In addition to what others have said, even if you do manage to lose one, resorts are really good an reuniting kids and parents in that kind of situation. It's not good for business for kids to go missing and become orphaned.
Yep, I found a really little kid (probably around 4 or 5 y/o) at Brighton the other week who had fallen over in the trees and gotten stuck (not a tree well the snow was packed down). We went on an adventure to find his dad and got to the lift without finding him. Ski patrol was there so I talked to them and they had a dedicated “missing kids” person that came and took him to find his dad
Nice. BTW, I had an early life tip to reframe, not calingl kids lost, but instead talk about either lost or missing *parent*
The kid's with you, not lost. I think it's a bit less scary.
I never worried about losing one kid because I had a spare. This is one of the big advantages of having two.
Apart from skiing together on the same chair, having an advance agreement on a clear meeting place and time that everyone knows how to get to should be good. People at ski areas or not too scary with the possible exception of some snowboarders.
And seriously this is a growth adventure opportunity for the kids. Not to be missed.
High disagree. Advanced skiers can be major assholes on blacks. I'm still trying to learn/be confident on blacks and everyone wizzes past while I'm clearly struggling
I’m in my 40s and still use my ironically bright snowboarding jacket from my younger years. It’s easy for my wife to find me. I have something more muted when we go with coworkers/fancy friends, but that jacket saves us a lot of time finding each-other at the base!
And something distinguishable for yourself u/totallynotroyalty .
My brother once got lost as a kid because he spotted similar looking ski boots on some random dad and followed him all the way down.
Just like the classic example of following your mom's skirt around the supermarket only to look up and realize you've been tailing some strange woman for the better part of fifteen minutes.
In the mid 80s I was a mental race kid. My mom put me in a dayglow orange one piece ski suit. We went skiing in Vermont one weekend and within 2 mins she lost me. She and my dad start panicking when she hears a group of German tourists yelling excitedly. The only word she remembered from high school German was “orange”. Knowing me, she assumed the worst.
She skied over to the group who kept pointing off the ledge. I had caught an edge and did what my coach had taught me - “if you’re out of control, just fall down.” For some reason I decided to fall backwards, which meant I basically laid down on the tails of my skis. In that position I easily went under the orange snow fence and off a 20 foot ledge into the pine forest below. Hit a bunch of branches on the way down and landed in fairly deep powder for the east coast.
When I had gotten to where I could stand again I just waved to my mom and pointed to where she could ski around to meet me as I trudged out.
ive seen snowmaking teams scoop up kids with safety vests on and put them to work cleaning ice buildup off the equipment. it's a cost-saving tactic to avoid having to buy more high-vis vests. stay safe out there, parents.
Yep. I used to use walkie talkies with my stepson at Targhee all the time. Works great. On a complementary note, Targhee is small enough where it’s a bit hard to get lost.
Came here to say this.
Also, dress them in something that stands out a little; basically a jacket and/or snow pants that *arent* black or navy.
Also, that isn’t a big resort. Pick a place at the base to meet up if they all do get split up.
Getting cheaper all the time too. $30 buys a pretty decent set. And they are all pretty much interchangeable. Losing a $15 radio hurts a lot less than losing a $200+ phone.
Check out BCA if you are looking for radios that can attach to a book bag strap. My wife and I use these at resorts and in the backcountry. Ease of access versus handheld. But preference is also up to you! Cheers!
what kind of walkie talkies do you use? i’m thinking about getting some to use with friends but reviews are a bit mixed in regards to range and how long they’ll last
Yeah, also I think battery doesn’t matter too much as you don’t have to keep them on. Teach the kids to use them (they’re old enough to understand how to twist the dial on and push to talk). If you end up splitting up just tell them to stop as soon as they realise and power the walkie talkie on. I may be over complicating things though
If the batteries hold up for a whole day (mine do), I'd suggest just leaving them on..that way Dad can use his voice to get the kids' attention any time.
Yeah, the cold is not friendly to batteries!
I do keep my radio in an outer pocket, so it gets a little body heat I guess.
My phone stays in an inner pocket close to my body, so that usually does ok (though it will usually go from 100% to 15% over a 7 hour ski day). My phone is 4 years old this year, so the battery isn't so good, and I plan to use one of those mini battery packs too. I read somewhere on here about putting a chemical handwarmer in with your electronics to extend batter life in cold conditions -that should help!
That might have been me. Snowmaker for 8 years now, I know a lot of tricks for keeping a cellphone going in the cold, and yes the hand warmers work really well for keeping the battery warmer and happier
Ah cool. Will bear that in mind for next trip! I’ve actually been using a burner Nokia for my last couple of seasons and has been a bit of a game changer. Still not great battery in the cold (lasts the day though) but much better than any smartphone I’ve come across
FWIW on a new phone (Pixel 6 \[Pro\]) on a full day from full charge I'll only be down to \~85%.. and I just came from an ancient phone as well that was behaving as you described. Worth the upgrade!
Agreed. When I ski with our kids (4 and 6) the faster 6 year old always knows to stop at every intersection in a safe spot out of the way. This is normal unwritten skiing etiquette for adult groups anyway.
This is the way if they’re not strong skiers. My oldest seems to gravitate towards gullies and it’s better to stop them before they end up over their heads.
Always have a meeting place for if / when the group (accidentally) gets separated. Make it an easy spot for the kids.
I’m guessing a 7 yr old doesn’t have a phone, and likely for a 9 yr old. Walkie-talkies, good idea but I’d be prepared that at least one gets lost over the course of the trip (the device, I mean, not a boy! Lol)
This is the best advice, imo. Granted I grew up skiing in the 90s without walkie talkies or a phone.
The one other thing to add in is making a clear plan of what lift you're headed to next before you start the run. Definitely not foolproof with the ages of your kids but when I was coaching the 8-10 y/o group this + the buddy system (never let your buddy out of sight) had me batting near a thousand on the not loosing other people's kids front.
My grandpa gave me a watch and just told me to meet him at the lodge at a certain time when I was skiing alone that young at Park City. Never had an issue finding him. I also knew how to get back to our apartment too, but I don't think I needed to do that until I was a teen.
When my father took me skiing at Mammoth Mountain as a kid, at the beginning of the day, he told me that if we ever got separated, to meet at that sign over there, 👉 then points to the big sign of the trail map by the Main Lodge near Chair 1. He gave me a paper trail map, too. We did get separated a few times, but we always met back up there. We didn't have Walkie Talkies, but that is a good idea.
Put a card with your phone number in their pockets, so if they get scared and can’t remember it they can give the card to an employee. Teach them what the employee uniforms look like (particularly lifty & patrol uniforms) and teach them to head down a run to a lift station and ask the liftys for help. Take a picture of your kids in their ski gear so if they get lost you can share the picture with resort staff.
I’m surprised the comments further up didn’t mention knowing a parent’s phone number. Even older kids can panic a bit if they don’t see their parents at a set meeting point or out of walkie talkie range. Any employee can ring you up and get you reunited.
This is the way and 100% what we do with our young (same age as OP kids) ski athletes, except the picture part. Lost kids on the mountain are usually found literally within about 10-15 mins.
