Maggots with kids little help here

[laseranimal]

So as many of you know my wife is pregnant, I'm totally stoked about being a daddy and I'm really looking forward to all that comes along with it. However everyone I know has been teasing me that I'm never going skiing again once the baby is born. Yeah ok so I realize that with a kid life changes and I can't just run off skiing anytime I want, but the way I look at it once the kid becomes old enough to ski and gets hooked on it I've got a free pass to go skiing anytime I want(I hope!!) And yes I'm not going to push skiing on the kid, I want it to enjoy skiing because it thinks its fun not because daddy thinks it is.

Now my question, how do I survive the 3-4 years of skiing purgatory before I can enter the promised land of skiing with my kid? How much did your ski days per year drop once the kid comes on the scene? Just looking for a little reasurance that my poor skis aren't going to fall into a jealous rage that the baby is rightfully #1 object of my affection and tell me that trading fresh tracks for poopy dipers is a worthwhile trade in the long run!

[MoonDoggy]

Laseranimal,

I went from about 45 days a year to about 15 dayswith child #1 and dropped to 8-10 days a year with #2. Alot of this will depend on your relationship with your wife, some of the guys I used to ski with have'nt skiied since theirs were born. How difficult is your new bundle of joy , ie. some babies sleep well and some are colicky and need more attention. How much energy are you going to have. Only time and circumstance will tell.

I just ended my "purgatory" and took my oldest for his first ski lessons in December. On the way home he says to me (he just turned 5) "Dad, I love you. I hope you and me and mom and his sister can ski together until we get old like Grandma and Grandpa" It's moments like that that put my love for skiing and my family into perspective.


MoonDoggy

[two_planks]

My daughter is a year old. Last winter I only got 1 day in. That was a big drop from 5 years straight of 90+ days. But in my case I think a big part of that had to do with me just starting my company and not having any $$$$. This year I'll probably end up with about 15 days, which is still a big drop but after last year I'm frickin stoked. Plus its a good trade so I'm not that worried about it.

[Buster Highmen]

It completely depends on your wife. I went from 50+ dpy to about 30.

We have 2 now, a 2&1/2 year old and a 4 mo old. So far, I've gone skiing 8 times this year.

It is so worth it.

[danimal's dead]

It all depends on how your wife feels about your skiing addiction. If she's cool and realizes that skiing keeps you sane then you can still get your days in, but if she's one of those women who's jealous and can't stand you going out skiing while she's stuck home with the kid, then your screwed. My wife is cool, I come straight home after work every night and take care of our son, so she has time to do her $hit, and then when my day off comes she's cool with me going skiing as long as I get home in time for family dinner and I also make it up to her in the offseason by taking her hiking, biking, or fishing whenever she wants to go.

[two_planks]

After my last post I got up from the computer and went to play with my daughter. She wanted to watch her Baby Einstien videos with me so we did. I was sitting there looking out the window at the freshly fallen snow and realized that in the big picture the nimber of days I get to go skiing doesn't really matter. If I had to I'd give up skiing all together to have what I have (don't tell my wife that or your fucking dead). Of course I'm lucky enough to have a wife that encourages me to get after it as much as possible.

[Karl Stall]

That is a phenomenal picture, Two-planks - every time I see it I can't help but smile too

I, as most people here know, have much to say on this subject, but it'll have top wait until after I take my 4 yr. old icec skating and to TGIFriday's.

[Beaver]

I've got 3 kids and a keen to ski wife. We used to ski exclusively b/c, usually together. When kid 1 was less than a year old I still got out every weekend because the kid was still on the tit. As they got older we started alternating weekends touring so the amount we skied was significantly down. I have been touring 8 times this winter so far and to the hill with kiddies 4 times. If you have parents around who will take the kids you can still get out skiing reasonably often. My 4 & 6 yo are keen skiers now. when we go to the hill with them my wife & I alternate taking runs in the adult terrain. If our 2 yo comes skiing she pretty much eliminates the ability to go for runs unless someone else is with us. We usually try to get grandpa to come to the hill with us. He is a skier and likes skiing with the kids so we can still get runs in. Arranging to meet with other friends with kids works well too.

