Ski Teaching Apparatus and Method

Ski instructional apparatus especially for teaching young children to ski comprising:

• a) a tether attachable between the tips of skis worn by a student skier, the tether preventing the ski tips from flaring outwardly beyond a given orientation;
• b) a pole having a first end for straddling by the student skier;
• c) a cross piece at the first end that is located behind the legs and below the buttocks of a student skier straddling the pole first end, the cross piece providing means for converting a forward puling action of the ski instructor to a force pushing the student skier from behind;
• d) a handle on the pole forward of the crosspiece for gripping by the student skier;
• and
• f) a line connected to a midpoint of the tether such that
• i) putting tension on the line causes the tether to draw the ski tips inward one towards the other and
• ii) slacking the line slacks the tether allowing the ski tips to move apart one from the other.

A ski instructing method, particularly for teaching a child to ski, the method comprising:

• a) tethering together the tips of skis worn by a student skier to prevent the ski tips from flaring outwardly beyond a given orientation;
• b) placing the student skier astride a first end of pole, the pole having a handle for gripping by the student skier;
• c) moving the pole forward by having an instructor grasp and pull on a second end of the pole;
• d) converting the forward pulling action of the instructor to a force pushing the student skier from behind;
• and
• e) controlling the orientation of the ski tips by pulling on a line attached to a midpoint of the tether to draw the ski tips together and slacking the line to allow the ski tips to flare apart to the given orientation.