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about KID-SKI |
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5. The
Teaching
Aids
Product
Descriptions
Suggested
Ages for
Teaching
Aids |
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The KiD-SKi
teaching aids are described below. After reading these descriptions,
review the KiD-SKi Learning Progression to understand how
they fit into an integrated teaching system -- the only one of
its kind.
Ages
1-3: With
the Kiddie Ski Bar, you parents can now teach your children to
ski only 2-3 months after they learn to walk by giving them lots
of slide-time in their first winter. It gives stability to child
and control to parent. You can push, pull, twist, tilt, lift,
even pick-up and carry your child if s/he starts to lose balance.
A
great place to introduce your toddler (and yourself) to the Kiddie
Ski Bar is on the playroom rug. Make "carpet skiing"
a fun game, so when you hit the slopes, the activity is second
nature for both you and your child. And, carpet skiing counts
toward slide-time.
Ages
1-6: The Kiddie Ski Bar also makes a great towing device for
backyard "ski-sliding." With child in tow, take walks
in your backyard, on snow-covered golf courses, cross-country
trails, frozen lakes, city parks, or wooded trails. On grass,
a child needs only a ½ inch of snow to slide on skis.
For ages
1-3, always use the Kiddie Ski Bar with the Tip Lock (even when
carpet skiing), as well as with the Kiddie Lift. You should
be better than an intermediate skier to ski with a child on
the Kiddie Ski Bar.
Probably
the most important teaching device, the Tip Lock is used to
connect the ski tips together. This prevents the ski tips
from wandering, thereby offering a child more stability and
a more stable platform. Equally important, it helps young
children maintain a wedge position, and the wedge is the easiest
way for a young child to learn to ski. The simple connecting
buckle allows you parents to easily connect or disconnect
the ski tips without even taking off your gloves.
The
Tip Lock is very light weight and low profile. There is no need
to remove the Tip Lock from the skis after each outing. Just
leave it on for the entire winter. Also, the Tip Lock makes
a wonderful carrying device, even after a child graduates off
the Tip Lock. For you multi-kid parents, you can carry 2-3 pairs
of skis in one hand. It's worth the purchase price just as a
carrying device. The Tip Lock attaches to the ski tips by self-adhesive
loop tape. The tape can be removed at anytime without damaging
the skis.
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Ages: 1-5
(one size fits all)
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Designed
for both safety and convenience, the Kiddie
Lift is a shoulder harness with a handle on the back that
allows you to lift your child in a very convenient, comfortable
way. It is a lifting device, not a carrying device.
The
Kiddie Lift is intended for loading kids on to chairlifts
easily and safely, holding them on the lift, unloading them
at the top, picking them up off the snow after falls, and
turning them around to reverse direction. Essentially, you
have full control of your child with one hand (a luxury
you may want to use all day, every day of the year).
Other Uses of
the Kiddie Lift
Besides
skiing, the Kiddie Lift works great for other winter outdoor
activities like snowboarding, ice skating, sledding and roller
blading. The Kiddie Lift is identical to the Kiddie Lift &
Leash (described in Kiddie Toddler Carriers), except
the latter has a short leash attachment to prevent your child
from wandering. It also works well anytime of the year for
ages 1-3 in crowded places like airports, shopping malls and
Disney World. It's great for popping toddlers in and out of
strollers, and out of awkward predicaments.
The
Wedge Lock is a spacer bar that holds a child's ski boots
apart, while the Tip Lock holds the ski tips together, thus
locking a child into the stable wedge position. The bar
connects/disconnects very easily with one click of a buckle
on each of the boot straps. The Wedge Lock allows parents
to use a Ski Leash 1-2 years earlier than otherwise. It
also allows kids to ski independently from a Ski Leash at
an earlier age, since the locked-in wedge position will
help control both their stability and their speed.
In
a balanced wedge, since the skis are already on edge, a
small shift of body weight to either ski, whether intended
or not, will automatically initiate a turn. This allows
a child to pick up quickly the feel for turning skis. A
Wedge Lock must be used with a Tip Lock -- never by itself.
The
Ski Leash should be thought of as a learn-to-turn device,
not a run-away strap. Any child strong enough to balance
on skis and slide down gentle slopes, but not yet able to
turn and control speed in a wedge, is a prime candidate
for the Ski Leash.
To
teach kids to turn with a Ski Leash, you steer them through
turns by steering their hips. When their hips turn, the
child turns. In order to steer, the child must be
in a wedge position. Any child inexperienced enough to need
a Ski Leash is also inexperienced enough to need at least
a Tip Lock, and maybe a Wedge Lock as well. To maintain
speed, ski on a gentle pitch, not very flat beginner
terrain. It's easier to steer a child through turns on intermediate
terrain than beginner terrain.
The
video is highly recommended. It is instructional, demonstrational
and informational. Reviewing the video will definitely help
you short-cut your child's learning experience. It is intended
for parents, not the children.
Contents
of the Video:
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Introduction
by Andy Mill, former member of the U.S. Ski Team |
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What
is KiD-SKi? |
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At
What Age should you Start your Child Skiing? |
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| A. |
Fundamentals
of Beginning Ski Technique.
Body Position
Balance & Edge Pressure
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| B. |
Proper
Use of the KiD-SKi Teaching Aids
How to Use the Teaching Aids
When to Use the Teaching Aids
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| C. |
Ski
Equipment for Kids
Skis (lengths), Boots, Poles
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| D. |
Proper
Clothing -- Dress for Success |
Until
age 18-24 months, a child's feet are usually not big enough
to fit into regular ski boots, so plastic skis are needed
(26"-30"). Plastic skis come with plastic bindings,
and only warm winter boots are required.
Plastic
skis work well for logging lots of slide-time for a child
(Step #1 of the KiD-SKi Learning Progression). However,
when it's time to teach a child to turn (Step #2), regular
skis with edges work better. There are lots of plastic skis
available, but it's difficult to find plastic skis that
look and function like alpine skis. The plastic skis we
offer work very well for Step #1 of the KiD-SKi Learning
Progression, as well as backyard ski-sliding.
Note:
some ski resorts do not allow kids with plastic skis on
lifts. (Hint: a "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy
works well for the U.S. Army and, on this issue, it's usually
equally effective at ski areas.)
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