 Poster: A snowHead
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They are getting excited. Snow, snow, thick thick snow - has come. At the end of last season, the slopes were empty and their speeds were going up. All very well then, but the Christmas crush means a lot more care is needed. The first few days are pretty important, time in the snowdome doesn't really help with getting real piste sense back.
So with my two (ages 7 and 9) there are two approaches to getting them back into the right frame of mind. And frame of mind counts for a lot, in my view.
The first is to get them into morning lessons, after a first half day of getting their legs back. And the important things about the small classes that they go into (max of five and usually 2 or 3, at SMS in Crans) is that they learn piste discipline and not just 'follow the snake'. The closeness of the relationship with their instructors means that mountain craft is handed on too, not just ski technique - a sense of what the mountains really mean. I've posted before about the quality of tuition you get with this small group model - just loads more learning and really good orientation to piste safety. It's very good stuff.
The second is more subtle. Last night, after bedtime story, I lay on the bed with my 7 year old and told him about 'The Professor' - Alain Prost - who wasn't always the fastest driver but was a true champion - 106 podiums, 4 championships. I explained that whilst others pushed and pushed, he would look after his car, he would push to the edge of his envelope but not further, and when others were crashing out, he finished. Thinking, thinking, careful, careful, and that's the way to be a champion - to go out, day after day, and put a consistent and technical performance in, is more important than flamboyant, risky behaviour. Of course, it's important to improve, and we stress that too (and boy do they improve fast) but I keep a watch on the way in which they are building their approach and skills. And slowing them down and emphasising technical development is vital at this stage, I feel.
So...cognitive head stuff at this point....just as important as physical prep, IMHO....
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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've started reminding my 4 year old that he got a snowplough toy at the end of his week's lessons. He's psyched about being back on the mountain.
In all seriousness I think what you're referring to is just a normal part of parenting isn't it? You plant the seeds of positive behavior and reinforce it at every stage in as sneaky a way as possible.
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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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MeMyselfandI, ...absolutely agree re notionally 'normal' - but then I see some kids engaged in very risky behaviour - eg big jump over what looked like a 'nice jump' from where the child was - and hid a 3 metre drop onto rocks the other side. No scoping of the landing. Luckily they landed in the one spot which had deep snow....but they got away with it purely by chance....
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