Slow down! Turn! More snowplough!" behind him
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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So looks like i'm not alone
One thing it has proven is i need to get a bit better so some more lessons at XScape are on the horizon
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welcome to SHs, @heightphobicskilover, . I had a similar experience with a French friend, when his father, in his mid 60s, took lessons for the first time. With some other friends we had arranged to take a picnic lunch to the slopes, and I took my car into the village with an eye to giving him a lift after his lesson, to the designated picnic spot. He fancied himself as a bit of a sportsman and after the first morning lesson, which he found very slow, he was determined to ski to the picnic, though it involved a drag lift and a long green run. Guillaume couldn't dissuade him. He fell off the drag and it took two of us to dig him out, get him back on his feet, back to the beginning and up again.
He was probably v tired after that but despite warnings, and despite Guillaume setting a nice line down, doing slow snowplough turns, he took a steeper line, picked up speed, and hurtled. Fortunately he stayed on his feet without hitting any of the small kids and other beginners on the slope and the long gentle run out helped him evade disaster.
He was petrified, when we caught up, but also rather absurdly pleased with himself. Sternly Guillaume pointed out that he could have killed a toddler, or injured himself, and that not many runs have such a long and gentle run out.
His insistence that he must be promoted to a more advanced ski group was heard no more.....
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Thanks Pam w!
About to take the kids in a few weeks, so excited...
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heightphobicskilover wrote: |
Thanks Pam w!
About to take the kids in a few weeks, so excited... |
Taking your kids skiing is amazing. The skiing kind of takes care of itself. 'kit organisation' takes some perfecting though. Getting a clan of toddlers out of door on dry land takes some organising but on the slopes it takes military planning. Take two set of gloves and make sure they pick up EVERYTHING if you stop for lunch. Take plenty of suncreen too if you're spring skiing. Carrying small cartons of juice with those straws is also a good way of keeping them hydrated on the slopes without spending a fortune too. Spare scarves, t-shirts and sweatshirts in an adult's rucksack can also be very useful as kids have a talent for scooping up snow down their ski suit when they fall over. I warm, dry child usually happy...
Enjoy.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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heightphobicskilover wrote: |
Thanks Pam w!
About to take the kids in a few weeks, so excited... |
Have a great time!
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Reading the posts above brings back the shivers when I remember how worried I was about when skiing with my girls when they were little. I was usually leading and we took it pretty slowly !!! To talk to the point about kids skiing in control, maybe mine are quite compliant as they never hared off and kept in the family "snake" or got told off. BUT when it was safe to do so, Daddy would take over leading on a deliberate "blast" down the piste, to let them have a bit of speed. Level of blast tailored to their ability of course, it's all relative. I think that way we taught them about risk assessing when its safe to go fast, how far its safe to go fast for and to know when you're out of control going fast.
The other advice I would give is to build up trust in them and their abilities by letting them go off by themselves a little bit (eg in the trees on the edge of a relatively flat cat track piste), and to be brave enough to let them do more "dangerous" stuff by themselves when they are able, rather than let them get frustrated so they end up doing something stupid to prove a point. Although I was worried, I let mine (age 13,11,9 and all passed gold in ESF) go down the easier black runs in Les Gets unaccompanied. We could see them most of the way down, knew how difficult the run was, well within their abilities. Of course they were all absolutely fine, which just showed me that mummy worrying can definitely be disproportionate to actual risk !
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