You’re Probably Wondering How We Ended Up in This Situation…
As Lea and I mentioned in our ski stories, we both learned to ski in elementary school and were keen to give our children that same experience. As many parents know, though, actually doing the things you want to do can be difficult, and introducing kids to skiing is a parenting double black diamond.
Finding a mountain, lesson program, and equipment are major impediments on an average family’s road to getting kids comfortable on skis. There are many paths a family can follow, and we want to share ours so that you can discover yours! Read on, then check back later this weekend for our top five tips to get your young ones out on the hill.
Making the Most of Our Local Hill
H, our older boy, first clipped into skis one month before turning four. I took him to Four Lakes in Lisle (IL) just to check out the hill and introduce him to the equipment. I rented his skis, grabbed the tow rope, and slid up the hill with him between my legs. He took to it fairly quickly, pointing his skis down the hill while keeping his balance. I did have to rescue him at the bottom to prevent any run-ins with other new skiers; he had no clue how to turn or stop. Our first outing was a very short trip, but, as our more adventurous kid, H was intrigued.
H’s first adventure on skis (2016)
Testing Out the Big Mountains
One year later, in January 2017, my parents planned a vacation to Breckenridge for the extended family. Lea and I decided to enroll H in two days of ski lessons and rented equipment at the mountain. With the goggles and helmet we’d bought as Christmas gifts and his winter coat and pants, H had all the outerwear he needed to get through a few days of beginner ski lessons.
Because he was only four years old, we didn’t have to purchase a lift ticket for any of the days H skied (a compelling reason to “start ‘em young”). By the end of his second day of lessons, we were able to take him for a ride up the quad chair, and he skied independently down a short green run, following Lea and making small turns behind her.
H, age four, shredding the gnar at Breckenridge (2017)
…And Along Came COVID
We weren’t able to plan family ski trips for a few winters following our Breckenridge trip. It was actually the COVID shutdown (March 2020) that eventually brought our family back out on the snow together. We planned a quick weekend roadtrip to Madison (WI) just before hotel stays became a practical impossibility.
We set aside a few hours in our weekend to visit to Cascade Mountain, booking two-hour lessons and renting equipment for both H (then 8) and his younger sister, Z (then 5). Lea and I turned the kids over to the young ski instructors and enjoyed the late winter day on the lodge deck while they skied. H picked up where he left off in Breckenridge, and Z (5) got comfortable in her boots and skis, mostly holding her instructor's hand as they slowly skied down the beginner runs together.
Skiing Becomes a Family Priority
We all remember the months following that weekend. We remember the lockdowns, the Zoom calls with friends, and the mounting desire to get outside and just do something. That March day we spent at Cascade proved to be a very important building block in our family's skiing future. Between March and November, we committed to buying season passes at Cascade, buying equipment for Lea, renting equipment for H and Z for the entire season from Viking Ski Shop in Barrington, and scheduling the days and weekends that winter we would spend skiing together. We were all-in!
