Mine are a bit older now, 17 and 13 but we have always used the same systems, they have their Dogtags round their neck, piste maps, phone, EHIC and AACUK cards in their pocket, make sure each new run we do together the first time down it, various meeting points agreed around the pistes we are using. We always have a chat about what we are planning for the day over breakfast and on each lift and once off the top of the lift I do my best to keep up!
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
High viz and unique clothing are useful.
Choice of resort is always good.
Quiet resorts are always better for obvious reasons as are resorts where listed funnel to one point as opposed to those that spread out to different end points.
Looking out for other peoples children helps too. I remember being on a chairlift looking down on a young child alone and crying in poor visibility. I was amazed how many people just skied past and ignored them
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?
@Richie_S, I think you do everything we do more or less.
The only thing I'd add is the marvel that is a Sharpie Marker- I always carry one when skiing and make sure that my phone number and surname is in ski clothes, on helmets and on the lift passes. Walkie talkies are a bit of a pain- tried and failed with them. All kids have a label with names, phone numbers, home address, holiday address, insurance details.
Most important is trying to get the kids to ski sensibly and safely. This can be tricky as they can have a tendency to follow one another into potentially quite risky places (i.e. woods with tracks just to the sides of the piste). My two eldest children had a very close call doing this about 4 years ago. Eldest skied little track just to the side of the piste- it went round a snow cannon then doglegged to avoid a boulder- second child went straight into the boulder. Fortunately only the boulder was damaged (really- there were bits of boulder all over the place). I was relived but also very cross. Last week smallest child also went into a little patch just off the side- when explicitly told not to go there. Big ruts, holes in the snow, stumps and rocks. I blame the parents....oh hang on....
oh I usually take a picture of them- in travel clothes and ski gear.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Well, i'm obviously a Very Bad Parent.
Or Very Lucky.
All previous posts full of excellent sensible suggestions, most of which we never did.
Kids survived, and now in their 20s.
Sometimes Lucky beats Good (other excellent quotes from Napoleon here)
@ed123, pic of them in ski gear, seems eminently sensible in case it's needed....
Helmets, ours all have their own, cheap as chips Nevica from Sports Direct. (mostly to avoid / contain Nits which seems a perennial problem...!
Agree on attempting to teach them to ski sensibly... But I'm torn between letting them get on with it vs barking instruction at them all the time. Last year we experienced similar situation, eldest ski's down the path immediately adjacent to the piste... Great fun it is, as its up and down. Then it gradually rises up from the piste, till he's 6 feet up. And then the path narrows as a boulder emcroaches on the space. So he has a choice.. Boulder or 6 foot leap back onto the piste. He took the jump, landed in a heap and by the time I reached him, he was back on his feet laughing shouting "Did you see that Dad?" ... Happy days. Sort of.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I stick a card with our name, telephone numbers of everyone in the party (and their relationship to that child) and accommodation details for each one. And then run it through Google Translate and stick French, German and Dutch versions on the same sheet - you never know who might do the rescue!
It has been used once. We have a son with Down's Syndrome who since he was 12 has been in "normal" ski school. However, on his second trip (a very foggy Val Thorens) decided to walk away from ski school on the first morning as he was a bit under the weather recovering from a stomach bug. I was busy throwing up at the apartment (stomach bug ran through us all that week!) and got a call from a Russian number to tell me that he'd found him walking on the piste in the green area at VT. Very relieved!
We tend to send the kids down first and have someone watch from behind - which isn't a difficulty as they are all starting to ski faster than at least one of us, so we can pick up the pieces when them take a tumble. We also agree on the next lift with the presumption that if we get lost we wait at the lift. I also drill into them that if they do get lost, the piece of paper in their pocket is their first response, rather than forget about it!
Also we stick in a copy of their insurance. Eldest has his own phone, the other younger two don't just yet, but that will change as they get older.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Every parents nightmare. We have minor - moderate panics numerous times each trip. Hoping to avoid any majors. Poor vis, busy pistes, junctions all cause problems to some degree or another. I doubt they'll ever thank us for it!
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.
Definitely kids first, adults behind to spot any crashes, agree which lift to meet up at, plus mobile phones all round.
Now mine are teenagers my main issue is losing my husband who seems to have zero sense of direction and less than perfect eyesight.... any tips for that or is it just a lost cause??
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
vickitav, there is nothing wrong with your husband's sense of direction, and he has perfect eyesight - he is just using the Eric Morecamb method of getting around, as perfectly demonstrated in The Intelligence Men (start about 16.40, if you want to see what i mean).
Dress then in bright colours/ recognisable patterns and you're laughing.
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.
