As the nation bonded as one over the past two weeks biting nails, screaming at wins, wincing at crashes and choking up at all the beautiful moments of Olympic competition, another group of athletes were – and still are – out honing their multi-level championship skills.
I call it the Parent Skiing Olympiad, and let me tell you this: It’s a series of challenging events that requires training, gear selection and management, courage and grit. And just like the Olympics we all watched, success and victory are worth the sweat, tears and, yes, patience.
We were at it ourselves this past week, training as a three-generation ski family team. How’d we do? Thanks to our planning, prep, training and history, I think we are coming right along as champs.
Are you ready to pose with that gold medal like you’re biting it? Train up in these events and get out there. True glory can be yours.
The Morning Dash: This is a skill I’ve been honing as team leader for decades. Those who thrive in this super-intense event – and I think we do – spend the prerace evening carefully packing ski bags (a mitten for each hand, helmet, goggles, neck gators and let’s not ever forget about the pocket snacks), planning an easy-to-make and acceptable by all palates breakfast (often the Heartbreak Hill moment of the event) and laying out the ski wear to be worn that day ahead of time.
Technique varies from athlete to athlete, with some choosing to boot up the kids at home (or hotel) and others opting to boot up in the base lodge. Our team is strong on pre-booting, but we pack snow boots in the ski bag for apres. We’ve championed this event with our planning and practice.
This is not a simple timed event. Like figure skating and aerials, up your difficulty and you can score higher. Kids being dropped off at two different ski school spots brings you close to the highest level difficulty.
Competing in the relay of this event is heroic, choosing the individual adult event is up there at the top of challenging events.
The chairlift series: It’s the giant level-up moment for the kids, and one that takes precision. Getting the kids past the surface lift and onto the chair is monumental. Evolving them to self-riders is a nailbiter for all.
First up: The lift line and the schlep there. Strong adults will let the littles (who really should not be skiing with their own poles yet in most cases) grab their pole. We use what we call the “launch,” accelerating them ahead of us with our pole and then skiing up and repeating. Another method once kids are ready is to let them take one pole or yours and push themselves from between their skis. Once in line, adults should have already anticipated the upcoming hazard: who rides with whom? Extra points are awarded here to families who avoid any whining about this. It’s like the quad jump of family skiing, a feat few pull off 100 percent of the time. Our plan has us think ahead before we even approach the lift line, the who rides up with whom decision has been made. Points are deducted if kids try to refuse at the last minute.
Then there’s loading. Kids need help, particularly smaller ones. Adults must balance holding their own poles, watching for the chair, often lifting the child up to the chair seat, holding them safely in place and then lowering the bar. It’s a heart-pounding moment even when you’ve done it before.
On chair, athletes can gain extra scoring points when a child successfully accesses and enjoys a well-chosen pocket snack (easy to grab with a mitten; doesn’t freeze or require unwrapping. We lean into pretzels and cheese bits in a baggie), as well as making the ride fun with song singing or even better, chatting with a new person you meet on the chair.
And then there’s the dismount. Smart team captains have ridden the lift alone first to get a feel for the landing area and the chair speed; this way you can anticipate the offloading and talk your team through it.
Driving home the fact that offloading is just skiing (just snowplow straight ahead or in the direction you want to head; repeating this over and over to the kids before you do is good team management) and making sure – at least the first few times – each child has an adult to both hold them when the safety bar goes up and guide them off correctly improves chances for a smooth dismount.
The moment the kids do it once, they want to do it alone. Good team captains know when to say yes or no. Practice with them – riding up but letting them take charge so you can see they can do it helps avoid the captain’s heartrate a bit. Be sure they can lift and pull down the safety bar without help. It’s the attention to that kind of detail that makes a champ.
That first run on their own, if you can, have one adult ahead of them and one behind on chairs (ask someone in line; most adults will help) to be sure they get help if they need it. Then, like you’re Mikaela Shiffrin in the starting gate, gather your courage and go for it. The victory is sweet.
All the other events: The lunchtime pack. The busy-day-baselodge table find (do not get a DQ by not cleaning your table when done!), the top to bottom ski run without losing anyone; all events of Olympic proportion.
Are you ready? Get at it. And, hey, there’s no shame in getting help as you evolve. Ski schools were created for a reason.
Fun the ultimate goal for families
When rising as a family ski Olympian, in my view, there’s one goal that’s the most vital as moving toward the gold: the fun factor.
Skiing – particularly family skiing – is meant to be fun. The good news is, no matter the level you are at as a family ski group, it’s easy. Here are some of the ways we bring the fun on our many family ski days.
Group skiing: Skiing with a gang is an absolute blast, be it your family, friends or a combo. We did the combo, skiing in a snake line down trails all day. We take turns choosing which trail and who leads, and we make stops now and then to regroup. That’s the process part. For the fun, we hoot and holler and giggle all day, coming up with sayings for the day and challenges to compete in.
By letting our grands bring along friends who ski at about the same level as them, we were able to let the kids experience their own form of gang skiing – usually under our watch but for a few runs on their own. The pride I felt when I heard my kids asking people on other chairs to yell out both their favorite ice cream and favorite trails that day? Priceless. Skiing – like most things – is more fun when you share the love and fun.
Finding special spots: It was this way when my kids were little and it’s still this way with my grands. Parents may think they need a big mountain and lots of variety to make skiing fun for kids (and there’s certainly nothing wrong with big and variety) but kids love to find challenges and loop them – over and over and over – loving every minute of it. For us last week, while the kids can and did ski most all of Attitash Mountain Resort, it was in the Progression lift area they found joy. Easy but exciting paths that felt like true tree lines to them. Small jumps to compare air on, and longer runs they could crank up the speed a bit – we counted 15 laps of that area in one afternoon. Let them find – and repeat – their special spots.
Verbal cues: We don’t like our kids to worry or stress, and since skiing is a sport that demands attention and rule following, it can be a challenge to keep it joyous sometimes. That’s why we have sayings we share and smile about. Take a wipeout? We yell “Snow snakes!” Take one that you lose a ski? “Yard sale!” Yard sale is also a club we are only a part of if we’ve had one. Wipeouts become funny rather than worrisome, in other words.
As for speed, we like to yell “nice edging!” to one another as a reminder – in a positive way – to control our speed.
Traditions: In my youth, few things beat a base lodge hot cocoa with a Reese’s cup to dip in it. I introduced my grands to this and now it’s a special must-do for us to share. Find your own and share them – it makes it all even more lovely.
So, how did this all work for us? My 8-yearold granddaughter looked at her mom the other day and said, “Okay, mom, news: Winter is now my favorite season because I get to ski.”
I’ll be posing with my gold medal if you want photos.
