Staggered at people teaching their own kids

[geargrrl]

Yesterday I was on the lift, and the run directly below me was a mogul run. I've been down it by accident and it is Not Fun At All. I can't imagine what it was like yesterday - it was icy and cruddy and that run looked terrible. Saw two little girls, neither could've been older than 10, going down it. Well, it was wedge, turn, fall, wedge, turn, fall all the way. I saw them at the top and I felt so bad for them - it's a long mogul run. Later, on the same run I saw two young snowboarder boys falling down it. And off another chair lift, I saw some older skiers who were clear beginners falling down an even harder, steeper mogul run. I don't get it. I know you should step out of your comfort zone and attempt harder runs but moguls?? And where were those kids' parents?!

Where were those kids' parents?!

They probably turned them loose on the hill with the buddy system. I see this a lot on the small hills around us. Medium size kids who know the basics, venturing off with a buddy. I certainly used to turn my kids loose on their home mountain and on other mountains they were familiar with.

I saw this last Thursday on our steepest bump run ( granted a Mt Spokane black isn't anything to get really scared about....) Two ten (?) year old boys, skiing exactly like: turn turn faceplant into the powder, turn turn faceplant into the powder. They were having the time of their lives! Red faced, covered with snow, laughing - what's not to love about that? They went back for more after the first time. The chair runs up that run, and I was skiing it too, hopefully a little better in form.

My observation is that kids turned loose might venture out to the places where maybe their parents wouldn't take them, and onto conditions that are less than ideal. They are exploring, learning, pushing their personal envelope and usually having fun. I've never seen a kid crying on a run when they are with a buddy.

Imnsho, skiing is about FUN. For kids, skiing with a parent isn't always going to fall under a kid idea of fun, but skiing with a friend is. I see nothing wrong with giving a kid, who has a basic understanding of the mountain, instructions to make good choices; give them a talkabout or cell phone or whatever, and send them off to explore.


As for the adults on a run they shouldn't be on, well we've all made mistakes. :D

 

[B.E.G.]

Well for the smaller kids - at least they're low to the ground when they fall The skier girls were getting a bit frustrated after the third fall in 3 min I watched but the snowboarder boys were wiping out and having a blast. The adults just looked miserable (I can relate!). I just felt bad because I KNOW how tediously long those runs feel when you're falling ever few minutes, and they were still at the top!