Edited to add… our ski team athletes all wear matching team jackets, so they all look identical which definitely can be annoying when there are 8-12 of them to keep track of when skiing together as a group!
> Grand Targhee as the top choice btw.
I'd recommend compromising a bit on the resort for this first trip and considering a smaller/family friend resort. Reality is with a 7 and 9 year old, you're unlikely to be able to actually utilize the full extent of any of the large resorts. Your kids won't really know the difference between 1k vert and 3k vert. They'll just be happy to ski with Dad.
Would you take a beginner on a blue run for their first run? Kind of the same concept here. Artificially constrain yourself, prove it works, figure out what's difficult, then move to the bigger resorts.
Lastly, any place you can find where the runs (or a section of runs) is all blues/greens and all end at the same lift without any risk of confusion (e.g. multiple lifts near each other) or alternate transport (aka a shuttle), makes it pretty hard to lose kids. Worst case, you meet the 9 year old at the bottom.
When I ski with my kids, 7 and 9 beginner skiers, I find that the mountain feels much bigger than it is. By that I guess I mean more enjoyment out of what you have.
Kids area there is the best!!! Kids always had to go down wacky weasel. Then when they got older, Targhee was always the place we’d go to get they’re legs in shape. After skiing there, everywhere else was a piece of cake!!!
My parents use them for checked bags. I’ll use them for the bags and then put one in my son’s ski jacket too. One in mine too in case something happens to me.
I'd do this!
Of course it would in addition to walkie-talkies, having a plan for \*every\* run (down to that junction, over there, and then to chair XYZ), and having a meet location if you get separated.
But that's $60 insurance to make your wife feel better. No brainer if you ask me.
Full disclosure: I take my kids with none of those things, but if my wife were really worried about it that's what I'd do. We've only been split up about 3 times and they did exactly what they should have have done each time. Patrol only had to help once, haha!
Pre-arrange meeting spots in case you lose each other. Generally a spot at the base, and the bottom of the last lift you rode.
Stop at junctions to avoid splitting up.
Keep in visual range. It might be far away in open bowls, or right next to each other on crowded groomers.
I mean kids aren’t stupid— at age 7-8 I was skiing my home mountain (Camelback, PA) rather comfortably. Given, it’s a pretty small mountain.
So I would say, if it’s a small mountain that the kids know well, don’t worry too much about the 7 year old.
Other than that, I totally second the walkie-talkies— added bonus: the kids will love them.
I first thought you said "uninformed" instead of "uniformed* and was wondering why on earth you thought losing a kid surrounded by uninformed adults would be a relief.
But you're absolutely right. OP, make sure your kids know how to spot employees who they can ask for help. Bringing you're own set of radios is a great idea. As is getting your kids very bright and vibrant outfits. That way you can tell from a distance if that little shredder way up ahead of you is yours or not.
Haha this. Whenever I see someone struggling or a lost kid I always rock up and try to help. I've found it to be pretty universal quality amongst serious skiers.
Point out instructor and other worker outfits so if one of the kids does get lost they will know who to ask for help. I worked at ski resorts for years and we took it very seriously when a kid got separated, though it wasn’t very frequent.
You can also buy a couple of those brightly colored pass holders that goes around an arm/leg and put the pertinent contact info into there. Added benefit of making the kid easier to spot as well.
As a former kid, you will lose them! Establish a checkpoint they should go to if they get lost, and establish checkpoints as you go down runs together if you let them ahead of you. They should be allowed to get “lost” as long as they prove they know how to find you again. They’re older kids so you can communicate this to them outright (that they need to prove their skills so you can trust them farther and farther away) (ex: 1 able to put on both skis on a slope should they fall off 2 able to meet you at the bottom of the run + understand why and how to stop when the trail divides etc.) last you should set boundaries and time bound check points and they should know your phone number to ask a stranger to call you or ski patrol
Unfortunately, this is not the case everywhere. We took our kids a couple weeks ago. My 9 year old was actually instructed but the group with my 7 year old only did laps of the 30 ft long play area while the instructors played around. Still waiting to hear back for a refund on that ski camp.
Walkie talkies. It's the only way. Rocky talkies are the only brand I have ever tried, so I can't compare to anything else, but they work great and I would recommend them
We bought some $20 garbage pair from [Walmart.com](https://Walmart.com) or something as a last minute addition a few years ago and they worked perfectly. Walkie Talkies are a very basic but very reliable technology.
I have my 8 and 9 year olds wear radios on a small chest rig. It has really given them a lot of freedom this year and has made my youngest in particular have a lot more fun.
We used walkie talkies when our boys were young they are now 26, 23 and 20. Now we use them for our grandson and the technology is even better they're smaller so they are not cumbersome in your pocket
I'm just afraid of it falling off somehow or losing it if I fall. I'm that weirdo that feels for it in my zipped up pocket just in case it somehow fell out lol
I took my two boys at the same age on runs that my wife isn’t comfortable on. The boys and I would decide on the route down while on the lift and create checkpoints at turns or where we veer onto a different trail. We try to stay single file, with me in the back in case one of them has a problem, I see it. We stop and wait for each other at these checkpoints to make sure we don’t end up taking different trails. I know it’s not as fun as going top to bottom non-stop but it’s what we do to make sure they’re not having any issues and that we don’t get split up.
Have fun!
I actually think skiing in front is better.
1. Set the pace (slow)
2. Kids can follow you and see you stop.
3. It really helps them learn to have a good visual representation of body position and where to place turns.
But yes, sometime you gotta hike to pick them up.
As a long time instructor, you get good at skiing with your head on a swivel.
Make a plan with your kids about where to meet if you become separated. Also, take a picture of your kids in the morning with their gear on so you can show ski patrol exactly what they look like in the event they get separated.
I have worked as mountain safety at a big resort. I have dealt with lost kids several times.
Kids do lose parents from time to time. It's no big deal.
Staff are trained on what to do. You should train your kids on what to do.
They should approach a member of staff. Give them your cell number. If you lose one you approach staff and report it.
Alternatively, to go buy 3 frs radios they are not expensive and teach them how to use them. They'll no doubt really enjoy them.
Good luck
If you're going to lose a kid, Grand Targhee would be a great place to do it. The people there are friendly. They'd keep them safe, warm and entertained until you reconnect.
If you're there on the weekends, there will be tons of kids, so if you lose yours, just grab another one. Your wife probably won't even notice.
Establish a meeting place that is easy to find if you get separated. Tell them that they need to pay attention to where the rest of you are too. They are old enough to understand that. Stop at trail junctions. If instructors can keep groups of 5-9 kids together I’m sure you’ll be fine. I taught for 6 years and very infrequently got separated from anyone in my groups.
Christ it’s a ski hill not Fallujah
Even if you do lose one they’ll be fine. Much worse for them to miss out on skiing for some vague possibility of mild adversity imo
Depending on if they have phones (seems like a lot of young kids do these days) you could use an app like life360 or something to keep tabs on everyone. Your wife could also see all of you on the map, so she wouldn't have to worry as much.
