Skiing with a baby in your backpack?

I will likely do it with a well built carrier, and since it'll be my kid, it'll be my choice. I'll also have a sled that I can tow behind me. Do you drive with your child in the car? Do you ever leave a bucket of water around, or turn your back to your child? You must be a bad parent to put your child at such risk :rolleyes: There are many hazards in this world.

Obviously I will ski appropriately. I'm a ski patroller and often have others lives literally strapped to a toboggan where if I fall they may be more seriously injured, paralyzed, or even killed. Sometimes these people are very, very young too. I just ski appropriately. Don't judge, just live your life and let me and others live ours.

Skiing with a baby in your backpack?









Is stupid!

i chime in since i guess i was an "idiot" and skiied a couple of runs at one time or another with both of my kids on my back at the resort :eek: . and guess what, my kids are fine....

yes, there are many variables and things that could go wrong skiing with a kid in the pack. but the days i went out were mid-week spring days with maybe 10-20 people on the slopes total and my kids had a blast. my wife was also shadowing my turns behind me to make sure no out of control skier could come near me. would i recommend this to anyone? no not at all. but if you are smart about it, good conditions, minimal crowds, and you are a *strong* skier with experience skiing with a pack or holding heavy items, i don't see why not try a mellow run with a baby. btw, both my kids were 1+ years old at the time.

believe me, i personally felt safer skiing with my kids in a pack... then i have on some of the hikes i have done with them in a pack, when my knees and legs are beat after a 3-4 hour climb/descent. just MHO....

The mere thought of what could happen if someone ran into me would keep me up at night. My kids have been on skis since 3. Before that they had a friggin ball sledding. You want them to love snow - spend 5 bucks and get them a snowsaucer, then find the nearest hill with a runout.

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Originally Posted by phatfreeheeler

I will likely do it with a well built carrier, and since it'll be my kid, it'll be my choice.

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Yeah, if you do it in the bc then it's your choice. If you buy a lift ticket at a ski area, then it's not your choice.

Babys make great back protection for those drops where you just can't stomp it clean.

I hear Jamie Pierre uses them. Only heathen ones of course.

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Originally Posted by onehotchili

the days i went out were mid-week spring days with maybe 10-20 people on the slopes total and my kids had a blast. my wife was also shadowing my turns behind me to make sure no out of control skier could come near me. would i recommend this to anyone? no not at all. but if you are smart about it, good conditions, minimal crowds, and you are a *strong* skier with experience skiing with a pack or holding heavy items, i don't see why not try a mellow run with a baby.

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Sounds reasonable. It's when the gapers all catch on and think baby backpacks are the new "big thing" that I'd start to worry. My biggest concern would be exactly what you pointed out; the out of control guy. Looks like you have that covered.

totally agreed there are many hazards but why add to them? whats next skydiving beacuse you are a ski diving instructor? if you dont want to be judged dont ask questions ona forum ...daahh

I think baby in the backpack is a lot different than toddler in the backpack.

A toddler can hold her head up and won't turn into mush if a minor fall/collision did occur.

Bringing up the whole collision point changes my opinion on the matter considerably. Original plan was to try to get her out on the slopes on skis as soon as she was reasonably able to do it and enjoy it (and of course, only if she wants). My back, however, is a considerably safer place to be in the presence of out-of-control skiers.

Ski patrol sleds are used out of necessity....and necessary risks and unnecessary risks weigh in quite a bit differently. Also...it's pretty hard to fall when you're in those tracers -- they're like training wheels.

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Originally Posted by blondin

totally agreed there are many hazards but why add to them? whats next skydiving beacuse you are a ski diving instructor? if you dont want to be judged dont ask questions ona forum ...daahh

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yeah:rolleyes2 skydiving with your toddler is a lot like slowly skiing a green run on an uncrowded slope with them in a back carrier.:rolleyes:

Just my .02 worth but I fully intend on taking my kids skiing in a pack until they are old enough to ski on there own. I think anything to some people sounds stupid. Hell some people think base jumping would be the greatest thing since sliced bread but to me "common sense" sais don't go jumping off of cliffs, bridges, or whatever else with a parachute strapped to you. Do you realize how many people have died doing that? There is a danger in everything we do from the second we are born until death. I think a person has to stick to what they feel comfortable doing.

