Now I'm not under any illusion and recognise that these will be 'toy' skis for use under very close support and supervision. But sill she can't be too young to start.....
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
We put our just two year old on 70cms skis and the smallest ski boot we could find.she got on fine, much better than the plastic kids skis we used for our others. She keeps asking to go again.
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?
@mark250, you can hire little skis and a helmet. Much better than the "toy" ones. But only chest high. If they don't have 70 cm skis - or if you daughter is very short - you might have a problem.
Sliding down a very gentle (barely perceptible) slope with "hands on knees" is fun.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
For our then-two-year-old, we initially rented some Tecnica boots (which I think were the smallest available ?mondo 13 or 14?) and either 60 or 70cm skis.
Then we purchased some secondhand head boots in mondo 15-16 I think and some 70cm skis. Decathlon helmets are often cheaper than hiring.
@mark250, we got seaon rental deal, about 65 euros.all brand new. We had an old helmet knocking about.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
We bought some Little Skier toy skis for playing in the garden and UK snow. Lots of fun and got him used to the concept.
They were great fun and he often asked for them and loved shuffling up and down the hall!
Took them on holiday for a go around the paths and tracks and he struggled to stay upright but loved it. Hired some proper kit and he was off! 3 1/3 now though...
So the little skis are a fun introduction and worthwhile as a toy at 2 but the real things make stuff much easier!
After all it is free
After all it is free
Little plastic skis were fine for introduction but a real pain because of the attachment. So we used to have quick ski fatigue and early requests to switch to luge.
So if you find fitting ski boots you're very lucky - go for it!
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If you go for proper ski bindings, you have to be really careful at that age. A lot of the kids bindings won't go low enough on the DIN settings to be safe. We know someone who ended up with their toddler breaking a leg due to bindings not releasing. But if you take care it can be done. We started our first daughter when she was 2 and a half with these skis/bindings:-
I can't remember the ski length, but they were really short! Shorter the better at that age. She ended up using them for 2 seasons and got on really well. We saw a lot of kids on skis way too long for them and I think it just holds them back.
Kids are all different though. Our second daughter didn't want to know about skis when she was 2, so we'll try her out again this season at 3 1/2.
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This can easily be done properly with some care.
Proper skis with appropriate bindings
When my two years olds started they had elan and head 64 cms skis, with marker and salmon bindings respectively - but note the bindings went down to .75 DIN for the marker bindings and .50 for the saloon c5 - and we carefully monitored whether the bindings were releasing under the right circumstances. Don't accept anything with bindings which dont go down as far. Ski Bartlett have these infant bindings in stock try them for hire too and you can just stuff 64 cm skis in your normal baggage, knowing you have the right thing for your child.
Note that the cheap plastic skis are actually more problematic since they strap to the foot and can twist the leg in a fall.
Boots were head one-clip 14 mondo, which has a window in the inner boot to check exactly where the toes are, but you can check the boot size in an infant by taking out the footbed and putting the child's foot on it and checking size. Don't expect them to be able to give you any feedback on Whether the boots fit or not - they just don't have the experience to give you dependable comment - it's down to a good fitter to get it right, working closely with the child and parent.
Friend of mine started his 2 year old on 70cm Salomon skis with Salomon bindings, and a DIN of .75. The skis were probably too long, but it was the shortest we could get hold of. He runs a dry slope and had the luxury of just being able to carry the child up the hill and let him have as many slides as he wanted, and then stop. Often it was only 2 slides then pack it all away again.
But Dad is very proud to be able to say that his son skied down a giant slalom course on a red run at the age of 3 1/2! Albeit very slowly, on a line completely wide of any gates, and following Dad skiing backwards in front of him...
So yes, real skis are worth it, but you have to be sure to go at the child's pace, and if they don't want to do it or have had enough, stop. Then they'll still want to come back for more. The little chap's older brother didn't want to know till he was about 4, but youngster wanted to do what big brother was doing.
