 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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shep, we should get in touch, perhaps cry over a few beers!
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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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| Quote: |
the first and biggest hurdle to get over is the fear factor for most of us oldies
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not just oldies. Kids get scared too. A french friend in Les Saisies (a teacher of French with whom I did quite a few lessons) had a promising, strong, 6 year old and the ski club were keen to get their hands on him. But he wasn't very keen, and my friend had seen quite a few kids very badly frightened, sometimes after significant injuries. They really get pushed, and he didn't want his son getting into that - he preferred for the two of them just to go out and have a fun afternoon together.
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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: |
not just oldies. Kids get scared too. A french friend in Les Saisies (a teacher of French with whom I did quite a few lessons) had a promising, strong, 6 year old and the ski club were keen to get their hands on him. But he wasn't very keen, and my friend had seen quite a few kids very badly frightened, sometimes after significant injuries. They really get pushed, and he didn't want his son getting into that - he preferred for the two of them just to go out and have a fun afternoon together.
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I agree some kids do naturally have fears, can't speak for your friends situation, but fear can be learnt also!
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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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| gatecrasher wrote: |
I agree some kids do naturally have fears, can't speak for your friends situation, but fear can be learnt also! |
Strange one this. I have a kid who is happy to ski flat out down the Kandehar in Les Houches, but won't go on a roller coaster under any amount of duress. Her reasoning is that you aren't in control on a roller coaster. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thornyhill, how do you get her on the plane?
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| dode wrote: |
| Thornyhill, how do you get her on the plane? |
Easy, let her fly it! 
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| dode wrote: |
| Thornyhill, how do you get her on the plane? |
She insists on telling people how a plane actually works. Seems OK that the small area of low pressure above the wing will keep us in the sky as the laws of physics won't change and the pilot is just steering. Tends to lead to some nervous passengers though 
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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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Children vary a great deal in what they fear. One of my grand daughters was very scared of toboganning as a 2 year old. she loved pulling her teddy round on it, and didn't mind being pulled uphill, but wouldn't slide downhill. the "out of control" feeling, I suppose. She had some ski lessons when she was a bit older, 1:1 privates, and did OK, but very cautious. Another granddaughter, at the same age, just flew on the toboggan and was desperate to try skis. Both their dads are keen skiers and were very positive about the whole thing so I don't accept the fear was "learnt". It was nature, not nurture. My eldest son has three kids. One was cautious and very controlled, practically never fell over, dropped her drinks, made a mess with her food. One was - and still is - very clumsy, completely lacking in normal sense, let alone caution (used to chuck himself forwards off sofas), one is both fearless and extremely well coordinated. The last starts skiing this coming week. If the way she took to roller-skating is anything to go by, she'll do brilliantly.
I have twin nephews who are petrified of heights. They hate walking over a railway bridge. But they are natural ball players - exceptionally gifted.
When they started skiing at 6 they just zoomed straight down the slope as fast as possible - no sense at all. But go on a chairlift? Not on your life.
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| Megamum wrote: |
| Why is racing so often seen as the holy grail for kids that ski well? |
Megamum, I'm not entirely sure if It's seen as the holy grail, but it does get suggested to promising little skiers on here so I can see where you are coming from. Initially it's a very cheap way to gain quality instruction and can be done all year long, so it gives the kids an active hobby, can be great socially and their skiing will be hugely improving between holidays so when they get back to the mountains they are pretty much on it from the first chair. There's up and downsides to this, it is very addictive and can stay as fun as you like or become as serious as you/child want to take it! the latter requires real commitment, emotionally at times and definitely financially, from what I've seen most coaches recognise race training is definitely not the holy grail, they advocate freeskiing, freestyle, skiing the whole mountain in all conditions, bumps etc etc is equally important to building a well rounded skier. Some of the best racers at our club were and are also some of the best at freestyle. The downsides are if not careful, "some" kids race/train week in week out, become very good at this, don't do much else and end up very single focused on results (parents too) some of the kids look a little one dimensional when they ski, try to and mostly succeed at carving everything pisted.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Chattonmill, looking at that you would never believe your boy is only 6....style is much more grown up! 
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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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Wow.....what kind of run is this? Looked quite narrow at the start. Would be terrified of letting my 6 year on the loose!!
