This winter, my family entered the world of downhill ski for the first time. We had a really good experience, so I wanted to write more about it for those of you who also live in Northern Nevada and are wondering about learning to ski and Sky Tavern in particular. For those of you reading along who have also done it, feel free to add on in the comments!
Sky Tavern is a nonprofit learn to ski program. They have their own ski resort, near Mt. Rose. They offer around 8 weekends of skiing each winter (this depends on the snow, since they don't have a snowmaker - some years will be less, this year we are getting 10+ weeks). Each family must have at least one parent come up with the kids (unless your kids are ages 9+ and signed up as a bus kid), and this parent must spend at least 2 hours per day volunteering. What most families do is choose one weekend day and come up every weekend on that day - the morning is required kid's lessons / adult volunteering, the afternoon is optional free ski. You can do both weekend days if you choose (but you have to do lessons / volunteering every day you go up), and there are occasionally extra days of free ski offered.
What's Awesome
- The ethos: All the leaders of the program are so positive and enthusiastic. They love kids, they love skiing, they love this program, and they will likely have won you over to this mindset by the end of things. They want to bring confidence and joy and love of outdoors to kids as much as they want to teach skiing skills, so it's not a high pressure program. It's largely run by volunteers and this can be pretty chaotic at times, but it really does work - most all of the kids on the mountain will make good forward progress in skiing skills from week to week. One thing that's funny is that this program is by far the most Midwestern-minded of anything I've seen out west (which is ironic, since it's skiing) - it's like a barn raising - there is a huge emphasis on everyone helps out, everyone pitches in, it can't get done without everyone doing their part - and this communal aspect is part of the beauty.
- The cost: I will go into this in more detail below, but the cost is a fraction of what it will be at any other ski resort.
- The inclusivity: They say that they want every kid to be able to learn, and they mean it. For my family, I have especially appreciated their amazing adaptive program. They will get your kid the gear and adult support they need, take them through the learning process with the support and pace needed, and be SO positive and encouraging throughout. We've done several adaptive sports programs now, and this is among the best. I'll attach a video of Josh skiing - note that he's going on his own, grinning from ear to ear, and being enthusiastically supported by a couple adults. I love love love this part of the program, in a my-heart-is-exploding kind of way. So much appreciation for the leaders, instructors, and volunteers that make adaptive skiing possible.
- Parents can learn too: This is optional, but if you have any inkling of interest in learning to ski, it will be strongly kindled once you get up on the hill. They offer adult lessons for free in both the morning and afternoon, and they will start at whatever level you're at. They don't offer child care, so if your child isn't at the point where they can free ski or hang out without supervision - which two of my three are not, so I had to rely heavily on friend and family support to make this happen - then you will have to figure out a plan. But when you get up on the mountain, see your kids getting the hang of it, realize you've already done the hard work of getting up there and that lessons are there for the taking, it will make you want to take advantage of the opportunity. I'm grateful to those who helped me make this happen!
- The activity of skiing: It's really fun! It's not as hard as it looks, at least getting good enough to go down the easiest hills. It's a great way to get fresh air and have a fun outdoor activity during the doldrumy winter months. As Zoey says, "it feels like freedom". I wasn't sure that any of us would make progress or enjoy it - as it turns out, all four of us made progress, and all four of us enjoyed it and want to do it again next year. I will go into the hard parts below, but I want to make sure to emphasize that we loved it, and overall the pros far, far outweigh the cons.
What's Hard
- Volunteering: As mentioned above, every adult is required to volunteer for 2 hours per day. There are some inside the lodge type positions, but they really want as many adults as possible helping out with the kids on the snow. Depending on which program your kid signs up in, you might be required to volunteer with that program. I helped with the Sky Kids, which is the 3-5 year olds. In this one, you are assigned to a Pre-K kid who is not yours and you help them learn. The kids themselves were usually quite funny and cute and nothing more difficult than wanting lots of breaks and lots of gummies. But the physical demands of being a crash test dummy and lifting a kid out of the snow 100 times are a lot - I tweaked my back that first week (it gets easier as the kids get better). And to me it felt really strange trying to "teach" when I had literally never been on skis for the first month, like the kids who got me as their helper were getting the short straw on instruction. (There were plenty of others who were helper instructors that didn't know how to ski, and it actually does work since a) there are certified instructors supervising the helpers and b) what the kids really need is time on the snow to practice more than the most experienced and knowledgeable instructor of all time.) So depending on your volunteer assignment, it might be pretty physically demanding and out of your comfort zone - there is an argument to be made that this is good for us, and I actually did grow more comfortable and loved watching the kids make progress and enjoy themselves - but in any case, it's something to know and keep in mind.
- Early times - For many, the weekend is the one time of the week where you can wake up without an alarm and have a relaxed morning. If this is something you really value, this may not be the program for you. Classes start at 9 am - this means that you're waking up at 6 am to get out the door at 7 am to get on the mountain by 8 am (for parking, getting gear on, checking in, etc.) The first few weeks, you're driving up the mountain at sunrise.
- So much gear - There is soooo much gear with skiing, exponentially more than any other kid activity. With every person who's skiing comes: skis, ski boots, ski poles, ski helmets, ski goggles, ski gloves, ski pants, ski socks, snow boots, and layers of warm weather clothes. As the weeks go on, you get a system in place for getting out the door, but it's a lot. (If your kids are younger, or adaptive, or just getting used to the ski boots, I highly highly recommend bringing a collapsible wagon as well, to transport all the gear from your car to the lodge, and getting set up right next to the ski hill.)
The Cost
This breakdown might be a little crass or boring for some, so feel free to skim past this section - but I'm hoping this will be helpful for a few.
Each child is $150 for the season for lessons / access to the lift. If you rent ski gear from Sky Tavern, this is $50 per kid for the season. (Note that $200 for a weekly activity spread over 2-3 months is very comparable to the cost of any other sport, and from what I've heard, about 1/6th the price of the other ski resorts.) (I would definitely rent rather than buy equipment for the kids, since this price is so reasonable and they will change sizes from year to year.) Parents who go up on the mountain also have to buy the $150 pass (which includes lessons and lift for you too, but you have to buy it whether or not you actually ski). Parents can't rent gear from Sky Tavern. If you do a season rental from Bobos, that's $300 for all the stuff. If you buy it used (available at the ski swaps, Craig's List, or Bobo's), you can also expect to pay $200-$400. If you buy skis new, the whole package will be closer to $1,000+.
As far as the other ski specific gear - we got helmets for $40 per person, goggles for $35 per person, ski socks for $30 per person, ski gloves for $10 per person. (If you get these things from the ski shop not during a sale, they will be more, so it pays to plan ahead.) The good things about all of those things is that once you get them once, they should last for several seasons.
Other Closing Thoughts
- Be ready for first couple times to be hard. When all the gear is new, and standing on skis is new, and being out in the snow all day is new - it all just takes some getting used to. The first couple weeks will be more work than fun, but the fun to work ratio gets way better if you stick with it.
- Sky Tavern really wants to make it possible for everyone. I didn't know how it was going to work for our family, with three brand new kids (one with special needs) and a clueless adult - we were the hot mess express that first week - but it worked! If it worked for us, it can work for you!
- We loved it!! If you think you might like it, give it a try!
