Free Learn to Ski & Snowboard Weekend!

With all that snow falling outside this week, I hope it is inspiring people to get out side and enjoy winter. Skiing and snowboarding are great ways to get outside, get fresh air and exercise, and have fun with family and friends. Why complain about winter when you can embrace it?

Do you know someone who you know would just love skiing or riding if they just gave it a chance? All too often I hear people say that they love to play outside, but cold weather keeps them indoors. Yet as a skier, I know that the fun and freedom of sliding on snow trumps any discomfort the temperature may present. Maybe they feel that they have no idea how to get started. With all the gear and technique involved, it may seem complicated and difficult.

But, there are ways to make the learning process easy and fun. And affordable.

Bretton Woods is hosting a FREE Learn to Ski and Snowboard Weekend, December 13 and 14, 2014.   The package for first-time alpine skiers & snowboarders (13+) includes a Learn to Ski or Snowboard lesson, equipment rentals and beginner terrain lift ticket valid for the day of the lesson.  Participants must make a reservation at least 24 hours in advance with the Bretton Woods Ski & Snowboard School at 603-278-3303.

Steve Debenedictis, Bretton Woods' Ski School Director, told me, "We want to give people an opportunity to get an early season start and take advantage of all the benefits of a full season of skiing and riding."Steve added, "This is what we do best: we get people ready to ski and ride confidently."

Each new skier/rider who completes their lesson will receive a special Explore the Woods Discount Card. The cardholder will receive a 10% discount at Resort Retail and a 20% discount on rentals, lift tickets, and ski school lessons for the remainder of the 2015 ski season. In addition, the cardholder will have the opportunity to purchase a 2015-2016 Bretton Woods season pass for 20% off the early season price.

Another bonus: Explore the Woods cardholders will be invited to the Season Passholder BBQ in March 22, 2015.

I can personally attest to the power of a good lesson snowsports lesson. Don't know how or where to start? Let the professionals guide you and make it fun.

Anyone who can relate to the pure joy, the thrill and the fun of sledding down a backyard hill on a sled can understand why taking it one step further and learning how to ski or ride can be an addictive pastime; one that makes you forget about the temperature and instead makes you want to play outside until your legs just won't carry you up (or down) the hill one more time. Let your friends know - this is a great opportunity to try skiing or riding.

Calling in the Experts

What a relief to be getting in to the groove of winter!  After a month of relying on our trusted snowmakers for our white fix, we got the one thing we really wanted for Christmas: a big fat snowstorm, followed by several days of the beloved Bretton Woods flurries.  Now that more and more terrain was opening and the winter habits of gathering our gear and heading to the hill were becoming routine, we decided it was time to try to bust out of one habit: it was time to get Bridget into a lesson and work on getting her out of the wedge and into some parallel turns.

Getting out regularly on the slopes frequently has been great for our five-year-old's confidence and comfort on skis, and I've really enjoyed being able to share the joy of being outside in the winter.  Although I'm comfortable skiing most any terrain, having kids has made one important fact plain to me: I'm not a ski instructor.  I've picked up a lot of great tips in the few years we've started skiing with kids, but when I get to the point where I'm not sure how to help them get to the next level, I call in the experts.  

One of our favorite experts on teaching kids to ski at Bretton Woods is Jess Cyr.  Jess has been teaching lessons at Bretton Woods for six years, and her infectious love for working with kids shows in her warm smile and easy way with even the most reticent young skier.  She's a middle and high school special ed teacher during the week, and her creativity in working with kids is evident in her ski lessons.  I spoke with Jess after Bridget's lesson to find out how the it went: not only did I want to share their story here, but I was also curious to see how Jess thought Bridget was progressing, and I was hoping to again pick up some tips to reinforce what she's learned and keep challenging her.  Like every parent who has asked, "What did you do in school today?" I've learned that sometimes you've got to be proactive in finding out what happens with your kids while they are out of your sight.  Good ski instructors will be happy to debrief you.

After a run on the bunny hill, Jess saw that Bridget was ready to work on moving from the "power wedge" to some parallel turns, so they headed up to Range View to do some games and drills.  "The challenge with kids," Jess told me, "is to come up with fun ways to to say the same thing."  For their lesson on moving her skis from "pizza" to "french fries," Jess had Bridget make "smiles" in the snow with her skis until she was almost facing uphill again.  This forced her to really turn across the fall line, rather than just push the snow out below, heading straight downhill.  Keeping it fun, she told Bridget that you have to smile as well or the drill doesn't work, and sure enough, every time Jess looked back, Bridget had a big grin on her face.  

Next, Jess added more little girl fun: after each smile turn, Bridget had to bunny hop in the middle of the turn.  When she landed, she had to land with her skis parallel.  Then they put their hands together in front of them, holding a carrot.  Holding the carrot up front helped Bridget focus on keeping her weight forward and moving down the fall line.  The hopping with each turn takes a lot of energy, but she was making turns and keeping her skis together.  

