We decided it was time to teach the kids how to ski. Snowbowl, outside of Flagstaff, was the logical choice because a) it's not too far... about 3 hours away, b) they offer free lift tickets for kids aged 7 and under (and we have 3 such kids), and c) that's where I learned how to ski, when I was 7.
We rented the kids' skis, I used my old 1992 185's with new (used) boots that a friend gave me, and Aaron used his snowboard.
None of our four kids had ever skiied before, and we decided that with our own skiing backgrounds we were perfectly qualified to teach them. Except, Aaron hasn't been on skis since the late 80's (when they invented snowboarding), and I hadn't been on skis since 1998 (as evidenced by the intact Park City lift tag on my old ski coat). Needless to say, we had a bit of a rocky start to the day... those first couple of runs down the bunny hill made us start to wonder why exactly we were doing this.But as I had hoped, after only a few runs, all the kids got it! By lunch time they could all ski! They could stop without crashing, and were doing some turns. It was only happy faces from then on!
Noah and Molly picked it up a little faster than the younger girls, so they went on ahead and kept going up and down on their own. Here they are looking rather bored about the whole thing, as if they ride on a ski lift every day.
At lunchtime everyone voted to just slam down a quick sandwich so we could get back to the slopes; I had brought plenty of other snacks which we saved for the drive home.
I didn't get any video of Noah & Molly actually skiing since I was with Zoe most of the time, and the big kids were doing their own thing. But I did get this little shot of them getting off the lift; no problem at all.Lucy and Zoe both showed great concentration while skiing; they were so proud of themselves for learning how to do it and I was so proud of them too! Here's Lucy:
And here's Zoe. Notice how she keeps her hands pointed in towards each other, in the same direction as her feet. She & Lucy both did this with their hands, involuntarily, most of the day and it was pretty funny. Also Zoe has a good tongue-sticking-out concentration face here. Sorry for the bumpy footage; I was filming while skiing.
And here's Zoe. Notice how she keeps her hands pointed in towards each other, in the same direction as her feet. She & Lucy both did this with their hands, involuntarily, most of the day and it was pretty funny. Also Zoe has a good tongue-sticking-out concentration face here. Sorry for the bumpy footage; I was filming while skiing.
It was a great day and we're so glad we went! The kids can't wait to go back.
7 comments:
I can't wait until all my kids are old enough to do fun outings like this (well, not skiing since I don't know how!). Lucy & Zoe are better skiers than I am! :)
That's so fun. I'm trying to convince Brian that we need to go, but he's not so sure. He's never skied before.
Oh man! I'm so excited for you. That must have been sooo fun. I can't wait to do this!!!
P.S. I know we went to Park City or Deer Valley in early 2000 with all of us because that's when Q met the fam. But maybe you didn't ski that time?
I know I will have so much fun with my girls - thanks for all the inspiration!!
Fun! They're all better than I am- I've never gone, and have lived so close to the slopes for almost 12 years.
Great videos and pictures. You guys are so brave! Your kids did so great, i'm glad you went and had a super time. Free lift tickets? that's awesome.
What a great family activity!
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