Family of 5..How do you do it?

[frenchgirl]

This Christmas holiday my 2 kids plus my mom and my 4 yrs old niece and I went skiing at the local mountain. It was very hectic and I can't bear the thought about doing it again. We went all together 3 times and all I can remember was the hassle of loading/unloading 4 sets of skis(my mom rented hers), 4 sets of poles(my niece did not need any), 5 boots and 3 large duffles. Plus since my niece was a never ever the only time I got to ski with my mom/kids was when she was in lessons. I felt like all we did was track down my kids who were all over the mountain, sign up for lessons and picking her up...in other words running like maniacs all over the place. There's got to be a better way. My mother in law(who is taking care of my niece while my sister-in-law is in residency) told my sister-in-law that it would be a great idea to do it again next year. I am panicking at the thought. I enjoyed having her, but the ski thing was way to hectic to be fun. It's not that it is one more kid, it is the constant supervision due to her age and not being able to ski with my kids. So how did you do it?

 

[geargrrl]

1. put the little one in the day care ski/play program
2. have everyone carry their own stuff.

 

[Robyn]

How old are your kids?

 

[frenchgirl]

My kids are 12 and 14. They are pretty independant and helped me carry stuff. I realize now they should have their own bags.

 

[Robyn]

Yes, at 12 and 14 they should be self sufficient with their own gear for sure! Consider Spyder Govy or Transpacks for each of your kids and yourself and take a tip from Marge's thread here where she has decided that each of her kids are responsible for their own gear and making sure it's in the right place and ready to go. I use the Govy backpack (designed by a parent from my ski team!) and once it's on, even with boots it's quite easy to carry everything including boots, helmet, goggles and any extra layers, lunch, etc.

I don't quite understand why you were left to be responsible for skiing with your niece while MIL was off with your kids though. I would definitely negotiate a better split of responsibilities there. I also agree that putting niece into an all day program will help.

Next year your niece will be old enough to help carry things as well. Often times the 5 year olds that I coach carry their own poles and depending on their size mom and/or dads as well so the parent can carry the child's skis. I've seen 5 year olds carry their own skis as well but that may not be realistic for a once per year skier.

 

[marge]

I do that almost every weekend with a 6-year-old and 8-year-old. :giggle Yep, unload 3 pair of skis, 3 gear bags, 2 pair of poles, etc. Yes, I do it all by myself as my dh doesn't ski. :( Your situation actually sounds a bit easier. It just takes practice.

Why do you have 3 large duffles? Is that just for boots/helmets? We each have a ski boot bag and dress in our underlayers. The only thing we have in our bag is boots, helmet, gloves, and snowpants. The rest we've got on.

Maybe trying to downsize the luggage would help?

 

[frenchgirl]

My MIL and SIL live in Michigan while I live in NY and neither one was here with us. My mom was here visiting from Texas and she does ski and helped lots. Both(MIL/SIL) have taken care of my eldest who has autism so I was returning the favor for my SIL who's daughter would have been alone with her grandpa while my MIL was in Japan visiting her mom and my SIL at the hospital working during the holidays. My SIL wanted her daughter to be with other kids during the holidays.

 

[marge]

Hurry up and get here so we can go skiing again! :D

 

[frenchgirl]

I do that almost every weekend with a 6-year-old and 8-year-old. :giggle Yep, unload 3 pair of skis, 3 gear bags, 2 pair of poles, etc. Yes, I do it all by myself as my dh doesn't ski. :( Your situation actually sounds a bit easier. It just takes practice.

Why do you have 3 large duffles? Is that just for boots/helmets? We each have a ski boot bag and dress in our underlayers. The only thing we have in our bag is boots, helmet, gloves, and snowpants. The rest we've got on.

Maybe trying to downsize the luggage would help?

The duffles held helmets, gloves, gaither, food(lots of it), socks, and lots of extra stuff like extra socks, gloves other base layers just in case. The boots did not go in the bags, except for my niece's. The age difference is what was hard and not being able to ski much with my kids. When my youngest started, I had to learn to ski(then my eldest learned also)to be with him on the mountain so we were all at the same level. We really need some ski boots/helmet bag so that we can make ONE trip to load and unload instead of XX.

 

[wahineskisk2]

I met a family with 4 year old triplets today in the parking lot. The kids got out of the car completely dressed including boots. Then they put their helmets & goggles on right away. All three boys had their skis over their little shoulders, and off the marched. So cute! It's been a long time since my kids were little, but it seems getting them ready before arriving at the hill would be very helpful.

 

[frenchgirl]

It's been a long time since my kids were little, but it seems getting them ready before arriving at the hill would be very helpful.

Yes it would help. I think this ski experience was a learning one for sure.:D

 

[Jilly]

I think you're getting some great ideas here.

