Family of 5..How do you do it?

[dloveski]

I think I meant, the lessons give you a break.

But hang in there, this hassle is an investment in growing competent skiers who love the sport. Pretty soon they will be carrying your stuff and worrying about YOU on the mountain. I know it sounds far-fetched....but it's so.

 

[pinto]

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

I bought my daughter a cell phone in 3rd grade just for this reason. It was a little pay-as-you-go thing, and it felt weird since she was so young, but it was a safety thing. Came in handy at least twice. She wasn't skiing alone at that point, of course, but she got separated a couple of times.

(Of course, older brother thought she was terribly spoiled, but really, at that point, very few if any of her friends had phones so it wasn't like she could use it other than to call me. And I only paid for calls to me. Worked great.)

 

[ann k]

All day ski lessons are my advice for a 4 yr old with little/no ski experience if you want to ski too. It is hectic with little ones learning to ski and almost impossible to teach them yourselves. Last winter my husband and I started trying to teach our then 3 yr old how to ski and we were miserable. Lessons were very pricey and we are not rich so we really thought we would save the $$ (we thought were were good enough skiers to teach a beginner - not!). No one was happy our first day out and we were not having much success. So we broke down and signed her up for a one hour lesson and day care the following day. Within one lesson she was skiing independently down the bunny hill and loved the resort's day care (which we called kids club to excite her about it) where she got to play with other kids her age. The instructors took her from the lesson to daycare and we could ski and have some fun ourselves. Now, just one year later we are in our 2nd season of lessons and our 4 yr old can ski and turn in parallel down the blues and greens. I think she will be better than me in another year (I am just a recreational skier). I really believe that ski lessons for beginners are a must if you want to have fun as a family skiing (just factor it into the ski budget). We can't wait to start our 2 yr old in lessons next season. We won't make the same mistake twice.

 

[deannatoby]

Last winter my husband and I started trying to teach our then 3 yr old how to ski and we were miserable. Lessons were very pricey and we are not rich so we really thought we would save the $$ (we thought were were good enough skiers to teach a beginner - not!). No one was happy our first day out and we were not having much success.

I tried the same thing this year. Thought my 4yo could learn from me, even though I'm still a learner. But, he JUST turned 4 yo before we skied so he's very young. Our days weren't miserable, but I could see he needed somebody who knew more. Plus, I felt this terrible tension and pressure to get him ready for the chair lift so the other kids weren't stuck on the bunny slope (they, naturally, aren't allowed on the lifts without me as they are also so young). Ended up being unsuccessful. I signed him up for 6 lessons, and for two Thursday mornings we have gone, skied for an hour while he's in lessons, and headed right back home. Short, I know, but next week he'll start lessons in the chairlift and from then on we're a skiing family again. We'll stay on the green slopes when he's with us, but who knows what he'll be doing by the end of season! Plus, we have already paid for 5 weeks of school group lessons, also. My kids aren't dying to push their limits, so we'll have a good time anyway. Those lessons were wonderful. It's a fantastic blessing knowing a professional has taken the time and patience to make sure he knows how to stop and turn, and that he'll have some control on his skis.

And, of course, this year I know I'm supposed to tip!:p

 

[hnfrisk]

It does get hectic. We are also a family of five - kids are 7, 6, and 3. As others have said I get my kids as ready as possible before we leave. If we are at our home mountain which is only 5 minutes away they are all dressed with boots on and they carry their own stuff. I usually put my boots on at the car so I'm not shlepping too much stuff either.
We haven't done a whole lot of trips but when we do, I try and make sure we are either on mountain or very close so we can pretty much do the same thing. I do put the kids in ski school and the little one in babysitting but there are also days where me and my husband trade off skiing and staying with our little one.
This year my 7 year old is on a pre-race team so we are at the mountain every Saturday and we are getting my three year old used to skis and equipment so my husband and I trade off going up with our 6 year old. It will definitely be nice when everyone is at that stage when we can ski together as a family and not worry about the kids as much.
What I find discouraging with a family of five is the $$$$$! I'm trying to plan a couple of getaways this winter and it is just so expensive.
I have a funny story about the beginning years of skiing with kids - When I was pregnant with my third we took a long weekend to go up to Smuggler's Notch with another family (so we had two 4 year olds and two 2 1/2 year olds). It was snowing like crazy on the way up and by the morning they had 18 inches of fresh snow. The husbands got up at the crack of dawn to get out ( I don't blame them) but since the kids weren't signed up for anything until later, my girlfriend and I decided to get them out sledding. So we got them all bundled up (which is a challenge in itself) and got out there. Well the snow was way too deep for them and they were all crying and whining so after about 15 minute we brought them back in and got them all undressed again. My girlfriend and I were sweating and worn out after that whole escapade so I called my husband and left him a message on his cell that said "We are never taking another winter trip again. From now on the only trip we are going on is one where we pack tank tops and shorts!!"
My point is that it does get easier and alot more fun once the kinks are worked out!!

