16
|
WINTER
2016
Start themoff right.
The first few timeson snowcanbe
traumaticandnothingcan ruin those first
fewoutings like frozen toesand tears.
Make sure theyhavedecent equipment
—especiallyboots that arecomfortable
andwarm. Likewise,make sure they’re
dressedproperly for the temperatures
withclothing that’sdesigned tokeep lit-
tleoneswarm in theharshest elements.
Dressing in thermal layers is thebestway
tomake sure they’rewarmand toasty.
Thisway theycanpeel off layersonce
they start toheat up.
Makeeveryday fun.
Thismay seemobviousbut if achild’s
earlyexperienceson snowarenot
pleasant (perhapsplaguedbycold, or
parentswhosehighexpectations spoil
the fun) then theyarenot likely towant to
continue. Youneed toestablisha few
safety rulesof course, but parents should
relaxand rememberwhat they loved
about snowasakid—add in some silli-
ness— laughter contributes to the suc-
cess. Paycloseattention toyour child’s
energy level andwhen they’re losing
attentionandgetting tired, call it aday.
Enroll them inprograms.
Let’sbehonest—thehills in thispart of the
worldare small and simply slidingdown
ahill overandover canbecomeboring.
If ayoungperson isgoing to stay in the
sport, theygenerallyneed to increase
the level of challenge tohelp them
improveand tokeep themengaged.
Getting intoagroupof theirpeerswith
aqualified instructoror for themore
adventuresome, joining thecompetitive
sideof the sportmight be the ticket.
EverySkiCluboffersexcellent coaching
for skiingand snowboarding ineither
freestyleor racingdisciplines.
Competitive slidingoffers...
Thrills: Skiing/Ridingare inherently
thrilling sportsandcompetingcan
make it evenmoreexciting.Manyyoung
people thriveon theadrenalineof going
fast andbeing slightlyout of control.
Social: For somekids, just beingpart
of agroup that theyenjoyand feel a
memberof, keeps themcomingback.
Their sliding friendsoftenbecome friends
for life.
LoveofCompetition: Theymayget a tasteof it and
find that competing is somuch fun (andgratifying in so
manyways) that theywant tokeepondoing it.
Independence: Slidingallowsayoungperson to
breakaway from theirparentsandbe theirownper-
son. Theycanbe relativelymobile inanenvironment
where theycanexperience independence.
Story | Doug Findlay
PHOTO | CARA WILLIAMS
I chatted recently with some young
parents who are eager to get their kids
started in skiing and snowboarding. As
we talked, the discussion evolved into
various ‘common sense’ things parents
can do to help their children develop a
life-long love of the sport.
KIDS ON SNOW
keep ing the fun al ive
