 Poster: A snowHead
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| Ryunis wrote: |
I suspect this is mostly about the logistical impact this will have on your holiday, and I completely get that.
I guess you have to ask yourself though, what's the point in these holidays, right? And to he answer is likely to be to spend quality time together as a family and to enjoy yourselves. I get that suddenly having a new boarder in the group could impact your afternoon sessions together, but equally, how much more fun will it be once she is adept? And that might happen this week.
Would it be an option to give her more intensive lessons for the first few days, including afternoons and then all go out together after she has reached her level?
I also think watching her develop and helping teach her/motivating her and giving her feedback will be fun in itself.
Ultimately I think it's worth doing, even if it does has a slightly negative impact on this holiday, it could be her new passion and she could end up enjoying it for the rest of her life.
Let her do it and find a way to make it work |
I think you summarised the issue quite nicely there.
Lots of useful info and what is clear that it depends on the child as well.
I think we will give it a go.
Just picking up on a few points about why am I trying to put her off, its not so much put her off as to make sure we have the best holiday possible. If it was a case of being able to do this week in week out it wouldn't be issue. Trying to find the best scenario so everyone has a good time and makes the most of it too. If she was a few years older I would be happy for her to go her own way but she isn't quite there that I would be happy to leave her to it for the afternoon.
I've had a look at lessons at the snowdome and as we are trying to get away over the Christmas holiday period im not quite sure we will have time for that with most weekends having other commitments but have seen evo2 run a few mid week snowboard courses which could work quite nicely in various resorts (haven't picked location yet).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| JayRo wrote: |
| pam w wrote: |
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It's completely baffling to me
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Me too. |
Me three. It makes me wonder what’s so bad about snowboardism, if adult sufferers are so keen to prevent their kids from getting infected. |
 not trying to prevent the infection. Just trying to make the most of the time we have.
If we had the luxury of many weeks on snow there would be no question but unfortunately our time is limited. So its all about making the most of that. Being sat on a nursery slope for the best part of the week when you could be off exploring the whole mountain via a method you already have the hang of doesn't seem like the best use of time or money right now when there is still plenty of time later in life.
Anyway, we are looking at options to make it happen.
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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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That comment wasn't really aimed at you @therock, it was another snowboarder saying they were choosing to teach their kid to ski first, then they could pick up snowboarding later if they wanted. It's not an uncommon sentiment on here and I just find it really weird as well as winding me up a bit. I'm probably a bit touchy on the subject, but I get a bit fed up getting booked for one 1.5hr lesson so that a young skier can "try snowboarding to see if they like it" and, well, obviously they won't in that time. I'll do my absolute best to make it fun, but they'll be going very slowly on the nursery slope and probably falling over a few times. They won't have enough time even to try their first turns. So they'll say they weren't that fussed and go back to skiing. Whereas if they did a full week they might well love it and be a lifelong convert.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| stevomcd wrote: |
| That comment wasn't really aimed at you @therock, it was another snowboarder saying they were choosing to teach their kid to ski first, then they could pick up snowboarding later if they wanted. It's not an uncommon sentiment on here and I just find it really weird as well as winding me up a bit. I'm probably a bit touchy on the subject, but I get a bit fed up getting booked for one 1.5hr lesson so that a young skier can "try snowboarding to see if they like it" and, well, obviously they won't in that time. I'll do my absolute best to make it fun, but they'll be going very slowly on the nursery slope and probably falling over a few times. They won't have enough time even to try their first turns. So they'll say they weren't that fussed and go back to skiing. Whereas if they did a full week they might well love it and be a lifelong convert. |
Absolutely. My son had gotten his gold or bronze ESF star, so was quite a decent skier and was VERY keen to try snowboarding. We gave him 3 or 4 private lessons to maximize learning, and by the ene of a week he was able to keep up on red groomers, albeit with a few slams here and there! I did force him to wear wrist guards because I didn't want a broken or sprained wrist to ruin our holiday...but I'm of the opinion that the more sports you learn when you're young, the better.
I was able to learn snowboarding in a day in my early 30s, but then again I had surfed for a long time at that point so was comfortable on skies and with a sideways stance...but I decided to stick to skiing as I'd invested in the gear.
It's a great sport but let's be honest, unless you have a carving board and know how to use it, it's not really suited for the majority of European conditions, i.e. hardpacked inbounds groomers. Much more fun off-piste and in soft snow, or hitting features...
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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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"Having the best holiday possible" is tricky with kids at different stages, but it will always involve compromise with activities such as skiing or sailing. A sporty young beginner snowboarder will NOT have to spend a week on a nursery slope but will require some tolerance and encouragement from the rest of the family. It's thrilling seeing a child pick up a new skill and perhaps the others could do lots of mucking around sort of things (boarding switch, skiing backwards, for example, or doing javlin turns) instead of just hurtling mindlessly down to the next lift. When the beginner snowboarder is learning controlled "falling leaf" descents the skiers could usefully do falling leaf side-slipping, shifting weight forward and back - a very useful skill and quite impressive if done fast and controlled.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| stevomcd wrote: |
| .... It's not an uncommon sentiment on here and I just find it really weird ... So they'll say they weren't that fussed and go back to skiing. ... |
This. A point made here mostly from those who successfully made the switch from skis to board.
Go tubing. Or snow shoeing. Or XC skiing, or skating, or sledding. All those would be way, way more fun.
Or flip it the other way around: would people really advise an accomplished snowboarder to try skiing for one single day?
| Quote: |
| It's a great sport but let's be honest, unless you have a carving board and know how to use it, it's not really suited for the majority of European conditions, i.e. hardpacked inbounds groomers. Much more fun off-piste and in soft snow, or hitting features... |
That's not true but more importantly not relevant.