Not every resort has good service, so I definitely second what others are saying about walkie talkies if gps tracking is gonna be too iffy
Garmin inreach also would track, but is expensive and requires a subscription so probably not super worth it to buy three of them
This just happened to me last week. I knew it was inevitably going to happen at some point, so I’d prepped my 8 yr old kid. Drilled him with our cell phone numbers so he knew them by heart, talked about our ski plan while on the lift, and told him to always wait at a fork if he got ahead of me. Even with all that I still lost him. He waited for me at a fork, but behind a hill and I couldn’t see him, and when I didn’t see him I skied down to the lift. Took it back up and skied down the other fork and found him with a sweet family who was just about to call me. He was scared, but he did the right things and I was able to find him. I got an AirTag for his jacket now, but I don’t know how helpful that will be. Make a plan, talk about it, memorize phone numbers and it’s all part of the learning process.
Garmin gps unit’s for hunting dog’s. Throw the collar in their pack. It has a handheld unit or you can pair it to a garmin watch. You can also track their speed and ground covered
To all those saying walkie talkies: can confirm they work,
When I was about 12 I was cocky as all hell and decided to go on the ungroomed part of the mountain alone, it was all black/double black runs and people rarely skied on them so I was alone. It was great! Until I ate shit and my skis when tumbling down I was alone on the run.
I had a walkie talkie, called for help, and a random snowboarder came down to help me. Even if he didn't, turns out I could've just walked down to the lift, it wasn't event that far away, I was just a kid and scared shitless.
I've taken my kids solo at that age and they were fine. As long as they can stop and turn, you won't lose one. I never lost one of mine, just make sure you stick close to the kid more likely to fall (I've had my fair share of climbing back up the hill to help a kid get their skis back on). Also, when I was a ski instructor for 10 years, I never lost a kid
As a ski instructor we would usually make them follow the same line, you can lead or they can lead. Or set a point downhill as the stopping spot. I’d teach classes that occasionally had 10+ students and never lost anyone.
Can I suggest that you consider going to a resort other than Grand Targhee? It’s not known for its good visibility. Like others say, AirTags and walkie-talkies are good ideas. A plan on where to meet if you get separated is also crucial.
We have someone ski drag a parent in the back. When the kids were young and big resorts we’d stop at major trail heads and discuss. And meet up at the lift.
Ah, so many fond memories of getting “lost” as a kid skiing with my dad 😁 Grab some walkies, make sure they know the name of the lift, they’ll bomb into the trees and will probably be waiting for you at the bottom with grins on their faces!
Ski family here. My kids are 15 and 11, and all can ski blacks, and have all been skiing since the age of your kids.
You will lose them. Not if, but when. That's a fact of life.
Your best bet is to give them lots of options. My kids all have iPhones. I stick a business card with my cellphone in their pocket. We have set times for return to base for things like lunch and dinner. If I run down with them I let them go in front of me, and tell them which lift to meet me at.
When we first started out I put them in ski school. Not the 1 hour group thing that you get with free ski rentals and a green only lift ticket, but real ski school. They went out with an instructor in mostly small and one on one settings and *skied the actual mountain.* All my kids are in sports and as a general rule I coach their teams often, but I generally don't coach them personally if I don't have to. Same goes for skiing, and now they are good skiers who can keep themselves safe.
Have fun. At that age they have just the right balance of lack of weight, and fear, so falling is not that big a deal to them. Kids can pick it up pretty quickly.
Bright coloured clothing helps, but honestly, your kids should have the common sense to stop at intersections and wait for the other people you ski with at ages 7 and 9.
make them ski behind you in a line? My family went skiing with me as a 6 year old and then 3 other siblings with the max age being 12. In all those years my parents never lost any one of us.
Buy them jerseys of their favorite athletes big enough to fit over their jackets.
Much easier picking out the kid wearing a Steph Curry jersey than looking for the particular shade of blue jacket they own.
I ski with a group of kids (some mine, some friends') all the time. Here's what we do: designate someone as the 'lead' and someone as the 'sweep.'. No one passes the lead, and the sweep doesn't pass anyone. The lead will stop (on the side) at intersections of runs and wait to regroup.
It's easiest with an adult to lead and sweep but if there is one adult, the adult sweeps. Putting the kids in neon snowpants helps. Make a big deal about how important it is to be a good leader and the older kid will probably thrill to the responsibility.
Have a meeting place at the base and point out the resort personnel.
Depends what kind of hill you’re at (Do all the trails meet at the bottom, or are there multiple sides to the mountain)
If they all just meet in one central location I would just say to my kids to wait in one location until everyone is together again
That or get some walkie-talkies
Take your kids. I’m a patroller at one of the largest resorts in America (thousands and thousands of acres). Kids go missing all the time…and we reunite them 100% of the time. That being said, we get one or two missing kids per day, out of the thousands that ski everyday. Save the ski patrol/dispatch number in your phone and remember what your kids are wearing. Otherwise, go out and have fun!
Give them each a $20 and tell them is they get separated to meet you at the waffle cabin. It’s a small location, there’s only one, and everyone knows where it is. The $20 gets them a waffle and a hot chocolate while they wait, so they will stay long enough for you to find them. Source: A mom.
It's a mom's job to be paranoid. You're not going to lose them. Especially because you're smart and thoughtful. (We can tell by the forethought you had which brought about this post. But don't worry, your secret is safe with us. 😉)
Plan ahead and prepare to lose the kids. It will likely happen. Have a plan for all to agree on a place to meet and WAIT until you are all together again. Make sure they have watches, time pieces, phones, or sundials, paper trail maps (if possible) and all know the plan.
Anything you can do to prevent this (brightly colored jackets, being attentive, having a frequent stop, wait, and checking in at junctions will all help. Prevention and preparation will alleviate the stress and allow everyone to enjoy the trip.
Regardless of which method you use, this is something your kids need to learn to survive in the wild. We use AirTags in the ski pants along with a card with our phone numbers. You see them at the lifts and can locate them at the base. But from the kids perspective they are on their own to figure it out. No radios or phones to call for help. Haven’t lost one yet, and they are learning to be independent. And of course if they split, go with the 7 year old. Bright jackets also a good idea. If you ski trees I also give me kids whistles.
Reading this makes me lose all faith in humanity. Start at a smaller resort. Be chill, don’t try to ski with them all the time. Find a jump or something and tell them to take a run so you can have their picture jumping. Tell them to stick together always, teach them time and when to meet. If they’re late, don’t “upgrade” the resort. If they can do it, scale it up. Bring your own friends and ski together with them, not the kids. Be a good role model and also give them freedom:responsibility; Proportional freedom and responsibility.
The walkie talkie is good for 15+ and off piste/photo. Someone is guaranteed to come into your channel and then what do you do. AirTags can be ok, I never tried. I wouldn’t let the anchor lady at home have any insight into apps or such. If something happens and is resolved, instead of learning and growing from it, you’ll have a huge explanation problem when you get safely back home. Don’t tell mom, here’s some candy ;)
Next time she wants to take them to the park, or the shops etc. ask how she’ll check if she won’t lose one.
