 Poster: A snowHead
|
Hi all, headed to Puy with Snowbizz in a few weeks and it'll be my 4.5 year old's first time on skis. My husband and I both snowboard so we're wondering if anyone else has a similar set up and any tips on how we're going to help him ski whilst we board? He'll be in ski school with snowbizz so hoping they'll be doing the heavy lifting, but be nice to do a bit with him in the afternoons.
Any other top tips for first trips gratefully received!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Get yourselves some skis and boots and show a bit of solidarity. At that age, and with that little experience, trying to get him to follow while you're boarding is not at all likely to turn out well. He will really need someone to follow, someone who's doing what he should be doing, someone there to catch him if he gets out of control. None of these will really be possible if you're both on boards.
Even after three or four days the best you'll be able to expect will be one of you at the top of a very short and gentle bunny slope, one at the bottom, such that you can talk to him the whole way and walk up or down to pick him up when needed (not if).
|
|
|
|
|
|
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 tend to agree with that view - he's very little and he won't be doing a lot. Spending your time on a nice easy slope (where's he's been in his lessons), on foot, should work, and might be combined with some tobogganing, which most kids love.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
Or if you can ski, yes, get some skis, especially if you can ski backwards in front of him. But don't take him anywhere he's not been in lessons.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Or if you can ski, yes, get some skis, especially if you can ski backwards in front of him. But don't take him anywhere he's not been in lessons.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
From what I've seen of families with young kids it's very much a case of ski school in the morning them either practice on a gentle bit of almost flat where the parents can walk along with them or go sledging in town, build a snowman etc.
At that age, they'll be knackered anyway.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The best piece of advice I can give you is to manage your expectations of how much time you will be boarding for your first time away. Having the expectations that you'll board as much as you did when on a child free trip will hit you hard and can lead to a lot of frustration.
As already mentioned, small ones get tired very quickly and the afternoons will become more off the slopes fun (even naps) than another session on the mountain.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tricky one that. At 4.5 you could do with having the flexibility of skis to help them.
Think it could still work though.
Not sure trying to take up skiing at the same time would help as you would be all over the place and not have the skills to be that much help.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
@abisearle, Welcome to SH - You don't say if you're familiar with skis or not so I'll assume not.
Yes Jnr will be on skis, but (and also assuming you're competent on a snowboard here) you will be much more useful to Jnr on a piece of kit you're familiar with than on skis. I went through the same thought process about having to learn to ski to help my two, but what use is a beginner to a beginner? None, and they will learn quicker than you will!
If you're on your board, you can get in front of your furiously snowploughing little unguided missile and help them out. Being on a board actually worked pretty well for me because we can go to ground and then get up again much easier than skiers can so you can get down on the kids level easily, help them get back up when they fall, and your hands are always free to help them on and off lifts.
I can also guarantee that they'll "Wanna 'noboar" with you soon enough too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I was a skier than a boarder. To encourage my children I switched back to skiing.
15 years later I don’t know which to choose.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
| Orange200 wrote: |
| 15 years later I don’t know which to choose. |
Boarding, obviously. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Hi. We went with snowbizz when kids were little. We did very little skiing/boarding in the afternoon. It may be easier on skis or walking beside them as could be really tricky on a board to help them. I board in the morning while kids are in ski school, and ski with them in the afternoon.
The main chair you can go up as a pedestrian so in the afternoons we did chairlift rides, snowman building, went to the little play park, went sledging and also used the outdoor heated swimming pool. We had great holidays in Puy!
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Wed 14-02-24 16:48; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Another snowboarding parent here.
Like others have said, my strongest advice is to set your expectations low on the amount of actual time you can enjoyably spend with a child who is already tired from the morning.
As Richard Sideways mentioned, you are more use as a parent if you are on familiar kit and able to moderate your speed, direction etc so as to safely move around and with your child.
As an added bonus, I found that being sideways meant I could ski alongside my kids and take a few pics of their faces, rather than being behind them and just getting the backs of their heads!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
Hi all, oh my expectations are absolutely zero. After a rather disastrous experience of kids club at a Kinderhotel in the summer, I won't be counting any chickens until I'm on that first chairlift!
Thanks for the advice all, I guess we'll just have to see how it goes. All I'm hoping for is to get a few runs in whilst the kids are being looked after and then the afternoon is for fun. Unfortunately the swimming pool is closed this season!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
Aged 4 and a half, I'd have thought a morning of lessons would be plenty.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
As a boarder you won't be able to do things like ski with them between your legs so my strong advice is enlist the services of a family friend or relation who skis well to help shepherd them around. I used to do that for my two small nieces as my brother is a boarder. Parental reassurance plus known/trusted adult to help are invaluable. Was later able to offload some of the more back-breaking tasks (taking a small child on a drag when you're 6'2" is a torment) to my daughter  .
As someone else pointed out there's not much point in your skiing because you'd be a beginner too ... so not able to carry/support them around anyway.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
PS. Enjoy ... the sight of the tiny kids skiing is one of the cutest things in the world ... won't ever forget that
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
