As I wrote before, we sent Amanda to ski school for the first time this year. After the initial allergy reaction day, we managed to send her for 3 more days.
Even after the first day, as she was recovering from being sick, she told me how she got into ski boots and went sliding across the snow on one ski. She moved up to the next group the next day, and actually got on the "magic carpet" (a people mover that takes little skiers up the hill). I saw her skiing on the second full day of lessons.
She scooted herself over to the bottom of the magic carpet. It's hard work moving on skis on the flat, but she went inch by inch, until she got to the bottom. I think that an instructor lifted her onto the carpet (it helps that she's so small). Then she rode up to the top, managed to get off, and tried to ski back into the line of about 12 kids at the top of the hill.
She veered off into the fence, but turned and used the "snowplow" to stop short of the fence. Then she slowly and painfully (to me, anyway) scooted up to the line of kids, squeezed her way in, and waited to go down again.
They had little short colorful "cones" (they were more like hemispheres, if you are being picky) so that the kids could practice turning, but Amanda went straight down. At the bottom, one of the instructors gave her a big hug and lots of praise, which Amanda clearly liked. She then started scooting over to the bottom of the magic carpet to go up again.
I am very impressed with the ski instructors. It was really cold, but they kept these kids entertained and learning things (many of the kids were starting to go around the cones) and having a great time. I saw many kids out on more difficult slopes who would have had a better time on the magic carpet. One of the instructors told us horror stories of parents expecting their kids to magically turn into "independent skiers" in 2 days, because they were headed out west for a vacation, or the mom who believed her child should be in a different level because "he skied on Vail Mountain" (he barely made it down the easiest slope when the instructor went out with him and the mom). I also heard a story of a 4 year old who got a private lesson, only to break down crying within the first 15 minutes, unwilling to keep working. Someone dismissed the ski school as daycare, but Eleanor and Amanda both learned a lot, had a great time, and were out from under our feet. A win-win situation.
One note: on Amanda's "report card", the only problem mentioned was that she needed to stop skiing straight down the hill. I think she probably thought it was more fun to ski straight down---why would you intentionally want to make yourself go slower? We'll see if she gets the point next year. Whistler does sound like fun... can you arrange to make the economy turn around before that time? That would be great.
Even after the first day, as she was recovering from being sick, she told me how she got into ski boots and went sliding across the snow on one ski. She moved up to the next group the next day, and actually got on the "magic carpet" (a people mover that takes little skiers up the hill). I saw her skiing on the second full day of lessons.
She scooted herself over to the bottom of the magic carpet. It's hard work moving on skis on the flat, but she went inch by inch, until she got to the bottom. I think that an instructor lifted her onto the carpet (it helps that she's so small). Then she rode up to the top, managed to get off, and tried to ski back into the line of about 12 kids at the top of the hill.
She veered off into the fence, but turned and used the "snowplow" to stop short of the fence. Then she slowly and painfully (to me, anyway) scooted up to the line of kids, squeezed her way in, and waited to go down again.
They had little short colorful "cones" (they were more like hemispheres, if you are being picky) so that the kids could practice turning, but Amanda went straight down. At the bottom, one of the instructors gave her a big hug and lots of praise, which Amanda clearly liked. She then started scooting over to the bottom of the magic carpet to go up again.
I am very impressed with the ski instructors. It was really cold, but they kept these kids entertained and learning things (many of the kids were starting to go around the cones) and having a great time. I saw many kids out on more difficult slopes who would have had a better time on the magic carpet. One of the instructors told us horror stories of parents expecting their kids to magically turn into "independent skiers" in 2 days, because they were headed out west for a vacation, or the mom who believed her child should be in a different level because "he skied on Vail Mountain" (he barely made it down the easiest slope when the instructor went out with him and the mom). I also heard a story of a 4 year old who got a private lesson, only to break down crying within the first 15 minutes, unwilling to keep working. Someone dismissed the ski school as daycare, but Eleanor and Amanda both learned a lot, had a great time, and were out from under our feet. A win-win situation.
One note: on Amanda's "report card", the only problem mentioned was that she needed to stop skiing straight down the hill. I think she probably thought it was more fun to ski straight down---why would you intentionally want to make yourself go slower? We'll see if she gets the point next year. Whistler does sound like fun... can you arrange to make the economy turn around before that time? That would be great.
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