Make sure your kids have a positive experience skiing or snowboarding from the very beginning, which increases the odds that they will keep after it and enjoy the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of winter sports for years to come. These tips will go a long way toward reaching that goal!
- Don’t push beginners too hard or take them on lifts or runs that might scare them or create a negative experience.
- Rely on the expertise of professional instructors and don’t try to teach your child all by yourself.
- Choose high-quality, cold-weather clothing. Not staying warm and dry is a deal-breaker. Small hand warmer packets can instantly help a child feel better.
- Create goals and a plan of action as a family so kids know what to expect for the day; for example, aim to complete X amount of runs before lunch and hot cocoa, then X amount more afterwards.
- Enjoy snacks and stay hydrated. Stash water bottles and food in a backpack. Bring a special treat, such as chocolate, for a chairlift ride surprise.
- Let children choose the next run (within reason) or chairlift to ride. Make it a fun choose-your-own-adventure type of day.
- Ski and ride with your kids’ friends and their parents. Kids motivate each other in ways their parents cannot.
- Bring two-way handheld radios and stay in communication with each other even if you don’t have cell service.
- Take plenty of breaks to warm up with hot snacks and drinks in the lodge or another fun, cozy spot like Cy’s Café at 49 Degrees North, which is in a yurt at the bottom of the Sunrise Basin.
- Upgrade your family ski or snowboard outing into a ski and stay vacation at Silver Mountain’s Morning Star Lodge located in the heart of the resort’s Gondola Village in Kellogg. Your stay includes access to Idaho’s largest indoor water park. //
[Sponsored by Ski the NW Rockies.]
