Happy New Year! Just in case one of your New Year’s resolutions is to help your children learn to ski and snowboard, here are some of our top tips to get you started!
Take A Lesson
While it might be tempting to teach your kids on your own, everyone will get off to a better, less emotional start with a lesson from a professional ski or snowboard instructor.
If you want to teach your kids after the first lesson, ask the instructor if you can join them at the end of the lesson to observe. Then, after the lesson, ask the instructor to suggest appropriate terrain for practicing and for teaching tips that you and your child can use together.
(For more tips on teaching your kids to ski, click here)
Be Prepared
Before the lesson, make sure your kids know what to expect. Visit the resort’s website. Look at the trail map and find the ski school and rental shop. Pick a meeting place and find it on the map. Get oriented before you arrive at the resort. Watch a video about ski and snowboard lessons on the PSIA/AASI (Professional Ski Instructors of America/American Association of Snowboard Instructors) website.
Dress for the Coldest Weather of the Day
It’s always better to remove or stow a layer if you’re hot, than to have too few clothes and be cold. Pack extra gear like socks, mittens and handwarmers and ask the ski school where you can store these.
Emphasize Fun
Sometimes parents are more nervous than their kids about ski lessons. Sometimes the kids are nervous, too. The purpose of ski and snowboard lessons is simply to have fun, BIG fun! Make sure your child knows that the instructor will not grade them, give them homework or be anything but fun!
Earl Saline, a long time ski and snowboard instructor and trainer with PSIA/AASI, emphasizes that if you’re nervous, keep your concerns to yourself. While you or your child may be scared, don’t mention it to the instructor. They’ll sense it and know exactly how to handle the situation. Keep your tone light, enthusiastic and confident. If you act relaxed, your child will feel more relaxed.
Age is Just a Number
Parents often wonder how old their kids need to be before they start skiing or snowboarding. According to Annie Breckheimer, a family instructor at Vail with two decades of experience, the appropriate age is “not a number, but an attitude.”
If your child is excited and enthusiastic about skiing, capitalize on this. But remember, little ones rarely have a lot of stamina and these early lessons should focus more on fun, than quick progression.
For older kids, don’t get hung up on the child’s chronological age, but rather their ability. In group lessons, it’s important that the students’ ability levels and speed match up.
“Good instructors will divide up the classes so that the kids learn from the instructors and from each other,” explains Breckheimer.
Bring a Friend
Learning something new is always more fun with friends. This is especially true for tweens and teens who are social by nature.
“It is really important that these kids get to hang out and ride with their peers. That is their motivator. Kids will progress much more rapidly if they are skiing with friends and motivated by competition with these friends,” explains Kate Belknap of the Powderhorn Mountain Resort Ski and Ride Center in Colorado.
Manage Your Expectations
While fearful parents may cause their kids to be nervous, overconfident parents can put pressure on kids. Every child progresses at their own rate.
Make sure you don’t compare siblings or friends and don’t push your child too hard, too fast. All it takes is one big fall to dash new-found skills. If you’re skiing or snowboarding with your child after a lesson, let them pick the terrain and set the pace.
(For tips on managing scared skiers, click here)
Enjoy!
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