Daughter is ready to move off of bunny slopes, but too small for lifts

[BlueGrin]

My daughter is 5, and this season she's just starting to take to skiing. After about 10 days on the hills, she's progressed pretty far. She's easily able to conquer the bunny slopes. Starting to do more of a stem christie than pure snowplow, and her instructor this past week said she caught her starting to sneak in a couple of parallelish turns.

Here's the thing, she's still too small for lifts. We took her to a different place with a beginner's lift this past weekend, and it was workable, but we had to grab her arms to hop her up on to it and at least once I almost didn't make it - and that's even with the liftie slowing it down for us.

Her regular mountain (where her friends all take lessons) only has fixed-grip lifts, and I'm hesitant to try that with that little margin for error, and scared itless about her doing it with a 20yo instructor who we don't know.

Even though she has her friends there, she's a little ahead of them and I'm worried that she's starting to get bored and frustrated on the magic carpet. I'm also worried that the longer we wait to "go up the mountain," the more it becomes some big scary thing in her mind that we have to work through the fear.

I'm not trying to push her too hard, but I want her to see this as fun, instead of stagnating and getting bored. I think next season she'll be fine physically (and we'll have access to a gondola on our first big trip of the season).

In the meantime, are there any ideas for how to gently challenge and keep her interest?

 

[fundad77]

Why is she too small for the lifts? When my daughter was five I had a harness with a handle on her back. I just picked her up each time and sat her next to me. Same with unload. She was skiing easier blacks at smaller resorts at six.

 

[GB_Ski]

Not sure what exactly happened, but I've put many kids younger than 5 onto lifts. I don't even bother with vest. I just pick them up and put them down.

I suggest you ditch your poles for now so your hands are free, and pick her up by her arm pits instead of arms, it's one swift movement.

 

[jt10000]

My daughter is 5, and this season she's just starting to take to skiing. After about 10 days on the hills, she's progressed pretty far. She's easily able to conquer the bunny slopes. Starting to do more of a stem christie than pure snowplow, and her instructor this past week said she caught her starting to sneak in a couple of parallelish turns.

Here's the thing, she's still too small for lifts. We took her to a different place with a beginner's lift this past weekend, and it was workable, but we had to grab her arms to hop her up on to it and at least once I almost didn't make it - and that's even with the liftie slowing it down for us.

Then make them stop it for a moment or at least slow it even more.

Littles have to be lifted up. This is the way it is. If an instructor isn't willing to do that, they're not a good instructor. Putting a harness/pack with a handle can make it easier.

 

[scott43]

Yeah I mean if you can't physically lift her onto the lifts that's an issue. But we are able and that's what we do. Just lift, plop, sit, bar. Getting off we lift off and put between our legs and coast. Granted we are good skiers.

 

[KingGrump]

I started my son at two. To get him on the lift, I would stand to his left (I am right handed). Bend down and reach across his back with my right hand under his right arm pit. A quick lift when the chair approaches and place him down on the chair. Reverse the procedure at the top.

 

[BlueGrin]

I have no problem with going back to the other mountain occasionally, and we'll practice the lift there a few more times this season.

I'm not asking for advice on *how* to get on the lift, that's not the problem. I've already done all of the suggestions (ditch the poles, under the armpits, etc.). It's a work in progress. We'll get there. She did it a dozen+ times on Monday. The process was a bit fraught - not that she's squirmy, but she's at a weight where it's not as simple as just plopping her up and down - if she moves a bit off balance I don't have leverage to just lift her. At least twice she complained that her arms really hurt, and the one time she almost didn't make it up really scared her. I'm fine working through that on the beginner's lift when we have access to it (even when we have access to a high speed detachable).

But the fixed grip lift is not a comfortable option for anyone at this point, and for various reasons we're going to spend a lot of time on that hill.

So please: instead of convincing me I'm wrong about what we're comfortable with, and that we should do what we're definitely not going to, I'm looking for ALTERNATIVES to keep her interest in the meantime.

 

[raytseng]

Seems like the main complaint is about the technique of lifting by hand, but if this has issues for you are you willing to try a different technique?
You didn't say if you got a vest as suggested.
This will make this easier for both parties, as well as lifties who may be otherwise gunshy to directly handle someone elses smallhuman without explicit consent. Lifties usually will lift kids from directly behind the chair so is usually more of a straight lift.
Even if others successfully got their kids without needing a vest, if it isn't working for you, you need to change something.

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Alternative to skiing without taking the lift, is walk up the hill. Otherwise we're then talking about an alternative to skiing, do other snow play if skiing isn't fun.

 

[GB_Ski]

It's kinda hard to do much on magic carpet or bunny hills. The beginner crowd creates an unsafe learning environment, and the shortness of the slope makes learning any new skills difficult.

A few things I do:

1. Asking kids to count how many turns they can make to the bottom of a slope. They get a reward when they make more turns than the previous attempt.
2. I also do the same game with falling leaves.
3. If they are physically ready, ask them to pick up uphill ski. Kinda like stork but without the turning.
4. Hockey stop. They need to learn this anyway.
5. Practice small hops. It's an intuitive way to understand balance and pressure.

