Essential rules to make a family ski trip enjoyable

Essential rules to make sure you enjoy a family ski outing

My daughters, like most children, sometimes have to be pushed in the back to get dressed and go skiing, with a smile and without whining! For my snowboarding spouse and the passionate skier that I am, skiing is our time together, the activity that brings us all together.

If I want to make sure that I have a great time with my family on the mountain, the number one rule is preparation. We have to be ready on the morning of our departure, so that we still want to head out, even if it's -20 outside. It is my mission to make our ski trips as enjoyable as possible, so that we can pass on our passion for this sport to our daughters.

Planning the departure

The day before our ski outing, the equipment is already lined up and ready to be transferred from the garage to the car.

Here are the 5 elements that I always put in the car, in this specific order:

• Skis, poles and boots.
• The bag that contains helmets for the whole family. In each helmet, a pair of goggles is delicately wrapped up in a neck warmer to avoid scratches.
• The bag that contains the snow pants, spare ski socks, small spring mittens that can act as liners for mittens, "hot shots" for hands and feet. You can insert them in the bottom of your boots or between the 2 pairs of mittens on very cold days and they work wonders. Tip: Buy a large quantity at the beginning of the season.
• The sled to carry equipment, lunch bag or exhausted kids at the end of a long day.
• Don't forget to bring a bottle of water in the car. This little extra can prevent a few "I'm thirsty" stops.

Dress appropriately and in a certain order

Inevitably, you are going to sweat. In fact, the simple act of putting on your gear is enough to make you hot! The key to staying warm is to opt for polyester. Avoid cotton, fleece or wool directly on the skin. Therefore, polyester breathes and absorbs sweat, and is the best choice for skiers.

Help the children put on their polyester undergarments and ski socks. If it's really cold, you can add fleece pants and shirts underneath the snow suits. With our cold winters, I always add sweat shorts between over my longjohns so that my butt doesn't get too cold on the lifts!

Finally, the last thing the children need to do is to put on their snow pants and they are ready to go.

No boots and no coats in the car to avoid sweating.

Once we pull up in the parking lot, that's when we start getting ready.

What parents should always have in their pockets:

• Health insurance card for identification and in case of an accident.
• Credit card and car key.
• Frostbite cream.
• A lock specially designed for ski racks.

The tradition

One thing I never forget (because I started this tradition and I'm stuck with it forever!) is either preheated hot chocolate in thermoses or a little sweet treat at the end of this beautiful day in the great outdoors, as a reward on the way home, which always delights the kids...and the daddy!