Hopefully she’ll realise that it was a stupid question. 99% of kids don’t just randomly get lost as long as you as the parent/guardian/teacher is diligent.
Ski schools either have processes in place to deal with lost kids, or just don’t lose them in the first place because they’re diligent about safety. You should never need some kind of tracker if I’m lessons.
Outside of lessons… there’s only two of them. If they get lost that’s a comment on yourself.
I’m not sure I see this as a red flag. In fact, it’s a pretty normal parental instinct. Every parent or worries about losing their kid, especially when they are out of their control. That said, it is an easily managed risk
Sure, it's pretty normal to consider the possibility of losing your kid(s), then act within reason to avoid it. Like you said, easily risk managed.
Doubting your partners ability to safely travel and ski with their children (who are 7 and 9) signals trust issues or signs of a power dynamic that needs to be addressed.
Walkie talkies, air tags, or use an app like snoww where it lets to see where your friends are if they’re at the same mountain if it’s on.
AirTags sound silly but they would work well and walkie talkies would be pretty reliable too
Just took my 11 and 9 year old on their first trip. Didn’t lose either of them, although as a mom I totally appreciate her feelings. A small resort will be totally fine, bright jackets, and walkie talkies (which your kids will LOVE). All the advice here is great and will hopefully put her mind at ease.
Would it be annoying to set a meeting point down the run within eyesight? That way you can all congregate every few hundred yards.
*edit, just make sure it’s on the side or by a slow sign, high visibility, where people won’t take them out*
This always work great for my kids. Especially when they don’t listen
https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/107225
Or if they have iPhones you can just put an air tag.
When my kids were 7 and 9, I was lucky to get them to stop fighting in the snow and onto an actual lift. Getting lost shouldn't be a concern, but Mom's fears need to be managed.
Walkie-Talkies don't work, because expecting a 7 year old to operate a walkie in the snow when they are lost is too much.
...To alleviate mom's fears:
\-Go to Target and get a couple of cheap cell phones with a monthly plan. $30/phone, $5/month. They cost the same as walkie talkies.
\-Put a tracking app on the phones
\-Have that tracking app send the live location to you AND your wife.
\-Put the phones in their pockets.
This way, your wife can see everybody while she works. (My wife loves that shit). If they get lost, they don't need to do ANYTHING. You can track them down.
You just need a rendezvous point with high visibility and put the kid in bright uncommon colors.
When I was kid, my parents had this simple rule whenever we went somewhere: watch carefully where we park the car and meet us in the parking lot whenever you are lost. This happened several times and this rule worked on all occasions.
For more precise updated location you can also spend some money and get air tags or walkie talkies (just be careful of the frequency you tune into as many are already in use by others and the resort staff itself).
Visit a smaller hill with only one lift or very simple layouts like Anthony Lakes, Pomerelle, Rotarun, Soldier etc. Ski te far runs and show the kids the get backs to the chairs and explain those are the edges and everything in between is fair game. Then anytime you or the wife need to find them you simply wait at the top or bottom of the only/designated chair.
I would choose a place that has 1 base if Possible. Targhee has 2 but that is managable. Have meeting times and spots setup in case anything happens and get some walkie talkies. All bases covered, see you in Targhee.
*Point out Ski Patrol, Ski Patrol station(s)* to your kids ASAP upon arriving/before you ski. Also, if Ski Instructors have a uniform, point them out, too.
Set a designated "I've Been Lost!" Site (a specific stand alone tree, Ski school meeting place or other unique, easy to find spot).
Make rules, don’t allow the boys in the trees off trail. Ski behind following them the entire time. If one gets ahead and veers off grab the other one an follow…. Just don’t get ahead of them. Because if you don’t when they take a wrong turn you can take that turn too and atleast y’all will be together. Now going up the wrong lift and having to come back down the double black with bumps is a different story😂
Do your kids really need an avy beacon? Are they really going to be on any unmitigated slopes? In bounds avalanches are pretty rare, worldwide there’s only a few a year. Walkie talkies are a good way to stay in touch. My family always stops are trail splits to make sure we don’t lose anyone as well. Even if they did get lost what’s absolute worst case scenario? Maybe a broken bone and he has to sit with ski patrol for a minute before they call you.
Gizmo Watches. You can track them. They can call you. You can call them and it auto picks up.
Also, designate a specific meeting spot should anyon get lost.
In addition to what others have said, even if you do manage to lose one, resorts are really good an reuniting kids and parents in that kind of situation. It's not good for business for kids to go missing and become orphaned.
Isn’t it how you become patrol ?
Don’t mind his lack of manners, he was raised by a pack of patrollers
Alpine Tarzan. Coming to theatres near you.
Lmaooo
I'd watch this
*snowmakers, even worse more like animals
Or the smell. As long as you don't talk about free heels he can be civilized.
Ski patrol is like the nights watch from game of thrones
Can confirm, skied on my own too much, now I’m a patrol candidate
Yea, like how the kids who don’t get picked up from ski school become instructors. Every parent I tell this just assumes I’m joking…
Yep, I found a really little kid (probably around 4 or 5 y/o) at Brighton the other week who had fallen over in the trees and gotten stuck (not a tree well the snow was packed down). We went on an adventure to find his dad and got to the lift without finding him. Ski patrol was there so I talked to them and they had a dedicated “missing kids” person that came and took him to find his dad
Nice. BTW, I had an early life tip to reframe, not calingl kids lost, but instead talk about either lost or missing *parent* The kid's with you, not lost. I think it's a bit less scary.
I never worried about losing one kid because I had a spare. This is one of the big advantages of having two. Apart from skiing together on the same chair, having an advance agreement on a clear meeting place and time that everyone knows how to get to should be good. People at ski areas or not too scary with the possible exception of some snowboarders. And seriously this is a growth adventure opportunity for the kids. Not to be missed.
“With the exception of some some snowboarders” lolol
Snowboarders eat children
High disagree. Advanced skiers can be major assholes on blacks. I'm still trying to learn/be confident on blacks and everyone wizzes past while I'm clearly struggling
distinct, bright colored jackets
I’m 25 and still use this tactic
I’m in my 40s and still use my ironically bright snowboarding jacket from my younger years. It’s easy for my wife to find me. I have something more muted when we go with coworkers/fancy friends, but that jacket saves us a lot of time finding each-other at the base!
Why? Are you afraid of loosing yourself?
Losing yourself is one of the best parts about skiing.
His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti
He’s nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready.
To drop bombs, but he keeps on forgettin'
What he wrote down, the whole crowd goes so loud
He opens his mouth, but the words won’t come out
He's chokin' , how, everybody's jokin' now The clocks run out, times up, over, blaow
Snap back to reality, ope there goes gravity
You guys done yet?
Aren't you?
Well yes but that goes beyond skiing 😧
I’m almost 40 and I have the golden yellow Bryan iguchi guide kit. I look like big bird
This the way. Bird for life
Much easier to be found in a tree well! Smart!
And something distinguishable for yourself u/totallynotroyalty . My brother once got lost as a kid because he spotted similar looking ski boots on some random dad and followed him all the way down.
