ski lesson questions

[m185]

Hello ladies

After a very successful trip to NZ we are starting to think about the next one already...

Here's my question - are the ski levels for lesson pretty much the same everywhere?

My kids are level 5 & 6 (6 year old twins) and my daughter is working on completing her level 6 requirements for snowboarding and will be going back to continue skiing at some stage LOL

For my boys - level 5 - pretty much skis everywhere except the double black diamonds...works on speed and control on the black runs

Level 6 - lots of jumping, 180's and 360's, lots of short radius work, dynamic carving off piste, and skis everywhere on the mountain

For snowboarding - she needs to be able to ride rails and do a 180 on the rail, a 360 in the air (she can only do a 180 at the moment) etc to complete level 6 skill requirements (everything else on the list she can do)

I'm just wondering if I need to put them in different levels if we go to the USA or to Canada to ski as I've never taken kids there to the mountains!

I read somewhere that for adults a level 5 lesson would be mainly blue with some black runs and a high proficiency in jumping (which I don't have) but in NZ I was considered level 6 - (mainly ski black and work off piste etc and working on jumping) - I don't want to find myself in over my head or put the kids in something that is above their ability - but I also especially for one of my boys don't want them to do something too low as when he's on an easier slope he doesn't focus and gets bored and then becomes hard for people to manage...

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[Jilly]

Canadian system, and we're alittle bit different.

https://www.snowpro.com/documents/E/471_7_01192009_105542.pdf

 

[m185]

Pole planting?

thanks Jilly but that just leads to more questions LOL

My kids don't ski with poles - should they? The instructors were all arguing about it. Many feel that its a skill level requirement while others feel that kids that are very young are better off without poles...

One of my boys (6 years old) just would hold them in one hand and declared that he just didn't feel a need for them after learning a pole planting. He never used them on the black runs or the moguls...

His twin brother when he tried to ski with poles went from parallel right back to a wedge and all he did was look at the poles instead of where he was going! So we took the poles away in a hurry. When is a good age to start pole usage? Is it something that I should "force" them to do yet - or is it no big deal if I let them be?

And since they don't use poles - if we ski in Canada where would I put them? Or would they want them to learn before allowing them to advance? I'd be tempted from reading the Canadian system to say that Jake sounds like he's inbetween a Performance 2 Silver and a Performance 3 Gold except for the pole issue!

Thanks again
M

 

[BackCountryGirl]

I'll weigh in on pole usage. We strongly discourage the use of poles until 8 or 9, regardless of the level of skiing. Developmentally, kids simply can't focus on both their hands and their feet until that age and getting those feet to do the right thing is the key to great skiing. Also, in a group lesson setting, poles can be 1) weapons, 2) impediments to successful lift mounting and dismounting, and 3) one more thing for young ones to have to keep track of -- the helmets, mittens, neck warmers, etc., usually are enough. Remember, poles are timing devices and until a kid is ready to use edges after learning good open-track parallel, they simply aren't necessary for that purpose.

 

[Jilly]

I don't use poles for any kids. Adults/teens like them, but kids don't. But in order to ski advanced parallel manoevers they will need them. Poles are for timing, not just pushing around. I would keep introducing them, and if a problem then take them back. Poles are cheap, so buy them here if they start to use them.

 

[Christy]

I wouldn't get hung up on levels. When you call to sign up and when you start the lesson the instructor will ask you where you're at, not just your level. Or if you book online, and if you're asked your level, there will probably be a detailed explanation of levels so you can just refer to that; but, they also talk to you to gage your ability before your lesson starts (Whistler does it that way). I've taken lessons in both the US and Canada, where the levels are different, and I never just had to choose a number that I was stuck with.

 

[perma-grin]

I'll weigh in on pole usage. We strongly discourage the use of poles until 8 or 9, regardless of the level of skiing. Developmentally, kids simply can't focus on both their hands and their feet until that age and getting those feet to do the right thing is the key to great skiing. Also, in a group lesson setting, poles can be 1) weapons, 2) impediments to successful lift mounting and dismounting, and 3) one more thing for young ones to have to keep track of -- the helmets, mittens, neck warmers, etc., usually are enough. Remember, poles are timing devices and until a kid is ready to use edges after learning good open-track parallel, they simply aren't necessary for that purpose.

I'm going to agree with that statement 9.99999 times out of 10, only because some kids at the younger ages are ready for them. But I can testify that with certain age and genders shall we say, they definitly become weapons!!!! LOL! I would just as soon not have to "cope" with them (poles) with the younger ones at all!

 

[volklgirl]

Developmentally, kids simply can't focus on both their hands and their feet until that age and getting those feet to do the right thing is the key to great skiing. Remember, poles are timing devices and until a kid is ready to use edges after learning good open-track parallel, they simply aren't necessary for that purpose.

This holds just as true for most adults! Poles at the beginner stage are merely one more thing taking attention away from what the feet and legs are doing, especially in our hand/eye coordination dominant culture.

 

[SkiBam]

I sometimes find it totally liberating to ditch my poles - you really do focus more on your feet. I always at some point encourage my classes (these are usually middle-aged to elderly women, intermediate to upper-intermediate levels) to do a couple of runs without poles. Some are terrified at first - I think they feel their poles are keeping them upright - but they always love it.

 

[m185]

Thanks for the feedback on poles - based on that I think I'm quite happy to avoid using poles for a while yet- one less thing to carry around too especially when traveling!

 

[Elangirl]

Last year during my Ladies' Day class I came up with some drills that required leaving your poles on the top of the mountain. As we got near the bottom, we all commented that we felt great without poles------until we tried to get on the lift!!!! As four of us pushed off and kept on going we all started laughing and hanging onto one another!!! Luckily we did get on the lift!!

 

[skimomma24]

As the others have stated, don't worry about poles. I have 4 of my own kids (14g,9b & 5yo twin girls) and none of them LIKE using poles. The older were just intorduced to poles, and the younger 2 have never had them. I also tell parents that kids don't need poles until age 9-10(or level 3-4). Same goes for beginner adults.

 

[jessie.says.that]

Since ski resorts' ways of running instruction programs vary so much anyway, when you go to Colorado, etc., I'd just make sure to get there early and talk to an instructor who is standing around/ registering people early on, and explain your kids' abilities.

The problem with saying, "my kid is a level 6," and sending them to the level 6 class without much other communication is that often the class of other "level 6s" is actually, for example, two fives, a seven, and an eight, (or something). The most important thing is that your kids are paired with a group of similar ability so that they have fun, are confident, and are being presented material appropriate to their skill level.

+1 on holding off as long as you can on the poles. Some people maintain that you don't really even need poles except for for powder, and lord knows loads of little newschooler park-rat types don't use them at all. Sometimes I don't take mine on morning runs before the lifts open if I want to ski with my coffee while I'm waking up/ checking stuff out (or, if I'm really nice, I'll bring some coffee to a liftie on the back side of the mountain, too, or something, in which case both of my hands are occupied, anyway)...though obviously I'm not recommending that you replace poles with coffee on a regular basis, or encourage your kiddlets to do so