10 Tips: Taking Your Toddler Skiing
Max and I LOVE to ski. We like it a whole lot. We’re no pros, but we have made it a huge part of our world. My grandfather was an Olympic level skier, he taught my mom, who then taught me. When I was young, my brother and I didn’t go to daycare…we went to ski school. My mom was a ski instructor at our local mountain and, on days she was working, we would hang out in the childcare center eating animal crackers, and stomping around in our ski boots and long johns (not so sure how much actual skiing we did). Fast forward 10 years: I was applying for my dream job as a ski instructor at my home mountain in CO (I got the job!). Fast forward 10 more years I was running a children’s ski school in Lake Tahoe, CA.
Those were my favorite jobs ever: being up on the hill every day, getting sunburned by the snow, getting soaked by big fatty flakes, soaking up the way snow crystals make the whole world look like magic; eating free saltines and jelly for “lunch” with the best ski bums around, and spreading the love for the sport! (I’m getting a bit nostalgic here…*sigh*) So, now we are here (I lost track of the years) and it’s my turn to teach my own babies how to enjoy a sport that brings me so much joy.
As joyful as skiing can be, it’s hard to teach someone to let go of fear and contentment of being totally grounded on their own two feet on the ground, to ask them to step into giant awkward boots and then lock those down to greased 2x4s. Sound like a good time, to me! I like to think that I always had the best gig on the mountain: working with kiddos. They don’t have the fear that adults have. They bounce more easily. They’re bendy. They always get hot chocolate breaks. They don’t know that if you go too fast down the hill and hit the fence at the bottom it will probably hurt real bad…yet. And if they do, they forgive the fence, forget the pain, and try again. I think it’s the coolest thing to see a toddler—someone who has only been walking for less years that I can count on 2 fingers—clip in and make turns down a mountain. Kids are rad, and getting them up on the hill isn’t as hard as you may think. Most ski schools don’t usually start kids’ lessons til 3 years old (which neither of our kids are yet), so here are a few things that I’ve learned through the years working with littles that have helped us introduce our passion for the sport to our toddlers.
Before you hit the hill
A solid “pizza” with the help of an Edgie Wedgie
Don’t buy new skis: rent or ski swap or hand-me-down. A lot of small hills out here in the midwest (like our local ski resort Mount Ashwabay) have free rentals for youngens and kids 9 and under ski free. Even if it’s not free, they are often a sweet deal. The best perk about renting is that the ski tech will set the gear up safely for your kiddo. And don’t forget to snag a helmet at the rental shop! Pro tip: wear a couple layers of socks to get the boots to fit, and a hat under the helmet to keep it from flopping around.
Don’t give your kids poles. This is for all kids learning, no matter the age. They are just one more thing to think about, and they will probably end up flailing around hitting someone or getting stuck on the chair lift. There are more important things to be doing with your hands (see below).
Walk, jump, stomp, and shuffle in the boots before you put skis on. Like I said, these humans have only been walking for not even 2 years, and the geniuses in the ski world have not yet figured out how to make a ski boot that feels like a snowboard boot. They’re awkward and hard and heavy. Let your kids get used to the boots before clipping them into their bindings; and when you do click in, walk jump, stomp, shuffle on the skis before you go up the hill.
Pizza. Y’all, this is the real deal. I cannot tell you how many times I have barreled down a mountain yelling, “PIZZZZAAAAA!!! MAKE A PIZZZZAAA!!” while chasing a child who was barreling even faster toward a group of people, a tree, or a snow fence. A “pizza” is how you teach kids to stop. It’s making a wedge with your skis: toes together—but not touching—heels apart—but not too far to land you in the splits. Big pizzas to stop, little pizzas to slow down. Being able to stop is a MUST before letting them loose down the hill.
Have kiddo try this move on flat ground, making windshield wiper marks in the snow with their boots, then add the skis. Something else that is a sweet asset, is an Edgie Wedgie. These clamp onto the tips of skis keeping them from crossing or slipping into the splits and and help with control of the skis. I swear by them. If you take nothing else from this blog: the only must haves of a ski teaching parent: patience and an Edgie Wedgie.
