If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
On Fri, 11 Mar 2005, Mark wrote: Mitch Collinsworth wrote: We found out this year that keeping 4-yr-olds skiing requires bribes of candy about every 20 meters. They did just make the transition from strap-on skis to sns bindings last month. Wow, can they ski now! I'm very impressed w/ the little kid boots from Fischer. Way better than Salomon. The Fischer's are real boots for small feet. The Salomon's are more flimsy, like they expect you're only going to use them for 1 year anyway. And don't look to be as well insulated either. They're on SNS Jr bindings now and have to have an adult put their skis on and off. I think I'm going to get them some of those SNS snow monster bindings for next year so thry can hopefully do it themselves. -Mitch Had they done lots of skiing with strap-on skis and with hindsight do you think the strap on ski stage was useful to them ? Did it help them with coordination or does the "shuffling" come easily for kids ? The reality of it is that we changed more than one variable at once here, but yes, in our case the strap-on ski stage was useful. The differences though we 90 cm skis with strap on bindings that fit regular snow boots .vs. 100 cm skis with SNS bindings that require ski boots When they started on the strap-on skis at age 3, they didn't have the coordination to do much of anything with them. When skis got crossed, uncrossing them was a challenge that often involved falling. Then they couldn't get up without help. At that stage my thinking was to NOT move to longer skis until they started displaying at least the beginnings of some basic ski skills. Plus there was the added benefit of having warm snow boots on them, which widened the acceptable temp range and thus gave us more opportunities to go skiing with them. Once they started shuffling along reasonably well, uncrossing their own skis at least some of the time, and making a reasonable attempt at getting up after a fall, we made the move to the 100 cm SNS skis and everything went great. This was last month just as they were turning 4. What about towing them ? Is a pulk a necessary option just in case they feel tired ? I remember seeing a post here about a towing belt for uphill sections for kids. Do the runners on pulks have the right separation for groomed trails ? We bought pulks from Gear West a couple years ago when they were 2. We were able to get in some nice outings using them for 2 years. We always tried to go just after lunch when they were due for a nap. That worked well since they would usually be attentive for about 10-20 mins, then sleep for about an hour, then wake up for 10 mins, then start complaining. That gave us enough time to make some tracks and get back to the car before or not much after the complaining started. When they were 3 we would then get the strap-on skis out of the car and they would ski the parking lot for 5-10 mins before getting bored. Then we would pack up and go home. We anticipated taking the pulks with us this year as a "sag wagon" option so they could hop in when they were "done" skiing, but that actually never happened. Most of their skiing this year has been done right out our backdoor, so we just make sure to keep it to 30-60 mins, which at their pace is only a couple km's. I saw the towing belt and am quite intrigued by that idea but our kids are definitely not big enough to handle that yet. They'd be on the faces in no time flat and I'd be spending all my time going back to help them up. It might be just the thing though in another year or two. The "runners" on our pulks do not line up with groomed ski tracks. There really isn't anything significant enough to qualify as a runner. More like some small ridges to help the sled track straight, and probably to keep it from sliding off the side of a track that cants to one side. I tried to look at all the pulks I could find before we bought the ones we did, and I didn't see any that had real runners. The best I heard of was Brian May who apparently tried adding some to his pulk. -Mitch |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
little kids skiing
On Sat, 12 Mar 2005, George Cleveland wrote: Skip the strap on binding stage. Our first kid had strap ons to start with and was frustrated most of the time. As soon as we got him into real boots and bindings(75mm) he enjoyed skiing much more and when we put him into SNS he took off. The youngest we've kept in NNN since he was two and he is able to keep up for 5ks now at age 7. Anything longer and we end up linking ski poles and doing a little towing. In general I agree, but I explained why we stuck with the strap-ons until last month, even when the better equipment was here in the house waiting to be moved into already, in my previous reply. System bindings are easier to get in and out of than strap ons too, IMBO. No, they're VERY VERY VERY much easier to get in and out of! I am, though, interested in seeing some of those SNS snow monster bindings I've seen advertised. Supposedly the kids can put those on and off themselves which would be a huge plus. Despite SNS being easier than strap-ons, we still have to do it for them, at least at this stage. Maybe by next winter they will be strong enough to do it themselves and the point will be moot. -Mitch |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
little kids skiing [was: Weekend Woodsy "Water Ski" Report] | Mitch Collinsworth | Nordic Skiing | 4 | March 12th 05 08:00 PM |
SkiAlong: kids skiing device | [email protected] | Nordic Skiing | 0 | January 20th 05 11:23 PM |
Masters Skiing Camps | Nordic Skiing Instruction | Nordic Skiing | 0 | November 1st 04 12:47 PM |
skiing with kids next winter - which resort? | Shari | North American Ski Resorts | 1 | May 7th 04 01:45 PM |
Near fatal ski incident | Me | Nordic Skiing | 22 | February 27th 04 01:47 PM |