New skiers!

Drb007

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 17, 2012
Messages
240
We just got back from our annual "up north" vacation. We rent a nice place on a 98 acre lake with another family every August for a week. We have two girls,vthey have two girls, and everyone gets to bring a friend or two. So we had 14 girls with ages ranging from 12-19. This is our 6th year taking this trip. Every year we spend all day pulling the girls on the tubes. Personally, I hate tubing. Such a fine line between fun and injury. I've tried over the years to get the girls interested in skiing. I've taught a number of them to ski on two, and my daughters slalom. This year, both tubes ended up with big leaks that we just couldn't fix. The kids were devastated. Until I got the skis out.
Everyone did great! All but one girl learned to slalom, one even mastered starting on one ski!
The one that didn't slalom has never skied before and she did get up on two. We got great pictures and video. The girls were beaming they were so proud.
You can't get that kind of satisfaction on a tube.
The girls were all going home to ask their parents for skis!
I had a great week.
The
 

Cusefan78

Cadet
Joined
Aug 24, 2015
Messages
6
That's great I love seeing kids learn to ski. Wakeboarding has really hurt skiing. A lot of kids see the flips and grabs they can do on a board but for me there is nothing like skiing.
 

jkust

Rear Admiral
Joined
Aug 2, 2008
Messages
4,942
Sounds like a good time...did you mean a 980 acre lake? 98 would be pretty little.
 

mandmj

Seaman
Joined
Jul 11, 2006
Messages
60
My 10 year old skied a lot this year as well and is learning to enjoy it. Initially I think he just did it as something new to try. Then little brother had to try too. He's 5 but has skied a couple of times this year as well and loves it. We have to make him stop. Its great family fun.
 

Drb007

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 17, 2012
Messages
240
No, I really meant 98 acres. It is plenty big for what we do. The WI DNR site says it's only 83 acres, but all the residents on the lake tell me it's 98. We are always the only ones making waves during the week we are up there each summer. It is clean, clear, and no weeds. Minimal muck, mostly sand/rock bottom with no low spots. It really is a great ski lake!
 

garbageguy

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
May 8, 2012
Messages
1,531
I know what you mean. Although I did, and still do, pull lots of tubers. my kids ended up skiers, and even in the ski show at our little lake. My son puts me to shame on a slalom, and barefoot. Tubes are too easy and comfortable these days. I'll bet if they tubed the way I started, on an old truck tire inner tube with a line tied to it, got sucked through the middle every so often and ripped themselves up on the air-stem, etc, etc. I'll bet they would ski more.
 

Drb007

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 17, 2012
Messages
240
Lol...yes, good memories. The air stem was to be cafefully avoided!
Now the tubes have cup holders...
 

sickwilly

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Jul 9, 2007
Messages
1,089
We have had success getting a lot of our teenagers up on skis versus tubing this year too. We have had them on wakeboards and kneedboars for several years, but this year got a lot of them skiing.
 

garbageguy

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
May 8, 2012
Messages
1,531
Lol...yes, good memories. The air stem was to be cafefully avoided!
Now the tubes have cup holders...


...and handles. Nothing like getting your hand/arm stuck between the line tied around the tube, and the tube - especially when you should be getting thrown OFF the tube
 

jkust

Rear Admiral
Joined
Aug 2, 2008
Messages
4,942
No, I really meant 98 acres. It is plenty big for what we do. The WI DNR site says it's only 83 acres, but all the residents on the lake tell me it's 98. We are always the only ones making waves during the week we are up there each summer. It is clean, clear, and no weeds. Minimal muck, mostly sand/rock bottom with no low spots. It really is a great ski lake!

I suppose it's good when there isn't any competition. I have a client who went to college on a waterski scholarship and his dad dug a lake for him in their back yard for their Mastercraft. It wasn't 98 acres.
 
Joined
Jul 7, 2015
Messages
6
We're getting our kids on kneeboards, hoping to transition to skis soon. We don't mention wakeboards, and thankfully no-one has expressed an interest!

Great to hear that kids are still learning to ski, and getting the enjoyment & thrills of a slalom ski. We don't see too many kids learning where we ski here in Australia.
 
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