"Learning the wedge or "pizza" is great for kids to learn how to stop, but it puts them in the back seat," Jess told me.  Being in the "back seat" means not keeping your weight forward, and with the incline of the hill, you've got to keep forward to maintain balance.  Learning to stop by putting your skis parallel to the fall line is the next step in getting away from just using a wedge all the way down the hill.  

Jess also tried not to overwhelm her with too much information all in one lesson.  "I try to focus on one or two things so they don't get bombarded," she said.  "It was fun to work with Bridget because she's so relaxed on the mountain and didn't get nervous on skis, but they get tired quickly."  Jess also reminded me that it's all about motivation: "find what works and build on that."  For Bridget, making smiles and doing bunny hops gave her a mental picture of what to do.  For her little brother Timmy, we might need to call in the polar bears and pirates.

The next day, Bridget showed me the smiles and hops that she had learned with Jess and I knew the money spent on a lesson was well worth it.  Her confidence and skills keep growing, and I know this is a sport she's going to love for a long time.

Not-So-Secret Tips for a Happy Ski Vacation

As any parent knows, expectations run high this time of year for young and old alike.  With so many tasks to juggle, I'm hoping this list of tips will help make your ski vacation be just that: a true vacation from the everyday, with time to truly cherish some family moments.

Following your holiday festivities with Santa next week, many of you will be joining me for a week filled with all things Winter Fun: skiing and riding, skating, snowshoeing, dogsledding, sleigh rides, tubing, and of course, a little hot chocolate at the end of the day.

Here are a few dos and don'ts as you head to the resort next week:

Make sure that you make reservations for all the great activities you'd like to take part in.  Ski school,  canopy tours, babysitting, sleigh or dogsled rides and many other activities fill up over vacation week, so be sure to call the activities desk ahead of time to make sure you don't miss out.  (And don't forget your Spa reservations; you deserve it after all you've done to get the gifts under the tree and the family to the mountain!)  Lift tickets, rentals, and ski school reservations can also be made online ahead of time, which will give you more time when you're at the mountain to be on the snow.

Show up for first tracks.  There are some days when it's nice to linger over your morning pancakes and coffee, but vacation week is the time to get an early start.  You'll get a better parking spot, avoid lines for rentals, lessons, the lifts, and enjoy some fresh corduroy, or even perhaps some untouched powder tucked away in the woods.

Make use of those friendly red-coated Ambassadors you see in the parking lots and along the entrance to the lodge.  Need some help carrying all that gear AND managing the kids? They'll be happy to help. Wondering where to go for lessons?  They'll head you in the right direction.  At your mid-morning break, search them out: they'll be handing out steaming cups of hot cider to warm you up.

Ski on trails that you can't see from the lifts.  There seems to be a draw for people to ski on Bigger Ben and Range View, perhaps because you can see all the great snow you'll find as you speed over those trails on your way up the lifts.  But if you're looking to find a trail that's a bit less populated, do a little exploring.  Just to skier's left of Bigger Ben, In Between is a "hidden gem" that winds over the terrain cut to take advantage of the contours of the mountain.  Crawford's Blaze will also take you away from the masses along an undulating ride through the forest.

Ride on lifts you can't see from the base lodge.  When the Bethlehem and Zephyr lifts get busy at high times, usually between 10:00 and 2:00, enjoy some of the terrain you can access from the Rosebrook or West Mountain lifts.  The lines at these lifts are usually much shorter, and again, you can explore new trails that are less frequented than those that you can see from the lifts.

Break early for lunch. The base lodge will get busy at high noon with hungry skiers and riders looking to fill up on hearty soups and sandwiches, so buck the system and head in closer to 11:00 for lunch - you'll be ready for some chow by then, since you arrived for first tracks!  Then, when everyone else piles in for lunch, you can be back out on the trails.  For an elevated lunch, try Latitude 44, at the top of the Bethlehem Express Quad, for a quick sit-down lunch and stunning views of the Presidentials.

Relax and have fun.  Remember to enjoy each other's company, whether you're sharing a lift ride or just waiting in line to pay for that chocolatey brownie you'll share as a reward for a few good runs.

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.

Cross-Country Coaching

The snow is piling up like frosting on a birthday cake out there. Apparently Punxsutawney Phil’s weather forecasting abilities do not cover northern New Hampshire, because I’m doubting that the three or four feet of snow we’ve got on the ground right now is going anywhere soon. I know, Mother Nature can be fickle, and it could all melt away, but for now I’m relishing all the winter fun to be had.

The Nordic (cross-country) conditions at Bretton Woods have been nothing short of perfect lately. This past weekend, the temperature was moderate and the snow was fast. I had the opportunity on Sunday to take a lesson with Dave McGraw to work on my skating technique as I prepare to race in the Mount Washington Cup on March 13.

I’ve been skate (freestyle) Nordic skiing for about seven years, but I had never taken a real skate lesson and had found myself in a rut. There are several techniques that a skate skier can use to propel themselves through the snow, but somehow I got comfortable doing just one, and now the “V1” is all I know how to do.