 

[BLiP]

Her regular mountain (where her friends all take lessons) only has fixed-grip lifts, and I'm hesitant to try that with that little margin for error, and scared itless about her doing it with a 20yo instructor who we don't know.

That 20 year old instructor has probably rode the lift with several hundred kids. But your child; your choice. Just not really any alternatives - need to figure out the lift someday and 5 is not that young in my experience. Or decide that skiing just isn't for you until your kid is older.

Not trying to be rude or dismissive of your concerns, but I taught kids for years (granted its been a long while) and there is only so much you can do to teach them and keep them engaged on a magic carpet slope. But if either of you are going to be uncomfortable the entire lift ride, its not going to be a good experience either. I'd suggest keeping her on the bunny hill for a while longer. Eventually she'll get bored and see all of the other kids riding the lift. If its her idea, maybe it will be easier (at least for her; you'll have to figure out your part as well).

 

[BlueGrin]

Seems like the main complaint is about the technique of lifting by hand, but if this has issues for you are you willing to try a different technique?
You didn't say if you got a vest as suggested.
[...]

Alternative to skiing without taking the lift, is walk up the hill. Otherwise it's an alternative to skiing, do other snow play if skiing isn't fun.

The vest is actually a a great option. We had already ruled out getting a harness/leash because we didn't want her to get reliant on us, but hadn't really considered it for just the lifts themselves. We'll consider that when we're ready to brave the fixie.

And skiing IS fun for her! We've never ended a day where she wasn't begging for one more run.

 

[BlueGrin]

It's kinda hard to do much on magic carpet or bunny hills. The beginner crowd creates an unsafe learning environment, and the shortness of the slope makes learning any new skills difficult.

A few things I do:

1. Asking kids to count how many turns they can make to the bottom of a slope. They get a reward when they make more turns than the previous attempt.
2. I also do the same game with falling leaves.
3. If they are physically ready, ask them to pick up uphill ski. Kinda like stork but without the turning.
4. Hockey stop. They need to learn this anyway.
5. Practice small hops. It's an intuitive way to understand balance and pressure.

Thank you!

These are great, exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for! If I try to tell her to "practice" something she gets really stubborn, but if I make it into a game, she dives right in.

 

[raytseng]

The vest is actually a a great option. We had already ruled out getting a harness/leash because we didn't want her to get reliant on us, but hadn't really considered it for just the lifts themselves. We'll consider that when we're ready to brave the fixie.

And skiing IS fun for her! We've never ended a day where she wasn't begging for one more run.

This specific brand kindervest is used at many resorts for ski school. So it is a bit of a tried and true industry standard.
The slightly bigger kids, I've seen instructors also use the strap as a skicarry for 1 or both kidskis so the kids carry their own gear on their back

 

[skiki]

In the meantime, are there any ideas for how to gently challenge and keep her interest?

How much too high is the chairlift? I've seen plenty of little kids look behind for the chair, place their hand on it, and jump up and on. It does help to have the liftie slow things down a smidge. And be ready to give a little shove to the back of the chair before lowering the bar.

Ask her instructor for fun ideas to practice between lessons. Take turns with follow the leader. Play red light, green light.

 

[Jwrags]

Find a ski area with a gondola

 

[BlueGrin]

How much too high is the chairlift?

High enough that hopping is definitely not an option. It would probably be pretty funny to try, but would definitely end in tears and a stopped lift.

She's *just* turned 5 and is barely 40 inches tall (and roughly 40 lbs), I'm pretty confident this is a non-issue next year, just trying to get through the tweener year right here.

That 20 year old instructor has probably rode the lift with several hundred kids. But your child; your choice. Just not really any alternatives - need to figure out the lift someday and 5 is not that young in my experience.

I get that, and we were totally cool with her on the beginner lift with an instructor on Monday. It's more the degree of difficulty on the fixed-grip lift that comes screaming around the turn (I've already suffered a couple of bruised calves getting on it). The hiccups on the beginner left convinced me that she's not quite ready for that yet, but I'm not ruling it out before the end of the season.

 

[jt10000]

Gondolas. T-bars/pomas/etc. Cross country skiing. Waiting till you are more comfortable.

 

[raytseng]

Hah, lift vs tbar vs poma, especially with a large mismatch in tbar partners?...
Hmmm....sounds like a perfect pitch for the comedy segment in an old school Warren Miller ski film.

 

[BLiP]

When I taught 20 odd years ago, the bunny hill had a tow rope. We got kids on the lift as soon as possible. Nearly impossible to get a kid to use a tow rope without falling on their face - they had to ride up between the instructor's legs.

 

[BlueGrin]

When I taught 20 odd years ago, the bunny hill had a tow rope. We got kids on the lift as soon as possible. Nearly impossible to get a kid to use a tow rope without falling on their face - they had to ride up between the instructor's legs.

Helping my gangly 9 year old nephew on the rope tow years ago was an exercise in comedy.