Had a really fun day today in Squaw! The weather is really nice, sunny and not too cold. Last week’s storm left some nice snow, and most runs were skiing very well. Today we hit Granite (Break it Out, Magoo’s, Lower Attic, and the horse trails), Headwall (Slot, North Bowl, Sun Bowl, The Bullet, and Hourglass), KT-22 (Oly Bowl and Red Dog Ridge), and Solitude/Shirley (the bowl skier’s right of the Solitude chair). Bumps are big but with soft snow in the troughs. Magoo’s, being a bit steeper, was a bit scrapier, and the first turn into North Bowl (skier’s far right) was “exciting.” But after that the skiing was just fine. We went skier’s right in Slot as well, and the entrance is speckled with rocks, dips, and other amusements. Hard to pick a best run, but if I had to name a few of the tops they would be North Bowl, Sun Bowl, and Red Dog Ridge. Probably won’t go back to Slot until there’s more snow and Oly Bowl until the sun bakes it a bit more.

Our friends Kris and Dave are up this weekend with their son Robert. Always a blast to have them around. Elena wanted to play with little Robert this morning though, so I didn’t get a chance to slide around with my girl. Kris was nice enough to watch Elena which means I got to ski with Lynn (my favorite ski buddy, sorry Larry you’re up there but…).

We leave Tuesday for heli! Woo hoo!

The snow today was pretty firm – well, downright icy if I have to use the word. This morning Elena and I went up top to slide around and had a great time. She skied from me to her Mom a few times and really enjoyed being off of the bar. So I set her up with the harness and control straps and put the bar away. She loved that too so we may be done with the bar.

Elena and I went to Soupa in the Village. It’s a new restaurant focused on soup and grilled cheese sandwiches (those two foods are naturals together). They offer a selection of 5 or 6 soups, most of them standard comfort food varieties. It was good, not great I’d say. I think if you’re going to just offer soup you should go above and beyond the soups you can get at the grocery store. For example, Lynn makes this soup with kale, sausage, tortellinis, and pepper flakes for some heat. It’s a fantastic soup and it’s really unique. Soupa has tomato, butternut squash, chili, and chicken noodle. Like I say, it was good soup, but if you’re going to specialize then get creative!

After lunch I went out on my own for awhile and later met up with Larry. I started on Oly bowl thinking it might have softened. No such luck. Oly bowl looked so slick I moved down to the throat past Oly bowl and before Tom’s Tumble. That section wasn’t too bad and the gully was surprisingly managable. Then I headed up to Granite where Lynn and Larry had been in the morning and had reported good snow. Sure enough, the cornice area between the two horse trails was quite nice. Did that a couple of times and then hiked into Break It Out. That was also quite nice although the crux is pretty rocky and you need to scout it before you go screaming over the roller. After a few runs there we headed home down a very slick Mountain Run.

We had a great day but we’re looking forward to some more snow!

Went out today early after dropping Devin off at ski team. Larry and I hit Granite right away and headed to Break It Out. We had about 8 inches of fresh on top of a pretty frozen base. So we were bottoming out pretty regularly and skiing was a bit of a struggle. We hit Granite again, this time heading skier’s left into the glades. We broke trail to get away from the tracked out stuff and had a couple of fresh turns and plenty of “dust on crust” experiences. We ended out stay at Granite with a run down Magoo’s. That was pretty good – the snow had blown in there and we didn’t bottom out quite as much.

As we headed over to Headwall Larry started feeling sick so he went on in. Turns out he was really not feeling well at all. I stayed out and headed up Headwall. Over to North Bowl to the chute on far skier’s right. The chute was bumpy and the snow wasn’t reliable, but once through the chute the snow was fantastic. Cut right and down into the trees for more of the same. I tried Sunbowl as well with low expectations. I was pleasantly surprised and the skiing was quite good. I did North Bowl and Sun Bowl a few more times, exiting out on Bullet (nice) and Hourglass (also in good shape).  Lynn did the face and reported that the snow was fine on the steep right side although there’s a wicked rock band to be aware of.

I closed off the morning in Oly Bowl, far right in the depression. Really nice there, and the exit bumps had been scraped off enough that you could stay in the soft snow in the troughs without much problem.

Elena and I went out for some Daddy/daughter time in the afternoon and that was it!

Elena on the H-bar

I’ve spent a number of days this week with my daughter Elena. She loves to be in Tahoe and has always wanted to be a part of the family skiing experience. So I took her out recently and started teaching her to slide. She’s going to be 3 years old at the beginning of February. Her brother Devin, who is 6 years old, can ski most expert runs at Squaw Valley.

