Schuss Or Shush! Some Advice On Skiing With Kids

We lined up on the ski hill, 15 shivering little kids waiting for our moment in the slush.

It always seemed to be snowing wetly during those decades-ago ski lessons. Our harried teacher spent much of his time lacing our boots. The rope tow almost yanked off our arms.

Over at the wooden outhouse, there was a 10-minute lineup of squirming children. And some little patches of yellow snow out back from the desperate kids who couldn't wait. . . .

Children learning to ski have it a lot better these days.

Ski equipment and clothing are user-friendly. Instructors are specially trained to teach children. Many resorts offer daycare and "kids only" ski and snow-play areas.

At powerhouse ski resorts such as Vail/Beaver Creek in Colorado, kids have their own cafeteria, mini-lifts and a ski adventure park (with ski-through tunnels and mock forts). Not to mention plenty of indoor restrooms.

Most of all, parents and instructors have recognized that children learn best when skiing is fun.

"Keeping it fun is absolutely the biggest thing. Don't push it too hard," said Steve Olwin of Seattle, who coaches young racers and is active in children's issues through the Professional Ski Instructors of America.

Families are an increasingly big market for ski resorts, since today's pint-size skier is the customer base of tomorrow. To lure families, young children can ski free at many resorts; at Oregon's Mount Bachelor and Idaho's Schweitzer, for instance, there's no charge for kids 6 and under.

If you're considering a family ski vacation, here are some suggestions on how to keep the kids - and parents - happy.

Just remember, before too long your children likely will ski far better than you do. Youth, fearlessness and a low center of gravity are on their side.

Where to go

Ski vacations are not cheap. Combine air fare for a family with lift tickets and lodging, and a ski vacation can become extortionate.

So aim for a resort to which you can drive. Idaho's Sun Valley, Oregon's Mount Bachelor and British Columbia's Whistler/Blackcomb are all a day's drive from Seattle and have world-class skiing. It's also a lot easier to carry a family's ski gear by car than lug it on a plane.

There are smaller resorts around the Northwest that can be even easier on a family's budget, including Schweitzer in Idaho, Silver Star in British Columbia, or Mission Ridge or Crystal in Washington.

Lift tickets and accommodations often are cheaper at the smaller resorts, and it can be easier to get a room or condo right by the lifts. It's also easier to keep track of teenagers at a smaller resort, who may be skiing on their own or roaming the ski village.

Where to stay

Accommodations by the lifts are the most convenient: no loading the kids and the gear into the car each day.

But grill the hotel reservations agent or your travel agent about how close to the ski lifts the accommodations really are. Sometimes the definition of "ski-in, ski-out" or "by the lifts" gets stretched. And a quarter-mile walk to the lift can be awfully far with little kids in big ski boots.

A condo with a kitchen is usually the best bet for families. It's cheaper to do some cooking, and easier on the kids than restaurants for every meal.

Daycare

Children's programs are booming at North American ski resorts, from daycare for infants, snow-play areas for pre-schoolers, and classes and racing clinics for older kids.

At Northwest ski areas, some daycare centers accept infants just a few weeks old. Others require children to be a minimum of 2 years old and toilet-trained. Expect to pay about $30 and up for daily care.

Most ski-area daycares accept children through ages 5 or 6, or older if need be.

"We've had everyone from babies a couple weeks old to grandmothers," said Lisa Jones of Montana's Big Mountain.

If you're planning a ski trip around Christmas or other holidays, book daycare as soon as possible. While many ski-area daycares accept drop-ins, they can fill up at peak periods. Reservations for infants often are required throughout the season.

For a rundown on daycare offered by some Northwest ski areas, see the adjacent chart.

Take note that at the Whistler Blackcomb resort in British Columbia there's no daycare center for infants. But there are extensive ski programs for children, including Whistler's "Wee Scamps" program for ages 2-4. It includes one to three hours of ski/snowplay plus indoor activities (crafts, stories, rest period). Blackcomb offers a similar "Wee Wizards" child care/snow play program for 2- and 3-year-olds (and also can accommodate a few children as young as 18 months).

For families with infants, Whistler hotels can provide their guests with lists of babysitters.

For families that don't want group daycare, the usual solution is for parents to trade off childcare and skiing. Organizing a ski vacation with another family lets parents spread out the childcare; for single parents it's a good way to cut costs and share the care.

Another option is to hire a regular babysitter or college student to come along.

Ski school

If your child is a first-time skier, introduce her or him to skiing with some short lessons before heading off on a ski vacation. Start very slowly, with even just an hour's familiarization the first time.

Local ski areas such as Snoqualmie and Stevens Pass offer plenty of lessons to choose among. Like many ski areas, they run their own ski schools. Other ski schools offer lessons there, too, operating as concessions. (About 40 ski schools operate at Snoqualmie and about 15 at Stevens.)