If you are an accomplished skier and stick to the beginner lifts and runs I don't see anything wrong with it. And I'm speaking about toddlers, not infants. You know, everyday I see kids in child carriers pulled behind bicycles on busy roads and that seems to be socially acceptible. I think that's WAY more dangerous than casual laps at the resort.

Also, what's so wrong with the leashes? I thought they worked quite well and I can't see why they would be a hazard as long as you completely remove them before they get on the lift. What am I missing here?

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Originally Posted by blondin

totally agreed there are many hazards but why add to them? whats next skydiving beacuse you are a ski diving instructor? if you dont want to be judged dont ask questions ona forum ...daahh

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What's wrong with that? I'm an accomlished sky diving instructor and I take complete beginners up all the time in a tandem harness. These people are generally terrified, and they complicate things for me and make it more dangerous. I believe that it is safer for both parties when I take my infant skydiving. I had a small harness custom rigged, and I make sure he is very snugly bundled and very well supported. I only take him up on perfect days, and he loves it!

Upside isn't that far up and the downside is way down.

There are other ways to play in the snow with a baby or a toddler.

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Originally Posted by BFD

http://www.telemarktips.com/Photopos...m/snowbird.jpg
getting ready to head into the Snowbird Glacier first hut trip

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I can handle you skiing with your child, but it is so wrong to get him totally baked at that age. :nonono2:

Things to consider.
A lot of people have poor spacial awareness especially when wearing a hat or helmet. Most baby carrier packs hold the child with the head higher than the adults head. The other day I watched someone come within a couple of centimeters of smashing their childs head into the top of the gates coming into a lift loading area.

The halo on surface lifts eg platters or Ts doesn't always have a lot of clearance over a tall adult and this can change daily depending on the grooming so even a lift you know can be lower than you expect one day. I have seen very near misses for kids in back packs on those as well.

I am a patroller and get hit by an out of control skier or boarder at least once a season, sometimes this happens in a beginners area.

Infants are less able to adjust to altitude and less able to maintain there body temperature in the cold. They may not communicate to you that they are having problems.

If you fall with your child in a pack (from being colided with or whatever) their head is going to hit the ground from 6'. Head injuries suck.

Shit...I've been using an old milk carton and some surgical hoses to tote my little girl around the hill and she loves it. She gets inverted almost as much as I do, but that's just because I can't keep the straps from flippng over. ;) I wouldn't dare take my girl in a pack. It would scare the living crap out of me.

It's weird. When it's your body you're willing to try just about anything, but once it's your kid things change quick. I want to get my girl a helmet just for wearing around the house. She's an adrenaline junkie already. Loves being tossed in the air. Freaks out when I stop. She then throws her hands in the air signaling that she wants more. I think her first visit to the ski hill will be when she's learning to ski...on her 2nd birthday. :D

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Originally Posted by focus

In my backpack quest I've come across quite a few kid carriers, and I've also read a few references of people skiing with their baby (<1y/o) on their back.

Common sense seems to say "hell no!" I could see doing that with a 2 or 3 y/o who might actually enjoy it and get something out of it.....

Anybody here do it? What are your thoughts?

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Hell no.... one out of control tele boy slamming in to you and the little one is hurt real bad.... :cussing: (wanted to switch from the normal damm snowboarder comment) As a ski patroller, i have to say no, its just not worth it

Then there's the guy whose baby froze in it's backpack.

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Originally Posted by MOHSHSIHd

hahaha, can you image some complete loon dropping into Corbets with an infant on his back?


Just imagine seeing that...



you know what, someone needs to use one of those with a baby doll in the carrier and go to the resort on a busy weekend and figure 11 stuff and huck big and get footage of the gapers having a fit...

that would be funny

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I actually DID see this once... I'll never forget it. At Jackson about 6 or 7 years ago the tram had been shut down for two days... Solid 40 inches of new and people freaking out. Caught the first tram when it opened, and up top we all dumped out and dudes were CHARGING... Bombing everything... Then we arced one down the Alta chutes and noticed a guy beside us just nuking... then noticed he had a big back pack on, then noticed there was a baby inside the back pack. HOLY SHIT!!!! The guy if freaking maching with a kid on his back.... We then watch in horror as he launches a 30ftr without so much as a speed check! Our jaws are on the ground while our mouths are filling up with powder... We chase him down to the lift to give him what for, and fall down laughing when we see its a cabage patch doll. Freakin hillarious....