I would look into the backpacks that Robyn is talking about. I have one myself that I use on day trips. I go, unless its a long drive, ready to go. Even still I wear my baselayers and pants for a 2 hours drive. Maybe ditch the sweater till I get to the hill. Change socks, put on boots, even in the parking lot!!

So now that everyone looks after their own stuff, you should check just what that stuff is. Do they really need to take all of it? Kids take the damnest things.

As for the food, look for a soft cooler with a shoulder strap. Each trip its someone's turn to carry it. One that can carry 24 cans, should be enough space for sandwiches, drinks, apples, chips etc. Extra food stuff could be kept in the car for the ride home. I have a 6 pack one that I use, when I teach at the local bump. I put 2 extra water bottles in the backpack.

So go through everything here and then go through everything at home. Next time you will be organized!

 

[EmilieW]

We are a family of 5 w/ kids ages 7,5,3. It IS hectic...but we put them all in lessons OR have someone babysit. Definitely have them all dressed before you get to the mountain...that helps a lot. Then all they have to put on is their helmets/goggles. It is hectic until we get them to their lessons...and then we have the day to ourselves to ski! Definitely expensive, but has been really worth it...

One thing we did that is making it less hectic is having my son choose to snowboard!! The boots are easier to put on (and more comfortable than ski boots I think), and he can carry his own board.
I love skiing but it is WAY easier to manage the gear w/ snowboarding!

Good luck!

 

[PNWSkier]

I have DS dressed in all of his underlayers and keep his pants/jacket at his feet. He puts them on when we park before he gets out of the car. I put his boots in my backpack and put them on at ski school. We ALWAYS do ski school. Works for us but I only have one child.

Ok, so the car seat tech in me has to chime in. If you have kids fully dressed in coats and all in th car, it can be extremely dangerous in a car accident. The layers can compress causing extra slack in a car seat's harness or adult's seatbelt. The seatbelt will lock at the moment of impact and if at that moment you have a few inches of added slack, it can cause the belt to not sit properly which can cause ejection, abdominal injuries, submarining, neck injuries, etc. Same goes for a car seats harness which is already set prior to the accident. For proof, put kids in the seat with jacket on, buckle in and then without readjusting harness take the child out, put the harness back on without the jacket and check out the slack. If it is cold, I put DS's jacket on backwards after he is in his harness (yes at 5yo he is still harnessed) or I give him his snuggie. Fleeces are ok since they don't compress, its the puffy layers that are an issue. Sorry to get on a tangent, car seat safety is my passion.

 

[pinto]

I've seen families use plastic sleds (or wagons, depending on weather/ground cover) to haul the skis and poles. Never tried it myself (only 2 kids), but it seemed like a good solution. Once I managed to carry two pairs of skis and 4 pairs of poles at once. I think I probably looked like a spider.

 

[frenchgirl]

Once I managed to carry two pairs of skis and 4 pairs of poles at once. I think I probably looked like a spider.

:ROTF:

 

[deannatoby]

We have a family of 6 but husband doesn't ski, so I'm heading to the slopes with 4 kids from 4 up to 9yo. Stressful to say the least, but mainly because of safety issues.

How often do your MIL and niece ski? If they don't, then first go over safety stuff the night before. Also, the night before all my kids get their extra "stuff" like gloves, goggles, and put it in their helmet. IMPORTANT: Have them practice putting on any gear they're not used to and encourage a mom's-hands-off policy the next day! Skis (not boots) get loaded up in the car the night before. The next morning they put on outerwear, swing a loaded helmet over an arm, and head out the door with their boots. We tried wearing boots to the slope, but it wasn't as easy as I thought and then you don't have anything else to wear during lunch breaks, etc., to give your feet a break.

As for the skis, I think I finally hit on something at my slope that will work great. Our ski hut is near the unloading area, so first thing is kids truck their skis to the hut. Then we don't have to worry about theft from the racks and we don't have to carry them around. We head to the lodge and while they're beginning to suit up I park the car. We finish suiting up, and I'm trying to make them as responsible as possible for everything! I check helmets and help the smaller ones with boots, if necessary. My nerves were frazzled before we even left the lodge before because EVERY SINGLE KID used to expect me to suit them up like they were Princess Grace and I was the handmaiden. Things go much better now! Then we head to get our skis and put them on! Don't know if you have a similar set up.

I think I'm finding out the key is to be sure they know what they're doing before we get to the hills. Last year when we were all novices it was like a Laurel and Hardy skit.

As for the little one, you're either going to have to totally give up your day with your kids or put up the$ for daycare. It's worth it if you want to ski. If $$ is a problem, then there's no way around having to stay with her and help her.

