Cross-country skiing with kids – 5 tips for Levi
On the ski tracks of Levi you can enjoy a great family outing and share many laughs together. With these tips, you're guaranteed to succeed!
1 – Teach skiing basics with the right equipment
For a child, learning to ski can be a rewarding experience. While you spend time outdoors together, he or she will learn a lifelong, traditional Finnish skill.
Young children tend to copy everything their parents do, so take advantage of this. When your child sees you skiing, they'll want to try too. For a start, it's enough to get used to the equipment and to getting around on the sski track together.
But to make sure that skiing doesn't end in a first fall or because your child doesn't understand how to get on skis, it's a good idea to teach him or her the correct basics of skiing. Often, a person outside the family is a good alternative. In Levi, skiing lessons are available from the age of four upwards. Feel free to ask for more outside insight from ski school.
The right equipment - suitable for the child - plays a very important role in learning the basics of skiing. You can hire ski equipment for children from rental shops in the Levi area. There are also sleds where your child can travel comfortably with you on a skiing trip.
2 – Choose an easy enough route
Choose the route of your ski trip carefully and make it rewardingly easy for all participants. When you go cross-country skiing with children, choose a route that is much easier than the one you would normally ski alone.
When skiing with children, the aim is that they have fun and that the skiing is not too difficult. It's good to remember that you can always ski the same route several times. In Levi you can ski flat terrain in many different places and ski tracks are easily accessible by car. Here are a few selected options for a shared ski trip.
The Tonttula (Elves Experience Village) offers short and nice cross-country ski trails with children. And Tonttula's café makes your mouth and tummy happy after a wonderful trip.
There is a 4 km route from the center of Levi along the fell to the Northeast Slopes, aka Draivi, where it is good to enjoy a good break before returning on the return journey via Pikku and Miniporo. In our experience, brisk children over the age of 7 survive this route to Draivi when they are rewarded with a hot chocolate and a donut at the Draivi restaurant.
From Levikeskus you can also ski to Lake Immeljärvi and go on a ski trip to Immelkartano's waffle café and back. The distance is about 5 km. If you want a completely smooth / flat route, you can start skiing directly from Immeljärvi, which shortens the skiing trip.
3 – Bring tasty snacks
When skiing with kids, keep snacks within reach to motivate them to reach the next goal. If your child looks tired or hungry, take a snack break.
You can also bring hot chocolate or other hot beverage in your backpack and set a common, motivating milestone. When you've all reached a certain point on your route, have a rewarding cocoa party!
Along the trails in Levi, you will also find huts and trail cafés where you can grill sausages, enjoy your own snacks or buy products from the café. For example, check Levi's electronic route map carefully beforehand so you know the distances to the resting stops.
4 – Dress smart for the weather
In Levi, conditions and weather can change very quickly. Dress in layers and take extra gear in your rucksack (especially mittens or other warm gloves) in case they get wet.
Also remember that when skiing, there is a good chance that it will get hot. Dress in such a way that you can add and remove layers as needed throughout the skiing. Warm kids on a ski trip equals happy kids.
5 – Ski on your kid's terms
Cross-country skiing can be physically demanding, so don't tire your child out by skiing too much or teaching too much. They will learn at their own pace. Encouragement goes a long way, so remember to encourage those little skiers!
Praise their ski equipment and their skiing. Tell them that they are doing a great job, even if they do fall down sometimes. No matter how many times they fall, they will end up learning and loving skiing - just like you!
Remember to go skiing when the weather conditions are good. This means not too cold and not too snowy. Choose a route that's not too long and doesn't have too many climbs, and that there's possibly a hut or a trail café on the way where you can take a break.
At Levi Tourist Information and e.g. Zero Point you can buy a paper map and get recommendations for different routes with children.
