Tips for Skiing with Children

This is an article I wrote for the CSIA EDGE magazine:

Impey’s Tip’s for Skiing with Kids
By Mark Impey, Red Mountain

Establish Boundaries: Kids are always seeking boundaries. They usually do this from the
start of the training session, they seem to have a pack mentality where they work together
to determine how far they can push their coach (in terms of both skiing safety and respectfulness).
Once they know where the boundaries are, they start having fun and learning.

Develop a routine: If you are skiing with a group for more than one day, a warm up routine
will give the kids something they can rely on. Establish warm up runs and drills.

Kids love competition*: *As long as they win! Avoid setting up competition scenarios
where one kid wins. Instead set up team type challenges that encourage kids to work together.
Count short turns, or jumps down a mogul field individually and then add them up,
which group wins? Relay drills.

Maximum Speed/Minimum Terrain:
Introduce new concepts or drills on easy terrain.
Then add speed
Then take it to more challenging terrain
Blend terrain challenge with speed and drill challenges: Vary your approach through each
training session. A great training session will at some point provide a speed or drill challenge
and at some point provide a terrain (steep) challenge. Avoid focusing on only one of
these. Sessions that are focused solely on conquering terrain will develop defensive skiers.
Sessions that are focused solely on drills will develop robotic skiers.

Know when to hold them: Let’s say the group has made and achievement, such as successfully
skiing a new terrain challenge. Put that success in your pocket; resist the temptation
to do it again, save it for another day. The highlight of the day has been established; don’t
risk losing it by trying to repeat it when they are tired. Even if the second attempt is successful
it will not be memorable in comparison to the original achievement.

Time your challenges: You should be presenting your toughest challenges about 2/3 of the
way through your session. Build up to it, always be aware of the physical and emotional
state of each kid. Present your toughest challenges when the kids are both physically and
emotionally high. If one is up and the other is down, you will not meet with success.
Cool down on easy terrain: Your sessions should finish with flow and confidence. Do
something with the group that you are sure they can do.

Review Accomplishments: Instead of reviewing progress at the very end, review it at the
top of the last easy run. Ask the kids what they have accomplished through the session. If
asking does not work, tell them what they have accomplished. Do these while you still
have a flowing run beneath you.