Ski exercises for kids on the Net?

Does anyone have a good link to a free online ski school, a set of pictures
with exercises to do for kids on their first ski trip?
Thanks
Christian

Christian Poll wrote:
Does anyone have a good link to a free online ski school, a set of pictures
with exercises to do for kids on their first ski trip?

Some parents do have success in teaching their never-ever kids to
ski...but it's very rare for a parent who doesn't have experience
teaching skiing to do so. It's much more common to have things backfire
instead. You would probably do better to put your kids in an
age-appropriate ski school program for part of a day, and talk to their
instructor afterwards about exercises they can do when you free-ski
together. Don't be too surprised if they take several days of
instruction before you can do much of any free-skiing with them, and
don't try to push them too hard if you don't want them to end up hating
skiing and refusing to ever do it again.

--
Mary Malmros
Some days you're the windshield, other days you're the bug.

Christian, I would suggest putting them in ski-school.

Great reply!

--
I ski, therefore I am
"foot2foot" wrote in message
...

"Christian Poll" wrote in message
...

Does anyone have a good link to a free online ski school, a set of
pictures
with exercises to do for kids on their first ski trip?
Thanks
Christian

How old are the kids?

The difficulty arises because kids under six are magical
thinkers. Everything happens by magic to them, they can't
really get cause and effect yet.

At any rate, be they magical or concrete thinkers, it's all
about them learning to stand on the skis in parallel as they
move,

to make the wedge/snowplow and make the edges bite and
transfer weight,

then, hopefully, to match
the skis.

If they're under six, or around six, it's a shot in the dark what
they learn. You might do some follow me, grab their feet and
point them as you ski backward, guide their tips, use the
edgy wedgy, then remove it, then reinstall, that kind of thing.

Have them hold their poles horizontally out in front of them,
use that as a handle as you ski backward, or use a long
piece of PVC pipe for the same thing as you ski beside them.
Have them push hard against the pole/s with their abs and
arms. It will force them into the very position then need to
ski in. The ski pole isn't a good handle to use for skiing
*beside* the kid. He or she might fall and hit the metal pole
with their face.

Make up some games that might help the kids get the
methods. Not a bad idea for every aspect of parenting a
magical thinker. Make up games to teach and communicate.

You *can* try getting the younger child in a wedge position
on the skis then ask them, "If you want to turn that way, which
ski looks like it will take you there? Press on that ski with your
toe." You can tell kids to make a piece of pizza, or a space
shuttle, that kind of thing. Push on the opposite ski. But
opposite is a tough thing for magical thinkers to get sometimes.

If they're into the later school age concrete thinking, late age
six, through early teen years, just show them how to make a
wedge and make the edges bite, to put all the weight on the
outside ski, then to match the skis by picking up the tail of the
inside ski just a teensy, while leaving the tip on the snow.

Walk around in a circle and show them the inside and outside
of the circle, then, the inside and outside of the turns they are
making by walking down the hill toward them doing "S" turns,
while asking them to identify the outside foot with each turn
you make. All the weight goes on the outside ski.

Show them home position, especially hands forward. Give
them poles and have them ski with the poles held horizontally
out in front of them. It gives them a gyroscope, keeps their
hands busy and gives you a convenient.handle to ski
backward and hold them off the slope. *Much* better
than bending over and guiding tips.

Explain that they need a wide stance, and to keep the
body between the skis. Explain that they need to use their
abs to stay forward over the skis. Tell them that if they get
in trouble they should go home, back to home position.
Hands well forward, body over the bindings.

Parallel for speed, then make a wedge, put all the weight on
the outside ski, then match the skis by picking up the inside
ski tail, while leaving the tip on the snow, but in only takes a
little tiny bit of a lift. Match the skis halfway through the turn.

It's very simple really. One doesn't need pages of excercises.

foot2foot here. Certified ACE btw.

"Wayne Decker" wrote in message
m...
Great reply!

Merci. Many (well, at least some) readers of this very group
have put the very same suggestions to fruitful use previously.

Even if he does put them in a ski school, he can use the
suggestions to help them improve as time goes on. Chances
the school he goes to will not be using the approach I
outlined. There are some that do though.

I might also add, if you do hire out an instructor, class or
individual, you get a vacation from the kids for a while, and
many of these instructors really are *pros* at getting kids to
learn to ski. Especially the magical thinkers. They do it a lot
with countless kids.

But, he didn't ask me about ski schools, he asked me about
tips on teaching them himself, so I told him. Obviously,
something which a lot of people would not have done,
even though they might be capable of giving him those very
tips. This is something a lot of instructors won't do. They'll
just tell you to take a lesson if you ask them for information.
Give me money. Then I'll tell you. I don't agree with that
behavior.

I also vote for ski school!!!
I know countless people that have learned from someone who was not trained
properly and now are either scared or completely uninterested in skiing.
It only has to be the first few hours that they are on skis.....then you can
take them on your own. Learning from a ski professional is important to
build confidence.

"SKIMORE" wrote in message
oups.com...
Christian, I would suggest putting them in ski-school.