Maia just finished an 8 week ski school program called Snowburners, and guess what...she can ski...really well! This was quite possibly the best money spent on any activity yet. She went every Thursday for 3 hours for the past 8 weeks. 3 hours was just enough time to keep her attention and wear her out without pushing her into the meltdown zone.
And she LOVED it! I had to drag her off the slopes each week. She took to skiing like a duck to water (or however that saying goes). The first couple of weeks I sent her off with her instructor, Coach Tim, and the rest of her class with a prayer for no broken bones or crushed spirits. After a few weeks, I found her class on the mountain and rode just far enough behind that I could watch but not be seen. At one point she skied too close to the edge of the run, fell, and got stuck in some powder. She called for Coach Tim, he got her out, brushed her off, put her gloves back on, and off they went. Any parent knows, if that had been me skiing with her, she would have had crying fit about snow in her clothes and how something was hurt, but not with Coach Tim.
Week after week, these little kids just got better and better! It was crazy to watch them get on the BIG lifts and navigate BLUE runs with all the other skiers. They even rode the half pipe some weeks. These kids had total trust in Coach Tim and followed him wherever like little ducks (another duck reference...). After a few weeks, Maia was telling me about the runs she rode by name, like she had been skiing Purgatory forever. I put a dollar in her pocket each week and she even bought her own hot chocolate at the warming hut (The Powder House is what is called apparently, she reminded me...), like a pro!
Seriously, this kid was made for a pair for skies. And that was the biggest shocker of all. I really did not think this activity would go well with her aversion to cold and her dramatic attitude, but she's a natural. After her last lesson, she and I decided to ride together for a while. I told her that I would follow her and she lead the way. She stopped to make sure I was behind her occasionally and bombed down mountain. I had 4 people comment on how awesome she was! As a guy who played a lot of sports growing up, having 2 girls, and hearing the constant question "Aren't you going to try for a son?", I couldn't be more stoked to share this sport with my daughter!
And she LOVED it! I had to drag her off the slopes each week. She took to skiing like a duck to water (or however that saying goes). The first couple of weeks I sent her off with her instructor, Coach Tim, and the rest of her class with a prayer for no broken bones or crushed spirits. After a few weeks, I found her class on the mountain and rode just far enough behind that I could watch but not be seen. At one point she skied too close to the edge of the run, fell, and got stuck in some powder. She called for Coach Tim, he got her out, brushed her off, put her gloves back on, and off they went. Any parent knows, if that had been me skiing with her, she would have had crying fit about snow in her clothes and how something was hurt, but not with Coach Tim.
Week after week, these little kids just got better and better! It was crazy to watch them get on the BIG lifts and navigate BLUE runs with all the other skiers. They even rode the half pipe some weeks. These kids had total trust in Coach Tim and followed him wherever like little ducks (another duck reference...). After a few weeks, Maia was telling me about the runs she rode by name, like she had been skiing Purgatory forever. I put a dollar in her pocket each week and she even bought her own hot chocolate at the warming hut (The Powder House is what is called apparently, she reminded me...), like a pro!
Seriously, this kid was made for a pair for skies. And that was the biggest shocker of all. I really did not think this activity would go well with her aversion to cold and her dramatic attitude, but she's a natural. After her last lesson, she and I decided to ride together for a while. I told her that I would follow her and she lead the way. She stopped to make sure I was behind her occasionally and bombed down mountain. I had 4 people comment on how awesome she was! As a guy who played a lot of sports growing up, having 2 girls, and hearing the constant question "Aren't you going to try for a son?", I couldn't be more stoked to share this sport with my daughter!
(Maia is in the pink helmet)
Hasta...
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