[Owens Never Sleeps]

http://www.tetongravity.com/dump/ripper.jpg

I bought my daughter her first pair of skis the day after she was born. They were 70 cm Blizzard Firebirds. I hung thme over her crib for the first year and a half and wouldn't let her touch them. She just had to jones on them. Them I let her start playing on them while watching TGR movies in the house.

We had her on the hill by 20 months. Now she's 5 and she rips.

If your kid understands that skiing is important to you, it's likely that it will be important to him / her.

Now she's hooked and the future looks bright. SO much better than ballet....

A side note. Skiing with my kid has made me remember some important things that I had forgotten about skiing. Sometimes I tend to forget that it's really about just having fun on the mountain. In my business, and mindset, it's easy to get focused on the next line to flash, what you want to accomplish, technical stuff --- over thinking your day. When you ski the whole mountain backwards all day because you are playing catcher for your almost out of control kid, you kind of get back to simply existing on the mountain and just having fun. Who ever thought that a 5 year old could teach a veteran about skiing? I guess you never know.

[squeeky knees]

The number of ski days is so variable with each child it is totaly different. Take them when thier avliable. The kids (I have 4) will all be different. It's one of those things you will need to play by ear. If your wife is agreeable then the days will come often. But let me emphise that there is nothing better than teaching your kids to ski. And then when they reach 15 or 16 and their skills bypass yours it is a wonderful feeling. enjoy every turn you get to make with them.

[dipstik]

Originally posted by Owens Never Sleeps
http://www.tetongravity.com/dump/ripper.jpg

I bought my daughter her first pair of skis the day after she was born. They were 70 cm Blizzard Firebirds. I hung thme over her crib for the first year and a half and wouldn't let her touch them. She just had to jones on them. Them I let her start playing on them while watching TGR movies in the house.

We had her on the hill by 20 months. Now she's 5 and she rips.

If your kid understands that skiing is important to you, it's likely that it will be important to him / her.

Now she's hooked and the future looks bright. SO much better than ballet....

A side note. Skiing with my kid has made me remember some important things that I had forgotten about skiing. Sometimes I tend to forget that it's really about just having fun on the mountain. In my business, and mindset, it's easy to get focused on the next line to flash, what you want to accomplish, technical stuff --- over thinking your day. When you ski the whole mountain backwards all day because you are playing catcher for your almost out of control kid, you kind of get back to simply existing on the mountain and just having fun. Who ever thought that a 5 year old could teach a veteran about skiing? I guess you never know.

heh. I like the TGR sticker on her helmet, shes gonna be 'core.

[Schmear]

Well if it tells you anything, right now instead of skiing I'm helping my daughter make a "princess out of household items" per the instructions on the "Sleeping Beauty" DVD disc 2. Be prepared to do a lot of this kind of stuff, and like it. (Of course it helps that this is a pass-blackout weekend at Kirkwood anyway.)

As others have stated, it's a great tradeoff. This season I'll probably get about 20 days--still not bad. Not only does it help to have an understanding wife who also skis and knows the importance of getting away once in a while, but also understanding parents who relish spending time with their grandchildren. This will allow you and your wife to get away to ski fairly regularly. Except in our case the grandparents (who also ski) live 800 miles away so we do the majority of our skiing when we're visiting them in Seattle.

It goes by fast. Enjoy your time with the kid on and off the hill.

[Superstar Punani]

Words can't express the joy when I spend time with Superstarlet Punani.

"Daddy! My hemmet! where my goggles! Daddy SKEEEEEEEE!!!"
"I....want...Powda! Powda, daddeeeee!!!!!"

Hopefully she'll be up at the 'Weed on skis before her 3rd b-day this Feb.

[Schmear]

Originally posted by Owens Never Sleeps
[you kind of get back to simply existing on the mountain and just having fun.

This was us last weekend. Six runs on chairs 11 and 5 at KW having a blast skiing backwards, sideways, occasionally uphill, sometimes not at all. Snowball fights and bathroom breaks in the trees. The day feels a lot different when you just take your time and have no real plans.

