 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all
I took my 5 year old son skiing for the first time last year in La Plagne. He did really really well and we are taking him again this April to Les Arcs.
One thing that cropped up last year was riding a chairlift with him. The first one we tackled was a nightmare in that it was not one that declutches from the cable so came round the corner at the rate of knots and clattered us both badly. Poor little man was slightly shaken not to mention the effect it had on me !
I'd be really grateful for any advice on how to ride the chairs without further mishap. I guess a resonable method would be to place my son on the outside seat nearest to the lift attendant. If the chair is not one that slows ask the lift operator to slow it for us whilst I lift him slightly to get him on the seat. Once seated we travel up with my son holding the safety bar and me holding my son and then at the top continue to hold him whilst lifting the bar and then skiing away whilst guiding him.
May have answered my own question but as above if any one has any advice it would be gratefully received.
All the best
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Griggs, possibly not relevant to your situation but the best thing i ever saw for helping little oens onto lifts was basically like a backpack shoulderstrap-like harness with what i can only describe as a carrying handle on the back which allowed the adult with the child to pick them up and put them on the seat as it arrived - though the only time i've see it was with a very small child probably about 3.
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Skimummy, strange when you think about it really, but in any other circumstance apart from skiing we would never expose kids to such danger 
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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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Griggs, just go to France on your own beforehand and ski pistes where the ESF go. Then you can get plenty of practise with other people's kids and be an expert by the time you have to take your own!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I have an 8 year old and 5 year and cack myself with my 5 year old on teh lifts (he thinks nothing of leaning forward and swinging his legs). Anyway, always ensure that the little one is teh side of teh lifty - virtually every lifty slows teh lift down of assists. they are all good...even in France.
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A number of chairs in the 3 Valleys (and elsewhere?) have "Magnestick" on them. Basically a magnet holds the child in place (via a metal plate on the back of a bib that the child wears). The magnet is deactivated when the chair comes in "to land" so the child can get off. I know that the ESF were using them for child lessons, but not sure how else they might be available.
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It is a bit scary but I've never seen a child come to any harm getting on and off lifts. I reckon they're at greater danger from being hit by some big fat out of control skier on the piste. But they're probably in more danger every time you take them out in the car.
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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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I ask lifties to slow it down. Then I lift my child on with my poles. Then She sits with her arms on the chair bar , and like someone else I hold my poles around her, effectively making a bar lower.
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| gryphea wrote: |
| ... Then I lift my child on with my poles.... |
Isn't there a bit of a knack to that, like using giant chopsticks? 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Axsman,  Actually my own preference would be to ski without my own poles, to have two hands free for helping child. That's what instructors do with small clients, isn't it?
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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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pam w, Poles are useful for dragging them along the flat bits and defending them in lift queues 
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Skimummy, yes, I can see they'd be useful for dragging them along the flat bits, but instructors seem to manage without. I occasionally drag boarders along flat bits.
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You know it makes sense.
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pam w, I feel wrong skiing without poles - but they do get in the way a bit when I'm skiing with the kids.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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pam w, At 'New Designers' a Product Design graduate had designed a mini 'poma/button' thingy that would wind-up in to the back of its belt (a bit like a vacuum cleaner power lead) and extend out 3 meters so that mummy could pole along flat bits and drag toddler behind. Usefiul for skiers with boarder friends too 
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Poster: A snowHead
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rayscoops,
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so that mummy could pole along flat bits and drag toddler behind
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And where would daddy be? 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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In the bar?
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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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| rayscoops wrote: |
| .... Usefiul for skiers with boarder friends too |
Feck them! I'm not pulling no lardyass mofo goat* along no piste!
*gay on a tray
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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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| Quote: |
I feel wrong skiing without poles
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Skimummy, it's good for you!
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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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Griggs, some of the lifts in Les Arcs have "child stops" fitted to the chairlift. This reduces the space underneath the safety bar so there is less likelihood of small kids sliding forwards and underneath. All these child stops are located on the side of the chair nearest the lifties hut/building, so it is a good idea to have you child on that side when you board the chairlift.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Take the hit yourself, lift the small on, then remember to help them down off the seat at the top as their skis may not reach the snow. First time we went up with our son we dutifully lifted him on, chewed the fat all the way up, then merrily started to ski off in the normal fashion almost leaving him to go back down on the chair solo!  A gentle shove now gets him going OK...
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geepee,
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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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rob@rar, they have them on the right hand of certain chair lifts in Les Gets to0
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Where possible (and we've skied mainly in Canada, and out of peak weeks), I get my son to straddle the vertical handle, which limits how far forward he can go. Actually I often do this on the lifts without footrests, too. When he was too small to get on and off alone, the tips above were right - lift him on, and use my pole across his body to act like the safety bar.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Hi
Many thanks for all the assistance here !
Hopefully having my son lined up on the lift attendant side combined with my wifr holding my ski poles combined with the slower lifts in Les Arcs means that we will be ok.
Regards
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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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Griggs, whilst I don't have children I've done a lot of ski school shadowing (getting kids on and off chairlifts) and ski with lots of people with young kids.
In my experience the key things are to:
- not rush or panic - either getting on or off
- talk to them throughout both bits
- don't show any personal fear or weakness 
Getting on - put the child on the liftie's side; grasp the child under both arms - with you looking at the chair and then do a 1-2-3-weeeeee type thing. Anything involving one arm, a backpack or harness isn't good.
As you're the parent I'd suggest either riding the lift with your arm gently around them (helps with the cold anyway) or gently on one knee.