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.
@karin, good observations .... Second all of that ... My two learned outside the restaurant at the now defunct Aminona telecabine restaurant - I carried them up the 300m slope, they skied down and came to a halt on the flat bit, just before the huge pile of snow, and then I carried them up again. Repeat until they showed any sign of fatigue or boredom, then straight into the restaurant for a cup of hot chocolate and a rummage around in the toy area, or a snooze on the benches. On my part, huge amount of patience; effectively suppressed frustration at not being on the hill myself; very old ski trousers since the kids' ski edges slashed them to bits whilst carrying two-year-olds up the slope; very warm boots since I was standing around, but also boots I could run fast in beside them; and jackets I could vent, since standing around was cold, and carrying up the hill was hot.
This is not us, but we used a ski pole and stick in the same way - worked VERY well, particularly on the very crowded home runs in the afternoon - but does need a very competent adult skier.
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
This is a good website for ideas how to teach 2 year olds. A removable ski tip-lock is a must-have accessory IMO (keeps the skis in a wedge) and the ski bar is really useful too - it's like having their very own T-bar tow lift powered by daddy! I used to drag our daughter around the village with one of these bars and she could do doughnuts as I spun it around. Actually this is basically how she learned to ski. This is her skiing aged 4.
@uktrailmonster, ...interesting re tip-lock ... At age 2.5 the tip-lock helped our daughter and totally hindered our son ... I did quite a bit of 'skiing between legs' at slow speed with my son, and every time he got in a tangle I just lifted him off the snow but kept going, he uncrossed his skis, I lowered his legs down again, and off we went. The hockey stick approach worked brilliantly with him. Now ten, he is an incredibly technical skier with outstanding technique (this is not me as father speaking, but the pros he skis with...). Some of this prowess came from cognitive training - to begin with he just hurtled down slopes and I had to work hard to get him to turn. I was desperate, since by age 5 he was still insisting on fall-line skiing, no matter what. Ski school report at that time 'turbulent and capricious'. Trying everything, I showed him a vid of a father and son guide team in Chamonix - look Alex, if they fall, they die; 'dad they are turning all the time...' 'Yes Alex...' '...and the father is following the son....' 'Yes, Alex, they trust each other to do exactly the right thing ... And they have to turn or they would die...' ...'Oh...'
It was the idea of the father being led by the son which captivated him; even at 5, he saw the trust which an older person could put in someone young, as long as they behaved responsibly. Next day, he asked to lead me, and did the tightest set of linked turns I have ever seen. From that day on, he went to tight, parallel turns with linked jump turns on steeps - and that was that....
Last edited by You know it makes sense. on Wed 3-02-16 18:21; edited 2 times in total
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@uktrailmonster, your daughter looks really relaxed.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Shortest skis you can find, lowest DIN setting possible, boots as good a fit as possible - use thick socks if necessary so the boots don't just fall off. At this age, all you are really trying to achieve is standing up and sliding - balance is key. No "hands on knees" (sorry pam w), since it encourages them to stick their bottoms out and bend over, which they do naturally in order to balance the weight of their heads. If you can get them to slide down standing upright with minimum weight on the back of the boots, that's great!
Once they can stand, introduce turning - use an edgie-wedgie and have them point their toes/skis in one direction or another - idea is to get them to turn to a stop. If you can ski backwards have them follow you - drag a pole to get them to follow the line, or bend down and direct the skis yourself.
Stopping is fairly easy with an edgie-wedgie - have them push their feet out and you get a plough, but be aware that kids often bend their knees and keep the edges flat so you might have to ask for a very wide plough!
I get kids moving as soon as possible on the "big" mountain - a green slope with a chair lift is preferable since it's easier on me, magic carpet if not (no t-bar or button lifts).
I've only had one child not have fun skiing, but at 20 months old he was too young and didn't want to be away from his mum!