Jonpim wrote:
vickitav, there is nothing wrong with your husband's sense of direction, and he has perfect eyesight - he is just using the Eric Morecamb method of getting around, as perfectly demonstrated in The Intelligence Men (start about 16.40, if you want to see what i mean).
Ha ha that's exactly what happens, he regularly swears he was following one of us that went the wrong way, of course he's the only one that went the wrong way....
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
vickitav wrote:
Definitely kids first, adults behind to spot any crashes...
When the kids were small we had a duck system. Duck 1 (OH) leads the way, ducks 2 and 3 followed and duck 4 (me ) collected the bits. If you get bad vis we would just shout duck numbers to make sure everyone was still on track.
Now they are older they just bug off and do their own thing. As long as they buy the odd round in the evening we keep taking them?
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Digger the dinosaur wrote:
All this is why, if I had kids, I'd be stick them in ski school throughout so I can chill out and enjoy a holiday without worrying about them all the time
Secure in the knowledge that they'll be in a crocodile of 14 occasionally being yelled at to "durez- vous le f##k oop" by an implacable pull rouge.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Finding this all quite funny!
Have to say we don't put that much effort into it when skiing with the kids (now 12, 10, 8 and 6). I normally lead, they follow and I keep a close eye out behind me as I am skiing for falls etc. Part of learning to ski is learning to get back up after a tumble and other skiers are pretty good (at least in the resorts we ski) at stopping and helping if a kid is having trouble. Never lost one or had any of them go the wrong way. We always work in some free skiing time also - I stop at a suitable point and agree a landmark they can all ski to and stop to wait for me. The older two go off and lap certain chairs/tows at times on their own - we know (and can usually see) where they are, and frankly by 10 they should be more than capable of doing the sensible thing if they get into trouble assuming they have been properly prepared. Quite a few times it is actually the kids themselves who notice when someone is in trouble and help them out, including collecting skis that have come off and taking them down to whoever has fallen. My experience is if you explain the dangers, tell them what is expected, brief them on what to do if something goes wrong, then give them some freedom along with the responsibility to do the right thing they respond positively.
My wife skis with a full-on brace due to ACL problems and is banned from getting her skis anywhere near a kids (she is a very strong skier so a stationary tangle is probably the most dangerous scenario for her), so no sweeping at the back allowed.
In short, I have never had any issues skiing with the kids and never felt the need to load them with kit/cards/safety briefings. It does help, though, when they are smaller if you can ski switch competently as it helps you see and correct the turn shapes they are making.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@zikomo,
Quote:
My experience is if you explain the dangers, tell them what is expected, brief them on what to do if something goes wrong, then give them some freedom along with the responsibility to do the right thing they respond positively.
I don't disagree with this, and what you state there is what mostly everyone is saying - i.e teach them to do the right thing naturally is fundamental over and above reliance on outside factors.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@rachelharrisonsmith, that's a great idea and not just for children. I also remember that awful accident, it happened the day before we were going there. No matter how much tech you have, you can't always reach it if you are injured as well as lost. Think we will add simple whistles on a cord in an outside pocket to our kit, too, even though we don't ski with children.
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?
Quote:
my wife will take the natural position behind.
Not the point of the question I know, but made me laugh!!
I think you have all bases covered, it's just a case of impressing the dangers to them should either one of them lose you (or vice versa!)
At one of the Swedish ski resorts we were given one of those velcro/foam things that hold your skis together, but you write your name and mobile number on and put it around your child's arm. Now our son is 8 years old he's resisting that though. Same idea as putting your contact details in their pocket.
He had a mobile with our numbers and ski patrol on speed dial. But he lost the phone in a crash plus it was an iphone so not good in the cold. We have walkie talkies (from maplins) which seem to be reasonable.
I usually forget to ski behind, but he has always managed to get himself up and put his skis on. We try to keep each other in sight at all times. We do have lights on backpacks and whistles also for white outs or emergencies.
I'm tending towards us always both having avalanche transceivers on. We are heading off/between/side of piste, through the trees etc often. As well as getting him thinking and practicing with the equipment, it gives me some peace of mind should he (or I) fall in a tree well or something.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Everyone here is overthinking it.
1. Phone if over age 12
2. Note with your number
3. Whistle if going off piste.
4. Knowledge of ski resort and how to get help
Done.
1. Phone if over age 12
2. Note with your number
3. Whistle if going off piste.
4. Knowledge of ski resort and how to get help
Done.
And you can't say fairer than that!
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
zikomo wrote:
In short, I have never had any issues skiing with the kids and never felt the need to load them with kit/cards/safety briefings.
