How to teach my kid to ski when i cant ski myself?

Question

My 5 year old son wants to go skiing, the only place with snow is a resort 2 hours drive from where we live. That's good but the problem is im a snowboarder not a skiier iv'e never skiid before.

The resort has child friendly slopes but how do i get round to teaching my son to ski? is it possible to learn by instinct? I would love for him to learn in a fun way

Answer 1

They'll probably have classes for beginners on the bunny slopes.  Contact the resort - I'm sure they can help!

Answer 2

instinct will teach him mainly, i am a snowboarder, but i skiied once and it was almost natural.  When i go boarding, i see parents with kids the same age as your little guy and hey have them on a leash sort of thing.  you should look into it, it will make you a lot more relaxed if you teach him as the possibility of him getting injured is reduced

Answer 3

I believe it's the hardest thing to accomplish (I did it with my daughter) and it wore me out.  I put her in a school with kids her age and she loved it.  They will see that they have fun and then after the class you can ski together.  The more you return to ski continue his class and over the years as he gets better he will ski with you for a few runs then leave you behind to ski with his new friends and then you'll be all alone.  Aha don't cry he's having fun.  Buy a walki talkie and have some lunch together and talk about where the best runs are for later skiing.

Answer 4

To teach your kid to ski when you yourself can't do it?  The answer should be obvious to you. Enroll your child in lessons. This will benefit both of you, you will enjoy a day of boarding and your kid will get professional training in a much more relaxed and fun atmosphere.   Even though you don't ski you could possibly teach basic principles, but that definitely won't include proper technique and will keep your child from becoming more advanced.  

Enroll your kid in classes for a couple of days, then next time you're out you can ski and board together.

Answer 5

Don't they have a baby ski school?  Most resorts do.  Put him in it while you go snowboard.  He will love it--it's like daycare + ski school if it's like the one @ Durango.  They play inside & drink hot chocolate when they need to warm up from skiing.  My kids both did that @ about that age & absolutely loved it.  Even if they don't have the daycare thing I bet they have kid beginner lessons with trained instructors.  He will be with a group & you just make sure you show up by the time the school lets out (watch your time & don't be halfway up the slope stuck on a lift when it's time to pick him up).  Go online & research the resort you are going to & find out what services are available--if the closest one doesn't offer what I'm talking about, maybe there are others within reasonable distance that do.

Once he gets the hang of it, you should be able to board with him while he skis on the bunny slopes if you are good enough to avoid the other beginners & if you can stand it!  

Or why not teach him to board?  I would think for a kid it would be just as easy to learn one as the other.

Answer 6

Okay, the obvious answer is to get the kid lessons...which brings me to think that you are considering bypassing the obvious solution.

Let me explain some things:

If you don't know how to ski (or ski instruct), you have no business whatsoever teaching someone else what to do...or hoping that they learn on "instinct".

It is dumb for several reasons:

a) My idiotic father tried that with my younger sister. She ended up in a drainage filled with rocks, and came out with some not so nice reminders of why it is idiotic for parents to think they are helping their children in that fashion.

b) They may not die, but they may end up with poor technique, because their "instinct" just didn't know.

c) They may end up hating you for making them suffer (at least for the short term).

Okay...great! Go get that kid some lessons!!

EDIT: to Bob's answer above.

Yeah, the leash is great. I taught both my kids how to ski on it. But I'm a trained professional. There are also things called edgie wedgies which are a lifesaver. Go grab a leash without knowing how to use it, and chances are you will likely encourage the kid to ski with their weight back...which is a death trap.

Answer 7

there's no problem at all there.......my dad had the same problem with me....kind of....he had been skiing before, but he had not been skiing for a while......what i did was to just take a beginners class, which was totally cool because i learned the basic movements of how to ski.....

which i guess if you want to save maybe fifty bucks i can tell you right now. If you want to speed up when you ski....you open up the front ends of your skis....if you want to slow down or stop completely....aim the same front part of those skis inward together....but do not cross them too much because you could trip by accident......but yeh.....i am sure they have classes up there....but you better call ahead in advance to find out.....

good luck!

Answer 8

get him lessons and rental skis

stick by him but let the instructor do the teaching

Answer 9

My 6 year old daughter has been skiing since she was very young.  Since I am an instructor, it was possible for me to take her out some in between lessons.  My husband doesn't ski (or snowboard) so he'd stay in the lodge with her.

I used some great teaching aids, but you really do have to be careful that they don't become a crutch or used improperly.

I, like the others, would recommend getting lessons for your son.  He'll have fun with other kids his age and an instructor who knows how to teach young kids.  Unfortunately the fun way for him to learn is going to cost you some money.

I would not put him on a snowboard until he's at least 8 or 10 years old.  Don't get me wrong, I have seen some little kids on snowboards who are great, but I've also seen many that just become little missiles going down the hill totally out of control.  Yeah, a kid might have fun doing it, but the person they crash into probably won't like it too much.  Generally at that age, they just don't have the muscle control to work a snowboard properly.

Since I both ski and snowboard (and teach both), I can understand your dilemma.  I've always had to be on skiis to help my daughter.  She no longer needs any of the leashes or teaching aids to get down most blue runs, but she still gets scared about getting off the lift.  I know she can do it, but often she panics.  I told her that I'd like her to try so I can snowboard while she skiis.  I don't think I can help her off the lift when I am on my board.  Also, she won't even go up the rope tow on the beginner hill by herself, but we started to work on that last Sunday.

I'll put the link to a website that has great teaching aids, but I don't know if they would work while you are on a snowboard and he skiis.  Maybe you could side slip down a hill behind him and use a leash, but just be carefull that you don't end up using the leash for speed control... they are designed to teach a child how to turn.   www.kidski.com

So, in a nutshell, get your son some lessons!

Also, speak with the instructor after the lesson s/he might have some ideas of how you could have fun with your son on the snow!