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| phil_w wrote: |
| stevomcd wrote: |
| .... It's not an uncommon sentiment on here and I just find it really weird ... So they'll say they weren't that fussed and go back to skiing. ... |
This. A point made here mostly from those who successfully made the switch from skis to board.
Go tubing. Or snow shoeing. Or XC skiing, or skating, or sledding. All those would be way, way more fun.
Or flip it the other way around: would people really advise an accomplished snowboarder to try skiing for one single day?
| Quote: |
| It's a great sport but let's be honest, unless you have a carving board and know how to use it, it's not really suited for the majority of European conditions, i.e. hardpacked inbounds groomers. Much more fun off-piste and in soft snow, or hitting features... |
That's not true but more importantly not relevant. |
Let's put it another way: You could make a case that it's harder to avoid skidding on a typical double-ender snowboard on a typical European piste in typical conditions, than on a sharp pair of SL or GS skis. Snowboarders just seem to be having more fun off-piste, in soft snow or in parks or on features than, say, on a hardpack red piste. At least that's what the ones I know tell me...but look, I'm a fan of boarding.
It's relevant to the OP because if you ski together as a family in Europe, those are the conditions you're most likely to encounter. So one member of the family, especially if they're not an expert boarder, might not be on the right tool for the job...
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isn't this like going on a bike ride with one little member of the family who wants to ride their own bike but who's not big or strong enough to keep up with everybody? They'll learn and get stronger and faster.
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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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| stevomcd wrote: |
| That comment wasn't really aimed at you @therock, it was another snowboarder saying they were choosing to teach their kid to ski first, then they could pick up snowboarding later if they wanted. It's not an uncommon sentiment on here and I just find it really weird as well as winding me up a bit. I'm probably a bit touchy on the subject, but I get a bit fed up getting booked for one 1.5hr lesson so that a young skier can "try snowboarding to see if they like it" and, well, obviously they won't in that time. I'll do my absolute best to make it fun, but they'll be going very slowly on the nursery slope and probably falling over a few times. They won't have enough time even to try their first turns. So they'll say they weren't that fussed and go back to skiing. Whereas if they did a full week they might well love it and be a lifelong convert. |
You're completely right, and I get the frustration - but I guess the flip side is that sometimes it's hard to work out whether kids really want to do something or whether they have a romaticised view of something (because they've seen a few videos on tiktok). One of mine really wanted to go to a sushi restaurant - a quick taste of my sushi lunch and a disgusted face soon told me that they liked the idea of having sushi, but reality didn't quite match up. And you can repeat that with about a million other things because they want to try new things (which is great), and they generally aren't paying for them (not so great). Parenting is hard!
In one of my posts earlier, I said about maybe doing an intensive day course in a snowdome, hopefully will get them to enough of a stage where they can see progress, and then with encouragement*, will hopefully commit to boarding on holiday but with their eyes wide open. That feels better than just booking a week of boarding lessons for the holiday, and hoping that they don't melt down in tears on day 2 as they realise it's something they don't really want to do and end up having a miserable holiday.
*this bit is key - lesson/day 1 will be tough so it'll be easy to persuade them to flip back to skiing, so you've got to be super supportive and nurture those dreams if you can see they are still there.
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When the Jnrs wanted to learn to ride, I specifically said that the route would be we'll book a weeks instruction because if you're going to do it, you do it - Do or Do Not, there is no Try (in a parlance they can relate to).
As has been said; you've got to commit to it, the good and the bad, and learn to read the mountain differently than you did before. Crying off just because it gets a bit difficult and the thing you know is 'easier' isn't a good life lesson for anything or anyone.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Richard_Sideways wrote: |
When the Jnrs wanted to learn to ride, I specifically said that the route would be we'll book a weeks instruction because if you're going to do it, you do it - Do or Do Not, there is no Try (in a parlance they can relate to).
As has been said; you've got to commit to it, the good and the bad, and learn to read the mountain differently than you did before. Crying off just because it gets a bit difficult and the thing you know is 'easier' isn't a good life lesson for anything or anyone. |
Yes this is a great way of phrasing it. If they really want to do it - then your part of the agreement is to book them the week's lessons, and their part of the agreement is to commit to it and do every day trying their hardest.
Our kids always wanted to ski - so we told them that we'd do it, but they'd have to commit to ski school (and that it was like going to school at home, a non-negotiable). I'll never forget us having to ski away from our youngest on the morning of day 2 (day 1 lessons had been tough), with him battling back the tears with all his might because he knew what he'd signed up to and really didn't want to show us how upset he was. Painful stuff. Needless to say, we came back a few hours later to a beaming 6 year old, having a snow ball fight with his new friends.
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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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| therock wrote: |
| Just picking up on a few points about why am I trying to put her off, its not so much put her off as to make sure we have the best holiday possible. If it was a case of being able to do this week in week out it wouldn't be issue. Trying to find the best scenario so everyone has a good time and makes the most of it too. If she was a few years older I would be happy for her to go her own way but she isn't quite there that I would be happy to leave her to it for the afternoon. |
Trying to read between the lines here: is what you're saying that you don't want to spend the afternoons of your only week on snow shepherding a beginner snowboarder around? And that after spending some time getting the kids to a level where they are mobile enough that you can enjoy skiing with them in the afternoons, you're wary that you'd have to go back to the nursery slopes when you'd rather be exploring more enjoyable terrain?
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FAQ