I think you're 99% right, but for the small effort of putting a copy of your travel insurance and a sheet of paper with contact details in their pocket for that "just in case" moment when they get either lost, injured or both does no harm and actually positively teaches them that sometimes you prepare for the worst by taking simple unobtrusive steps. I'm the last person to be wrapping them up in cotton wool, but having had one experience when the telephone number in the pocket was crucial, it's not something I would omit in future. Even the wife and I carry photocopies of the insurance and easily accessible telephone numbers just in case some nutter out of control on a snowboard (just an example!) knocks one of us out cold. It'll probably never happen, but for the sake of a single piece of A4 paper I'd rather have the slip of paper with me!
After all it is free
After all it is free
@larkim, I agree.
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.
Sorry to post on an old (but v.informative) thread.
Should we be carrying our EHICs? I have them photographed on my phone. Is that enough? They’re usually left in our room.
Love the whistle idea - will do that.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
From the age of 12 onwards I’ve always drummed it into my kids that there’s no friends on a powder day, given them 20 bux each to buy lunch and told them to meet back at the truck after the last lift 😀
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
hang11 wrote:
From the age of 12 onwards I’ve always drummed it into my kids that there’s no friends on a powder day, given them 20 bux each to buy lunch and told them to meet back at the truck after the last lift 😀
WOW
You give them $20, stop spoiling them.
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.
LavaLaura wrote:
Sorry to post on an old (but v.informative) thread.
Should we be carrying our EHICs? I have them photographed on my phone. Is that enough? They’re usually left in our room.
Love the whistle idea - will do that.
Exactly what we did with our EHICs. I’m pretty sure that will suffice but would be useful to have a definative answer.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@tomj, While snowboarding is undoubtedly an evil and worthless pastime I couldn’t help but grin like crazy at that video. What a fabulous intro for those young children! Good find!
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@foxtrotzulu, study the video a bit more carefully! Very enjoyable all the same.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
This week my son and his friend skied off down through the woods on some cat tracks, and apparently popped out on another piste. They skied down and sensibly stopped at a promotional stall. But further on than the lift where we thought they’d stop. When I tried “find my iPhone” to locate him, it couldn’t as the battery had died in the cold and despite having a portable charger, he didn’t know the SIM pin to turn it back on. Lesson learned, so now the SIM pin is taped on the phone and we’ll as our mobile numbers (so someone else can call us if needed).
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
betterinblack wrote:
hang11 wrote:
From the age of 12 onwards I’ve always drummed it into my kids that there’s no friends on a powder day, given them 20 bux each to buy lunch and told them to meet back at the truck after the last lift 😀
WOW
You give them $20, stop spoiling them.
At $10 for a can of speights in the bar it's probably about right
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
There is an app for the EHIC card, but if you can take a pic of it, you don't really need an app.
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?
I don't actually believe all of this ...
where did that cat come from.
Why would you not carry it? Yes you might lose it but if its on your phone and the battery dies...or you are unable to unlock the phone...or you broke it when you landed on it...then what? It can be retrospectively applied but hassle when all you have to do is flash the card or someone fishes it out of your wallet.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@holidayloverxx, I agree, it is the size of a credit card. I don't even know it is there. I guess most of us will carry a purse or wallet with us.
@holidayloverxx, I agree, it is the size of a credit card. I don't even know it is there. I guess most of us will carry a purse or wallet with us.
While skiing - no I don’t carry my purse with me. Don’t want to have the bulk. I just carry some cash and a credit card in a zipped pocket.
Until reading this thread I hadn’t even called considered keeping the EHIC on my person. It is in my bag in the room alongside the print outs of the insurance policy. May have a rethink now though.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@NickyJ, i have a slim purse that has cash..cards...ehic and hearing aid batteries. I dont like cash...notes... loose in my pocket as its too easy to pull tem out and not notice if one falls out.
After all it is free
After all it is free
I now have a small credit card holder I've had for years, with folded notes, EHIC, credit card and insurance details. Change goes in my pocket , but it doesn't stay there for long.
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.
tomj wrote:
Off topic, but I saw this on FB and thought of everyone on this thread!
WOW!! I love this! But i would literally have heart failure if that was my kid on there.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
holidayloverxx wrote:
Why would you not carry it? Yes you might lose it but if its on your phone and the battery dies...or you are unable to unlock the phone...or you broke it when you landed on it...then what? It can be retrospectively applied but hassle when all you have to do is flash the card or someone fishes it out of your wallet.
Definitely carry it. Phones can run out of power at the mosy inconvenient of times especially in the cold and you have to be coherent enough to unlock and find that photo.
Ours go in the same pocket as the lift pass. Not to be unzipped during the holiday on pain of death.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