Phone the ski area to get information on ski lessons: see the adjacent chart for a sample of what some Northwest areas offer. Ask friends for recommendations, and ask the ski school about instructors' experience and training.

Many ski schools have a maximum teacher-student ratio of one-to-eight for children's classes; for the youngest children it's often 1 teacher to every four or six students. A big ski-school program like Blackcomb's can handle 350 kids, from pre-schoolers through teens.

Parents could teach their children to ski, but it's generally better to start off with a professional teacher. Ski instructors know how to motivate kids, and learning with other children is often more fun. Besides, why risk shifting family power struggles onto the slopes?

However, one way for a family to ski together is to opt for a private, small-group lesson. That works best if all the family is of a similar skiing ability.

And don't pass up snowboard lessons: while not a lot of parents snowboard, it's a passion for many teens. Many ski areas now offer snowboard instruction, and Mount Baker is one of the country's snowboard meccas.

The right age

In Austria and Switzerland, where ski areas are practically in the back yard, 3-year-olds go bombing down the slopes and ride the chairs.

However, most children aren't ready for skiing, physically or socially, until they're age 4. Age 5 or older may be better: it depends on the child's interest in skiing and adaptability to strangers.

Just don't push it. Skiing is supposed to be fun for all the family.

---------------------- DAY CARE ON THE SLOPES ----------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------- Resort Age range Toilet- Number .

training of .

required? Children .

. Big Mountain From No 40 . 1400 Barkley Lane infants . Whitefish, MT 59937 up . (800) 858-4157 .

. Crystal Mountain 2-4 years No 15 . 1 Crystal Mountain Blvd. . Crystal Mountain, WA 98022 . (206) 663-2265 .

. Mission Ridge 3 months No 25 . PO. Box 1668 - . Wenatchee, WA 98807 6 years . (509) 663-7631 .

. Mount Bachelor 6 weeks No More than . PO. Box 1031 - 100 at two . Bend, OR 97709 12 years centers . (800) 829-2442 .

. Mount Baker 2 years Yes 30 . 1017 Iowa St. and up . Bellingham, WA 98226 . (206) 734-6771 .

. Schweitzer Mountain 16 weeks No 75 . PO. Box 815 - . Sandpoint, ID 83864 11 years . (800) 831-8810 .

. Snoqualmie Pass 1-8 No 25 . PO. Box 126 years . Snoqualmie Pass, WA 98068 . (206) 434-7669 .

. Stevens Pass 2.5- Yes 17 . PO. Box 98 7 years . Skykomish, WA 98288 . (206) 973-2441 .

. Sun Valley Co. 6 months No 34 . Sun Valley, ID 83353 - . (208) 622-2288 5 years . -----------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------- Resort Hours Fee Fee per Lunch .

day per day or or .

care hour part snacks .

is day included.

avail- .

able .

. Big Mountain 9am-5pm $6; $35/day Snacks . 1400 Barkley Lane daily $7 Infants: . Whitefish, MT 59937 plus for $48/day . (800) 858-4157 5-10pm in- $25/half- .

Wed., fants day .

Thurs., .

Sat. .

during .

night .

skiing .

. Crystal Mountain 8am-5pm - $35-$39/ Snacks . 1 Crystal Mountain Blvd. day . Crystal Mountain, WA $25-$27/ . 98022 half-day . (206) 663-2265 (Higher .

prices for .

children .

in diapers .

. Mission Ridge Weekdays: $7 $28/day Yes, for. P.O. Box 1668 8:30am- $18/ half-day. Wenatchee, WA 98807 4:30pm half-day and . (509) 663-7631 Weekends, full-day.

holidays: .

8am-4:30pm .

. Mount Bachelor Weekdays: $7.50 $31/day Snacks . PO. Box 1031 8:30am- . Bend, OR 97709 4:30pm . (800) 829-2442 Weekends, .

holidays: .

7:30am- .

4:30pm .

. Mount Baker 9am- - $23/day No . 1017 Iowa St. 3:30pm $12.50/ . Bellingham, WA 98226 half-day . (206) 734-6771 .

. Schweitzer Mountain 8am-5pm $5 $27-$35/ No . PO. Box 815 day . Sandpoint, ID 83864 $19-$23/ . (800) 831-8810 half-day .

(Higher .

prices for .

children .

in diapers) .

. Snoqualmie Pass Weekdays: In In No . PO. Box 126 9am-6pm diapers: diapers: . Snoqualmie Pass, WA Weekends: $4 $30/day . 98068 8:30am- Others: Others: . (206) 434-7669 6pm $3.50 $25/day .

. Stevens Pass 8am-8pm - $25/day Snacks . PO. Box 98 $15/half- . Skykomish, WA 98288 day . (206) 973-2441 .

