Ski Vitamins are honestly one of the best things you can do for your kid on the hill.
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Where Ski Vitamins Came From
Parents have used treats to motivate kids for generations. Try your best at the game, get an ice cream cone! Straight A's on the report card, pizza & movie night!
One day, I saw a kid and a mom talking about getting M&M's when they were done with the ski day while trying to coax their kid into one more run. I jumped in to help and the Ski Vitamins idea just kinda came out of my mouth. It went something like:
“Oh my gosh! Are those the new Ski Vitamins? Wow, those are great, but I think you can only have one at the top of the hill! You should go charge up with a Ski Vitamin so you can be a super skier!”
From there the rest is history! Ski Vitamins became an everyday tool with many different uses, and they morph to support kids and families for years to come.
Why the Name Matters
The trick to Ski Vitamins is that when you give an ordinary M&M or Sour Patch Kid a new name, you can make it into something much bigger. Think Michael's Secret Stuff from Space Jam.
When you call them Ski Vitamins, they take on a life of their own. They become an incredible tool: a motivation system, a reward, a reason to take one more run, go up for the first time, push past the fear at the top of a run. It gives them superpowers.
The second bonus is they can take on rules of their own whenever they need to. Stuck at the top and you can't get down? Sounds like a Ski Vitamin at the bottom will do the trick.
How to Motivate Kids on the Hill
Want to get another run in? Let's just head to the top and check out the view while we have a Ski Vitamin up there.
Want to keep lapping the chairlift? Let's only have 1 Ski Vitamin for every lift we take. Want more vitamins? Take more laps!
“I only have bottom-of-the-run Ski Vitamins today.”
“Oh shoot, these are chairlift-only Ski Vitamins, we're going to have to figure out where to sneak away and have them.”
What Makes a Good Ski Vitamin?
Whatever your kids love! I've seen some that look an awful lot like M&M's or Sour Patch Kids, some that look like gummy bears or Swedish Fish. I've even seen a Tupperware of straight up chocolate chips. You know what works for your little dude, and plan for that. Remember, it's usually cold when we go skiing, so that can make some candy harder to chew. My personal favorites (right now) are Sour Patch Kids! What about you?
When It Falls Apart
Ski Vitamins rule this department.
And do not underestimate the power of a good snack or a well-timed Ski Vitamin. Not only is there a motivation factor, there's a blood sugar issue at play. Kids are burning so much energy learning and processing: with their brains, physically moving in heavy hot gear on a frozen day, while everything around them is overstimulating and overwhelming. A little energy boost is great for the brain that's working overtime.
The One Rule
The third thing that makes them so powerful is that Ski Vitamins are only for skiing. Once you're done skiing, the Ski Vitamins go away. Want one more for the car ride home? Sorry, not skiing! Trying to sneak some at home when you're not supposed to? Wrong again. Gotta save those for the ski hill!
Naming them Ski Vitamins makes it very clear that once we get in the car, they're done. They're a very special thing for a very special purpose, and that adds to the magic and allure of skiing itself. They're a valuable resource!
When they start asking for more Ski Vitamins, it's time to pack up the car and head back out to the ski hill!
What's your favorite Ski Vitamin? Tag us!
Tag Us on Instagram →Planning your first ski day? Here's what to pack and how to do boot work at home.
One note to parents: anything you put in your mouth can be a choking hazard. Choose a Ski Vitamin that's right for your kid's age and enjoy it in a safe place, like when you're stopped, not mid-run.
