Skip to main content

Learn Center

Episode 5: Gearing Up & Getting Up

Young skier wearing yellow and blue fallen over in the snow
v

PUTTING ON AND TAKING OFF SKIS

The first challenge you will likely face when teaching your child to ski is simply getting the skis on. You will probably need to help them clip in for a while.

First help them be sure their boot soles are not caked in snow.

Have them put their toe in first, then help them smash their heel down. Many young kids won't have the weight or strength to clip in by themselves, so you'll probably have to push their foot down.

Fun terms like "smashing a bug" or "Hulk smash" may help your kid understand the concept.

WALKING UPHILL

In order to successfully navigate a ski resort base area, your child will likely need to know how to walk up small hills with their skis on.

"Duck walking" is an effective way to walk up hills that are not very steep or long. This can be explained as the reverse of skiing in a pizza stance and utilizes the inside edges of the skis to grip the snow.

Side-stepping is more effective on longer or steeper slopes. Turning sideways and taking small steps up hill can be tiring but is very effective and is an important skill to know.

GETTING UP FROM A FALL

Part of learning to ski is crashing, and it can be frustrating for a child to stand after a fall. Initially it is fine to help your child up after a fall, but eventually, they will need to learn to help themselves.

If they are facing downhill on a gentle slope, they can put their skis in a pizza, grab their knees and hoist themselves to their feet.

On a slightly steeper slope, first make sure they rotate around so their skis are downhill. Then they can hoist themselves up on their edges to a standing position without worrying about sliding down the hill as they stand.