Feels Like Coming Home to Ski Season

What a week it was to kick off the ski season!  

For opening day last Tuesday, I snuck Bridget away from preschool for a girls' day on the slopes.  (I knew taking Timmy also, who is almost brand-new to skiing, with just one parent was a recipe for disaster - he needed some undivided attention.)  The sun was shining and everyone at the Learning Center was just happy to be back on snow.  Although I was feeling a bit wary at first that the strip of man-made snow on the bunny hill might be too narrow for her, she surprised me with her skill at negotiating her way around.  I could hardly contain my enthusiasm as I saw her hop onto the chairlift with ease, chat about the snow guns blasting on the upper mountain on the ride up, and snake around other skiers and riders on her way down, as if it was all so natural. I was amazed at how much difference just a summer's time of growth made for her.

We returned that afternoon with Timmy to check in with Erin at the Bretton Woods rental shop to check their boot and ski sizing, test the bindings, and get a quick tune-up.  After two years in the smallest boots and skis they make, Bridget finally graduated to 80cm skis and a slightly larger boot.  To see what they needed, Erin took the liner out of the ski boot shell and had each child put a foot in.  We wanted a thumb's width of wiggle room in the toes and behind the heel.  For the ski length, Erin said to start a height between their chest and chin.  As they get older the ski length varies more by ability, but at this stage it is based more on height.

Timothy was overjoyed with the idea of having his own skis and boots, and tromped around in the boots until I had to make him take them off.

A wonderful blanket of snow over the mountain called my name on Wednesday morning, and this time I left the kids at preschool for some Outdoor Mom fast and furious laps on Bigger Ben and Bretton's Wood trails.    The snow mounds were soft and edgeable and I charged the slopes until my unaccustomed quadriceps begged for mercy.  

After a a most satisfying day of Thanks with friends and family, we returned to the slopes on Friday, the whole family and bags of gear in tow.My husband Matt and I took turns, one guiding Timothy down his first runs on real skis, while the other tried to keep up with Bridget.  

Now confident enough to cruise ahead without Mom or Dad right nearby, I realized that I had to think a few steps ahead of my daughter to set her up (as best I can) for success.  If I didn't talk with her before we got off the chairlift, she was so eager that she would barely wait for me to come along.  So on the ride up, we would talk about what she needed to do, so that she wasn't just careening down the hill, barely controlling her speed.  My brother from Colorado, a long-time Ski Dad himself, suggested that to help her avoid sitting back on her skis, "stand up tall, clap your hands and wiggle your toes."  We also worked on making "snakeys" down the hill to get her to turn more, and Dad played "Red Light, Green Light" with her to practice stopping.

Timothy picked out his first ski helmet from TreeTop Sports, a Giro Slingshot, just the right size for a little monkey.  The Paul Frank Julius monkey design was irresistible to Timothy, and I was glad to support a local business on Black Friday.

The kids were eager to return on Saturday morning, and Bridget practiced more turns while we coaxed Timmy into sliding along without the support of Mom or Dad.  Later, while Dad took Bridget on her first run ever off the Bethlehem Express Quad, Timmy enjoyed a muffin on the bench outside the base lodge before heading back over to the Learning Center to play with the elephant slide and pet Spotty Dotty the giraffe.

 So, what has worked for you when the kids start to "get it?"  

Timothy’s First Day on the Slopes

Although our calendars say that spring has arrived, we’ve barely started mud season here in northern New Hampshire. We had some warm days that melted the snow on the driveway last week, but we still have four-foot snow banks and daily flurries.

This coming weekend is the last days the Bretton Woods Nordic Center plans to be open for the season, so the kids and I have an end of season Ski to to the Yurt Picnic planned for Saturday. Join us if you can! I'll have a report soon, but I'm guessing this will be a wonderful family adventure. We'll also try to swing by the Beach Party/Slush Pool Event and Winter Mt. Bike Race at the Bretton Woods alpine area.

Timothy, who turns 18 months next week, has been scooting around on his little plastic strap-on skis lately, and I figured yesterday would be a good time to see how he'd do with the slippery stuff underneath him. I debated whether I should take him by himself so I could give him my undivided atttention, or to go with three-year old Bridget as well, knowing that he is usually quite determined to mimic his older sister's every move. Deciding that Bridget wouldn't want to miss out on the fun, I took both of them, but without the aid of a second parent, I took a minimalist approach. I knew that I couldn't take both of them on the chairlift just yet and Timothy would probably tire quickly, so as long as we were just playing in the level area of the learning area, I only brought their strap on skis and left my skis, helmets and goggles at home.

