Sledding and tobogganing is so much fun together, especially these ones, they steer well and have brakes!

In three short weeks we will be together on the Chinese snow fields. We are not a snow family, and, truth be told I am a little nervous about taking my tropical kids to the snow.  I asked good friend and ski mama extraordinaire Sam Lee if she would put together a few tips to help us prepare for our trip.  Here is what she shared with us:

If you are a keen skier, like my husband and I, the arrival of children is not going to be something that signals the end of your snow sports career, rather it is an exciting time when you might even get to relive parts of your youth.  Tobogganing with the kids I have to rate as an all time pleasure that took me by surprise.

For me, taking the family to the snow for a holiday was a tradition established long ago by my parents. The September holidays used to start around the last week of August, the best part of the Australian snow season.  With a bunch of cousins, aunts and uncles, all in a lodge and the children outnumbering the adults, time was spent playing and skiing as much as possible.

One of the main differences between ski holidays before and after kids, has to be the mindset of the adults. We used to refer to these trips as ‘a ski holiday’. They are now referred to as ‘a holiday in the snow’. A critical rebranding if you will, so that expectations are managed properly.  Where we once rose at 6am for first tracks, we now rise for nappies, feeding and dressing, before we can even think about negotiating with each other about who gets to ski in the morning/afternoon.   Don’t get me wrong, realigning ourselves to the idea of ‘a holiday in the snow’ has led to relaxing holidays, full of smiles and laughter, and as a bonus, we even get out for a few runs.

Optimising your chances for a happy snow holiday takes a little planning and a flexible attitude on behalf of the parents. Here are my suggestions:

Clothing

Dress the children as you would yourself, plenty of layers, and be warned, the all in one suit is going to make a comeback into your snow wardrobe, albeit for the children. It is much easier, when tobogganing and playing in the snow to just have one outer shell layer, not the bib’n’brace plus parka. For the same reasons, mittens are preferable than gloves for little ones trying to get little fingers into little finger holes.

Borrow whatever clothing you can, or hire it off the mountain so you can layer up once you arrive. If you have a couple of kids, or are likely to go several times in the one season, it may be worth hitting the second hand sales that often happen during May. These can be excellent value as clothing is seldom worn out before it has been grown out of, and down the track you may be able to sell your clothing on again.

Childcare

Most of the major ski resorts have day care. If your little ones are likely to be happy with that option, by all means take it. As they grow up though, and become more mobile, they are going to want to explore this funny white stuff all around.   Remember not to wear yourself out too much on the slopes so you have to still have energy to deal with the children when you pick them up, and they will be tired too.

Cross country skiing.

Preferably learn before you have kids so that your confidence is not going to be a show stopper, but cross country touring skis, the ones with metal edges, are not so difficult to use and if you are a confident alpine skier, will pick up this other discipline fairly quickly. Then, hire a pulk for your most precious cargo to ride in. A pulk is a sled with arms out the front much like the cart part of a horse and cart. You are the horse. This has been probably our most successful way to ski together as a family yet. Especially as we now have a four year old who, last season (aged three then) attended ski school for the first time. Using the pulk meant that we could put Mr Three-months-old into that and Mr Four could either be towed along by me, or hold onto the back of the pulk and be dragged along by daddy. We pack a couple of thermos with soup and hot chocolate, favorite foods and a water proof picnic blanket for lunch. And plenty of water, cross country skiing is thirsty work!  We don’t make these picnic trips terribly long, just a couple of hours tops, and not in bad weather. While us grown ups can probably cope in miserable weather, we want the kids to love this sport as much as we do and so are a bit more picky about what conditions we will subject them to. Also, they are likely to get quite wet playing in the snow, so spare hats, mittens and socks are generally a good idea. If dragging someone in a pulk, remember they are just sitting there while you do all the work, a small blanket can be very useful, or even minding some of your layers, as you shed them, will help keep them warm and enthusiastic.

Protection

Sun protection is critical, and if you can get them to wear either sunglasses or ski goggles, please do. Kids who are skiing should also be wearing a helmet, when can often be procured for free from the place you are hiring their gear from. Otherwise, they really should have a beanie on, and don’t forget a neck warmer.

Teaching kids to ski

Once they are a bit bigger, ski school is a great way for kids to learn, and teaching them is one of the things on my list of things to really enjoy as a parent. BUT while you may have successfully taught your friends to ski from time to time, friends are not (usually) the emotional beings that small children are. If you want the kids to love this sport as much as you do, you must understand it is going to take time, energy, support and encouragement. Time being the biggest thing, and it has to come in small spurts. Mixing up a bit of playing in the snow, building snow men, igloos and snow caves has as much value or more, than time spent on skis, when it comes to enjoying your holiday in the snow. Then after about an hour or so, go inside, chances are they will need a sleep, or some quiet time and if you are not all napping together, then this sleepy time is your opportunity to read the newspaper (remember that?) this is, after all, a holiday in the snow.

Tobogganing

If you go tobogganing, make sure you do it together, never just push your child down the hill, they have no idea how gravity works yet, so cannot be expected to turn or stop a runaway sled as it gathers speed. Tragedies have happened, and besides, here is the excuse you have been looking for to ride that sled after so long.

Getting out and about.

Not skiing? Don’t bother taking the stroller, I have found it to be unwieldy, annoying and more trouble than it was worth. Instead, grab your sling/baby carrier for small babies, and wear a larger parka to wrap around the two of you, (you will be surprised how warm and comfy this is for both of you). As they get bigger, a baby hiker back pack will do the trick for getting about in the snow. If your little one is keen on walking, remind them to walk in your foot prints, or at least foot prints already in the snow, it is so much easier.

Our bike trailer coverts to a pulk. As a catch-all, we just call it the dragon wagon

The first pulk we used, made by one of the lodge members who is also a patroller. Bubba is resting on a couple of pillows and is using a down vest as a blanky

Toasty warm during the evening fireworks display

You may also be interested one of Bubs on the Move’s travel health articles “Keeping your child safe in the cold.”

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