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I can't wait to take him again

We had a momentous occasion in our family last weekend - my oldest went skiing for the first time.   I'm an average skier, but my husband's an expert - pre-kids traveling everywhere from Whistler to Tahoe to the Alps to ski any chance he had.  Having our kids ski has always been something important to him that he wanted to share with them.  We planned on starting the kids when they turned 3 - but last year it wasn't in the cards with a newborn.  This year it was feasible.

So this past Saturday morning, we left the toddler with my mother in law and hopped in the car with our 4 year old and headed north.  We went to a small mountain in the Poconos, PA, called Bear Creek. There isn't much to it but it's a perfect spot for a first time on skis experience.

Prior to the day, we had my son fitted for boots and skis so we could rent locally and avoid the lines and hassle the morning we arrived at the mountain. (I highly recommend this for others considering - it saved us so much time at the resort.) 

So we headed out and had a blast.  I wasn't sure what to expect, and my son was definitely a little reluctant at time.  But we pushed forward at the weaker moments, assuring him that more fun (and hot chocolate in a warm lodge) were to come, and now he's already asking when he can go again. 

Most of the time he skied between my husband's legs but a few times he went on his own holding onto one of our poles.  It never ceases to amaze me how much kids can pick up and how much more quickly they learn something than their adult counterparts.

Our experience was definitely eased too but addition of the Magic Carpet to the whole ski experience.  Growing up, I learned on a good old-fashioned burn-your-hands rope tow, but in lieu of the old rope tow, they now offer the Magic Carpet - which is like the moving sidewalk they have at airports.  Remove your skis, hop on, and you move up the mountain while you're standing and waiting.  For the first half of the day, we rode on one of those.  The second half of the day, we braved the chair lift up to a green for longer runs - which isn't all that long in the Poconos but still fun.  And of course fun in itself to my son ("when do we get to ride the chair again?")

Other random thoughts:   We didn't use a ski leash - I'd be interested to hear feedback from people who have. 

And I was amazed to note the age of some fairly competent skiers and kids on the mountains.  There were 3 year olds barreling down the mountain with more control than many adults. 

It was such an awesome experience to have as a family.  I was misty eyed on more than one occasion watching my little 4-year-old actually ski!  It's truly amazing what your kids can grow to do and achieve.  And the best part of the entire day was the pride he had when it was all over.  He's told just about everyone (including the Fed Ex lady this morning) that he went skiing.  I can't wait to take him again.