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
valais2 wrote:
@uktrailmonster, ...interesting re tip-lock ... At age 2.5 the tip-lock helped our daughter and totally hindered our son ... I did quite a bit of 'skiing between legs' at slow speed with my son
I think there is a window where tip-locks work really well i.e. when they simply don't have the strength to hold a plough without. For our daughter that was age 2 to 3 and then we weened her off them - which only took 1 day! We were advised not to do the skiing between the adult's legs thing because it doesn't teach them to control their own speed at all. I just got her onto a reasonably gentle slope (but not too flat) and taught her to turn right from the start with the tip-locks.
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?
pam w wrote:
@uktrailmonster, your daughter looks really relaxed.
She is! She spends more time watching other people on the slopes than focusing on what she's doing herself. She likes to point out anyone who she happens to see crashing!
Our (nearly 3 year old) had a very brief go with the smallest boots and ski's we could find (with me holding her up) and she loved it!
But I'm hoping we can find some boots that actually fit her this time round, she's UK size 5.5, I think the ski boots we found were size 6 and they were a bit loose.
The smallest I can see are mondo size 15, which looks to be UK size 7, which would be way to big (although we of course did manage to find smaller in Poland).
What was the consensus on plastic ski's, are they to be avoided and would they be okay for going down a tiny hill by a carpet lift, or is even that too risky (i.e. can they only be used effectively for moving on virtually flat ground)?
We're off to Are, Sweden next month so am trying to see if the shop will have any, but I'm not expecting anything small enough, so what would people suggest?
For reference we're only planning on taking her out for 30 mins or so at a time, so don't desperately want to buy anything stupidly expensive that may only get used once, but she'll be disappointing if she can't do more 'skiling' as she calls it!
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Our Daughter teaches mainly small children in Switzerland. She says that generally, 2 is too young. She said that if the kid is strong enough and mature enough to understand instruction then it may be ok, but generally 3yo is early enough.
BTW, by far the biggest PITA in her job are pushy parents who think that their kids are way better than they actually are.
I never said she was good...I said she loved it! Hence we want to make sure she gets to do some 'skiling' in Sweden too, doesn't really matter what, just something so that she feels she is doing what all the other people she see's are doing.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
vjmehra wrote:
Hence we want to make sure she gets to do some 'skiling' in Sweden too, doesn't really matter what, just something so that she feels she is doing what all the other people she see's are doing.
Yep, that's the sort of 'modern parent' rationale that she hears quite often.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Tue 28-02-17 17:03; edited 2 times in total
After all it is free
After all it is free
Ok I'm confused now...should we just sit in the hotel the whole time???
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vjmehra wrote:
Ok I'm confused now...should we just sit in the hotel the whole time???
Bumboarding is fun, sledging is fun, rolling around in snow and eating it is fun for a 2yo.
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
I hear you, but whats the harm in her skiing for 30 mins exactly, its hardly like we're talking about 2 year olds flying down a World Cup downhill...or even a proper green run for that matter!
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
One of the most natural skiers I've ever met (and she was only 9 at the time) started (in tiny bursts) at 9 months with the boots holding her up...
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.
Our daughters first ski trip was when she was 6 months...although she never made it out of the pushchair
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
under a new name wrote:
One of the most natural skiers I've ever met (and she was only 9 at the time) started (in tiny bursts) at 9 months with the boots holding her up...
I wonder whether she would've been any less a 'natural' if she'd started at 3, or maybe 4?
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Quote:
I wonder whether she would've been any less a 'natural' if she'd started at 3, or possibly 4?
Almost certainly, most top level sports people start super young.
That aside, what do you have against kids having a go at a young age???
To re-iterate we're not talking about sending them down crazy runs on their own, we're talking about strapping a pair of skis (be they plastic or 'real') so they can have some fun in the snow for 30 mins.
What exactly is the problem with that?