 

[acinusa]

This is how I have done and still do...;)

This is my 3th season skiing with my boys in USA. They are 5.5 and 3 turning 4 in March. We live in NJ and I ski a lot alone with them and it works fine if every one follow the rules. First of all - if you can ski when you are 3 years old - you can carry. So this is the first year I only carry a backpack with lunch and my own skis and DH skis if he joins. The oldest carries his own skis and poles and the little one his own skis. If DH is with us we park at the drop off - we get every on in gear helmets, googles, gloves, close and boots and I walks with my ski and my DH's skis and and the boys carry their own. If I am alone I pay for parking close - this is much easier on the way home when every one is tried. On the way back to the car the rules are different - every one is tried knowing the little one will sleep before we pull out of the parking - I carry my own skis, the little the oldest poles and the oldest the littles skis and I carry the oldest skis as well as my own. But the point is every one carries something we are all tried we all have to help out.

As for the skiing - full day ski school is the only way forward at least thats what I think. The best about ski school is that they not only learn kids to ski - but also to carry the skis, get up my them self, get the skis on and off by them self, skate, walking up a small hill and all the other small things there is to skiing which makes your life soooo much easier. At least the school have learned my boys that meaning that I have the energy to be the fun ski mom who does jumps instead of yelling.

good luck with next year

/AC

 

[SnowHot]

As I read this thread and see all the great replies from everyone who has experience, I can't help but think of the amazing bond and memory book you're creating with these kids.

Enjoy!

 

[frenchgirl]

As I read this thread and see all the great replies from everyone who has experience, I can't help but think of the amazing bond and memory book you're creating with these kids.

Enjoy!

Since my SIL could not be here, I took some videos of my niece on the last day skiing and emailed a couple to her. Then of course my 14 yrs old was complaining that I had not taken any videos of him

 

[Kano]

Since my SIL could not be here, I took some videos of my niece on the last day skiing and emailed a couple to her. Then of course my 14 yrs old was complaining that I had not taken any videos of him

Here's the story you give him: It's not safe to try to video him! You can't safely follow him down with a camera, and keeping him in sight while you're stationary is pretty challenging too! We can't do it with the five year old, dunno how we'd possibly manage it in nine years!

(on the other hand, the three year old, we've got lots of little video clips of him -- he's slow enough to trail with a camera!)

Karen in Boise

 

[m185]

In my family of 5 (last year one 11 year old and twin 6 year olds) - the kids get out of the car with their helmets on - goggles attached to helmets, boots on, gloves on and carry their own skis. The little ones don't use poles so its one less thing to carry. We have ONE bag between us with some extra gloves, extra gear and snacks etc but since they turned 5 we make them carry their own gear as I simply can't carry it all! If we are walking along way - we'll give the little ones our poles to carry and the bag and we'll carry their skis for them.

But my kids are all better than I am (I learnt with them when they were 3 and last year they all overtook me) - I can ski down most the mountain with them but I'm still more nervous on the black slopes than they are - when it gets to this point they start feeling like they are taking care of me LOL But when they were 4 - all day lessons were pretty much the way to go fo rme (I had to go into my own all day lessons).

I'd love to take my nieces with me sometime - at least the ones that I think that might enjoy having a go on the snow...but my SILs will never let that
happen as it would be 13-20hour flights away from their homes.

 

[Jeepmum]

Newbie...have to chime in here!!!

Hi there, this is my first post! Reading this thread I just had to chime in....my ds is 3, nearly 4, and my dd is 5 nearly 6. I have been dying to get them on the slopes, but wanted to wait until my ds was really ready, as I knew I would be mostly on my own. So I signed dd up for March break camp at our local hill. DS is too young by only a few months, but that's fine I will just ski with him during dd lesson. Anyway, I thought I would take both kids skiing a few times before camp. Took them this past Wednesday, and took them today. Wow. Picture me carrying 3 pairs of skis (well 2 in the morning, 3 in the afternoon..someone got tired!) a huge duffel with everyones boots etc, all this while trying to keep my 3 year old out of the puddles on the way from the parking lot. Interesting. I have done this twice. I think I will definitely have them wear helmets and goggles from the car. The actual skiing part went remarkably well! Everyone thought I was nuts to take 2 young kids by myself, but I am a do now think/worry later type of person so.....i figured as long as I could get them up the hill, we would be able to get down. First run down was slightly hair raising as I was skiing backwards trying to keep both kids (who have never been on skiis) from flying down the hill. Next run was better and by the third my daughter was doing her own thing, going up the lift and plowing down, by the end of the day turning through pylons! DS was not interested in turning, just bombing. Same as today. I wish he were old enough to go in the camp. So, where there's a will there's a way! I'm glad I did it as dd is more than ready for camp. My dh will be around that week too so he can ski with one or the other as well. Yes I'm nuts but the hill is great and the staff more than helpful. I have also been going during the week so it's very quiet. Kid s aren't in school full time yet so it's been great. And my muscles!!! I'm going to look like the hulk by the end of this season! It will be nice to have some help in a couple of weeks. OOhhh one more thing. The bathroom. Always use it before you get on the hill! I make both kids try no matter what. Today ds had to go and we only had about an hour left, which no one wanted to waste...so we found ourselves a very quiet corner and...there he went. Probably saved me about half an hour, and dd didn't have to stop skiing.

 

[mich-belle]

I cant even imagine taking all my 3 skiing, they are still too young but i cant even cope with a trip to the supermarket!