I’ve been snowboarding for 20 years or so and have always gone away with the lads. I thought I’d done some pretty cool stuff – waist deep backcountry powder, nudged 70mph at times and always wanted to go bigger and faster and more off piste every year… until now!

I’m currently away at a tiny Austrian resort with my eldest two (11 and 9) and can honestly say, that watching them ski is the best thing ever!

They had an hour at hemel last Friday and have had a private instructor from 9-1 for 3 mornings this trip, and seeing them progress from falling over trying to stand up, to riding down an icy red this afternoon without and fear, is just incredible!

Interestingly, my 9 year old son seems to be leading the way from his 11 year old sister, whom I expected to be the most confident. She’s all about the perfect technique and wanting to get as many turns in as possible, while he just wants to go as fast as he can while looking for little tracks at the edge of the piste!

I skied for 10 years before I boarded so had planned to hire some skis this week as I thought I’d hate boarding slowly with them in the afternoons, but I just love riding at their pace, face aching from grinning and laughing out loud everytime they do something cool!

It’ll never be the same again…

Sometimes the lack of a LIKE button is very annoying.

nealglover – Member
Sometimes the lack of a LIKE button is very annoying.

This!

+2

It’s great hey. My lad got better than me on a board and bike last year. Now he’s teaching me stuff.
Where abouts in Austria are you?

Liked

Nice. If I may say so your daughter has the classic “ladies” approach to skiing. Fabulous technique, rarely crashes. Boys will be boys, too fast all a bit ragged and BOSH !

Sadly my three never really got the bug. Eldest loved the apres ski (good for me !) middle one skied beautifully but hated the “financial excess” of it all and the youngest was happy with one run and a hot chocolate. All that being said my favourite holiday was when we rented an apartment for 3 weeks, week before Christmas to New Year. Something for everyone.

Awesome. Yep, your daughter skis like me 😆

Brill! Planning something very similar in a couple of weeks weather pending. Kids have done 10 hours at Manchester. Where are you skiing OP? Currently planning Seefeld depending on temps/snow.

Gladly to hear I’m not the only one!

I’m staying here – it’s perfect for families and we’re the only English here which I like. It’s run by the friend of a friend (who’s English) hence me hearing about it.

http://www.birgkarhaus.at

Great family rooms for €200 per night half board for all of us. They picked us up from Salzburg (45 mins) and ferry us around for no extra charge.

It’s a 2 minute drive from Dienten and Muhlbach in the Hochkonig ski area.

8 hours on the slopes yesterday less a lunch break and the same planned today…. they’re certainly sleeping well!

Amazing isn’t it?

My 6yo had her first lessons in Italy when she was just two.
This year she was happily using chairlifts and cruising down blues and easy reds with us. 😀

Meanwhile her 3yo sister was getting her first taste of it, having a ball on the magic carpet.

I didn’t even start till my early 20s and that was just the odd day in Scotland – so I expect I’ll get utterly destroyed by these two within the next ten years.
It’ll be great fun though!

It’s a 2 minute drive from Dienten and Muhlbach in the Hochkonig ski area.

Just up the road from my place.
How do you like Kings Park?

colp – Member
It’s a 2 minute drive from Dienten and Muhlbach in the Hochkonig ski area.
Just up the road from my place.
How do you like Kings Park?

Lucky man! Kings Park is great. I reckon my son might be up for a run through the smaller stuff there tomorrow morning.

What’s the biking like in summer? Are the lifts open?

The Hochkoenig lifts run on a rota in Summer, so on any day at least 2 are running. The Dorfjet in Maria Alm runs every day. At the moment they can only take bikes on a couple of lifts but they only really clicked on to mountain biking about 3 years ago. They built a flow trail in Maria Alm 2 years ago, and another is going in this Summer.
We get season passes for Leogang/Saalbach/Hinterglemm as Leogang is only 15 mins up the road from us in MA, but a family summer pass for Hochkoenig is really cheap so we get that too and play on the flow trail, do some fireroad XC on Aberg etc.
If you do a Summer holiday there, most accommodation providers will give you a card with free goes on the lifts, free access to the open air pools etc.

Sounds promising… ended up in MA this morning – god it was slushy!

Last day tomorrow – we’ve had an amazing time and think I’ll book now for next year and bring the wife and 5 year old along too..

I’ll just leave this here

Apartment Amadé

My two oldest always complain I’m too slow for them these days. 🙁

My daughter started on skis at 3 and has been lucky enough to go a couple of weeks each season since. Sitting on a chair with my wife and daughter in the alps is one of my most favourite things whatever the snow is like.

The few years of cruising with her was so worth it (&totally amazing to watch her having so much fun) she’s ripping down blacks now and getS as excited as we do when it snows. Me holding her back is not that far off!

A little bit like this 😉

[video]http://vimeo.com/album/4485673/video/209305891[/video]

And this

[video]http://vimeo.com/album/4485673/video/209205846[/video]

First time in the mountains for either of them after some lessons in Manchester back in November. Result! Our lad definitely fits the manic-straight-line-snowplough described above.

while he just wants to go as fast as he can while looking for little tracks at the edge of the piste!

Mine where exactly the same the first couple of trips. My lad just pointed his skis downhill and crouched, barely a single turn! My daughter would stylishly cruise down making perfect swooping turns.

Fast forward 12 years and our next family trip is next week 🙂

My 10 year has developed the habit of nonchalantly cruising along beside me chatting away like he’s sat on a sofa while I’m riding flat out – I’m not good to be fair, but it’s disconcerting.

i know the feeling, my 7yr old (just turned) was flying this year! honestly reckon the two of us could get a little weekend trip in next season! she leaves her mother for pow! we also had the 3yr on planks for the first time, she can be a right mard and i didnt think she’d take to it but she was loving it! was definitely the highlight watching them two!