With Timothy's skis and some rubber duckies in my tote bag, Bridget proudly carried her skis up to the learning area, and Timothy trudged along too. I strapped their skis on, and Bridget headed for the magic carpet with a rubber ducky in hand. Timothy was eager to pet the life-size red and blue giraffe and touch the flowers posted around the learning area; meanwhile, Bridget just started doing laps on the magic carpet all on her own. The magic carpet is a two-foot wide conveyor belt, like the moving sidewalks you see at an airport, built to be flush with the snow, so the beginner can just slide on and ride up a very mild incline, with nowhere to fall like on a chairlift.

I tried to throw a few duckies on the ground for Timothy to retrieve, but he seemed a bit intimidated by his slippery footing and shrugged the ducks off. I brought him over to the magic carpet to see how he'd do following his sister up the ramp. He stood dutifully on the conveyor belt with little comment, until he got to the end where he began to giggle as he slid off into the snow. Then he would point back at the magic carpet, indicating his desire to ride it again.

I held him up under his armpits from behind as we scooted back down to the bottom of the magic carpet. He shuffled his feet like we was trying to walk, which I guess isn't surprising given all the time he has ridden around in the Chariot this year watching us propel oursleves on Nordic skis. Bridget requested that this ride up was "kids only!" so I walked alongside with the video camera.

Both kids seemed content to do laps on the magic carpet. I was gladto see Bridget happily going on ahead when I had to stop to pick up Timothy, and that when she fell she was getting herself up, which was great progress after weeks of waiting for me to come help her when she crashed. On the carpet, she waved to me like the homecoming queen in a parade, then hopped off and went around again. It's amazing how the dynamic changes when there are two kids. I had asked Bridget to show Timothy what to do, and now suddenly instead of being the new one on the slopes, she was the old pro with confidence in her stride. I'm often ambivalent in my feelings towards seeing my kids grow up and away from me, but this was a wonderful show of independence.

Timothy seemed to just tolerate the skiing part, anticipating that moment when he could slide off the end of the conveyor belt. After several more "one more times," I could see Timothy was going to need a nap, so we headed in for a brownie break while the smiles were still on their faces.

Welcome to Outdoor Mom!

Welcome to the 2010-2011 ski season! Eager to embrace the days, weeks, and months ahead, I’m the Outdoor Mom, and I’m hoping you’ll join me and my family on an adventure this winter. I live in Northern New Hampshire near Bretton Woods, where winter comes earlier and stays longer than many parts of the country, and I plan to enjoy every moment of it. I’m a relatively new mom: my daughter, Bridget, is three and my son, Timothy, just turned one. Before kids, my husband, Matt, and I spent our days seeking outdoor adventures on our bikes, on our alpine and cross-country skis, and on the trails of the White Mountains.

People told me that having kids changes everything, and I knew it was coming, but I never imagined the extent of it. So I’m learning new ways to get outside with my kids. I’m learning flexibility, because even when I figure out a good system, the kids change or the season changes and I’m back where I started, trying to figure out how to juggle everyone’s needs. I’ve made it a priority in my life to make it work for all of us: to do active things outdoors for all the health and happiness and personal connections we make with one another as we challenge ourselves to take advantage of the sun and snow and smiles all around us at Bretton Woods and Omni Mount Washington Resort.

Compromise seems to be an intrinsic part of parenthood, but I never wanted to give up my passion for the outdoors. I want to share with my kids the happiness and peace I find in being outside. I want to share the anticipation of new fallen snow that blankets the world white. I want to share the awe of looking out onto the imposing Presidential Mountain Range. I want to share the exhilaration of those perfect turns on skis.

So hop on the chairlift with me. Read along as we get all geared up for the ski season –learning how best to fit little feet into boots and skis and how to happily head out onto the snow. I’ll be pulling the kids in the Chariot at the Bretton Woods Nordic Center and I’ll share some of the tricks I’ve learned along the way to take even an infant out on the trails. I’ve begun taking my daughter to the Bretton Woods Kids Alpine Club for the start of what I dream to be a lifetime love of skiing, and I’ll let you know what works for us to make that an experience full of giggles and high fives. I hope to even squeeze in a few adult runs, exploring the new tree skiing on Mt. Stickney and floating through the fluff on a powder day. (I might even share where to find the powder stashes days after the big storm!) And we’ll check out Bretton Woods programs like Mother’s Day Tuesdays and Kids’ Après Ski Parties, and Omni Mount Washington Resort’s dog sledding and snow tubing.

I also look forward to your comments and suggestions. Are you a seasoned ski parent who knows how to make a day at Bretton Woods Resort work like clockwork? Or do you have questions about how to get your kids more excited about getting outside? Whether you ski alpine or telemark, snowboard or cross-country, I hope this blog proves to be a useful insight into the Omni Mount Washington Resort lifestyle and inspires you to get outside!