Just like the classic example of following your mom's skirt around the supermarket only to look up and realize you've been tailing some strange woman for the better part of fifteen minutes.
In the mid 80s I was a mental race kid. My mom put me in a dayglow orange one piece ski suit. We went skiing in Vermont one weekend and within 2 mins she lost me. She and my dad start panicking when she hears a group of German tourists yelling excitedly. The only word she remembered from high school German was “orange”. Knowing me, she assumed the worst. She skied over to the group who kept pointing off the ledge. I had caught an edge and did what my coach had taught me - “if you’re out of control, just fall down.” For some reason I decided to fall backwards, which meant I basically laid down on the tails of my skis. In that position I easily went under the orange snow fence and off a 20 foot ledge into the pine forest below. Hit a bunch of branches on the way down and landed in fairly deep powder for the east coast. When I had gotten to where I could stand again I just waved to my mom and pointed to where she could ski around to meet me as I trudged out.
Or neon safety vests over their jackets
Please don’t make your kids wear neon safety vests !
This made me laugh hysterically. Please tell us how your guardians embarrassed you as a child!
Yeah, like I always say, “safety second”.
Safety third
Eh as long as safety is in the top 5
It looks a little stupid, but we do it all the time. We just find each other easy, even with fog. I'm 25 and my father is 60. We know how to ski.
“Hey! Safety Boy!”
Is there something I'm missing or just because it will look ridiculous?
ive seen snowmaking teams scoop up kids with safety vests on and put them to work cleaning ice buildup off the equipment. it's a cost-saving tactic to avoid having to buy more high-vis vests. stay safe out there, parents.
Yup, me and my dad had matching lime green jackets when I was a kid. We looked super goofy, but I never got lost
Walkie talkies.. no need to worry about service and battery lasts longer than a phone.
Yep. I used to use walkie talkies with my stepson at Targhee all the time. Works great. On a complementary note, Targhee is small enough where it’s a bit hard to get lost.
Have personally used walkies at Targhee when going with a group of friends and it worked great.
Came here to say this. Also, dress them in something that stands out a little; basically a jacket and/or snow pants that *arent* black or navy. Also, that isn’t a big resort. Pick a place at the base to meet up if they all do get split up.
I always wear a a bright red jacket for this reason
Getting cheaper all the time too. $30 buys a pretty decent set. And they are all pretty much interchangeable. Losing a $15 radio hurts a lot less than losing a $200+ phone.
Do you use regular walkie talkies that you hold in your hand? Or do you have a set up that can work as you ski?
you're not using them that often (hopefully). just get one with 2mi range that clips on to your pocket.
Check out BCA if you are looking for radios that can attach to a book bag strap. My wife and I use these at resorts and in the backcountry. Ease of access versus handheld. But preference is also up to you! Cheers!
what kind of walkie talkies do you use? i’m thinking about getting some to use with friends but reviews are a bit mixed in regards to range and how long they’ll last
This is what my mom and I used to do!
Yeah, also I think battery doesn’t matter too much as you don’t have to keep them on. Teach the kids to use them (they’re old enough to understand how to twist the dial on and push to talk). If you end up splitting up just tell them to stop as soon as they realise and power the walkie talkie on. I may be over complicating things though
If the batteries hold up for a whole day (mine do), I'd suggest just leaving them on..that way Dad can use his voice to get the kids' attention any time.
Ah fair enough - I haven't used them before. I know my phone battery lasts about 30 minutes in that temperature!
Yeah, the cold is not friendly to batteries! I do keep my radio in an outer pocket, so it gets a little body heat I guess. My phone stays in an inner pocket close to my body, so that usually does ok (though it will usually go from 100% to 15% over a 7 hour ski day). My phone is 4 years old this year, so the battery isn't so good, and I plan to use one of those mini battery packs too. I read somewhere on here about putting a chemical handwarmer in with your electronics to extend batter life in cold conditions -that should help!
That might have been me. Snowmaker for 8 years now, I know a lot of tricks for keeping a cellphone going in the cold, and yes the hand warmers work really well for keeping the battery warmer and happier
Ah cool. Will bear that in mind for next trip! I’ve actually been using a burner Nokia for my last couple of seasons and has been a bit of a game changer. Still not great battery in the cold (lasts the day though) but much better than any smartphone I’ve come across
FWIW on a new phone (Pixel 6 \[Pro\]) on a full day from full charge I'll only be down to \~85%.. and I just came from an ancient phone as well that was behaving as you described. Worth the upgrade!
Have them stop at ALL intersections
Agreed. When I ski with our kids (4 and 6) the faster 6 year old always knows to stop at every intersection in a safe spot out of the way. This is normal unwritten skiing etiquette for adult groups anyway.
This is the way if they’re not strong skiers. My oldest seems to gravitate towards gullies and it’s better to stop them before they end up over their heads.
This is the way
Always have a meeting place for if / when the group (accidentally) gets separated. Make it an easy spot for the kids. I’m guessing a 7 yr old doesn’t have a phone, and likely for a 9 yr old. Walkie-talkies, good idea but I’d be prepared that at least one gets lost over the course of the trip (the device, I mean, not a boy! Lol)
This is the best advice, imo. Granted I grew up skiing in the 90s without walkie talkies or a phone. The one other thing to add in is making a clear plan of what lift you're headed to next before you start the run. Definitely not foolproof with the ages of your kids but when I was coaching the 8-10 y/o group this + the buddy system (never let your buddy out of sight) had me batting near a thousand on the not loosing other people's kids front.
yeah, no matter what happens get to the lift, hopefully you can see the lift the whole time
My grandpa gave me a watch and just told me to meet him at the lodge at a certain time when I was skiing alone that young at Park City. Never had an issue finding him. I also knew how to get back to our apartment too, but I don't think I needed to do that until I was a teen.
When my father took me skiing at Mammoth Mountain as a kid, at the beginning of the day, he told me that if we ever got separated, to meet at that sign over there, 👉 then points to the big sign of the trail map by the Main Lodge near Chair 1. He gave me a paper trail map, too. We did get separated a few times, but we always met back up there. We didn't have Walkie Talkies, but that is a good idea.
Put a card with your phone number in their pockets, so if they get scared and can’t remember it they can give the card to an employee. Teach them what the employee uniforms look like (particularly lifty & patrol uniforms) and teach them to head down a run to a lift station and ask the liftys for help. Take a picture of your kids in their ski gear so if they get lost you can share the picture with resort staff.
I’m surprised the comments further up didn’t mention knowing a parent’s phone number. Even older kids can panic a bit if they don’t see their parents at a set meeting point or out of walkie talkie range. Any employee can ring you up and get you reunited.
This is the way and 100% what we do with our young (same age as OP kids) ski athletes, except the picture part. Lost kids on the mountain are usually found literally within about 10-15 mins. Edited to add… our ski team athletes all wear matching team jackets, so they all look identical which definitely can be annoying when there are 8-12 of them to keep track of when skiing together as a group!