So here’s what I know. Teaching a kid to ski is not easy. In fact, I think it’s harder than a big ski day with the gang. Why? Because you’ll need infinite reserves of patience, lots of energy (to carry her, drag her around behind you, pull her through the lift line, pick her up off the snow), the right tools (more on that below), perfect weather, good skiing skills, and short lift lines.

Here are a few thoughts that might help you if you choose to teach your young kids to ski.

Gear

1. Helmet. Don’t leave home without it. Even if you’re not planning to be anywhere near anything steep, other skiers sometimes ski too fast and it’s reassuring to have head protection against the remote possibility of a collision. Plus, the helmet protects against getting hit in the head in the lift line or on the gondola – a fairly common hazard.
2. Nice, warm clothes. Your kid’s clothes won’t be much different from what you’d wear on the slopes. Avoid cotton, layer so you can adjust if the temperature changes, and carry an extra pair of mittens. For younger kids, you can get away with thick winter socks. For older kids, it’s worth the effort to find a thinner ski sock (their boot will fit better and they’ll ski with more control). I’ve found kid’s ski socks really tough to find although I just bought our 6-year old some made by Wigwam and they’re working pretty well. I like a nice, lightweight balaclava-style hat because that’ll help if the wind picks up. A hood is a great option as well, although that can be a fit problem with a helmet.
3. Goggles. Eye protection is essential, and kids goggles aren’t that expensive. You can use sunglasses but they won’t provide quite as much protection or as much warmth if it’s cold.
4. Boots. For adults, boots are the most critical piece of ski gear you’ll use. For younger kids, I’m not sure they’re as important. They should be easy to get on and off and, of course, comfortable. I’ve been using hand-me-downs for Elena but Devin (6) is now good enough to benefit from a good pair of boots so we bought them.
5. Skis. Like boots, kids won’t need really good skis right away. Here in Tahoe, parents can get seasonal ski leases (boots too if you need them) from Tahoe Dave’s for a very reasonable price.
6. Training aids.
   • “Edgie Wedgies” attach to the ski tips to make it easier for the child to maintain a wedge position. I wouldn’t let older kids use edgie wedgies for more than 3 or 4 days or they’ll get too dependant on them.
   • A “kiddie lift” harness is essential. It’ll help you do everything from ensuring a safe load on the lift to picking your child up off the snow (100 times a day!).
   • A “ski leash” attaches to the child’s hips or waist and allows the parent to control speed and direction from behind the child. I’m not using this with Elena yet but I used it with Devin and we had loads of fun.
   • An “H-bar” is what I’m using with Elena. It’s a 4-foot long dowel with two smaller dowels mounted perpendicular to the main shaft. Elena straddles the dowel, puts one of the short dowels behind her thighs, and holds on to the other dowel with her hands. I hold the other end of the shaft like a canoe paddles. I can keep her to my side, ski parallel (most of the time), and keep her far enough away from me to avoid entanglements. Far superior to the old between-the-legs method. You can find good aids at http://www.kidznsnow.com/2972.
7. Camera. You’ll want this for posterity.
8. Snacks and a drink in a sippie cup. You will need this, I promise.
9. Backpack with miscellaneous stuff. Pick a backpack that has external straps for your child’s skis as that’ll free up some hands for more important things. Carry diapers, wipes, money, etc. I also make sure I’m carrying insurance cards just in case.

Process

1. Don’t get the kids dressed too early. They’ll get too hot and fidgety. You can do everything but the coat, hat, gloves, and helmet but save those items for just before you leave.
2. Put the child in street shoes until you’re almost on the snow. Put their ski boots in the backpack for the trip to the resort and carry the street shoes in the backpack (or get a locker). If you boot ‘em up in the condo, you’re going to be doing some kid carrying.
3. Strap the kid’s skis to the backpack, and bundle your skis up with the H-bar using rubber bands or a velcro strap. If you always have one free hand, you’ll be much happier.
4. Don’t take your poles. You don’t need them, and they’re going to get in the way.
5. Try to go out when the crowds are in control and when it’s at least 25degF out. You’ll find out pretty quickly if your little one is hardy or sensitive to cold and wind. If they’re hardy, you can probably take them out when it’s a bit more challenging outside. Beware, though, that even a hardy kid can melt down very quickly when the going gets tough.
6. Try to get the hang of loading the lift using the kiddie lift. If you can, you can safely get even really little kids safely on the chair. And you can use the handle to keep them secure once you’re on the lift. When you unload, you can simply use the kiddie lift to carry them to a safe stopping point. Don’t be shy about asking the lift op to slow the lift down and give you a hand. They’re trained to do it.
7. Go in at the drop of a hat. Seriously, if your child even suggests they want to head in, do it. After all, this is about having fun together isn’t it?

Well, that’s about it! I hope you find this little tutorial helpful!