Copilot Ski Trainer - The Fast and Easy Way to Learn to Ski

SUMMARY: Great purchase, well worth every penny. Works as advertised. Recommended My 6 year old daughter had lessons at different New England and Vermont mountains, but progress was slow and it was getting expensive. After several failed attempts with me on the beginner chairlift (I needed to hold her between my legs); it became evident she could manage the Ski School bunny slopes just fine, but not the more advanced green runs. Basically, she was not gaining the skills/experience from Ski School to advance. To me, it seemed like a confidence issue related to controlling her speed, therefore as my patience ran out, I needed a solution. After my typical 10 minutes of market research (Googled: 'ski harness'), I settled with the 'Copilot.' The following took place from March 5 to 7, 2012 in the Berkshires. Day 1: On the first day, she immediately fall in love with the CoPilot and was very encouraged with her Daddy shadowing her every move (of-course with some positive instruction). As a former ski coach I knew a few tricks (choice words). The CoPilot was a godsend on my patience and back/legs. I liked this tool just as much as my daughter, ease of use, etc., plus it looks cool! After my daughter realized she could trust the CoPilot (Daddy), she quickly focused in on learning and following instruction. Once she understood concept of edge control, she became very focused on her technique; actual snowplow turns verse making 'pizza' all the way down the run (this is where the CoPilot is most useful). Day 2: On the second day with the CoPilot, we bypassed the magic-carpet lifts and headed straight for the 'big kid' chairlift. During our first several runs she struggled with her snowplow and fell many times (fresh groomed runs were a little slick/fast for her). Though she was intimidated by length of the runs, she didn't seem to mind if it was steep. The CoPilot was great in controlling her speed and it appeared to me she was enjoying herself. Simply put, we were having fun! As the morning progressed and the snow soften, we started to focus on making bigger 'S' turns. After lunch, my daughter wanted to ski a green run without the CoPilot. To my delight (lots of giggling and laughing) she made it with only falling a couple of times. With the assistance of the Copilot we had a wonderful fun day and my daughter had gained the confidence I was seeking. Day 3: The following day my daughter was very excited to go skiing and she could hardly contain her enthusiasm. As I was preparing the CoPilot for our first run, my daughter said she wanted to ski without it. Her first run was a success. She didn't fall once. The CoPilot stayed in the pouch and I didn't use it the rest of the day. I was very pleased. For my daughter she was very excited to break the big news to her mother that Daddy took her on a 'Blue Square' run. The smiles and the delight of 'my little girl' learning skiing was well worth it. For us, I doubt any $100 a ski class lesson would have gotten the result as fast, as with the commitment of using the CoPilot over a couple of days. I can't stop telling my friends about the CoPilot. What a great alternative to a body harness. I would recommend to anyone with the patience/time to teach a child to ski.

I began to research harness systems and came across this. I wasn't sold 100% by the reviews given. My main concern was keeping a positive experience by preventing any hard falls. The physics of the design make complete sense on paper, but I had to try it out myself to see. I was excited to get my 2.5yr old up. I had tried skiing with a ski pole for my son to hold on to. Trouble was, he just put all his weight on it. Next I borrowed a chest harness system, but with a bad tether system that kept coming undone. I could still see that the chest harness system just pulls the body weight backwards. My next day up skiing by myself, I saw a gal using this with her 3 year old daughter who was doing great with it. I asked her about it and all she expressed was how great it was as she was pulling her daughter back to the car with the reins. So I invested in this and the CoPilot LIFT Multi-Sport Halter (which I do recommend for helping them up off the snow and getting on/off the chairlift). The first run down was a learning curve for myself as the reins are more sensitive to movements to initiate a turn than I expected. However, after that we did great. He got several compliments from other skiers and boarders, and they were surprised at how well he was doing considering his age. I would consider using this harness as his first true day of actual skiing. He really learned the feeling of forward/backward balance and the beginnings of sensing turn initiation. He even commented on several of his runs how he didn't fall. The equipment is well thought out and designed to be used with gloves on. The bright color lets others know you are tethered behind. The elastic 2.5 feet before it connects to the boots allows for subtle adjustments. This really does help initiate turns. I was a bit concerned about the Velcro boot straps and snow. But once they were put on in the lodge, I didn't have a problem at all. The carry bag is nice to have for storing the reins before getting on the chairlift. The reins are very easy to undo with gloves on and store away. Since we already had an Edgie Wedgie, I can't comment on the ski tip link. Although the combination of this and the LIFT halter is a bit more expensive than most other harnesses, it provides the right dynamic for teaching kids proper balance for skiing.

I read a lot of reviews comparing the body harness type trainers and the CoPilot trainer. I think this is better than the body harness units with 1 small exception. You can stop your kid from face planting with the body harness trainer because you have control of their upper body. The CoPilot trainer attaches to the boots and gives you a lot of control, but if you hit a rough patch, your kid is probably going to fall face forward and land on their head. I dinged one star because this should be $19.99, not $39.99. It's just some nylon webbing, bunjie, velcro, and metal hooks sewn together.