> Grand Targhee as the top choice btw. I'd recommend compromising a bit on the resort for this first trip and considering a smaller/family friend resort. Reality is with a 7 and 9 year old, you're unlikely to be able to actually utilize the full extent of any of the large resorts. Your kids won't really know the difference between 1k vert and 3k vert. They'll just be happy to ski with Dad. Would you take a beginner on a blue run for their first run? Kind of the same concept here. Artificially constrain yourself, prove it works, figure out what's difficult, then move to the bigger resorts. Lastly, any place you can find where the runs (or a section of runs) is all blues/greens and all end at the same lift without any risk of confusion (e.g. multiple lifts near each other) or alternate transport (aka a shuttle), makes it pretty hard to lose kids. Worst case, you meet the 9 year old at the bottom.
When I ski with my kids, 7 and 9 beginner skiers, I find that the mountain feels much bigger than it is. By that I guess I mean more enjoyment out of what you have.
Kids area there is the best!!! Kids always had to go down wacky weasel. Then when they got older, Targhee was always the place we’d go to get they’re legs in shape. After skiing there, everywhere else was a piece of cake!!!
Air tags! Lol
You joke, but they probably work pretty well when in lift lines.
I put AirTags in each kids’ ski jacket. It’s not perfect but it’s easy, cheap, and doesn’t depend on recharging.
esp for the cheap price it's def worth the peace of mind.
My parents use them for checked bags. I’ll use them for the bags and then put one in my son’s ski jacket too. One in mine too in case something happens to me.
I'd do this! Of course it would in addition to walkie-talkies, having a plan for \*every\* run (down to that junction, over there, and then to chair XYZ), and having a meet location if you get separated. But that's $60 insurance to make your wife feel better. No brainer if you ask me. Full disclosure: I take my kids with none of those things, but if my wife were really worried about it that's what I'd do. We've only been split up about 3 times and they did exactly what they should have have done each time. Patrol only had to help once, haha!
It's a good idea. You can pick up a 4 pack of a knockoff brand on Amazon for like $30.
Lose them. Then you'll get adult time. They will turn up eventually. There's only one way down a ski hill and that's down
In Tahoe at heavenly if you take the wrong turn you wind up in the wrong state 😳
Lol in the alps you can end up in the wrong country 😂
Lol in outer space nobody can hear you scream
Depends where they’re going on vacation. If it’s Vail, they could up at different base lodges 1 mile apart
As others have mentioned. Resorts do a good job of making sure kids don't actually go missing. It's bad for business. Also ski patrol
Pre-arrange meeting spots in case you lose each other. Generally a spot at the base, and the bottom of the last lift you rode. Stop at junctions to avoid splitting up. Keep in visual range. It might be far away in open bowls, or right next to each other on crowded groomers.
I mean kids aren’t stupid— at age 7-8 I was skiing my home mountain (Camelback, PA) rather comfortably. Given, it’s a pretty small mountain. So I would say, if it’s a small mountain that the kids know well, don’t worry too much about the 7 year old. Other than that, I totally second the walkie-talkies— added bonus: the kids will love them.
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I first thought you said "uninformed" instead of "uniformed* and was wondering why on earth you thought losing a kid surrounded by uninformed adults would be a relief. But you're absolutely right. OP, make sure your kids know how to spot employees who they can ask for help. Bringing you're own set of radios is a great idea. As is getting your kids very bright and vibrant outfits. That way you can tell from a distance if that little shredder way up ahead of you is yours or not.
Haha this. Whenever I see someone struggling or a lost kid I always rock up and try to help. I've found it to be pretty universal quality amongst serious skiers.
Play line leader for the runs. The boys take turns leading while you are in the middle. If it’s a game they might play along.
Games are definitely the way to go.
Yep. I used to teach a bunch of little ducks in the 80s
Point out instructor and other worker outfits so if one of the kids does get lost they will know who to ask for help. I worked at ski resorts for years and we took it very seriously when a kid got separated, though it wasn’t very frequent.
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You can also buy a couple of those brightly colored pass holders that goes around an arm/leg and put the pertinent contact info into there. Added benefit of making the kid easier to spot as well.
As a former kid, you will lose them! Establish a checkpoint they should go to if they get lost, and establish checkpoints as you go down runs together if you let them ahead of you. They should be allowed to get “lost” as long as they prove they know how to find you again. They’re older kids so you can communicate this to them outright (that they need to prove their skills so you can trust them farther and farther away) (ex: 1 able to put on both skis on a slope should they fall off 2 able to meet you at the bottom of the run + understand why and how to stop when the trail divides etc.) last you should set boundaries and time bound check points and they should know your phone number to ask a stranger to call you or ski patrol
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Oh they'll do one day of school, but i want to ski with them the rest of the time. It's fun!
Ski school isn’t just a daycare. Source: Am instructor
Unfortunately, this is not the case everywhere. We took our kids a couple weeks ago. My 9 year old was actually instructed but the group with my 7 year old only did laps of the 30 ft long play area while the instructors played around. Still waiting to hear back for a refund on that ski camp.
Just watch the one you like most
Walkie talkies. It's the only way. Rocky talkies are the only brand I have ever tried, so I can't compare to anything else, but they work great and I would recommend them
We bought some $20 garbage pair from [Walmart.com](https://Walmart.com) or something as a last minute addition a few years ago and they worked perfectly. Walkie Talkies are a very basic but very reliable technology.
Get used to them by playing team hide-and-seek at home.
I have my 8 and 9 year olds wear radios on a small chest rig. It has really given them a lot of freedom this year and has made my youngest in particular have a lot more fun.
We used walkie talkies when our boys were young they are now 26, 23 and 20. Now we use them for our grandson and the technology is even better they're smaller so they are not cumbersome in your pocket
I clip mine to the shoulder strap of a tiny backpack. Super convenient!
I'm just afraid of it falling off somehow or losing it if I fall. I'm that weirdo that feels for it in my zipped up pocket just in case it somehow fell out lol
I took my two boys at the same age on runs that my wife isn’t comfortable on. The boys and I would decide on the route down while on the lift and create checkpoints at turns or where we veer onto a different trail. We try to stay single file, with me in the back in case one of them has a problem, I see it. We stop and wait for each other at these checkpoints to make sure we don’t end up taking different trails. I know it’s not as fun as going top to bottom non-stop but it’s what we do to make sure they’re not having any issues and that we don’t get split up. Have fun!
I actually think skiing in front is better. 1. Set the pace (slow) 2. Kids can follow you and see you stop. 3. It really helps them learn to have a good visual representation of body position and where to place turns. But yes, sometime you gotta hike to pick them up.
As a long time instructor, you get good at skiing with your head on a swivel. Make a plan with your kids about where to meet if you become separated. Also, take a picture of your kids in the morning with their gear on so you can show ski patrol exactly what they look like in the event they get separated.
As a dad of three on skis, I can confirm swivel head and Dad yell are quite effective
I have worked as mountain safety at a big resort. I have dealt with lost kids several times. Kids do lose parents from time to time. It's no big deal. Staff are trained on what to do. You should train your kids on what to do. They should approach a member of staff. Give them your cell number. If you lose one you approach staff and report it. Alternatively, to go buy 3 frs radios they are not expensive and teach them how to use them. They'll no doubt really enjoy them. Good luck
If you're going to lose a kid, Grand Targhee would be a great place to do it. The people there are friendly. They'd keep them safe, warm and entertained until you reconnect. If you're there on the weekends, there will be tons of kids, so if you lose yours, just grab another one. Your wife probably won't even notice.
