Ski Instructors Report 23 January 2012

Today, I had a great day's skiing. The air was cold the sun was shining, the sky was a mgnigicent blue and the snow was cold and very skiable. I skied down to the village on the marrades run. They had made enough snow to open this run during the past week. I have been back in England for a week and today was my first day back skiing in over a week. I am often asked at what age one should bring children skiing. The answer often depends on the child. As a guide line I would point out that the ski school does not accept children less than six years of age. There is a good reason for this. Under this age very few children have the physical strength to ski properly and even fewer have the mental memory to remember the lesson or have the concentration to get value from a three hour lesson. Indeed, my personal opinion is that nine is a better age to teach children skiing. Young children compensate their lack of strength by leaning on the back of their boots for support. When they are old enough to ski properly we have to change this habit, which may be deeply engrained in their minds. I think that parents should also consider the safety aspect of allowing their very young children onto a crowded slope. Collisions do occur. A collision between a five year old and a fourteen stone adult could have very serious consequences. In Arinsal we have an enclosed ski area for four and five year olds. The gentle slope is served by a small rope tow. Any collision in this area will be at a slow speed between two children of fairly equal weight. I am always amazed at the lack of concern for the safety of their children that some parents show. We had two children this week with not crash helmet OR sunglasses. Andorran children under 12, must wear a safety helmet when skiing. The Andorran authorities do not enforce this law on foreigners. Perhaps they think, if the parents are not concerned about safety, why should they? So please look after your children, skiing can be a dangerous sport, if all the rules are not followe.