If you want to teach your kids to ski I highly recommend this system. I have three kids, all skiers. The first two learned without a harness when they were 5 and 6. The third child was 4 when he started in earnest. After watching so many little kids wearing tethered vest harnesses slumped over like rag dolls on strings, I really wanted to give something else a try. I used the CoPilot with my soon-to-be 4 Y.O. at the beginning of the season last year. We had skied one or two times the previous season without any harness. He didn't show a lot of interest so we didn't push it. The next season it took just two half-days with the copilot tether for him to get the hang of skiing on gentle wide beginner slopes. At the end of the second day we were skiing without the tether on green runs. On the third day we were on intermediate slopes using the tether for steeper sections. Initiating turns is very instinctive: give a little tug on the right foot and he starts turning right, tug on the left and he starts moving to the left, pull back on both to snow plow. I think I used the copilot periodically for five days total then carried it in my pocket for insurance for a few more days. It was the best $40 I ever spent. I anticipated we'd spend half the season splitting time between the kids, teaching the youngest to ski. Having the whole family skiing together (independently) so quickly was priceless. We used a different ski tip connector (Lucky Bums Easy Wedge) rather than the velco strap that comes with the copilot. I'm not convinced the velco, when wet, would be strong enough. However, the optional copilot lift halter works great. Its handy for picking kids off the snow and getting them back on their feet, plus it makes learning to get on and off the lift much safer. He still wears the halter so I can pick him up with one hand when I need to. My advice is to start on a wide dedicated beginner slope with a chair lift. Avoid narrow slopes with a mix of fast and slow skiers. Use a strong ski tip connector. Anticipate the tip connector breaking at some point and carry a spare. If they slide off the tips frequently, drill a ¼" hole in each ski tip and thread them in directly into the ski. Have fun.

My kids are 5 and 7, and we began training them this year. I was hopeful this product (Ski Harness) would help them catch on easier - but alas, the opposite was true. As many others said, the ratio of myself holding the harness and them leaning forward always resulted in them falling face forward to the snow. We ended up simply teaching them with the old tried and true method of skiing between your legs, and then we moved to holding a ski pole in front of them to hold on to and keep their speed in check. Once they understood the concepts of the pie/wedge/pizza, we were able to then give them more freedom and now they are skiing on their own after just 2 times. Of course, this situation would not work as well for older children or different scenarios - but just teaching them the basics worked fine for us without the need for this. We do however like the 'Snowcraft CoPilot LIFT Ski Halter for Kids' which makes getting on and off the lifts much easier having a handle to pull them on with.

We have four kids (ages ranging from 8 to 3). My husband has been doing a great job teaching the kids to ski but it's challenging since we're outnumbered by the kids and of course it's very hard on our backs! The first two are doing great but the younger two were still between our legs. So I thought that perhaps a harness would be easier on us! I did a ton of research and eventually was torn between this and the Lucky Bums Ski Trainer . But it made sense to me that this would allow our kids to lean forward on their skis, the way they're supposed to. So I opted for this one and I couldn't be more pleased. My 5 year-old used it for about four runs and then was ready to ski without the straps. We moved it to my 3 year-old and she was getting it too. We didn't use the little attachment to make a wedge (because I was hoping it would quickly move from child #3 to child #4 and didn't want to "commit" to one pair of skis), but I'll probably do that for next outing. There's about two feet of elastic at the end of the tethers so it helps keep your "corrections" very subtle and gentle. The clips to attach the straps to the boots are solid. They're also large and easy to use with your gloves on. (Because of course the you have to remove them every time you get on the lift.) I also used the straps in "pull mode" when my 3 year-old had to go to the bathroom. Someone stopped me to find out what the harness was called and where I purchased it. Also, later in the day, a ski instructor asked me about the harness and said (paraphrased), "That is fantastic. Harnesses around the torso are awful but this one doesn't mess up their balance. Good for you doing your research." We also purchased the matching CoPilot LIFT Multi-Sport Halter for assisting kids in a variety of sports for my 3 year-old. That was super convenient for standing her back up and for holding her on the lift after we raised the bar. I would definitely recommend that as well.

We are regular skiers who bring our children to a small NH mountain called Pats Peak. We've been hesitant about using a trainer system, for fear that it wouldn't force them to learn balance. We managed okay with my 7 year old. But from ages 3-5, it was a real struggle. Finally she broke through and does well now. For my 4 year old, last year was another real struggle for all. So, when I revisited the idea of a trainer, I happened upon the CoPilot, but I was a bit skeptical; thinking it would send her face planting and that it was too simple to be any good (my thought was that if this device worked, someone surely would've had it to market years ago). Regardless, the reviews spoke and I purchased it. We used it yesterday for several hours and I am still giddy this morning. It has exceeded our expectations in every manner. She had her best day on skis yet. She previously had no concept of turning, and after 2 hours, she was initiating modest turns with only slight nudging of the trainer. On the final run, we unhooked the trainer for a short stretch and she did 5 small turns before needing to be caught. This is worlds better than our visit to Pats Peak 2 only days prior to getting the trainer! This tool puts the responsibility of balance back on the learner and it avoids the pitfall of torso harnesses which tend to pull the learner into the rear seat. The CoPilot allows the teacher to vary the degree to which they force turning - from full guidance to none (by using only 1 hand rather than steering and essentially using the CoPilot as runaway device). Further, it is tidy and unhooks / rehooks in seconds for on / off lifts. It seems too simple to work, but I think that is the beauty of this little gem. I can't wait to pick up again later this week! It is about the best $40 you can spend if you have a learning skier! And, BTW, I rarely rarely review products.

Okay product, careful not to pull too hard to try and slow down your child or they will do a faceplant because the straps will pull the kid's legs out from underneath them. Straps are not sewn on the bag very well and came off. This is a good product for very, very basic and slow speeds. Used this product with my 2 year old about 3 days of skiing with the wedge ease. Stopped this and moved to just the wedge ease alone for some runs. He is now skiing basic green circles without any help. Decent product, just be careful when the kid picks up some speed.