Looks fabulous....well done little guy 
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gatecrasher, I'd agree with pretty well everything you've said about kids and ski racing but I'd go further to say imo the main problem with race coaching in this country in the past was the disproportionate focus of many clubs, no matter the reason, on gate training. Where the emphasis is on drills that are careful to isolate and develop the full range of fundamentals, not just the carving-related ones, the skiers produced aren't uni-dimensional. It's a problem though as many skills are difficult or boring to work on in the confines of our artificial slopes and particularly on dry slopes.* In the mountains, the race clubs all spend a lot of time skiing the mountain and this is not lost on today's UK race club coaches, just that they have to work with what they have.
*please no one start a quarrel with me about dry slopes - I learnt on one, race trained on one, my kids learnt on one etc etc - I think they are great places with great people and a lot to offer, and would still be using them if I didn't have easy access to indoor snow.
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You know it makes sense.
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Bring him over to Cham, he'll either kill himself your put an end to your 4yr dreams.
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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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Bloody awesome little doodle!
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Poster: A snowHead
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slikedges, agree, most of them are pretty well rounded, over recent years coaches are keen to break the pole crunching only sessions, our old club do freestyle once a month all year through plus a whole month dedicated to ramps & rails etc. then a month of core training, no poles involved, and of course all the fun drills during race training.
Coaches have a tough job at times, balancing what's best for the skiers development, and getting it in the earhole from some parents.. cos Johnny's not doing gates and has a race at the weekend.
Apologies for the thread drift. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| gatecrasher wrote: |
| ...and getting it in the earhole from some parents.. cos Johnny's not doing gates and has a race at the weekend. |
Yep, big part of it, though I suppose for a lot of parents and kids, winning artificial slope races is the actual objective, and not a carefully managed phased development that'll lead to being able to compete in FIS/Europa/WC racing later in life - a lot of kids have no intention of going beyond under-16 as by then they have GCSEs and other things to think about.
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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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| slikedges wrote: |
Yep, big part of it, though I suppose for a lot of parents and kids, winning artificial slope races is the actual objective, |
Agreed, on the other side of the coin, can be a torment for some to see others going off doing alpine camps/races etc. knowing they will never be given the same opportunity.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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gatecrasher, please don't apologise, it's giving me a great insight into a possible avenue for him.
The way I would do it I think is get him involved in the Les Gets race club.
That way each time we are out he can get training for part of the day, then muck about with us the rest.
We are considering a season here, he is at an age where it wouldn't affect his schooling, but would greatly enhance his skiing.
I won't push him, unless he wants to, then I will support him as far a he wants to go.
Am I a proud dad, yes! But I am realistic, he is good, but is he good enough......
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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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Oh, the season isn't just for him!
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Chattonmill, I think I would suggest that you ask him what he fancies doing, it maybe that he would rather concentrate on freeriding skills than race training. Maybe when you think about offering him something like that you could find two or three clubs involved in different aspects of skiing and give him the choice?
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gatecrasher, Megamum, all good points, now looking outside it is time for little'un and I to go and play on the powder(5 inches last night!)
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Megamum,
I think mountain race clubs offer a lot of free skiing. Here, even on gate training days they inevitably end up skiing way more free-skiing than gates in order to get to a course. Pretty much from November 9th to end Dec my U12 did hardly any gates and concentrated on free sking and technical free sking and big mountain stuff at LL and Sunshine. They learn to pop cliffs, tree ski , powder ski, skier Cross etc. Course they do gates as well in the main season but now its nearing the end of the season, again its back to free skiing at Sunshine. Even when they do gates they will usually only have a gate course for half the day and the rest is spent free-skiing. I suspect its the same in Europe.
Two years ago in U10 the club entered a moguls competition on the hill and the race kids trashed the freestyle kids; just an example of how wide and varid their skills are.
Race kids get access to really great coaches and way more than just gates. A 6 yr old in a mountain race program would never really do gates, maybe 4 times a year. All the rest of the time they are skiing the mountain in a little group that they get to know really well.
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gryphea, that sort of split sounds ideal
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I think there's a danger here in ending up thinking lots of all mountain skiing is the reason for racers being good all round skiers. The all mountain skiing sessions after all are in essence no different from that which any kid would get in a group lesson (apart from being pitched at a more challenging level). The difference is made by the building of strong fundamentals (which are common to all strands of skiing). The all mountain skiing just allows the kids to gain experience in employing their already strong skiing skills every which way.
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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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I'm a little depressed at just having watched a video of a 6 year old who skis better than I do, and is only going to get better. 
Congratulationss, Chattonmill!
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