Update from
post #12. We had a good start, but unfortunately no kid backcountry skiing in the next three winters.
Last week we got back on track. We equipped the 6 year old and the 7.5 year old with skins under their XC-skis and took their alpine setups in and on our backpacks.
Adult xc-skins shortened with duct tape for the oldest.
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And leftover scarps from a pair of BD ascension for the youngest. A bit short but it did work and the soft snow didn't cut off the duct tape during the short tour.
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A long uphill (450m) to the summit after having cheated the first 350m with a T-bar.
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The youngest was at times running uphill
Klæbo-style so we were worried he would burn out. But he didn't. When xc-skiing with kick wax they often loose patience in even very short uphills, so this was strange and unusual. Cllimbing skins for the win!
Ready for downhill. Youngest on the cairn.
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Downhill was interesting with the 6 year old. The upper 50 m are around 30 degrees steep. He wanted to slide on his ass. I wasn't too keen on that. I kept him between my legs. He wanted to do it all by himself. So he was having a tantrum. After a while my mood wasn't too good either. Usually I would go to great lengths to avoid going down the same place as people are going up. But this time unavoidable. At one point his skis got tangled up during a turn and I didn't even notice. Not my brightest moment of parenthood. I guess in hindsight we should have walked down both of us. Holding hands or something....
The 7.5 year old managed fine on her own even on the steep section, skiing in the tracks of her mother. And the next 700m of decent was smooth sailing for both of them.
A couple of days later we did another tour just with the oldest, leaving the youngest with his grandparents. He had skied 4 of the last 7 days and needed a break. And for us adults it was very nice with some hours without the constant bickering that goes on between the two of them.
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No T-bar this time and we had to carry the skis up to the snowline.
Going for the summit in a lot of wind.
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We didn't get the summit. But 800m of selfproppelled uphill isn't bad for a kid and we did get to the crest so we could see over to the other side.
Unfortunately the snow conditions sucked bad on the downhill. Fine grained snow that got wet for the first time. Most of it felt like skiing on sandpaper. But my daughter was just stoked on being backcountry skiing.
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The last meters of snow through perfect sheep thinned birch forest. At times it was hard for me to remember I had a pair of XC-skis on my backpack, but no bad hangups
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Proud and happy.
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I think next season will be even better. Lots of AWESOMENESS ahead.
I have a daughter at about the same age as yours. Her first backcountry experience where she skied down on her own was 2 years ago when she was 3.5 years old. Getting them up the hill is a challenge, going down is easier, at least if the snow is good. That time she walked the flat part on XC skis and I carried her on my back with a child carrier on the steeper part. Her alpine setup in the XC-sled together with her little brother towed by their mother.
