Taking the stress out of your ski trip

Don’t get nervous if your kids start begging for air as soon as you hit the slopes.

They’re not short of breath. They just want to jump as high off the snow as possible on a snowboard or on skis, getting in as many twists and spins as possible before landing - hopefully upright. Then they do it again ... and again, honing their tricks everywhere on the mountain and in terrain parks designed with these young acrobats in mind.

Even kids whose parents haven't hit the slopes in years (or ever) are lobbying for a mountain getaway this ski season. In the process, they're helping to revitalize skiing, giving the sport a new and hip image.

That's good news for snow-loving parents who want their young teens to light up, not groan, at the mention of a family vacation. "It's more like a cultural movement - the freestyle attitude of surfing, skateboarding, and snowboarding all together," says Hal Thomson of the ski equipment manufacturer Salomon (www.salomonsports.com).

Ski resorts like Stowe are adding ever more terrain parks to accommodate growing interest. These areas are now so popular that National Ski Areas Association has even developed a new website, www.freestyleterrain.org to help educate skiers and boarders about their safe use.

The fact that their parents have no interest in spending all day at a mountain's terrain parks only adds to the appeal for kids. But you want to make sure your tweens and teens are safe out there:

• Encourage your kids to enroll in a class or workshop to “learn tricks” from the hippest pros on the mountain with other kids their age.

• Insist they ski with a buddy or a sibling if they’re on their own. Make sure they’ve got a cell phone or walkie-talkie so that they can reach you and money for hot chocolate.

• Sunscreen, helmets and goggles are just as important whether they’re four or 14.

• Remind them that the people ahead of them have the right of way and they should always look uphill and yield when starting downhill. Remind them to keep off of closed trails and those runs that are beyond their ability.!

• Rendezvous for lunch at a set time and place.

• Force the kids to ski with you—at least a couple of runs.

Copyright Eileen Ogintz 2005 For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com