[jibij]

i feel like that dad that won't ever shut up about his kids. but... you asked.

it's tougher to get out when the kids are really little. they need constant attention and that requires a parent at-the-ready at all times. as they get a little older and develop interests and a life of their own, it's much easier to get some breakaway time. and the breakaway time IS important (unless you're not there much to start with). i have a home office, so i get to spend a TON of time with my kids. some time away (preferrably skiing or biking) is mandatory. my wife is really supportive about me taking that time. i'm on track to get 40ish days this year.

unfortunately (for me), neither of my girls ever got the passion for skiing that i have. they have their own passions and that's what's important. both enjoy going up with me a few times a season and regardless of the conditions, those are the days that make me grin the most and that i remember the clearest.
http://www.mediarite.com/powboard/t_lvlnd.jpg

[gimpy]

biggest factor in getting a bunch of days in is giving your wife/gf some time where she can hang w/ her friends and ski or whatever. my wife and i split the weekends so we each get a day to play. sometimes i hit the bluebird jackpot pow day and sometimes she does. our boy is 11 months so he won't be hitting it himself till next year earliest. while i used to scoff at the idea of getting up before the sun for some dawn patrol bc turns before work, i do it now at least a few times a week. COOL WIVES RULE!!!!!

[GT40]

I love this thread. Very cute kid pics.

When my kids were little, I was into dirt biking. They rode on the gas tank, with me for 100's of miles. When they were 3 years old we got them 3 and 4 wheelers to drive.

[dbldmnd]

Congrats on the addition to the family.

As for getting the ski time in, set your expectations low and you won't be disappointed. I guess it also depends on whether skiing is a personal passion or a family activity. My wife and I have both skied since we were little kids, so we decided that our family will be skiers. We made it a priority and it's what we do.

When the kids were little, if we got in 5-10 days we were overjoyed. We knew our ski day count would only go up. We started each kid on the snow when they were 2-3 years old and it has grown from there.

Here's my youngest finding some pow. She's 7 and has over 20 days in so far. She goes with me everywhere, bumps, trees, terrain park, even the superpipe. We're learning to grind rails together. I guess an old dog can learn a new trick.

http://home.comcast.net/~lawson.d/images/img_1997_a.jpg

Good luck and stay positive. You too can ski after you have children. It's not the end of the skiing world, it's just another door that you will pass through which will provide a whole new set of experiences.

[The Suit]

I have two daughters who are now ages 6 & 8. The first year after each kid was born we were somewhat limited, but after that we did pretty well. The JH kid's ski school (known as the Kid's Ranch) takes babies, so our kids got started there young. The kid's ski school is also a great source for babysitters.

We started taking the girls out skiing between our legs when they were two. You can't do much at that age because they don't really hold themselves up. Two runs bent over with a kid between your legs is more than enough.

At age three they started skiing by themselves. The Kid's Ranch has a magic carpet - which is basically a conveyor belt - for beginner kids. It's a great way to start. After about a week on the magic carpet, they graduated to the bunny slopes. The little guys get pulled up the hill in a cart behind a snowmobile so they don't have to ride chairs.

At age four they started getting into it. Our older daughter rode the tram and skiied down on the last day of the season when she was four. Our younger daughter waited until she was five. Now they both rip.

I'm totally sold on ski school for kids. I don't think ours would have learned any where near as fast from my wife and me, nor would they have had as much fun. We still got to ski with them plenty. Now that they're in school, they ski in a locals program on Saturday and ski with us on Sunday.

Granted, living in a ski town makes it all much easier, but we've only been here full-time for five winters.

[H-man]

I have two boys, 7 & 5.5. Get them out skiing as early as possible. I skied St. Anton with them when they were 3.5 and 5. Skied yesterday in new hampshire with about .5" of new snow. All the way to the mountain my kids were saying "Dad, I'm gonna bag more freshies than you!" "Yah Daddy, I'm gonna poach your freshies!"

I've been lucky to have alot of great skiing in my life, but I will honestly say that the best days are skiing with my boys. It is so much fun to have them get stoked about the thing that is your passion. Plus laser, you are right, they ARE the ticket to even more skiing as they grow up.

[Gregbo]

I went from 40+ days to about 5 for 3 years....
then #1 started going.. when he was 18 we were doing 40+ days... Then #2 - maintaining about 20 a year...ever since

they are really fun the play with.... always enjoyed going down something new with them... stopping to look up and say...

LOOK WHAT YOU JUST CAME DOWN!!...

Enjoy Man.... the Kids are worth every minute you spend with them!!!

