Facilitating parents with first-timer kids

Encourage parents to take private lessons (1 or 2 hour) with their new
to skiing/boarding kids.
Mostly, just know where to send the parents for a good day of beginner
skiing.
A family place is a must: food and warmth - young beginners get cold and
tired fast.
Take them to an inexpensive small resort.
Help the parents understand that a dry warm kid is a happy kid. A wet
cold kid is a miserable kid. Assess the snow gear and help where you can.
Help the parents understand that young beginners are as interested in
making and throwing snowballs and innertubing as they are in learning
how to ski/board (maybe moreso).
Help the parents understand that little johnny and suzie are unlikely to
have the stamina or interest in skiing for 4 hours, lunch, and 4 more
hours of skiing.
If the parents think it's a ski trip for adults, they will be quickly
frustrated; if you bring the kids, it's about the kids!
Day camps are an option for kids that don't mind being shuffled off to
boarding school (pun intended) for the day; in this case, ignore my
suggestion to visit a small resort.
Just a few thoughts as a parent. There's so much more to it. Skiing
for yourself is easy. Skiing for others is challenging.
JS

bdubya wrote:
Looks like next weekend I'll be hosting a couple or two that will be
looking to start their kids skiing (all in the 7-10 year range). I
won't be directly responsible for the kids (GOD NO), but I'm providing
the lodging and logistical support (some of the parents don't have a
lot of skiing experience either; some do).

Any tips I should be aware of? (I mean other than bringing a blowgun
and tranquilizer darts). I've recommended the kids be placed in
lessons right off the bat, but if the parents are determined to try
teaching them on their own, how strongly should I warn them off? I'm
figuring if I just provide some help getting them geared up, a warm
place for them to crash, and stand a few rounds at the base lodge,
I'll be doing all I can, but is there anything else I should be aware
of?

bw

Private vs Group for the kids? It depends on the kids! My kids were
bored to tears and annoyance as they waited on instructors to get around
to them or when they had to wait for their turn to try what the
instructor was demonstrating.

One on one with private lessons and they were thriving!

I agree that once the kids are mobile on ski's and are of a gregarious
nature, that group lessons can be great for kids, but not if the group
has a poor mix of beginners with intermediates ...

JS

mark wrote:
"bdubya" wrote ...

Looks like next weekend I'll be hosting a couple or two that will be
looking to start their kids skiing (all in the 7-10 year range). I
won't be directly responsible for the kids (GOD NO), but I'm providing
the lodging and logistical support (some of the parents don't have a
lot of skiing experience either; some do).

Any tips I should be aware of? (I mean other than bringing a blowgun
and tranquilizer darts). I've recommended the kids be placed in
lessons right off the bat, but if the parents are determined to try
teaching them on their own, how strongly should I warn them off? I'm
figuring if I just provide some help getting them geared up, a warm
place for them to crash, and stand a few rounds at the base lodge,
I'll be doing all I can, but is there anything else I should be aware
of?

bw



If you have to physically restrain the parents from teaching the kids on
their own, do it. As a number of other posters have pointed out, kids learn
best when they are in a group of their peers, being taught by an adult who
is not a family member. In addition to the advice given by other posters,
I'd like to add:
1. Do NOT put the kids in private lessons. They will learn more when they
are forced to keep up with their peers.

2. Do NOT ask the ski school to put any child in a class with a sibling,
cousin, or close friend. They will tune out the instructor and the other
kids, and focus on the sibling/relative/friend.
--
mark

On 2004-01-12, John Smith penned:
Help the parents understand that a dry warm kid is a happy kid. A wet
cold kid is a miserable kid. Assess the snow gear and help where you can.

For adults, too much gear can be worse than too little -- you sweat
yourself to death on the first run, and from then on you're wet, which
means cold, on the lifts.

I haven't had to deal with kids, and I don't know how much they sweat
compared to adults, but maybe this is something to consider?

--
monique "always ends up wearing one layer too many ... and deeply
regrestting it!"

Thanks to all for the input.

As it happens, the kids did half-day group lessons, which apparently
were just short of useless; they learned to walk in their skis and use
the handle tow, but I guess turning and stopping were not on the
curriculum. The older of the two got just enough knowledge to build
his confidence, so that afterwards, the first time his parents'
attention was off him, he took off, straighlined the green run, and
stopped by clearing out the plastic fencing along the (fortunately
empty) lift maze. As I helped him disentangle himself from the
netting (and reset the fence), he didn't seem to feel there was
anything wrong with this method of stopping.

Maybe I'll recommend private lessons next time. OTOH, the parents
were able to make a lot of progress with younger one post-lesson, as
she actually seemed interested in being able to turn and stop. With
their help, she actually got pretty good at it.

bw

bdubya wrote:

The older of the two got just enough knowledge to build his
confidence, so that afterwards, the first time his parents'
attention was off him, he took off, straighlined the green run, and
stopped by clearing out the plastic fencing along the (fortunately
empty) lift maze. As I helped him disentangle himself from the
netting (and reset the fence), he didn't seem to feel there was
anything wrong with this method of stopping.

Perfect. A future telemarker. So when do you buy him his telemark
gear?

Sounds pretty much how my first day went,
-klaus