|
YOU AND
YOUR DESIRES YOUR HOST TELLURIDE SKI RESORT VISITOR'S QUICK LINKS |
 |
 |
|
Children and skiing / snowboarding at TellurideI truly love both skiing and snowboarding. I really enjoy working with kids who want to spend a few days with each sport on a ski trip and I encourage them to try both. I think the following key points are most important to help children to learn and love skiing and snowboarding.
Although I've skied with children as young as 4 and 5 my teaching styles seem to relate best with kids about age 8 on up. That's where I see some extraordinary accomplishments after a few days of skiing or snowboarding. When working with children my protective instinct is to make sure that safety always comes first. Although I certainly want a child to have fun I firmly emphasize safety and defensive skiing as the very most important thing they must understand.
Once safety rules are clearly understood I strive to make the whole mountain a place for play and adventure. Keeping kids on terrain that is manageable but challenging enough to expand their limits and be exciting while keeping them safe from their fearless nature is where I teach skiing and snowboarding. My goal is for kids to have a great time while learning technically correct snowboarding and skiing skills without their realizing it's a lesson. The great challenge to teaching kids to ski is that they need so much. For all the encouragement, patience, coaching and confidence building adults need kids need twice as much along with entertainment, imagination and a little magic. There are so many little things that we as adults tend to take for granted that are major discomforts and obstacles for kids. The first big difference between children and adults with regard to skiing and snowboarding is motivation. Kids don't want to ski and snowboard just because Mom and Dad want them to. Some will do it just to please Mom and Dad but never develop a love for the sports. Children must have pure fun skiing and snowboarding to stick with it. It takes imagination on their level for that to occur. Sometimes parents teaching children to ski can be as challenging and straining on relationships as spouses teaching each other to do something. A professional instructor can usually make a world of difference and the child will strive to do well to show off their accomplishment to Mom and Dad. One of my greatest teaching pleasures is to see one of my students struttin their stuff and Mom and Dad smiling with pride. One area that parents seem to overlook is the physical differences between adults and children. Kids are not just little adults. Their bodies are proportionally different. Their bodies are smaller compared to their heads enough to raise their center of gravity. While they run and dart around faster than your eyes can follow they really haven't developed the musculature to handle skis and boots as you or I have. While you may wonder why your child can't ski the same way you do it's probably due to their physical limitations. Little ones, especially, naturally tend to ski in a wedge and sitting back because that's what comes natural to them. However even in that stance by guiding them over varied terrain they can learn skills and techniques that will help them as they grow. Another area I like to emphasize to parents is comfort through clothing and equipment. Kids little bodies, fingers and toes are much more susceptible to cold. They need more warm up breaks. They need good quality gloves and socks. Assume they will have their gloved hands in the snow a great deal so look for gloves with water proof shells and good insulation. A cold, uncomfortable experience can deter a child from wanting to return to the white wonderland. Please consider a proper fitting helmet for your child. Would you let them ride a bike without one? Lastly many well meaning parents with high expectations of little Johnny skiing double blacks with Mom and Dad after a week of lessons often pressure a child into hating skiing. For a child it must be just plain fun. Enjoy spending time with your child on the green and blue runs where they can have fun skiing or riding with good and manageable skills. Over terraining can make the child defensive in their technique and often fearful. There are tons of exciting and thrilling nooks and crannies at the edges of trails, on short steep faces and side hills, bumps and gentle tree clusters. Let them have fun but teach them safety till it becomes a habit.
|
|||
