The first time on the slopes with the little ones
Now the time is nearly upon us! The ski lifts are already open, the slopes are well groomed and the snow cannons have put down a good amount of snow and the huts have had their final polish! It still needs a little bit of getting used to; a white strip between the snow-naked trees, but actually it is no different the last years. When the snowflakes will eventually fall from the sky, then it is not bad to have an already compact subsurface. At least then the skiing will still be good at the end of the season.
Our first preparations for the first ski day in the life of my two and a half year old have already been undertaken. A new helmet and ski goggles have been bought. Skis and ski boots have been rented from the local sports shop. I can more than recommend, hiring the ski equipment for the first few attempts at skiing or even for the early part of their skiing career, as the rental shops have so many special affordable deals on offer now. You can also find second hand equipment nearly as good as new at a swap market or on the Internet. One must take into consideration, that children only need these things for one season and then they are already too small.
Here are two tips with regards to equipment for the mini skier, and here I would like to get something off my chest from my many years of experience as a ski instructor:
1. Keep it short and sweet:
If it is the child’s first time on skis, they must have short skis (70cm is the smallest size, most of the time). For the little ones, it is already hard enough work, to walk in the ski boots (it does however look very funny, when they waddle in slow motion like a duck J).
2. Ski poles:
I know that they really want to have them, nevertheless for the time being, using them is not recommendable! They are just an unnecessary hindrance at the start. If it is not too much trouble, then you could take them up the mountain with you and give them to your child every now and then, but in order that they learn the art of skiing, it is not advisable.
Right, but now we are ready; Mummy’s lift pass is already in her jacket pocket (children up to the age of 6 do not require a lift pass), the skis are waxed, now all we need is a “beginner friendly“ resort to start off with.
We will start this season in Alpendorf in St.Johann. Here, there are 2 children’s lifts and a lot of flat ground without a slight gradient at the top station. As a second step, there is a “banana lift“ or a button lift, but at the moment these are not necessary (but are both available here), because as one very nicely puts it: “get used to the equipment.“ More on this next time.....
