5 + Absolute Torture + My Skiing w/Kids Tips!

(leggings, vest, long sleeve, hat)

Always takes some work to smile for a photo when your faces are completely frozen.

My legs are starting to feel a bit more alive again after the marathon.  Big Bear crushed my body more than any other marathon has and it is taking some time for my legs to wake up again.

Pure torture is going back into the cold again with a sweaty sports bra on.  I wouldn’t wish this feeling on anyone.

Loved this picture from yesterday.

Loved this list from CIM.

Loved these cookies from A Bountiful Kitchen that I made for Cookbook Club:

But when I tried to go to cookbook club during a snow storm and my car was sliding all over the place, I decided I didn’t want to risk an accident and went home.

This combo helped comfort me from missing out!

It is Skye Jo’s birthday today!  We reached the final link on her birthday countdown that she created:).

This little girl is exploding with personality.  She is the most empathetic human I have ever met (her friend’s parents all say the same thing whenever they are around her!), she cares so deeply for her people, always turns the day into a party and makes life so fun.

How she is 5 years old does not make sense to me but I can’t wait to celebrate her today.  We also learned something important this year, never shop for Skye until the day of her birthday ha;). She changes her mind drastically on what her favorite things are quickly!

I am nowhere near a pro when it comes to this topic but I’ve had a lot of requests for a post about skiing with kids.

I grew up skiing (back in the day when my season pass to Park City was $99), and it is something I love to do with Andrew and the kids.   We are failing our way to success, ha but I can’t properly express to you how much I love skiing with the big kids these days.  They love it so much (they say that waking up on ski day mornings feels like they are waking up on Christmas morning), and it’s fun to see their confidence at the bottom of a hard hill.

*My #1 tip for skiing with kids is putting them in ski school if you can.  They listen so much better to the instructors than they do to their parents, and everyone has more patience in this circumstance as they learn the very beginnings of skiing.  Knox and Brooke have been skiing for a few years and they are doing really well, but even they are even signed up for four lessons this season!  I really want them to know how to ski properly and want the pros to be helping them with that so they can ski their whole lives if that is what they want to do.

*Just like with speed work, stop when you still have one left in you;). NEVER take them to the point of exhaustion on the hill (learn from me;).  Meltdowns will happen, and everyone will leave crying.  Brooke and Knox are now at the point where they can ski until they can’t anymore, but when kids are younger, you want to leave when they still want more.  It turns into the worst experience when they are too tired.

*Focus on one skill for the day.  It’s just like us working on our running form… I can only focus on one thing at a time.

*WAIT on the poles.  Poles have only caused disasters for us until they are more than ready for them.

*Never ever forget to have snacks in your pocket.  If kids (or any of us) are hungry while skiing, that is when mistakes are made, and skiing is not fun anymore.

*Always have hot chocolate at the end.  Always.  We bring a big thermos of it in our car to save $700 a year that we would spend on hot chocolate in the lodge, ha.

*I have forgotten a ponytail holder for Brooke a few times, which makes her hair fly all over the place, and she hates that, so come prepared.

*Soak in the fact that you get the entire lift ride to talk or play games together.  They are forced to sit there with me and talk with zero distractions besides gorgeous scenery.

*ONE ON ONE (if possible… I’ll come to babysit the others if you need;).  I cannot imagine us trying to teach kids how to ski or working on new skills with them on anything more than a 1:1 ratio.  Andrew will ski backward facing them or put them between his legs often which helps.

*We love this rope.  As Skye is getting better and wants to ski more, this helps us keep her with us and not off in the trees!

*Learning how to slow down or stop has obviously been the most important thing we start with.  We work on just standing with their skis in a pizza on flat ground before even getting on a decline.  THESE are so helpful for this skill (I love them but Andrew doesn’t).

*Watch Youtube clips with them.  It builds excitement for when you aren’t out there, and there are great instructional videos on there.

*Check to see if your sporting goods store rents skis for the season.  We bought skis for everyone the first year, which was $$, and learned the hard way how quickly they grow out of their boots.  This season it was just $88 per kid to rent skis for the entire season (we did this at Als), and the gear has been really great.

*Let them be them:). As you know, I love control, but parenting is one of my biggest tests in learning to let go of control.  I’ve learned to fully embrace the kid’s being them on the mountain.  Knox wants to see how far he can go without making a turn (resulting in me having a heart attack watching him go so fast) and Brooke loves to be completely calculated with each turn she makes.  Of course, we require safety and wearing a helmet, etc, but it’s important to let their little personalities shine through in their skiing.

*Work on teaching them how to get all of their gear on as early as possible.  I really value this one because it gives them confidence, and it also saves me from having to buckle 8 boots each time.

*Nobody (including me) is posting the pictures or videos of their kids sobbing half-way down the hill, things being dropped from the lift (we have hiked to get skis/poles way too many times) or the parents filling up their swear jars (yes, Andrew has a swear jar ha;) but it is normal.  Don’t forget that.  Just remember that once they catch on, it is ALL so worth it.

The thing I love about watching kids ski is that it teaches them that no matter how many times you fall, you gotta get back up and try again.  They are so resilient, and I love getting them out in nature and soaking in Vitamin D during the cold winter.

Gear that we love (and everything else we grab at the sporting goods store and they are fine but these are the things we couldn’t go without):

*All four kids have their outerwear from Reima.  They gifted us with these, and we will be customers for life now.  The right outerwear makes the biggest difference in how the day goes for them (just like with our running winter gear), and the quality of their products is amazing.  Everything keeps them dry and warm.   If the sun is out with little to no wind, they wear a base layer and their Reima.  If it is windy/cloudy, they will wear a base layer with a sweatshirt and sometimes sweat pants, if really really cold and then Reima over everything.

*We love this harness for when they are beginning.

*Andrew found the world’s best ski gloves for me.  They are 100 times better than any other gloves I have used.  I have Roxy Bibs and Coat (same but just different colors)… I love both.

*The best hand warmers—> resealable, so they can last for three days in a row (10 hours total)!

*There are so many options for base layers, but we have found our kids love these ones the best (so soft and not going to break the bank).  This top and bottom are favorites for me.

*These are the kid’s ski helmets!

*Smartwool for all of our ski socks.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

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Any tips to add?  Gear recommendations?

If you ski or snowboard, how old were you when you started?

Favorite Christmas cookie?

Feel free to wish Skye a happy birthday and I will read them to her today!