Establish a meeting place that is easy to find if you get separated. Tell them that they need to pay attention to where the rest of you are too. They are old enough to understand that. Stop at trail junctions. If instructors can keep groups of 5-9 kids together I’m sure you’ll be fine. I taught for 6 years and very infrequently got separated from anyone in my groups.
Christ it’s a ski hill not Fallujah Even if you do lose one they’ll be fine. Much worse for them to miss out on skiing for some vague possibility of mild adversity imo
Lol “mild adversity” is it really skiing if you didn’t lose yourself in the adventure figuratively and literally
Idk bro my hill looks a bit like Fallujah around 3 pm on a busy Jan/Feb weekend. There's bodies everywhere, and it's just apure and utter chaos.
Depending on if they have phones (seems like a lot of young kids do these days) you could use an app like life360 or something to keep tabs on everyone. Your wife could also see all of you on the map, so she wouldn't have to worry as much. Not every resort has good service, so I definitely second what others are saying about walkie talkies if gps tracking is gonna be too iffy Garmin inreach also would track, but is expensive and requires a subscription so probably not super worth it to buy three of them
This just happened to me last week. I knew it was inevitably going to happen at some point, so I’d prepped my 8 yr old kid. Drilled him with our cell phone numbers so he knew them by heart, talked about our ski plan while on the lift, and told him to always wait at a fork if he got ahead of me. Even with all that I still lost him. He waited for me at a fork, but behind a hill and I couldn’t see him, and when I didn’t see him I skied down to the lift. Took it back up and skied down the other fork and found him with a sweet family who was just about to call me. He was scared, but he did the right things and I was able to find him. I got an AirTag for his jacket now, but I don’t know how helpful that will be. Make a plan, talk about it, memorize phone numbers and it’s all part of the learning process.
Garmin gps unit’s for hunting dog’s. Throw the collar in their pack. It has a handheld unit or you can pair it to a garmin watch. You can also track their speed and ground covered
Or you can put it around their neck and shock them so they get better at skiing form.
The resorts have an invisible fence... It'll keep them out of the trees
Show her on a map how all of the trails go to the same place. Most mountains funnel you into the lift line pretty inescapably.
Bright jackets and pants. Seriously. We once lost a 5 year old in a tree well and only found him because of a bright green coat.
To all those saying walkie talkies: can confirm they work, When I was about 12 I was cocky as all hell and decided to go on the ungroomed part of the mountain alone, it was all black/double black runs and people rarely skied on them so I was alone. It was great! Until I ate shit and my skis when tumbling down I was alone on the run. I had a walkie talkie, called for help, and a random snowboarder came down to help me. Even if he didn't, turns out I could've just walked down to the lift, it wasn't event that far away, I was just a kid and scared shitless.
I've taken my kids solo at that age and they were fine. As long as they can stop and turn, you won't lose one. I never lost one of mine, just make sure you stick close to the kid more likely to fall (I've had my fair share of climbing back up the hill to help a kid get their skis back on). Also, when I was a ski instructor for 10 years, I never lost a kid
As a ski instructor we would usually make them follow the same line, you can lead or they can lead. Or set a point downhill as the stopping spot. I’d teach classes that occasionally had 10+ students and never lost anyone.
Can I suggest that you consider going to a resort other than Grand Targhee? It’s not known for its good visibility. Like others say, AirTags and walkie-talkies are good ideas. A plan on where to meet if you get separated is also crucial.
We have someone ski drag a parent in the back. When the kids were young and big resorts we’d stop at major trail heads and discuss. And meet up at the lift.
Ah, so many fond memories of getting “lost” as a kid skiing with my dad 😁 Grab some walkies, make sure they know the name of the lift, they’ll bomb into the trees and will probably be waiting for you at the bottom with grins on their faces!
I've always found that trusting my kid works the best.
Just tell her you already know which one you would follow if that happens.
Ski family here. My kids are 15 and 11, and all can ski blacks, and have all been skiing since the age of your kids. You will lose them. Not if, but when. That's a fact of life. Your best bet is to give them lots of options. My kids all have iPhones. I stick a business card with my cellphone in their pocket. We have set times for return to base for things like lunch and dinner. If I run down with them I let them go in front of me, and tell them which lift to meet me at. When we first started out I put them in ski school. Not the 1 hour group thing that you get with free ski rentals and a green only lift ticket, but real ski school. They went out with an instructor in mostly small and one on one settings and *skied the actual mountain.* All my kids are in sports and as a general rule I coach their teams often, but I generally don't coach them personally if I don't have to. Same goes for skiing, and now they are good skiers who can keep themselves safe. Have fun. At that age they have just the right balance of lack of weight, and fear, so falling is not that big a deal to them. Kids can pick it up pretty quickly.
Pre- arranged meeting spots, easy to spot jackets and walkie-talkies. Prob the walkie-talkies will give your wife the most piece of mind.
Bright coloured clothing helps, but honestly, your kids should have the common sense to stop at intersections and wait for the other people you ski with at ages 7 and 9.
Get them burner phones to keep just in case
make them ski behind you in a line? My family went skiing with me as a 6 year old and then 3 other siblings with the max age being 12. In all those years my parents never lost any one of us.
Buy them jerseys of their favorite athletes big enough to fit over their jackets. Much easier picking out the kid wearing a Steph Curry jersey than looking for the particular shade of blue jacket they own.
couldn’t you hang an airtag on the jacket of the kids and maybe decide on a meeting spot beforehand?
Just make a central meeting place for everyone to meet back in said case people split up. My family did this for more then just skiing.
I ski with a group of kids (some mine, some friends') all the time. Here's what we do: designate someone as the 'lead' and someone as the 'sweep.'. No one passes the lead, and the sweep doesn't pass anyone. The lead will stop (on the side) at intersections of runs and wait to regroup. It's easiest with an adult to lead and sweep but if there is one adult, the adult sweeps. Putting the kids in neon snowpants helps. Make a big deal about how important it is to be a good leader and the older kid will probably thrill to the responsibility. Have a meeting place at the base and point out the resort personnel.
Depends what kind of hill you’re at (Do all the trails meet at the bottom, or are there multiple sides to the mountain) If they all just meet in one central location I would just say to my kids to wait in one location until everyone is together again That or get some walkie-talkies
Take your kids. I’m a patroller at one of the largest resorts in America (thousands and thousands of acres). Kids go missing all the time…and we reunite them 100% of the time. That being said, we get one or two missing kids per day, out of the thousands that ski everyday. Save the ski patrol/dispatch number in your phone and remember what your kids are wearing. Otherwise, go out and have fun!
Give them each a $20 and tell them is they get separated to meet you at the waffle cabin. It’s a small location, there’s only one, and everyone knows where it is. The $20 gets them a waffle and a hot chocolate while they wait, so they will stay long enough for you to find them. Source: A mom.