French fries (we’re not talking the curly kind). If pizzas get them to slow down, french fries get them to speed up. Sometimes kids can get super stoked on the power wedge which slows them down—or stops them completely—”french fries” gets them out of it. Straighten the skis to parallel, or nearly parallel, and off they will go! Practice this on flat ground, with and without skis on, too. “Make a pizza!” “Make some french fries!” “Yumm! We’re ready to ski!”
Time to hit the slopes
Hands on your knees. Like in most sports, you need an active engaged stance: the triple threat position. Unless you’re raising a basketball player straight from the womb, your toddler may not know what a “triple threat position” is. So have them put their hands on their knees and put their eyes up. It will keep their center of gravity strong and forward, and keeps their hands from flailing (which makes their body flail). Having this athletic stance with their hips, knees, and ankles bent a bit, will also make it much easier for your kid to make a “pizza”.
Point your toes and nose where you want to go. If you’re looking down at the snow, you’ll end up there. Remember that toddlers’ heads are NOT proportional to their bodies, they account for a whole 1/4 of their body weight. It’s what makes a toddler toddle. To add to it, there is a helmet on the noggin (always, please) making it even bigger and heavier. Wherever the kid’s head is going, the body will follow. Give your mini ski bum a target that they can look at and ski to (eg., a patch of trees or the chair lift, mom, dad).
If your kiddo is stopping on their own, you can ski in front of them doing different movements with your arms that they need to copy: arms out like an airplane, arms straight up in the air, etc. you get my drift. Or for the older ones, hold up fingers and say “how many fingers am I holding up?” Keep switching the number of fingers so they have to keep paying attention to what is in front of them. This will keep their eyes up and their bodies directed at their target.
Flashlights. This isn’t as much for toddlers, but if you have a kid who is really struggling to keep their hands on their knees, flailing their arms everywhere and sitting backseat, OR if you have a kid who is itching for poles, this may be a good trick: Have them pretend to hold flashlights and shine them where they want to go (this looks like two fists out in front, shoulder width apart). This stance replicates holding poles, for those eager to get their own pair, keeps the body forward in an athletic stance so they’re not falling backward, and helps them “steer.”
Hula hoops or harnesses. Everyone has their preferences. Many resorts will have harnesses you can rent or borrow for getting kids safely on the slopes, which is a great tool. I prefer to use a hula hoop with little ones for the stability (and price). The trick with the hula hoop is to ring the kid around the belly button and have them hang on. The pressure at their middle will automatically re-position their center of gravity forward, whereas sometimes the harnesses can have the tendency to pull them back and out of that triple threat position. Ski behind them holding the hula hoop to help them steer and maintain appropriate speed. If a harness is what’s available to you, be sure to really encourage kiddo to stay forward with their hands on their knees, or “flashlights”, or whatever version you choose.
Have fun. Let them fall (not too hard if possible). Help them up (as much as you may think they can do it on their own, it’s hard to move in all those layers with a big head and giant sleds strapped to your feet). Take breaks. And ALWAYS finish the day with hot chocolate and french fries (we have a rule in our family that you have to take 3 runs to get hot chocolate). Keeping it a positive experience and pointing out to them what they are doing right is what will keep them coming back for more.
This is what our quiver looks like: small hula hoops, rental and hand-me-down skis, 2 Edgie Wedgies, and a couple mini shredders ready to get after it.
Skiing is my thing. That doesn’t mean that it has to be YOUR thing in order to introduce it to your child. You can do this in your boots, skis, or snowboard; you can do this at the local sledding hill, your driveway, or any place there is snow and a packed slope. Skiing can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be.
Please feel free to comment with questions or for clarification! I’d also love to hear about how your first time skiing with littles went. What made it easy for you? What helped it click?
There are 2 more quick notes that I’d like to leave you with:
When they’re of age, and if you are able (or if your mountain offers it), enrolling your kid into a professional ski school of some kind is ALWAYS the best bet. Most ski schools accept shredders as young as 3. The instructors are trained in skill, safety, and fun. And, I’m not sure if you can relate to this or not but, I’ve known a kid or two to be pretty dismissive and defiant toward parents, whereas they will excel with the guidance and instruction of a stranger. Who knew? Another perk to ski school? On-mountain babysitting and shred sessions all to yourself! ;)
Please have consideration for your local ski resort’s rules and regulations. They are there to keep you, your tiny shredder, and everyone else safe. Some of my suggestions may not be allowed at some mountains, this isn’t meant to challenge that.