Angle one of your skis so that it's directly under the child's skis. If the child is small then you'll be able to put one ski on their side of the foot rest.
Getting off - don't rush. Raise the bar at the last moment and count 1-2-3-weee again - from the point when your skis touch down - not in anticipation of when they'll hit. Waiting until your skis are in contact and running on the snow will give you better balance.
Lifting the child off under both arms is better than under one arm because it'll avoid upsetting their balance.
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Our youngest fell off a chairlift twice in La Plagne, when getting on the lift. Once on the chair just below Belle Plagne into a soft pile of snow. On the second occasion I think he forgot to jump on, and the lifty hadn't slowed down the lift, that was on a chair in Plagne Centre (Melezes perhaps?). I think I would now put it down to our own inexperience, as we learnt to ski at the same time as our kids. He wasn't hurt on either occasion.
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You know it makes sense.
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My elder fell of a chair in Les Gets, geve me the fright of my life. I managed to catch him but couldn't haul him back in. Liftie appeared under him and lowered him, then chair was reversed and he was put back in.
Almost as bad as him falling in the Affrick last year in March.
Saw a kid fall of in ADH 2 years ago, landed in deep snow and stood looking a bit stunned.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Have you tried a single chair with kids? I wondered what I should do on the single chair in Pamporovo. I decided it was best to explain to my kids that they would be okay and for them to watch how I got on, get on before them to make sure they got off okay and then let the lifties put them on. But how scary was that ride! The kids didn't bat an eyelid!
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Poster: A snowHead
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I learnt in seefeld in austria on chairs that were single seaters wooden benches with a pretty pathetic chain across them ... I used to try and persuade instructors to use T bars !!
Saw a kid fall off a chair in les gets ( the slow 4 on chevannes) absolutely terrifying and made me feel phyiscally sick - I alway feel a great responsibility with children on lifts now and do my best to ensure their safety. these magnetic things sound ideal and cant wait for Les gets to install them for ewhen my 18 month old startys skiing
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Griggs, You are doing fine. Non-detachable chairs are always a pain (literally) with small kids. Even with my big one (now 8 ), I still make sure I take the hit before he does.
He's probably a bit big for it now, but we use a kiddie-handle for smaller ones: basically a strap-on handle which you can pick them up by, whether onto or off a chair, holding once on the chair, or for picking up again when they fall over on piste:
http://www.snowshack.com/detail/SNW+KS-02090_Kid-Ski+Kiddie+Lift+(ages+1-5)
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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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A few years ago in Tignes I was waiting to get on a lift at the bottom of Val Claret at the end of the car park. There was a separate line for the ski school. When it came to my chair the instructor plonked a tiddler to my right at the end of the chair, pointed a him/her and then at me.
I assume this meant he/she was my responsability from then on until the end of the ride. The instructor just smiled and looked for the next likely candidate for this torture.
I don't have any kids and couldn't breathe or stop myself cacking it every time the child breathed in or out.
The tiddler, all helmet, ski suit and goggles didn't bother at all. My blood pressure only returned to normal after lunch.
Scared but felt strangely privelidged!
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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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| Richard_Sideways wrote: |
| Griggs, possibly not relevant to your situation but the best thing i ever saw for helping little oens onto lifts was basically like a backpack shoulderstrap-like harness with what i can only describe as a carrying handle on the back which allowed the adult with the child to pick them up and put them on the seat as it arrived - though the only time i've see it was with a very small child probably about 3. |
Lucky Bums grab handles.
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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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Richard_Sideways, I need one of these things you describe!!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Morrissey wrote: |
| I have an 8 year old and 5 year and cack myself with my 5 year old on teh lifts (he thinks nothing of leaning forward and swinging his legs). Anyway, always ensure that the little one is teh side of teh lifty - virtually every lifty slows teh lift down of assists. they are all good...even in France. |
When on the lift, I sit with my poles on my knees, with them over the lap of my 5 year old. it keeps her in her place. This did come to grief though when we got in a tangle and all fell off. No harm done though
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We are wary of poles - they can cause a lot of grief. My OH stabbed himself in the calf muscle, on the Swadlincote dry slope, yonks ago, in a fall. And a couple of years ago an adult fell at the top of a chairlift (a detachable chair with a particularly gentle and easy dismount that normally even 4 year olds can get off very easily) and stabbed himself in the femoral artery. Fortunately some highly skilled help and a helicopter were on scene very quickly. Made a mess of his ski suit, though. When I have to get a child (ski school child) off a chairlift I always hand my poles over to someone else. I haven't skied with my grand-daughter yet - she only just started at Christmas and was with an instructor for her 3 lessons. But I did go up with them when she went on the chairlift because she was very apprehensive and only agreed to do it because I went with the cameras to take pics for her to show her teacher. I skied with two cameras and without poles. And mostly without gloves, too. Poor grandma. But the instructor got her off and she loved it, in the end.
I have started getting very irritated (is this the ski snobbery spoken of in another thread?) when people seem to be unable to put either themselves or their kids through a gate and onto a chairlift without waving their damned poles about in the air behind them, with the points just at a child's head level.
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We have just come back from Arcalis in Andorra and they had the magnestick vests.
Must say I thought they were brill and they were happy for us to keep them for the week not just for lessons.
The lift operators had also obvs had some child focused training and were brilliant without exception.
All in all made our week with a 5 and 7 yr old much more relaxing!
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FAQ
Once on, I stick my poles across the front of them to stop them slipping anywhere. Once at the top I just hope there is a clear run off and hold on to 3 year old to make she slides away before getting hit in the back of the head. Enjoy your holiday 