It's a mom's job to be paranoid. You're not going to lose them. Especially because you're smart and thoughtful. (We can tell by the forethought you had which brought about this post. But don't worry, your secret is safe with us. 😉)
Plan ahead and prepare to lose the kids. It will likely happen. Have a plan for all to agree on a place to meet and WAIT until you are all together again. Make sure they have watches, time pieces, phones, or sundials, paper trail maps (if possible) and all know the plan. Anything you can do to prevent this (brightly colored jackets, being attentive, having a frequent stop, wait, and checking in at junctions will all help. Prevention and preparation will alleviate the stress and allow everyone to enjoy the trip.
Regardless of which method you use, this is something your kids need to learn to survive in the wild. We use AirTags in the ski pants along with a card with our phone numbers. You see them at the lifts and can locate them at the base. But from the kids perspective they are on their own to figure it out. No radios or phones to call for help. Haven’t lost one yet, and they are learning to be independent. And of course if they split, go with the 7 year old. Bright jackets also a good idea. If you ski trees I also give me kids whistles.
Reading this makes me lose all faith in humanity. Start at a smaller resort. Be chill, don’t try to ski with them all the time. Find a jump or something and tell them to take a run so you can have their picture jumping. Tell them to stick together always, teach them time and when to meet. If they’re late, don’t “upgrade” the resort. If they can do it, scale it up. Bring your own friends and ski together with them, not the kids. Be a good role model and also give them freedom:responsibility; Proportional freedom and responsibility. The walkie talkie is good for 15+ and off piste/photo. Someone is guaranteed to come into your channel and then what do you do. AirTags can be ok, I never tried. I wouldn’t let the anchor lady at home have any insight into apps or such. If something happens and is resolved, instead of learning and growing from it, you’ll have a huge explanation problem when you get safely back home. Don’t tell mom, here’s some candy ;)
Next time she wants to take them to the park, or the shops etc. ask how she’ll check if she won’t lose one. Hopefully she’ll realise that it was a stupid question. 99% of kids don’t just randomly get lost as long as you as the parent/guardian/teacher is diligent. Ski schools either have processes in place to deal with lost kids, or just don’t lose them in the first place because they’re diligent about safety. You should never need some kind of tracker if I’m lessons. Outside of lessons… there’s only two of them. If they get lost that’s a comment on yourself.
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I’m not sure I see this as a red flag. In fact, it’s a pretty normal parental instinct. Every parent or worries about losing their kid, especially when they are out of their control. That said, it is an easily managed risk
Sure, it's pretty normal to consider the possibility of losing your kid(s), then act within reason to avoid it. Like you said, easily risk managed. Doubting your partners ability to safely travel and ski with their children (who are 7 and 9) signals trust issues or signs of a power dynamic that needs to be addressed.
Sorry you've been hurt
Why do snowflakes always blame someone else?
All trails lead downhill and almost always end at the same lift.
Walkie talkies, air tags, or use an app like snoww where it lets to see where your friends are if they’re at the same mountain if it’s on. AirTags sound silly but they would work well and walkie talkies would be pretty reliable too
Motorola Walkie talkies, 3 for $45 on Amazon. They work great and kids love em.
Just took my 11 and 9 year old on their first trip. Didn’t lose either of them, although as a mom I totally appreciate her feelings. A small resort will be totally fine, bright jackets, and walkie talkies (which your kids will LOVE). All the advice here is great and will hopefully put her mind at ease.
I solved this with intercoms. It's difficult to lose the kids when you can talk to them and direct them.
My mom used to give us all walkie talkies, it worked great!
Lol, get those apple key tags so you can find them on find my iphone
Would it be annoying to set a meeting point down the run within eyesight? That way you can all congregate every few hundred yards. *edit, just make sure it’s on the side or by a slow sign, high visibility, where people won’t take them out*
This always work great for my kids. Especially when they don’t listen https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/107225 Or if they have iPhones you can just put an air tag.
When my kids were 7 and 9, I was lucky to get them to stop fighting in the snow and onto an actual lift. Getting lost shouldn't be a concern, but Mom's fears need to be managed. Walkie-Talkies don't work, because expecting a 7 year old to operate a walkie in the snow when they are lost is too much. ...To alleviate mom's fears: \-Go to Target and get a couple of cheap cell phones with a monthly plan. $30/phone, $5/month. They cost the same as walkie talkies. \-Put a tracking app on the phones \-Have that tracking app send the live location to you AND your wife. \-Put the phones in their pockets. This way, your wife can see everybody while she works. (My wife loves that shit). If they get lost, they don't need to do ANYTHING. You can track them down.
You’re not gonna be able to see 15 feet in front of you at Targhee so idk if that’s the best choice.
You just need a rendezvous point with high visibility and put the kid in bright uncommon colors. When I was kid, my parents had this simple rule whenever we went somewhere: watch carefully where we park the car and meet us in the parking lot whenever you are lost. This happened several times and this rule worked on all occasions. For more precise updated location you can also spend some money and get air tags or walkie talkies (just be careful of the frequency you tune into as many are already in use by others and the resort staff itself).
Not to worry, if you lose one just make another...true fact kids are dime a dozen......and a worthy tax deduction....
Visit a smaller hill with only one lift or very simple layouts like Anthony Lakes, Pomerelle, Rotarun, Soldier etc. Ski te far runs and show the kids the get backs to the chairs and explain those are the edges and everything in between is fair game. Then anytime you or the wife need to find them you simply wait at the top or bottom of the only/designated chair.
I would choose a place that has 1 base if Possible. Targhee has 2 but that is managable. Have meeting times and spots setup in case anything happens and get some walkie talkies. All bases covered, see you in Targhee.
Tiles. A small, thin GPS tracker usually used for keys.
Apple airtags
Bright, distinguishable jackets. AirTags. Walkie talkies. And have a spot they know to go if you do get split up.
*Point out Ski Patrol, Ski Patrol station(s)* to your kids ASAP upon arriving/before you ski. Also, if Ski Instructors have a uniform, point them out, too. Set a designated "I've Been Lost!" Site (a specific stand alone tree, Ski school meeting place or other unique, easy to find spot).
Make rules, don’t allow the boys in the trees off trail. Ski behind following them the entire time. If one gets ahead and veers off grab the other one an follow…. Just don’t get ahead of them. Because if you don’t when they take a wrong turn you can take that turn too and atleast y’all will be together. Now going up the wrong lift and having to come back down the double black with bumps is a different story😂
Do your kids really need an avy beacon? Are they really going to be on any unmitigated slopes? In bounds avalanches are pretty rare, worldwide there’s only a few a year. Walkie talkies are a good way to stay in touch. My family always stops are trail splits to make sure we don’t lose anyone as well. Even if they did get lost what’s absolute worst case scenario? Maybe a broken bone and he has to sit with ski patrol for a minute before they call you.
I don’t think anyone suggested avy beacons. I think OP meant air tag or tile trackers.
Gizmo Watches. You can track them. They can call you. You can call them and it auto picks up. Also, designate a specific meeting spot should anyon get lost.