Last season I realized that it was time to get the kids on skis so that my own family could enjoy the fun of skiing.

I decided to become a ski instructor for the employee benefit of a season pass and cheaper passes for my family and, quite honestly, to compel myself to include skiing in our busy schedules. I decided to try teaching my two oldest girls myself.

Our group included my two oldest girls, seven and five years old, and a friend six. The kids were great students and worked hard. If kids are willing to try and to listen to their instructor, which they usually are, they are able to ski within an hour or two of first putting on their skis. This lesson started with learning a little about the skis themselves, and learning the importance of being in an athletic stance while skiing. We then focused on getting used to our heavy ski boots. After a few boot exercises we moved onto becoming familiar with the slipperiness of the skis and how it feels to have long boards strapped to one’s feet.

Then we learned how to get around on both skis, and eventually worked up to the kids’ first slide down a slight incline. The look of pure joy on a child’s face when she first slides down a hill on a pair of skis is a great sight. The look on the watching parents’ faces is the same. My daughters continue to have the biggest smiles on their faces while they ski, no matter how difficult the terrain is for them.

Safety first and having fun are always emphasized when teaching skiing. So after a few times of walking up the hill and sliding down we moved onto learning how to make J-turns. After they each figured out how to make this turn, I explained how to ride the magic carpet ride. The magic carpet ride is a conveyor belt that brings skiers up an easy run, usually the simplest run on the mountain.

When we got to the top I reemphasized that safe skiing involves making turns and not bombing straight down the hill. We then proceeded to make our way down the hill using J-turns. Three-quarters of the way down the hill I told them to go ahead and ski by themselves the rest of the way to the bottom. They all bombed straight down the hill.

The next few runs we continued to work on safe J-turns. But, it seemed that my words about safe turns fell on deaf ears because once we moved onto some free skiing they all chose to bomb straight down the hill. The kids had a great time going around and around, riding up the magic carpet ride and bombing back down the hill. I chased them around and helped them as best I could, enjoying every moment. It can be a difficult thing for children and adults to figure out how to make turns, but almost everyone can after an hour or two of trying. Eventually I was able to convince the kids that making turns can be fun, too, and by the end of their first day on the mountain they were all beginning to look like safe skiers.

The kids’ skill levels improved greatly with each subsequent visit. By the end of the season they were all skiing on blue squares. Our youngest also skied. She wore a little vest with straps attached, which her dad held onto while she slid on the snow on itty bitty skis while resting between his legs and demanding to “go faster.”

Our schedule, like everyone else’s these days, is hectic, and sends us in separate directions. Skiing brings our family together for the day. Everyone is excited to go to the mountain on Saturday. It takes effort, but once we are there is it worth the work to be outside, together as a family, doing something that we all love to do. And everyone sleeps really well on Saturday night.