My ski technique sux. I know everybody says my kids will eclipse me one day, but right now I can ski circles around them. We can't separate, so we are held to the slope of our lowest common denominator. I have always skied in front of the kids looking back, the total opposite of what you're supposed to do. But, they knew to head for me and run into me if they started to lose control or get scared, and last year my then 4yo did ski into me a few times while he got used to slope speeds and turning with confidence. I execute a turn and my body immediately turns up hill. This year they go in front of me and it is hard to get used to not facing backwards for everything. Sacrifice I have to make temporarily. I hope to ski by myself soon and teach my body to look DOWN the hill, not UP the hill!

But, again, safety is an issue. The first run of the year we talked about it on the way to the slopes, and on our first run down the green slope we took it slow and talked about things like where trails merge, staying in the middle away from trees, how to fall backwards if you're heading to a tree, etc. BIG THANKS TO ALL THE DIVAS HERE FOR HELPING ME WITH SAFETY LAST YEAR. Maybe going over that stuff with MIL and niece would be a good idea next time.

 

[frenchgirl]

You deserve a medal! My niece only skied 3 times(all with us) and my MIL used to ski 40 years ago! But she couldn't help me since we do not live in the same state. My niece came and stayed with us for 2 1/2 weeks. It is hard to either give up skiing with my kids or pay for daycare. I will probably end up skiing with her/get lessons so that she can make progress and keep up with us(we are not fast anyway).

Thanks everyone for your advice!
My #1 priority is to get some ski/helmets bags when they go on sale.

We have a family of 6 but husband doesn't ski, so I'm heading to the slopes with 4 kids from 4 up to 9yo. Stressful to say the least, but mainly because of safety issues.

How often do your MIL and niece ski? If they don't, then first go over safety stuff the night before. Also, the night before all my kids get their extra "stuff" like gloves, goggles, and put it in their helmet. IMPORTANT: Have them practice putting on any gear they're not used to and encourage a mom's-hands-off policy the next day! Skis (not boots) get loaded up in the car the night before. The next morning they put on outerwear, swing a loaded helmet over an arm, and head out the door with their boots. We tried wearing boots to the slope, but it wasn't as easy as I thought and then you don't have anything else to wear during lunch breaks, etc., to give your feet a break.

As for the skis, I think I finally hit on something at my slope that will work great. Our ski hut is near the unloading area, so first thing is kids truck their skis to the hut. Then we don't have to worry about theft from the racks and we don't have to carry them around. We head to the lodge and while they're beginning to suit up I park the car. We finish suiting up, and I'm trying to make them as responsible as possible for everything! I check helmets and help the smaller ones with boots, if necessary. My nerves were frazzled before we even left the lodge before because EVERY SINGLE KID used to expect me to suit them up like they were Princess Grace and I was the handmaiden. Things go much better now! Then we head to get our skis and put them on! Don't know if you have a similar set up.

I think I'm finding out the key is to be sure they know what they're doing before we get to the hills. Last year when we were all novices it was like a Laurel and Hardy skit.

As for the little one, you're either going to have to totally give up your day with your kids or put up the$ for daycare. It's worth it if you want to ski. If $$ is a problem, then there's no way around having to stay with her and help her.

My ski technique sux. I know everybody says my kids will eclipse me one day, but right now I can ski circles around them. We can't separate, so we are held to the slope of our lowest common denominator. I have always skied in front of the kids looking back, the total opposite of what you're supposed to do. But, they knew to head for me and run into me if they started to lose control or get scared, and last year my then 4yo did ski into me a few times while he got used to slope speeds and turning with confidence. I execute a turn and my body immediately turns up hill. This year they go in front of me and it is hard to get used to not facing backwards for everything. Sacrifice I have to make temporarily. I hope to ski by myself soon and teach my body to look DOWN the hill, not UP the hill!

But, again, safety is an issue. The first run of the year we talked about it on the way to the slopes, and on our first run down the green slope we took it slow and talked about things like where trails merge, staying in the middle away from trees, how to fall backwards if you're heading to a tree, etc. BIG THANKS TO ALL THE DIVAS HERE FOR HELPING ME WITH SAFETY LAST YEAR. Maybe going over that stuff with MIL and niece would be a good idea next time.

 

[dloveski]

Is there a neighborhood teen who loves to ski and who could help you---for some free skiing?

When mine were little, we would get them all dressed in the layers at home and just do the boots in the car at the resort. Everyone schleped their gear to the chairlift. No helmets in those days---so maybe it was simpler?

Back to the car for hot choc and sandwiches.

I'm not sure I understand the 'constant supervision' aspect. When little, we skied with the kids on the runs. As they got more experience and older, they would ride with friends, with us in the area, with meet-up times. By the time they were 6th grade, I let them take the ski bus up with friends.

Today, with cell phones and radios, it would be so much easier to keep tabs on them.

 

[deannatoby]

I'm not sure I understand the 'constant supervision' aspect.

Constant supervision just because she's 4 years old. My 4 yo is now in lessons (seasonal program AGAIN per recommendations on this site ), but he'll still take constant supervision all year, too.