Kids First Day Skiing

Most of you know we have season passes to Sierra At Tahoe (SAT).  It was awesome, I bought them last March and got the rest of last year and all of this year for $289 adult (119 kids).  A day pass to SAT costs $86, and today was my 4th time (3 last year and today), which means I have already paid for mine with the entire season left.
Ashley and I have been anxiously watching the forecast and webcams to see when SAT would open.  We got a good storm Thursday night, 15” and we were hoping they would be open today. They opened Friday at 12:00, but not full mountain, just limited terrain.  It was still enough for us to get out today.  Ashley and I were nervous.  Would the kids like it?  Would they wig out?  Would they be able to do it?  We wanted to put Soren in one day of lessons so that I could work with Svea 1 on 1 (Svea did one day of ski school last year) and Ashley could work with Liv.  Lessons for one day for kids was $139 ($20 more than the pass for the entire year).  Added in we got hit with $500 of Mustang repairs last month and the budget did not have an extra $139, so I had both kids.
I noticed last year Svea would get going, not know how to control herself and she would reach back to me and lose her balance and fall.  So, I bought  a hockey stick.  I could follow right behind and “gaff” them from behind when they got going too fast.  I would also gently guide them.  I also saw a Youtube video of a Dad using it and it seemed to work really well.  No awkward reaching and bending.  Just guidance from behind.
I have no good video and I am really sad about it.  I have a 50 minute video of the iphone in my pocket and that drained all the batteries and Ashley didn’t bring her camera.  We spent the morning on the flying carpet – a conveyor belt like lift.  Svea in blue and Soren in red.  Without the video, this probably should be an email and not a blog post, but this acts as sort of a journal documentation, so I have chosen to provide the blog.
 
Svea actually remembered a ton of her ski school last year.  She was quoting almost word for word what she had been taught.  We got to the SAT around 9:00 and fully expected to go home around noon.  That was one benefit of having a season pass.  You don’t feel like you need to stay all day.  You stay until you are tired and then go home.
The hockey stick was not long enough for me to go down with both kids at the same time, so one waited at the top and I would rotate the kids.  We could get down hill without falling, but it was hard for the kids to really get a feel.  Liv got right on and was on a harness that Ashley could hold.  Liv would point the skis and go straight down.  When she got going too fast Liv would lean back and fall.  Ashley started to tell her to touch her knees, but Liv would touch her toes so she would be squatting, but not falling.  So we would would see Ashley skiing with a squatting Liv in front of her.  Every time Liv would fall she would be on her back and say “I want to go again!”  By the end of the day Liv was mostly upright, standing, and having a blast.  I got a bunch of laughs from other people who would watch me chase down a kid and gaff them with the hockey stick.  One ski school instructor told me that was a great idea.
Before lunch we moved off the flying carpet to a high speed detachable quad called Easy Street.  That’s the main reason I wanted SAT passes, because the kids lift is a high speed quad, no waiting time. Liv thought the best part was riding the lift.  She would say “Wee” on the lift then want to hurry down the hill so she could ride the lift again.  She thought the lift was the whole point of the thing. You can see Broadway and Easy Street below – that is where we spent the whole day.  The lifts to the right were not open yet and there are also two lifts on the backside which were not open.

Svea was awesome – after 4 or 5 runs on the flying carpet we switched to the lift.  Svea pointed her skis down and went for it. She had kind of been able to turn and could kind of stop on flatter terrain, I had to watch both Soren and Svea, so I let her go.  I had a pit in my stomach as I watched her hauling down the run.  She made it about 3/4th the way down and I just saw her get smaller and smaller and going faster and faster in semi control and toward the bottom she fell, but not bad.  I skied down to her and she said “I did awesome didn’t I?  Dad, I don’t need you anymore, I am ready to do some jumps.”  That was the end.  She was done with the hockey stick.  Done with my coaching.  By the end of the day she was turning really well to the left, not so great to the right, but under basic control.  Her tips of the skis would cross often which she needs to get better control of and the really hard thing for her is getting up after falling.  I usually stayed close and would pick her up by using the hockey stick or just grabbing her jacket.  She has it!
Soren I was terrified to teach.  Soren can get emotional quickly and wig out.  I had a talk with him before we left.  He did not have lessons last year and it was his first shot.  Plus Soren weights 80 lbs and is more to pack around.  It took awhile for him to get going.  I will say he kept his emotions in check all day and did not wig out.  By the end of the day he had basic control.  Still tons to learn, but the last 3 runs or so he could basically turn.  I stayed close with the hockey stick and guided him, but he has the idea.  He had a hard time as well getting up after falling, but was learning more by the end of the day.
It was tiring.  Really tiring.  Ashley had to guide Liv the whole time.  I was constantly picking the kids up and controlling them.  Not a muscle or tendon in my body feels good tonight, but both Ashley and I agreed the success far exceeded even out most hopeful predictions.  Soren was so appreciative of the day and the opportunity to learn.  We stayed until 3:00 which was way later than I would have imagined.  We were hoping to make it until lunch.
Items for next time –  we brought nothing for the kids to drink.  Whoops.  The only melt down we had today was from a thirsty Liv.  Next time Ashley will wear a Camelbak and we will bring some Gatorade to put in our lunch.  The kids are decked out in gear.  We have some really nice stuff.  The other pictures are of us getting ready:
 

As a reward we stopped at Starbucks on the way home for "fancy" hot chocolates.  Ashley was given a gift card a few months ago and we have been waiting for the right day to use it.  Everybody chose a hot chocolate or peppermint hot chocolate except for Svea who chose 2 pink cake pops from the baked goods.  It was quite a treat!

So Ashley is going to go once next week with Liv – it takes about 45-60 minutes to get to SAT.  Heavenly is 20 minutes, so that kind of stinks (after Heavenly all resorts are about the same 1 hour away).  SAT is affiliated with Snow Basin in Ogden and we get 3 Snow Basin passes.  Since we are going to Utah the 19-28  we are bringing our stuff to ski in Utah.  I had a Snow Basin season pass through the Weber State Mountaineering Club, so it will be nice to go back.
Its awesome, buying these passes last March we had so many reservations.  Would the kids even like it or would it be a waste of money?  Would I last at my job the 9 months until the passes would be used?  Looks like a good purchase.  We also get 4 Squaw Valley weekday passes this year, so we will have to take advantage of those.