February 17, 2010
Be prepared when teaching kids how to ski
by Tony Chamberlain/
Having fun, not creating the next Ted Ligety, should be the goal when teaching a youngster how to ski. (photo: Tony Chamberlain)
On creating the next Ted Ligety:
So next weekend I take my grandson skiing for the first time. At first I didn’t think much about it. I know how to ski and have for nearly half a century (Yikes!) so now I will just teach Ian to do it.
Easy, right?
But now we’re up against the day, and I’m having some second thoughts. Not about taking Ian skiing, but about how to approach the whole teaching aspect. He’s not a toddler. He’s a strapping, adventurous 6-year-old whose favorite parts of gymnastics sessions are the climbing wall and the zip line.
Those seem a pretty natural skill set for skiing. I could work with them. But do I start with the pizza/French fry analogy to snowplow and straight ski? Do I go in front of him and correct as we progress, or just give him a few get-started pointers and a lecture about getting out of control.
Because he will. I know Ian. He will not turn. He will not stop. Once he can go more than fifty yards without falling, he will go as far as he can in a straight line.
So now, one of the wisest thoughts I ever had as a grandparent crashed home: don’t try to teach him at all; let a professional ski instructor do it.
When I bought my wife her first pair of shaped skis a number of years ago, a friend (who had taught skiing) suggested I also give her an hour private lesson. She’s a solid skier, my friend said, but there’s just enough difference between the old and new equipment. And all of us with half a brain know deeply that no husband (boyfriend) should ever end up giving his wife (girlfriend) a ski lesson. It’s just a recipe for disaster.
So what can I do to facilitate this child’s first ski experience?
– Make sure he has the appropriate clothes for hours outdoors in winter. Freezing fingers and toes will kill any joy he may develop for the sport.
– Get fitted to the right gear well before the lesson. When renting, get everything worked out the day before you go out.
– This includes the safety checklist: boots must be properly fit, bindings adjusted correctly, helmet and goggles ready (though you might not need the latter on a bunny slope).
– Make poles optional. Bring them along and ask the instructor whether he wants to use them. Many do not, feeling poles are just a complicating factor.
– Be prepared to take breaks as frequently as the child seems to want them. I have seen tough guys trying to bully their children into staying outdoors against their will. Really bad idea. A hot chocolate break is a nice part of the ski-day memory.
– And once the lesson is over, remember they’re still novice skiers. No, this is not the time to say, ‘All right, now let’s go try that mogul field or tree run.’ An athletic child will develop ski skills very rapidly, but don’t push them too soon into stuff they need to ease into.
– And remember, bottom line: it’s all about fun and only fun. No, you’re not responsible for producing the next Ted Ligety out there. Just for helping make a memory out on the snow.