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Originally Posted by flabango

...Also, what's so wrong with the leashes? I thought they worked quite well and I can't see why they would be a hazard as long as you completely remove them before they get on the lift. What am I missing here?

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This was how I taught my daughter to ski in her first season. I felt fine about it and asked my ski patrol friend how they view this method. She said most agree with it. It was a great way for Kaikea to learn how the skis work and get used to those wierd things on her feet. I loved having control of the "brakes." When things got crowded I just kept the line really short and was able to protect her as a shield.

Saw this at Alta in December. I remember seeing a baby on a table in the mid mountain lodge and wondering how the mother got her up there. She then put the baby in her pack and left to ski down the hill. Personally I would think the risks out weigh the benefits, but then again I don't have a kid.

Skiing with a baby in the backpack is the ultimate stupidity. A thread like this got played at Epic @ two years ago. I'd post the link but I forgot (it's been that long) how to spell my name over there and/or my password. Apparently you can't search without one. Can't believe the amount of people over there who defended the practice. I really didn't know shit about posting etiquette or the meaning of troll. Also I can't spell.

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Originally Posted by focus

In my backpack quest I've come across quite a few kid carriers, and I've also read a few references of people skiing with their baby (<1y/o) on their back.

Common sense seems to say "hell no!" I could see doing that with a 2 or 3 y/o who might actually enjoy it and get something out of it.....

Anybody here do it? What are your thoughts?

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You'd have to be a fucking idiot.

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Originally Posted by Bullet

I support folks making thier own assessment of what is too risky or not for their child. I'm constantly amazed at how many "careful" parents I know in this area who routinely let their < 10 year old sit in the front passenger seat of their airbag equiped car. That's a tangent thought.

Around opening day this year at Mammoth, we were riding Chair 1. Someone was skiing under the chair with a baby < 1 year old, in a back-pack. This was early season. The area was not well covered with snow and very bumpy. Lots of shark teeth and buried reefs everywhere with grass blades sticky up.

The parent was in real trouble. From the chair we could see that baby's head snap back and forth with every bump on every turn. If/How they made it to the bottom without the baby suffering "shaken Baby Syndrome" or worse is beyond me. It looked to me like the kid's neck was already broken the way his head was flopping around. Made me feel very sad inside.

Some things just ain't riskin'. And that's just my opinion.

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A ski resort that allows people to ski with infants strapped to their backs...aren't they just creating huge legal and insurance problems for themselves?

And I too support people making their own decisoons about what is good for their child, but there are laws that cover these things and I find it hard to believe that putting a child in obvious peril isn't covered by law in most places.
An adult falling on a child is one thing. An adult strapping a child to his or her back, then going skiing - that's trading what's best for the kid for what's most fun for you. Selfish.

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Originally Posted by Red Baron

There is a classic story out of Deer Valley from a few years back, about a few guys from Freeze magazine going there, with the intention of getting a photo of patrol pulling their passes.

As the story goes, DV caught wind of it, and had some patrollers dog 'em all day long, but not pull their passes. Apparently among the things they did, was put a lifelike baby doll in a backpack, and repeatedly fall backwards on it, jumping off little terrain features and stuff, in full view of liftlines, etc...

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Awesome

78

about 20 years ago my dad took me skiing in a pack. i absolutely loved it and told my dad to go faster, turn quicker, pass my mom etc.
back then here in europe the resorts would let you, nowadays they usually won't let you ride the lifts if you're carrying a kid in your pack.
i think if you dress the kid warm enough, don't stay out in shitty weather, don't stay out too long, ski in control (no brainer!) and ski somewhere not too crowded, it's perfectly fine.
i believe that my dad taking my out on the ski hill before i could ski myself definately got me addicted to skiing.
btw, we got run over once, by some dipshit who was out of control. i got thrown out of the pack (back then they didn't have "seatbelts" or harnesses (don't know the word for it)) and supposedly cried (don't remember myself). no harm done though it was a shock for everyone involved.
still, i absolutely loved it and think it's ok to take your kids when skiing...

