Vysoké Tatry – 18th March 2022 – Skiing is becoming more and more popular. Enjoying fresh air, the success of Petra Vlhová, all this inspires many children who want to be like their idols. But to make skiing great fun, parents have to plan it well from the beginning. Experienced skiing instructors know a lot about it.
Based on a survey of the Ministry of Education, Science and Research of the Slovak Republic, skiing is the fourth most popular sport that the Slovaks do. It is also one of the most recommended activities for kids. Skiing instructors in mountain resorts know it well. “It is similar to children learning the basics of traffic rules at traffic playgrounds. In our ski school, we also do our best to teach them how to be safe on ski pistes, to make them see skiing or snowboarding as fun, not something their parents want. We teach them the rules how to behave on ski pistes step by step so that every child with an instructor can become a skier or a snowboarder who perceives ski pistes to the fullest and can ski or snowboard down alone safely and among the first ones. This cannot be done within an hour, but it serves as a good basis to make kids understand the principle of skiing or snowboarding and let them enjoy it as much as possible also in the future,” said Denisa Šulcová, the supervisor of the Tatry Motion ski school in the High Tatras.
Ski courses are organised by primary schools for pupils aged 13 years or more, but parents are the first to start the teaching process. Everybody does their best for their child, but it doesn’t always work out that well. Denisa Šulcová speaks about seven most frequent mistakes that parents make when teaching their kids.
1. THE BIGGEST MISTAKE – OVERMOTIVATED PARENTS
Sometimes parents want too much and wish that their children start to ski even if they are physically not capable of. In general it is recommended for kids to start with the learning process at about 5 or 6 years of age when they are physically strong, able to concentrate and their coordination skills are on a sufficient level.
HOW TO DO IT: Consider if your child is ready to learn skiing. If you are not sure, consult it with a professional and don’t expect the impossible.
2. TEACHING SKIING WITH A CHILD HARNESS
Parents feel safe about themselves and their child, they are happy that they can ski together, but the child that is skiing in front of them cannot keep its balance properly, relies on their parents keeping them safe, which can result in bad habits.
HOW TO DO IT: Take the first steps on a ski piste designated for a ski school or somewhere where there are not so many other skiers. In the High Tatras, Maxiland in Tatranská Lomnica is most popular. In Jasná, kids can learn in Maxiland arenas in Lúčky, Biela púť and Krupová.
3. SNOWPLOUGH STOPPING IS ENOUGH
Parents teach their children to stop by using snowplough. This means that parallel stopping often ends in the same way – with a fall and a nose in the snow. When children make turns, they don’t end them on the opposite slope to stop but rush down the piste in a very dangerous way.
HOW TO DO IT: Teach to make turns, which enables to control the speed.
4. COMPETING AT ALL COSTS
Being competitive while learning is one thing, but skiing fast straight down like a kamikaze is risk& for the child and for others as well. It’s much more important to teach kids to stop at a spot where they can see and be seen, to make turns on one side of the piste, not to change the direction unexpectedly. To look around before a sharp change of the direction to see if they can cross the piste, to know who has the right of way when two pistes cross.
HOW TO DO IT: Teach the rules on ski pistes to kids from early childhood based on their age.
5. OVERESTIMATING THE SKILLS OF CHILDREN WHEN CHOOSING SKI PISTES
When choosing a ski piste, be systematic – the rule says go from the easiest to the most difficult, from the widest to the narrowest. A wide piste which is not very difficult makes the child feel much more safer than a narrow and steep slope.
HOW TO DO IT: Choose ski pistes accordingly based on the skills of each child.
6. TOO MUCH SHOUTING, NOT ENOUGH FUN
Don’t shout, don’t force children to do anything, otherwise the effect will be just the opposite and they will start to hate skiing. Use motivation properly. It can do miracles.
HOW TO DO IT: Forget the drill, have fun!
7. TEACHING WITHOUT RESPECTING
If parents are active skiers and understand the principle a bit, they are the ideal teachers of the first steps on skis while their children rely on them. If there’s no respect, the chosen teaching form is boring for kids and they do anything they want although their parents do their best, it’s better to stop it.
HOW TO DO IT: In such case, the best way is to let a professional ski school teacher do their job and watch the lesson from an après ski bar by drinking coffee.Good teachers know how to teach children and can make progress much faster than angry and tired parents.
The low season period has begun in ski resorts and it is ideal to teach skiing. “This means that there are much fewer people on ski pistes, ski pass prices are lower, and the snow conditions are still great. If parents have been hesitating when to make the first skiing steps with their kids, now is the best time. Preferably in the morning when spring pistes are in the best condition,” concluded gabriek Špak, a ski school manager in the Tatranská Lomnica resort in the High Tatras.
