The Brave Ski Mom

Building a new generation of skiers and snowboarders.

Pick Ups Made Easy: The Kinderlift Ski Vest for Kids

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kinderlift vest in hot pink
Ella sports a hot pink Kinderlift vest. Photo courtesy Kinderlift.

Here’s a question: What’s the scariest thing about skiing with a young child?

brave ski mom logoIn my opinion, it’s riding the chairlift. Actually, riding isn’t as bad as boarding the chairlift. You know how it goes: your child is looking back to grab the seat, the liftie is waiting to grab your child, and you are trying to juggle two sets of poles and sit down and grab your child, just in case he or she doesn’t quite hit the seat or needs to be pulled backward quickly so as to not fall off.

There were times when I was lucky to get on board.

Next question: What’s the most tiring thing about skiing with a young child? 

In my opinion (again), the most back-breaking, exhausting part of skiing (and I assume riding) with little people is picking them up after they fall. And picking them up again, and again and again all day long. Add fresh powder and double your “fun.”

Okay, that’s enough whining from me. Especially since I’m about to introduce a product that can help with both of these problems.

The Kinderlift Vest

On Monday, I wrote about learn-to-ski aids and tools, and promised a closer look at the Colorado-made Kinderlift Vest.

I’ll be completely honest with you. When I opened my sample Kinderlift vest, I fell in love with it. This is not my normal reaction. Usually I am more skeptical, but the pink camo XS vest I got was just SO DARN CUTE! Here see for yourself:

front of kinderlift vest

back of kinderlift vest

Better yet, as I zipped and unzipped the vest, turned it over and turned it inside out, pulled on the beefy, yet unobtrusive handle and checked out all of the reinforced stitching, I realized that not only is the vest super-cute, and super-functional, but also super-well made!

The fabric is a water-resistant, heavy-duty polyester canvas, lined with heavy-duty nylon.

water on kinderlift vest
Water on…
water gone kinderlift vest
Water gone.

inside kinderlift vest

One concern I had was whether or not the handle would be uncomfortable on a child’s  back. Because it is padded and really only about 1/4 inch thick, it doesn’t poke or push and shouldn’t be a problem. Plus, it’s big enough and wide enough for a parent to grab and hoist even wearing bulky gloves or mittens.

kinderlift vest handle

In addition to pink camo, the vests come in Tie-Dye, black, blue, lime green, khaki, red, sliver, yellow, orange and hot pink, with coordinating, different color handles.

The Kinderlift Story

Although Kinderlift vests are now sewn in Colorado, the company was started in the early 1990s by a woman in California. She was skiing with her son and he fell off the lift. He wasn’t hurt, but they both were scared and she decided to design a garment which would help her hold onto her son. Working with ski patrollers, she designed the Kinderlift vest and marketed them to ski schools.

Currently Kinderlift vests are used by the Vail Resorts, Telluride, Deer Valley, Squaw Valley and many other big and small names in skiing.

I recently asked Vail ski instructor (and inventor of the Ski Bumper) Bo Pitto what he thinks about using Kinderlift vests with his young clients.

I’ve been a ski instructor at Vail for 8 years and when I walked into ski school a few seasons ago and saw a bin full of Kinderlift vests, I knew my dreams had come true.

It was always so hard and awkward trying to pick kids up when they couldn’t get up on their own, or lift them onto the chairlift when they couldn’t reach. With the Kinderlift, all my kids have a giant “target” (lift handle) on their back that makes it easy for me to hoist them back on their skis and lift them onto the chairlift safely.

Not Just For Ski Schools

kinderlift vest
Photo courtesy Kinderlift.

Until this season, Kinderlift sold only to ski resorts and ski schools. Randy Burkland of Denver bought the company in 2011 and now sells the vests directly to consumers via Kinderlift.com and WinterKids.com.

Kinderlift vests come in sizes ranging from XS (ages 3-4) to L (ages 7-8). My kids are (obviously) too big for Kinderlift, but if they were little I’d consider it money well spent to buy a vest. The vests are well made with lots of reinforced stitching, a big beefy zipper that’s easy to pull up and down, and they’re cute!

Best of all, they help make getting on and riding the chairlift a lot less scary. They make picking up a fallen child a lot more easy. And, because they come in bright fun colors and patterns, they also make it easier to keep an eye on your child and spot him or her on the hill.

Not bad for $47.95.

Kinderlift Giveaway

Randy Burkland generously offers a Kinderlift vest of any size and color to one lucky reader of Brave Ski Mom. To win, please leave a comment. For a second entry, please “like” Kinderlift on Facebook.

One winner will be selected in a random drawing on Friday, December 14th at 8:00 a.m. MST.

Good luck!

Related Posts: 

To facilitate this post, I received a Kinderlift vest to review. As always, all opinions are my own and are exactly what I would tell my family and friends. 

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Michelle!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I used these to teach 3-year-olds last year. They are great for picking the kids up out of the snow. I didn’t use them much for the lift as I picked up the entire kid to get them on and used my arms in front to hold them in. I didn’t feel the vests were sufficient for that. Nice to see them available for parents now.

  2. This looks like a a great tool to help get kids up and on the chairlift, not to mention a great Christmas gift for the other up and coming Brave Skis mom’s I know….Definately something I’d like a shot at winning too!

    • Agreed. I think it would be much easier to hoist them up out of the powder with a vest than with their arms! Probably feels better to the child, too. Thanks!

  8. If we get enough snow this year, we are thinking about taking our little guy skiing for the first time – this sure would come in handy!!! 🙂

  12. These are nice! My cutie pie little 2 year old is going to A-Basin with me in the spring for her first ski and she’s gonna look good in that pink camo! Thanks. Chris

  13. Love this idea. We are taking our almost year old skiing for the first time to Park City (any recommendations on best ski school for a somewhat timid girl would be appreiated!!) and this looks like an awesome idea. Where are they available (assuming I don’t win!!)?

  15. Thank you for the tip that Squaw Valley’s ski school uses the Kindervest. Aside from teaching our 4 year old daughter to ski ourselves, we have been researching children ski schools in the Lake Tahoe area. I like the idea of the Instructor using a handle to help my daughter up verses her hand which could yank her arm, or pull off her mitten. And it even comes in pink…a happy child makes a happy Mother!

  16. I am pregnant with baby #4—this would come in super handy when it’s finally time for him to hit the slopes!! Wish I’d known about it for my other 3…

  18. I would lvoe one…actually 2 because we have twin boys who are 5. Getting on the chairlifts still kinda gives me the willies. This would definitely help!!!

  19. Hoping to start getting our 2 year old out there this year, at least comfortable on the snow, this would be great!