 Poster: A snowHead
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First off I know this sounds like a proud dad boast!! But after about 10 ski trips now my 14yr son is far too good a skier for his mother or I to do the sorts of runs he wants to do. We’re off to Canada (Banff) again in April and I don’t want him to be bored with us on the blues and easy blacks
To give some context he’s happy on most of the inbounds double blacks including Delirium Dive at Sunshine and the Whitehorn Chutes at Louise. I’d be dead if I even considered them!
Group lessons only go up to level 5 and private lessons for him are getting very expensive. Lake Louise do the free Snowhosts tours up to quite a high level but children under 16 need to be accompanied - and I can’t do that sort of terrain. I don’t think he wants to do the ridiculous stuff everyday but I still feel a bit anxious about him doing the (easier) steep ungroomed stuff by himself
Ideally he’d met another teenager of similar ability to ski with but failing that any ideas to keep him and my wallet happy?
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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 kinda know the feeling, on my son's first week skiing when he was almost 10, he was off the bunny slope on the first day, doing blues the second day, reds the third, moguls the 4th, on days 5 he was playing off the side of the piste, on day 6 we skied with some advanced skiers from the chalet, he was following them straight skiing steep slopes, I was in last place doing turns a long way behind!! 
Such an advantage learning while you're young!! Sounds like your son started even younger and has made even greater progress.
Thankfully, my son seems happy cruising around with me, I've made a bit more progress since then, but he's still the better skier. We're going with friends this time, one of them is a more asdventurous skier, so hopefully he can stretch him a bit more.
I hope you can find something to keep yours happy! 
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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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Happy on Delirium Dive at 14 - wow 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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He started on a trip to Banff aged 5. We booked him in the nursery with one hour ski sessions but he loved the skiing so much he ended up in the kids group skiing all morning and afternoon!
Last year aged 13 he finally achieved his goal of skiing the South Side Chutes - couldn’t manage it the year before as closed due to too much snow!! After his lesson he told us shyly the instructor had something to ask us. Turns out he thought he was ready for a Dive lesson! And so he did two leis of the dive, steps in first time and the jump in second!! Most nervous three hours crushing the blues of my life!!!
This year his goal is apparently the West Bowl at Lake Louise!
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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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The Ski Friends don't actually go into West Bowl or the really good stuff on the backside either, so nothing missed there.
I'm probably away the 2nd half of April, but if you're coming earlier, get in touch with me. Might be able to get in a few laps with him.
I'm not a teenager anymore, but I like to think I still ski with the enthusiasm of one! 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks. That’s very kind. We’re in Banff from 7-17th of April. If you are around d I might DM you nearer the time
Maybe I’ll join him on a lesson or two to try and improve my confidence and skills!! I have done some of the easier back bowls in the dim and distant past…
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Not a bad idea. Big part of it might be confidence, and having a pro there with you might help with that.
That's the nice thing about the backside of LL. Some not so hard bowls, up to "I better not mess this up" terrain.
If you haven't skied Westbowl yet, it is different than the back bowls. It starts as a bowl, but all lines end up in trees. Some gladed, some not so much. But I wouldn't say there is an "easy" way out of there. Especially if you don't like trees.
Sunshine does generally offer easier off-piste, so if looking to get back into it, that might be a better choice the first couple of days.
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I’m wondering if this is a more than common problem amongst us. Several of us started skiing in teens or early 20s and remember what a laugh it was with our friends. So we want to introduce our children to the same fun, but do it early; with the result that by the time they hit their teens they are nearly too good for us parents and usually too good for their schoolmates.
Certainly that’s happened to my two. We’ll see with the older one if she manages to go with her Austrian friend; sadly the younger one had a torn ligament last year so missed that school trip with its 30 hours of lessons, and is too old for school trips in future.
Now our eagerness with our seven year olds is going to cost us dearly in specialist courses ten years later!
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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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Seven was the sweet spot for me, when my son and I were the same standard. From then on the gap has just kept on widening.
He’s now 14 and as Orange says it costs a lot of money for him to ski with people at his level. Fortunately I have a 12 year old daughter who I can ski with, for the time being at least.
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The traditional fix for this problem is a ski club.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Yes rjs, but when you live in the UK that gets very expensive if they take it seriously.
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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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As others have said the lake louise friends don't ski in the terrain your son is after anyway. Also +1 on the West bowl exit.. moguls like VW Beatles in some places although I think they might have done a bit more glading this summer. The actual bowl is more mellow than South side.
I suffer a bit from the same issue as sweajnr has grown up ski racing so some of the time he has his club (their first run of the day is South side chutes to eagle tail...) but some of the time it's just us.
I don't have any good suggestions beyond noting that the backside of Louise has mostly good sightlines as does most of sunshine (albeit not Southside or the Dive) so skiing round and then watching is a possibility (if your blood pressure can take it). The actual really steep sections are pretty short.
If he really fancies some proper steeps get him an instructor at kicking horse.... 
The
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@Doodsie... Ski clubs aren't any cheaper even when you are closer to the hills
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