I spent most of the winters of my Southern California childhood
coming home from school on Friday to be greeted by the pile of ski equipment,
bags of clothing and food, and a whistling father. Ski season began in late
January and ended sometime in May and as the daughter of the leader of a local
mountain’s ski patrol, my weekends were dedicated to “new powder!” at Kratka
Ridge with my dad. Our nine-day Spring Break was spent at Mammoth Mountain. Needless
to say, the man knew how to ski with kids/teenagers.
As we gather for Winter Break, I figured now would be a good
time to share:
Tom Battenberg’s Skiing with Kids 101
Several weeks before going, have your kids do squats and
lunges, especially if they have never skied before. The best way to get them to
do these properly is to have them “sit” with their backs against the wall,
having just their legs support their weight.
Drink a lot of water the day before you leave for the higher
elevations—driving from the lower elevation to the higher is best to avoid altitude sickness, but hydration is the
key. Drink a lot the day you arrive and
the day after to avoid nausea and headaches.
Money saver--If you are headed to Colorado, rent skis/boots/poles in
Dillon or Silverthorn then take them with you to your resort (they have another location
there, but it is considerably more expensive)
Steps
to Skiing On Time
The Night Before
1. Charge phone and ipod
2. Bathe and then sleep in your underwear and long underwear (base layer)
3. Put on your ski socks and your slippers (so your feet don’t get wet from the kitchen floor)
4. Put on your performance shirt
5. Ski Pass around your neck
6. Put phone, tissues, key to condo, and ipod in pockets of ski parka
Third Stage: Go to the bathroom again, even if you don’t think you need to go
7. Sunscreen and chapstick (put them in your ski parka)
8. Ski pants
9. Sweater or “Fuzzy”—if needed
10. Gator around your neck/face masque/headliner—blocks the wind
11. Ski boots—make sure they are on the “walk” mode or leave the tops unbuckled
12. Parka—do not zip up inside the condo until the last second, so not to overheat
13. Helmet (it is the law) and goggles
14. Mittens (gloves don’t keep your fingers as warm)
The Night Before
1. Charge phone and ipod
2. Bathe and then sleep in your underwear and long underwear (base layer)
3. Put on your ski socks and your slippers (so your feet don’t get wet from the kitchen floor)
4. Put on your performance shirt
5. Ski Pass around your neck
6. Put phone, tissues, key to condo, and ipod in pockets of ski parka
Third Stage: Go to the bathroom again, even if you don’t think you need to go
7. Sunscreen and chapstick (put them in your ski parka)
8. Ski pants
9. Sweater or “Fuzzy”—if needed
10. Gator around your neck/face masque/headliner—blocks the wind
11. Ski boots—make sure they are on the “walk” mode or leave the tops unbuckled
12. Parka—do not zip up inside the condo until the last second, so not to overheat
13. Helmet (it is the law) and goggles
14. Mittens (gloves don’t keep your fingers as warm)
possible, so they learn to use the momentum the steeper slope offers. Stay away
from the bumpy runs, as this adds an extra challenge a new skier does not need.
Food
to Eat While Skiing
Lots
of water—skip the soda and tea, since they are diuretics. The new
sports drinks that contain protein are great.
Hand them fruits and veggies
while they are waiting for dinner or lunch to be served. Our rule was: nothing
else to eat or drink unless you drank six ounces of water and at half an
apple/orange/3 celery sticks, etc…Anti-inflammatory foods help sore muscles.
Spaghetti is the best thing to feed a starving kiddo since it helps with
inflamed muscles and gives them the carbs they need to burn on the mountain.
Do not take off their ski boots
during lunch, it is harder to put them back on their feet after an hour of
being allowed to swell. Simply unbuckle them unless you are suffering from a
blister—put moleskin on that hot spot
After
the last run of the day
Sit your kiddo’s bottom just
inside the door and pull off his ski boots, bang the snow off of them before
bringing indoors (keeps the floor and socks dry)
Give him a big mug of hot
chocolate and apple slices and let the stories of the events of the day begin!!
NEVER put your boots near the
heater or fireplace to dry—they will melt. Pull the liners out of the boots and
ALWAYS bring them inside your condo/hotel at night since there is nothing worse
than wet, freezing cold ski boots in the morning
Hang everything up to dry and
be ready for the next day in one spot, so you don’t have to spend precious
morning time hunting for missing mandatory equipment
As a final bit of info and
advice:
*the effects of alcohol are
greater at the higher elevations
*mamas need helmets, too (remember Natasha Richardson)
*and most importantly, stop at the top of every run to appreciate the beauty and light of your mountaintop experience.
*mamas need helmets, too (remember Natasha Richardson)
*and most importantly, stop at the top of every run to appreciate the beauty and light of your mountaintop experience.