I'm late on this thread

focus check out http://wildernessengineering.com/KinderShuttle.html and their kindershuttle, much safer the a backback carrier and its a great workout pulling it. I haven't gone down anything super steep but with a wedge turn you can negotiate something comperable to a easy blue if needed. Most of the tours I've done have been on logging roads and X-C trails but if you could find a mellow enough approach I see no reason why you couldn't go uphill

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=41296

I plan on taking my 23 month old girl up the hill this weekend if the weather is nice. Catch the last gondola, let the crowds clear out, and mellow turns to Apres with my wife on here ski day, sunday. I have done it a number of times, mellow backcountry tours on xmas and resort cruiser on warm spring days. Last year she fell asleep, this year she is way into it. Shes got some strap on skis, and will be on real skis before you know it. The mountain allows access up the gondola, but not he chairs. Last time I met my wife and a posse of friends. I had a bubble of rippers around me the whole way down. No bumps, no chutes, no high-speed, and no drops. She is more protected on my back then she will be in a couple of years when she will be letting it go on her own down the mountain runs.

If you don't ski everyday, or you are not completely confident in your skiing don't do it.

I think most people are picturing this the wrong way..... I've done it, but I wouldn't really call it "skiing" with my kid in a backpack. I highly doubt there are any parents out there that just put a kid in a pack and head out for a day of skiing... more likely its an expert skier taking a couple of runs, on beginner groomed terrain, on a warm, non-crowded day. That's what I have done, and my kids have loved the experience.
The world is full of risks for little kids. Riding down a green circle run on my back isn't a very big one. I would estimate that I would be roughly 10 times more likely to fall on an icy sidewalk while carrying my child, than falling while skiing beginner terrain.

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Originally Posted by Core Shot

I can handle you skiing with your child, but it is so wrong to get him totally baked at that age. :nonono2:

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most sober and prudent on this thread.

Just as potentially dangerous as the parents skiing with the kid in the backpack are those who ride their bikes down city streets with the kid in the bike trailer--right at bumper level! Always pissed me off a little when I see it...

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Originally Posted by Dam Skier

I plan on taking my 23 month old girl up the hill this weekend if the weather is nice....

....If you don't ski everyday, or you are not completely confident in your skiing don't do it.

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...or if you are not completely confident in the abilities of everyone else on the mountain, or if you are not completely confident in your abilitiy to never catch and edge, ski into a rut you didn't see, etc...

No offense man - but what if you do fall, Hugo Harrison?

Wow, there are lots of different opinions on this thought. I am not sure where I really stand, but I know of some who have done this, been the baby, and claim that this is where part of their love for skiing came from. I really admire his parents starting him early and claim that my parents hosed me as I didn't start until really late :D ... Exposure early on is a good thing! I think it comes down to comfort levels and being cautious and aware at all times.

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Originally Posted by Cliff Huckable

...or if you are not completely confident in the abilities of everyone else on the mountain, or if you are not completely confident in your abilitiy to never catch and edge, ski into a rut you didn't see, etc...

No offense man - but what if you do fall, Hugo Harrison?

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I think that is exactly what he is saying..... COMPLETELY confident. Obviously you aren't. You shouldn't do it.

saw a lady a copper a month or so ago who had a pack on her front side with her baby on the front facing forward and she was cruising along on some groomers.

I remember a post from epic from a liftie in which he took it upon himself not to let a parent get on with kid in backpack...if i remember correctly the ski area hadn't established a ban.

Well, I found the link over there for better or worse and if you are bored or really interested in this discussion, there's plenty of morons out there.

http://forums.epicski.com/showthread.php?t=4843


edit: the link referred to in the above link
http://forums.epicski.com/showthread...abies+backpack

There are dumber things you can do, but not many. Get a fricken sitter and enjoy your day knowing your kid won't have the possibility of getting killed. I have a ten month old and a three year old. My 3 year old has ridden in the backpack alot while hiking and I've wondered about tumbling then and what I'd do. Much less worrying about some other skier or boarder colliding with me. I feel secure in my abilities to stay upright, but not in others to risk it. Its the old risk/reward equation.

If I see you skiing with your kid in a BP I promise to heckle the fuck outta you.