. Sun Valley Co. 8:30am- $10 $42-$60/ Yes, . Sun Valley, ID 83353 5pm for day for . (208) 622-2288 in- $22-$32/ full-day.

fants half-day .

(Higher .

prices .

are for .

infants) -----------------------------------------------------------------

Seattle Times

--------------------------------------------- SKI LESSONS FOR CHILDREN AT NORTHWEST RESORTS ---------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------- Resort Minimum Maximum Lesson .

age teacher- fees .

student .

ratio Group .

. Big Mountain 3 years $19/half day . PO. Box 1400 (private) 1-8 $36/day . Whitefish, MT 59937 4 years . (406) 862-2906 (group) .

. Crystal Mountain 3 years 1-8 $30-$36/2 hrs. 1 Crystal Mountain Blvd. $49/day . Crystal Mountain, WA 98022 . (206) 663-2265, x 360 .

. Mission Ridge 3 years 1-8 $25/2 hours . PO. Box 1668 (private) $28-$38/ . Wenatchee, WA 98807 4 years half-day . (509) 663-7631 (group) $47-$57/day .

. Mount Bachelor 4 years 1-10 $32-$52/ . PO. Box 1031 (3-year- half-day . Bend, OR 97709 olds OK $45-$60/day . (800) 829-2442 for snow .

familiarity) .

. Mount Baker 3 years 1-5 $15-$30/ . 1017 Iowa St. (private) 1.5 hours . Bellingham, WA 98226 4 years . (206) 734-6771 (group) .

. Mount Hood Meadows 4 years 1-8 $45-$51/ . PO. Box 470 2 hours . Mount Hood, OR 97041 $65 day . (503) 337-2222, x 288 .

. Schweitzer Mountain 3.5 1-8 $35-$45/day . PO. Box 815 years . Sandpoint, ID 83864 . (800) 831-8810 .

. Snoqualmie Pass 4 years 1-6 $19/1.5 hours. PO. Box 211 . Snoqualmie Pass, WA 98068 . (206) 434-7669 .

. Stevens Pass 3 years Varies Varies . PO. Box 98 depending depending . Skykomish, WA 98288 on school on school . (206) 973-2441 .

. Sun Valley Co. 3 years 1-10 $35/2 hours . Sun Valley, ID 83353 $58/4 hours . (208) 622-2248 .

. Whistler Mountain 2 years 1-8 Cdn. $30-$41/. PO. Box 67 half-day . Whistler, B.C. VON 1BO Cdn. $39-$48/. (604) 932-3434 day .

. Blackcomb 2 years 1-8 Cdn. $28-$36/. 4545 Blackcomb Way half-day . Whistler, B.C. VON lB4 Cdn. $37.50- . (604) 932-3141 $50/day . -----------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------- Resort Lesson Lift Separate .

fees tickets/ teaching .

equipment hill or play .

Private included? area for .

children? .

. Big Mountain $21/half- Depends Yes . PO. Box 1400 hour on . Whitefish, MT 59937 lesson . (406) 862-2906 .

. Crystal Mountain $39/hour Lifts Yes . 1 Crystal Mountain Blvd. included . Crystal Mountain, WA 98022 . (206) 663-2265, x 360 .

. Mission Ridge $45/hour With half- Yes . PO. Box 1668 $55/2 hrs day and . Wenatchee, WA 98807 $85/3 hrs all-day . (509) 663-7631 packages .

. Mount Bachelor $40/hour Depends Yes . PO. Box 1031 on . Bend, OR 97709 lesson . (800) 829-2442 .

. Mount Baker $45-$50/ Depends Yes . 1017 Iowa St. 1.5 hrs on . Bellingham, WA 98226 lesson . (206) 734-6771 .

. Mount Hood Meadows $40/hour Yes Yes . PO. Box 470 . Mount Hood, OR 97041 . (503) 337-2222, x 288 .

. Schweitzer Mountain $50/hour Lifts Yes . PO. Box 815 depend on . Sandpoint, ID 83864 lesson . (800) 831-8810 .

. Snoqualmie Pass $35/hour No No . PO. Box 211 . Snoqualmie Pass, WA 98068 . (206) 434-7669 .

. Stevens Pass Varies No No . PO. Box 98 depending . Skykomish, WA 98288 on . (206) 973-2441 school .

. Sun Valley Co. $68/hour No Yes . Sun Valley, ID 83353 . (208) 622-2248 .

. Whistler Mountain Cdn. Depends Yes . PO. Box 67 $68/hour on . Whistler, B.C. VON 1BO lesson . (604) 932-3434 .

. Blackcomb Cdn. No Yes . 4545 Blackcomb Way $70/hour . Whistler, B.C. VON lB4 . (604) 932-3141 . -----------------------------------------------------------------