Why do people brag about their 7 year olds skiing blacks.

[Anonymous]

This seems to be a thing in my social circle where the kids and parents are obsessive about skiing black or double black runs out West. My kids are competent skiers, have taken lessons and we ski several weeks a year (own a second home in Jackson) and we mostly do blues. I have 7 year old twins and I think it’s safer for this age. Skiing isn’t something I would push just to be able to say we do that.

[Anonymous]

I often wonder the same thing. We have a place in Breck and get on average 15 days a year. Kids have been skiing since they were 3. However their friends - at age 6 or 7 a starting bragging about skiing black, as did their parents, which I thought was strange. I tell my kids they have to learn the technique, so they were on blues a long time, then easy blacks, etc. Anyway when DD was about 8 we met her friend’s family to ski together. The kid could get down but was totally out of control with terrible technique- there’s getting down and there’s skiing - two different things. A 7 yo can’t “ski” a black after a few spring breaks on a big mountain. If they live out there - sure - they could do it at 4 or 5.

[Anonymous]

It is definitely a thing. I hear it all the time because I live in park city and every visitor wants to take their kids down a black run so they can say that their kid skis blacks. I’m always ready to name a few approachable black runs for these families and I spare them from mentioning that these “blacks” were actually double blues until several years ago.

It’s just another variation of bragging about two things - their child’s prowess and indirectly, their family’s privilege because skiing is an expensive sport and lifestyle.

Of course, skiing a black run skillfully is not what parents mean when they say their kids “ski blacks”. My kids are average park city skiers. They ski everything in all types of conditions and don’t hesitate to boot pack to better terrain. Some of the their friends are truly extraordinary skiers. They will throw a casual backflip off a jump and ski switch as skillfully as I ski forwards. And I never hear their parents brag about their skiing ability. It’s only something I hear from vacation skiers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is definitely a thing. I hear it all the time because I live in park city and every visitor wants to take their kids down a black run so they can say that their kid skis blacks. I’m always ready to name a few approachable black runs for these families and I spare them from mentioning that these “blacks” were actually double blues until several years ago.

It’s just another variation of bragging about two things - their child’s prowess and indirectly, their family’s privilege because skiing is an expensive sport and lifestyle.

Of course, skiing a black run skillfully is not what parents mean when they say their kids “ski blacks”. My kids are average park city skiers. They ski everything in all types of conditions and don’t hesitate to boot pack to better terrain. Some of the their friends are truly extraordinary skiers. They will throw a casual backflip off a jump and ski switch as skillfully as I ski forwards. And I never hear their parents brag about their skiing ability. It’s only something I hear from vacation skiers.

Live in DC now but grew up in Colorado and this is spot on. I have never been more than a mediocre skier (do not have the daredevil gene) but friends I grew up with were excellent skiers, even a couple who skied at the Olympic/world's level. People who grow up skiing and compete at high levels don't talk like this because to them it's a serious sport.

Living in DC now, people are weird about skiing. No one here is genuinely good at skiing -- they can't do it often enough and obviously do not prioritize it because they choose to live somewhere where it's hard to do. This would be like if your high school kid played pick up basketball sometimes with out of shape friends and you bragged about how good they were at it. I hope your kids have fun and enjoy their vacations but they are not serious skiers. Come on.

[Anonymous]

Eh, we live in a ski town, and all the 7 year olds on our kids’ race teams at that age skied blacks and double blacks. They free skied the whole mountain, hiked the peaks, did most of the terrain park, and were on pace to out ski their parents who didn’t have a racing background by 8 or 9. It’s just the reality of growing up in a mountain town. No one bragged because it’s not special.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Eh, we live in a ski town, and all the 7 year olds on our kids’ race teams at that age skied blacks and double blacks. They free skied the whole mountain, hiked the peaks, did most of the terrain park, and were on pace to out ski their parents who didn’t have a racing background by 8 or 9. It’s just the reality of growing up in a mountain town. No one bragged because it’s not special.

DP, but I think that’s the point. Some parents think this is a flex or accomplishment.

[Anonymous]

People in DC will compete on anything. They think they’ve found something that makes their kid better than others so they focus on it.

You can choose to find it obnoxious or choose to think it’s sweet that the parents are proud of something young Larla did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Eh, we live in a ski town, and all the 7 year olds on our kids’ race teams at that age skied blacks and double blacks. They free skied the whole mountain, hiked the peaks, did most of the terrain park, and were on pace to out ski their parents who didn’t have a racing background by 8 or 9. It’s just the reality of growing up in a mountain town. No one bragged because it’s not special.

DP, but I think that’s the point. Some parents think this is a flex or accomplishment.

I know that’s the point. But those of us who have older kids know that 99% of kids regress to a mean. Even the kids who go on to race in college, which is like the top 1% of Americans (look at how stacked Dartmouth, Middleburry and Utah’s rosters are with Europeans), don’t make it to the World Cup; they graduate and get desk jobs.

And kids who grow up in mountain towns are on the snow 60+ days a year between nights and weekends. At 7 in a mountain town, 40 days might be with a team and coach between team free skiing on the weekends, gates on week nights, and mix in a night of freestyle or Nordic to keep it fun and try everything. The other 20 days are with family.

[Anonymous]

Because no one can do anything just for enjoyment anymore. I grew up skiing, and we just . . . skied with our friends, all over the mountain. And then we ate bad food and played video games in the lodge. It wasn't a contest, but it sure was fun.

[Anonymous]

It’s suchhhhhh a probbbblemmmm. Thank goodness you were able to find a way to tell us about your Second Home in Jackson. Your kids are perfect, you are the perfect parent, and all those mean meanies who let their kids do different things are so horrrrrible!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because no one can do anything just for enjoyment anymore. I grew up skiing, and we just . . . skied with our friends, all over the mountain. And then we ate bad food and played video games in the lodge. It wasn't a contest, but it sure was fun.

+1
The lunches of a milky way and a sprite...

But that's another things DC parents can try to brag about too. They are packing their children nutritious almonds...

[Anonymous]

Unpopular opinion

I think a lot of this is just perspective. When parents mention their kids skiing blacks, it’s usually pride in something their child worked up to. But almost any accomplishment can sound like bragging if someone is inclined to hear it that way. After all, someone else could just as easily say that mentioning a second home in Jackson or Breck or kids skiing since age 3 could sound like bragging too - it really depends on the listener.

[Anonymous]

The question is why does it bother you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s suchhhhhh a probbbblemmmm. Thank goodness you were able to find a way to tell us about your Second Home in Jackson. Your kids are perfect, you are the perfect parent, and all those mean meanies who let their kids do different things are so horrrrrible!

Lolz

Why do people always have to mention their 2nd home?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because no one can do anything just for enjoyment anymore. I grew up skiing, and we just . . . skied with our friends, all over the mountain. And then we ate bad food and played video games in the lodge. It wasn't a contest, but it sure was fun.

+1
The lunches of a milky way and a sprite...

But that's another things DC parents can try to brag about too. They are packing their children nutritious almonds...

You have not lived until you've had a soggy lodge burger wrapped in weird foil, kept unpleasantly lukewarm under a red light for more hours than you want to know.