[seldon]

I love this thread. All the pictures of little kids are great.

I'm on the other hand of this spectrum. I'm that kid who at 13 surpassed the last parent. I'm now 15, and its getting to the point that I have to find someone else to ski with in order to ski anything that begins to get challenging.

I think this is good news for you parents, but my family never really skied that much until moui. I got on skis for the first time at 3, but then had a 3 year break b/c of a sailing trip to NZ. I got back on skis at 7. I wasn't too fond of skiing (the 1 day skiing, 1 day playing in the snow/making snowmen/snowball fights on a wknd routine) until I was 11. At 12, I went to Alta for the first time with one of my Dad's friends. I had never skied fresh snow before except for flailing in 5' of overnight sierra cement at Bear Valley once before. There was 2' of fresh snow on the ground, and 60" fell over the 5 days we were there. I haven't gotten less than 25 days ever since then, despite ripped muscles due to lacrosse, the fact that my mom maybe skis 10 days a year and is a low-level intermediate, and we live in San Francisco. I wrote it up http://tetongravity.com/forums/showt...ght=alta+april here.

Soon, your kid will be pushing for more skiing. Then, the days just skyrocket. Our family went from skiing ~10 days in a full season to over 25 in just 2 years. Since then, I've broken 30 three times (and on track for this year with 10 days already).

And then, all of a sudden, your kid will be as good as you. And then, maybe they'll be better.

About ski school: I took 3 lessons, ever, until I started skiing with a friend, who ALWAYS skis with 2 private instructors. I've skied with them for two wknds, and it definitely helps, but being self-taught also works.

Words to the parents: Ski school is first and foremost a CONFIDENCE BUILDER. Even though it doesn't actually teach the kid (in this case me) much, it allows them to feel confident in what they already know, which allows them to progress beyond it. So, if your kid is super nervous and crying at the top of the hill, put them in ski school. They won't cry and be afraid when their peers/friends are around.

hope the other perspective helps a lil bit.

[Dr. Crash]

Another pic for seldon below. My wife is not a skier, but I am building a family of skiers, and hope that she will join us when our daughter will start skiing.

In the meantime, the boys are ripping, especially my 6 year old who's very motivated and rips everything from chair 2 at Alpental.

I need to start my daughter too. She's 19 months old, so I'm thinking maybe get her some 70 cm skis that she can use next year too? Or 80 cm?

http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic16453.jpg

drC

[snowsprite]

Punani, may I say that is one real cutie you have there!

My son started skiing when he was four and that's when I started too so it wasn't really an issue. He's about as avid about it as I am, and I never have to push. I think it's because I got him out there so young. The other day the two of us went to a local hill. It was a fun day of mom & son skiing. He's nine now and sometimes pushes my limits about trying new things--it's great and I think it's one of those things that keeps you young.

But as far as the kids impacting your skiing...I don't see why it has to that much. Why not just take turns w/ the spouse regarding skiing and watching the kids. I.e., one of you skis 1/2 day then you switch. You don't have to take separate ski weekends or anything that would mess up spending the family time off-slope.

This "splitting the day" is what hubby and I do when our little guy is sick. Or sometimes I just don't want to do the family skiing thing so he sticks w/ our son and lets me ski then we switch off 1/2 day or he just takes our son and lets me ski freely by myself or w/ other grownups the whole day (what a guy!). This arrangement really works for us...also you can just suck up the cost of daycare and go for it! A happy parent is a good parent I always say.

Sprite

[Aldo]

Dr. Crash, Awesome pic!

Laser, you've got so many good times ahead. You'll forget all about the skiing days you lose in the short run when you realize the potential fun factor of someday sharing your passion with your kids.

My daughter is 4 this year. She started out in the backyard at 2 on the plastic skis. Made her first runs with me at Magic on the handle tow when she was 3. We took our first chairlift ride together at Bromley later that spring. She unfortunately broke her leg that run. I won't go into detail, but she is ready for more. And it is not through my pushing, it's her love of playing in the snow. I wonder where she got it?

I'll be out there soon with my son who just turned 2, and if he is as passionate about the snow as my daughter is, well then it's on the with the plan. The kids dragging me off to the Mtns every chance we get....

Nothing even comes close.