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
vjmehra wrote:
[
Almost certainly, most top level sports people start super young.
'The girl who would become Olympic downhill champion started skiing at the age of three with her father and grandfather on the gentle slopes of Minnesota'
L. Vonn.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Doesn't that prove my point, 3 is still pretty young!!!
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Mollerski wrote:
Our Daughter teaches mainly small children in Switzerland. She says that generally, 2 is too young. She said that if the kid is strong enough and mature enough to understand instruction then it may be ok, but generally 3yo is early enough.
Sort of backs up my point. 'generally 3 is early enough.' Baring in mind that Lindsey Vonn was being taught by an Olympic champ at 3.
I'm not against kids starting young, mine started at 4ish. I just happen to believe that skis are too much to handle for most kids less than 3. There's a reasonable chance that they'll hurt themselves and in truth, little kids don't care what they're doing on snow, it's all fun.
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?
They do when they've been going on about skiing for months (blame Peppa Pig for that)!!!
There are tons of videos of kids skiing from 1 upwards on youtube for reference I don't see what changes magically from 35 months, 364 days and 36 months...again to re-iterate we're talking about 30 mins on a virtually flat (or very limited gradient), with a parent or instructor...I'm not suggesting there is zero risk of injury, but we're getting into bubble wrap territory here!
Anyway, we're sort of drifting off topic...
Are those plastic skis worthwhile or a waste of time?
I don't see what changes magically from 35 months, 364 days and 36 months.
Now you're being silly.
I'm merely voicing my personal experiences having introduced my 4 kids to skiing at a relatively young age and my Daughter's professional opinion. Clearly you do not want to hear anything contrary to your wish to put your 2yo on skis and gamely seek anecdotal support.
I'm sure that it'll all be fine, as your little love appears to be of the exceptional variety, unlike most other bog standards including mine.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Quote:
Now you're being silly.
I'm merely voicing my personal experiences having introduced my 4 kids to skiing at a relatively young age and my Daughter's professional opinion.
No you're stating that everyone else is wrong and you are correct, despite numerous posts (and plenty of videos) to the contrary (hence just maybe...its not set in stone that 4 is the magic age and as long as the kids are having fun it doesn't really matter).
Quote:
Clearly you do not want to hear anything contrary to your wish to put your 2yo on skis and gamely seek anecdotal support.
Correct, I was asking whether there were suitable skis for a SHORT 30 minute go on flat/flattish terrain...not a lecture on health and safety. As I said, if the plastic skis are a waste of time and there aren't any boots small enough so be it, that's a separate question.
Quote:
I'm sure that it'll all be fine, as your little love appears to be of the exceptional variety, unlike most other bog standards including mine.
@Mollerski, I think you are being pretty out of order. vjmehra has not at any single point mentioned in a bragging or non-bragging tone about their child's abilities. I think you have a serious bee in your bonnet her to be honest. Your tone has been argumentative from the off.
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Tue 28-02-17 21:07; edited 1 time in total
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
FastCarver74 wrote:
Your tone has been argumentative from the off.
Do you think so? I really don't agree. Maybe you should read my first post again.
After all it is free
After all it is free
So your first post made a comment about pushy parents with a wink emoji at the end. As an observer I read this as being aimed at vjmehra. Then vjmehra responded confirming there was no claim to their child's ability and you reply with a derogatory comment making presumptions about their parenting style and comparing it to others you've heard about! So yes I do think so.
I'd be happy for you to explain how you weren't being critical or argumentative in any way though.
Last edited by After all it is free on Tue 28-02-17 21:06; edited 1 time in total
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Thank you FastCarver74, I'm glad I wasn't imagining that!
I'm dada btw not mama
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
@Mollerski, the 'modern parent' comment was a below the belt swipe at @vjmehra. We've heard your opinion that kids shouldn't ski before age 3 or 4, so please let the thread move on constructively for those that have a different view.
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