Kids can have a great time at the snow,but you need to know when to call it quits.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
"Bae Bear is not coming,"my husband declared at the dinner table,the night before we drove our two children to the snow for the first time. The luggage was already piled up at the door,ready for the early morning exit,when our five-year-old daughter told us she would also be bringing her smiling,human-sized teddy bear.
My husband was already panicking about how all this stuff - the gear,the food,the hula hoops - would make it out of our boot and onto the Skitube train up to Perisher,without the addition of a much-loved,giant soft toy.
It was clear though who would win this argument. And so the next morning we set off for the six-hour journey from our home on the NSW south coast,with two children and one giant fluffy bear strapped into the back seat.
For weeks I had been planning this holiday,daunted at the prospect of all the gear I would need for a snow trip with two small children,and how to make it a success. Sitting up late at night in the weeks before our departure,one YouTube clip had made it all look possible - a zen-like mother with long blonde hair and all the latest gear tagged along behind her 18-month-old as he scooted down the slopes like a pro. They all finished the day with hot chocolates and big smiles at the bottom of the mountain."Ski!"the little one declared,and I could just imagine my two-year-old son effusing all that cheruby joy.
"You want them to enjoy it,"zen mother said."Know when to stop. Don't go all day. Have snacks."
Perisher's creche would not be operating because of COVID and my son was too young for ski school,which takes children from age three. That meant it was going to be up to us to teach our toddler how to stay upright,if only so we could enjoy the snow a little bit ourselves.
Bloggers suggested using a hula hoop,to guide your child while encouraging them to take their own weight,and to invest in an Edgie Wedgie - an $18 piece of rubber with two clamps on the end,which you attach to the front of each ski to stop the skis crossing over.
The Skitube ride ended up being the highlight of our journey. My train-obsessed son loved it,as well as the over-snow transport to our hotel at the other end. My daughter could barely sit still as it ploughed up the mountain,she was that excited to see snow.
Our time on the slopes,however,was not quite YouTube-worthy. The few clips I managed to film might perhaps encourage other parents to try skiing with their children,if I were to edit out the unmistakable sound of a two-year-old wailing his way down the mountain.