OT - How to teach a kid to ski?

[riu girl]

I have offered DD8 skiing lessons at Devils Elbow (in Bethany, ON) over March Break but she is not interested in the lessons whatsoever. But she does want to go skiing at the Elbow. She has been skiing on our property a lot this winter (we live on a hill) but has never been on a chairlift or a "real" ski hill. I have been skiing since I was very young, but don't have any idea on how to teach someone how to ski . I am going to take her to the Elbow over March Break.

Any tips?

 

[Azure]

I have no advice but all I want to say is this:

This 14 year old girl, never wants to see skis again.

 

[nepean]

DD (15) went skiing for the first time on a major hill at Mont. Tremblant February 11th. We now have a major broken leg. She was stopping and hit some ice and took off. My best advice is that she has to take at least one lesson before she can be on her own. DD was on the easiest slope. She will tell you that she wishes she had taken a lesson. No one else was taking a lesson and she didn't want to be a wimp. She was on snow blades. They are the shorter skis that have no poles. The next day all the beginners took a lesson or two. Seeing Laura in a cast from her toes to the very top of her thigh was a sobering lesson for all of them.

Nepean

 

[cabmom]

My best advice is to get her lessons. My BIL died while skiing at 17! He skid right in to a marker very hard and died while on route to hospital.

Marilynn

 

[Ham Ham]

My DD's (7 & 11) have skied for three seasons. Lessons are a must!

The girls just finished 8 sundays of lessons
Also a helmet. Get her a set of lessons over march break.

http://www.lidsonkids.org/home.asp

My wife learned to ski this year and just finished 8 sundays of lessons

I also have been snowboarding for 3 seasons. Yup, I just finished 8 sundays of lessons

I wish that Disney had a ski/snowboard vacation area.

After a season of skiing/boarding we've decided to head down to WDW over the March Break.

 

[riu girl]

I was at Devils Elbow yesterday and looked at the helmuets that they rent. I will get her one for when we go.
She is so not interested in the group lessons...but I talked to her about a private lesson.

Thanks for all the tips.

 

[pkitty]

Thing about snowblades is that they work on a "non-release" binding system which means when you hit the ground your blades are not coming off! This leads to alot of twisting breaks and fractures. Also the helmet thing is a good habit to start. I had a customer in my store a few weeks ago who took a small drop at Horse Shoe (no more than 6 feet) while following his 8 year old and woke up in the hospital with his ear reattached and a fractured skull. Lessons are prudent not only for her safety but for the safety of other people on the hill. I ski at Blue 2x's a week and every time I am out I see 1-2 ambulances pulling people off the hill.The sooner she gets familiar with her skis the sooner she will really begin to enjoy herself. It's a great sport. My DD skis, snowboards and blades. It gets her of the couch which is what counts cause we all know our winters are long (that's why we're on here dreaming of Disney!). Good luck and play safe!

 

[LoriLea]

Last year my DS10 and DD7 took lessons at our local ski hill. DD7 took private and DS10 took group. I think DD7 learned more in 1 private lesson than DS did after 4 weeks of group lessons.
This year both took 8 weeks of group lessons and loved them!

DH40 (1st time skiing) also took a private lesson this year. They let DD tag along. Perhaps you could do the same when your daughter takes a private lesson.

 

[riu girl]

Thanks so much for the information everybody.

I have actually been skiing since I was about 5 to the point that I competed (racing) as a child, so I know how to ski , I just have no idea how to teach someone else how to ski.

I think what I will do is MAKE her take one private lesson and watch what the instructor is trying to teach her , then take it from there.

Does anybody know the basics I should be teaching her?
I mean I have been watching her for weeks ski on our property and I am telling her to bend her knees, how to hold her poles, keep skis together,how to fall safely, but lets face it, I AM NOT a certified instructor.

Any tips on what an instructor teaches a kid in the first few lessons? I would like to get her started (on our property) before I take her to Devils Elbow next week (and turn her over to a certified instructor).

Thanks

 

[disney funseeker]

for beginner skiers, poles aren't used.

the term they use now for snowplow now is "pizza" for parallel, it's "french fries"

for turning and weight transfer they mimic airplanes or have the kids push both hands on their knees to correspond to the certain turn they are doing.

they learn how to fall properly and get up also on the first lesson.

that's about all I observed from my kids.