Without getting too technical, mostly because I’m worse at explaining the different techniques than I am at actually doing them, using more than one skating technique will make getting around the cross-country trails much easier for me. As Dave explained to me, the “V1” is like first gear: great for getting started or going up hill. But the “V2” and “V2 alternate” add more gears to your motor as you speed up.

In the "V1," you ski with offset poles and power your push from one side. First, Dave had me practice really loading the push from that one side, to take full advantage of the rebound that push would give me to propel me forward.

Next we spent some time practicing the "V2," where you push and pole equally on both sides, but I have to admit that my old habits kept me from making it very far. Dave was really patient with me, and although I couldn’t quite get it, he broke the arm and leg movements down into steps that I can visualize, so at least I know what I’m working towards now. We also worked on switching dominant sides for the "V1," which will help me with balance and versatility.

I’m really looking forward to getting back out on the trails to practice what I’ve learned. Isn’t it great to know that we can take something we’ve been doing for a while and see it with a fresh perspective? Sure, I felt a little (okay, a lot) silly as stumbled over myself, poles flying in awkward directions, as I tried to manage some new moves on the snow, but I think with some patience and persistence, it will get easier. The payoff: a more efficient ski, a little more balance in my life, and perhaps a little more finesse out there.

Fun Lessons Learned

The spring that Bridget was one and a half, I took her on the lift. She had little clown skis with bindings that strapped on to her snow boots. I just held her in between my legs; she could barely walk in the snow by herself even without wearing those slippery boards. But she squealed with delight and asked to go again. It gave her a taste of the feeling of speed and excitement that you get cruising down the mountain.

But one day last year, after Bridget got fit with real skis and ski boots, I headed out of the lodge towards the Learning Center Quad with her and realized that I had not thought about how I was going to ski with her. I knew I wanted her to start skiing on her own, but it suddenly occurred to me that I had no idea how to make that happen. I had taken adults out on the slopes and had shared a few learning tips, but a toddler? They didn’t mention anything about teaching your kids to ski in all the baby books I had read.

Luckily, our friend Susan specialized in teaching kids at Bretton Woods, and she was later able to go out on a few runs with us. She shared tricks with us like stashing some mini marshmallows or m&m’s in your pocket to reward your little one for some good turns on the slopes. In the Snowplay Zone, adorned with giant flowers and puffy animals posted in the snow, she sprinkled the ground with rubber duckies for Bridget to retrieve, which got her scooting around on her skis without even thinking about it. But she was still only two, and her little legs weren’t quite ready to make turns quite yet.

Now that she’s three and all the more stable, we decided it was time for Bridget’s first official lesson. She loved the idea of it until we were driving to Bretton Woods this past Saturday morning, when she started saying that she wanted to ski with Mommy. But the staff at Hobbits didn’t give her a chance to even miss me. We had made a reservation ahead of time, and they were waiting for her at the door, greeting her by name. We met Jess Cyr, her instructor, and she immediately put Bridget at ease, asking her about her fondness of fetching duckies on snow. While I filled out some paperwork, they whisked her away and got her geared up and they were headed outside in no time.

I took this opportunity while Matt was home with napping Timothy to hop on the chairlift myself. I headed straight for Rosebrook, and took some delightful runs in the woods of Dark Forest. Then I headed back down to see if I could peer through the trees to see how Bridget was doing. I knew that if she saw me, she’d be distracted and want Mommy, but if I stayed out of sight she’d be fine.

Bridget was all smiles as they finished up. I asked her about her favorite part of the lesson, and she said, “the ladybugs” – more fun props that decorate the kid’s learning area. She had told Jess about her new goggles (an early Christmas present) and Jess now knew the names of our cat and dog.

Jess told me they worked on getting her to widen her stance a bit by having her pretend she was riding a horse – complete with holding the reigns and making trotting sounds. Jess would ski in front of her, facing Bridget, and Bridget would reach for Jess, giving high fives and reaching for a rubber ducky. “She was a trooper,” Jess told me, which was wonderful to hear, knowing that a full hour of skiing would be tiring for her. She said Bridget was trying to turn with her whole body rather than just her skis, which caused her to tip over a few times, but they were working on big sweeping turns.

I had always heard of kids learning “pizza” (the snowplow) to slow down and “french fries” (parallel skis) to gain speed, but hadn’t gotten in to that with Bridget yet. But Jess told me that she was glad to see that Bridget was trying to stop by turning rather than snow plowing, because they tend to lean back to far, and then they have to break that habit and learn to reach forward.

Despite knowing that Bridget would be exhausted after such a big morning, I tried to take her out for a run, eager to see what she had picked up. But once outside, she only wanted to go on the magic carpet and then wanted me to carry her down the slope. I got her to ski down to our friend Greg who had his video camera, but called it a day before we had a meltdown.

We’ll be taking her cousin skiing on the 24th, and I have a feeling Bridget is going to love having a friend along.