Unfortunately we had mostly wet heavy snow, which we got a few splashes in. During the day the temperatures were above freezing. Everyone took classic skis for the first skiing. After the first skiing and sorting the kids into groups, we chose two adepts for staki. After the afternoon skiing another one was added. These were two girls and one boy. The boy really liked the staki and it helped him greatly both skiing and socially. This was the most significant progress on the course. He is a somewhat awkward pupil and did not fit in completely with the group. The first girl was negative about any kind of skiing and movement and was not keen on staks and quickly switched back to long skis. I think she didn’t want to look like a klutz in the group who couldn’t handle long skis (despite the fact that she did). The other girl enjoyed the staki and quickly moved her to return to long skis. She then quickly moved on to skiing long skis as well.
Both instructors also tried the staki skis and it was an interesting experience. The skis allow for fast movement and support the skier’s stance if the skier wants to go fast. The tail gives stability to the skis, but vibrations to the legs occur when going fast. It’s definitely a good aid for beginners who have some kind of handicap either physical or mental.
The staki skis have been a pleasant experience and if possible I would be happy to purchase them for school course use.
