Since Little Miss was born, we have barely used our stroller. I used it a lot with my firstborn. We didn’t have a vehicle, so the stroller was how we transported our groceries. I’d often push the groceries home in the stroller and wear the baby on my back! With two kids, I find it easier to wear the little one so that I have my hands free to wrangle the preschooler. Whether I’m running errands or going on hikes, babywearing is my number one choice. In the winter, babywearing saves me from having to push a stroller through the snow, which is why I didn’t think I’d have a reason to test out stroller skis by Premier Ski. (Fun fact: Premier Ski is owned by the same problem-solving papa as Make My Belly Fit, the jacket extender company). Premier Skis solved a toddler-parenting dilemma I didn’t know I was going to have: to skate or not to skate.
You see, here in Calgary, almost every public park also has a skating rink once weather permits. I’m not doing any triple Salchows (I always thought it was called a “sow cow”), but I do love to skate outside. Outdoor skating is still a novelty to me, having grown up in the soggy, winter not-so-wondrous-land of Vancouver. I’m not about to hit the ice with a baby strapped to my chest, and I wouldn’t recommend it even if you’re an exceptional ice skater. That means I need to get Little Miss to and from the park on wheels. Theoretically I could hand her over to her papa to wear while I skate around, but he’s busy sledding with the preschooler. (Not so fun fact: I bought the preschooler ice skates and he refuses to wear them, claiming he absolutely hates ice skating, although he has never tried.) Rather than leaving her to watch from the sidelines, I can actually take the stroller onto the rink thanks to our Premier Skis!
As for getting around on the white stuff, our BOB stroller is actually pretty darn decent on the snow thanks to its big, rugged tires. Strapping on our three Premier Skis makes the ride smoother and easier on most snow-covered terrain. If your stroller is already good on the snow and you’re not planning on taking it on the ice rink (or if you live in Florida), you’re likely not in the market for stroller skis anyway. But if you want to use your stroller all winter long and it has proven itself to be a nightmare in the snow, then Premier Skis are an affordable, easy way to upgrade the stroller you already have into a one horse parent open sleigh.
How do Premier Ski Stroller Skis Work?
Premier Skis are pretty much universal. They will fit on strollers with single or double wheels with a diameter of 4–18″ and a width of up to 2″. Sold individually, you don’t need to purchase four if your stroller only has three wheels. If you just need a little bit of help in the snow, you can equip just the front wheels!
Your Premier Skis will arrive IKEA-style, assembly required. All you need is a screwdriver. It took us about twenty minutes to get our three skis set up, with a preschooler and toddler “helping.”
Each ski comes with two brackets that hug the front and back of the stroller wheel. You attach the brackets to the ski loosely, then place your stroller wheel on the ski to determine exactly where to attach the brackets “permanently.” (If you use the skis with another stroller or sell them to another family, it’s just a matter of loosening and re-tightening the brackets to fit.) Because my dad’s smart like that, he suggested I mark the front ski with a permanent marker so I could easily distinguish it from the two back skis.
To put your skis on, just set the wheel between your now perfectly placed brackets and attach the strap around the wheel. It takes mere seconds, meaning you can put them on and remove them as needed if you’re on variable terrain. I find I’m happy to have a ski just on the front wheel when we’re on snowy sidewalks and the snow is quite packed, but prefer to throw the back two skis on when we’re a bit off-road (and for ice skating).
I just toss the spare skis in the stroller basket and away we go! When it’s time to fold up the stroller and put it away, the skis can be popped off easily.
I much prefer pushing Little Miss (and sometimes her big brother) in our stroller with the Premier Skis attached over pulling them in a sled. First of all, Little Miss is too little to keep herself properly seated on a sled. Second of all, pulling a sled is annoying. Thirdly, pulling a sled if you run out of snow is impossible. With Premier Skis, I can just toss the unneeded skis in the basket and continue on my way. This is a big plus if you are out in the snow but will also need to push the stroller indoors, like at the supermarket!
The only barriers Premier Skis cannot overcome are too much snow and not enough snow. Your stroller will sink in deep, unpacked snow, and the skis will scrape painfully on patches of sidewalk that have been completely cleared. In the case of deep, unpacked snow, the person pushing the stroller would also be sinking anyway. As for snow-free sidewalks, just pop the skis off until needed again!
We first tried out our Premier Skis on the Bow River Loop in Canmore. I had a good feeling Cub would want to ride in the newly ski-equipped stroller, so I also brought the baby carrier for Little Miss so her big brother could have a turn in our stroller-turned-sled.
On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we were hit with a great deal of snow. Cub wanted to sled and my mom wanted to try out her new snow shoes. I wanted to get my skate on!
I was able to push the stroller uphill (not both ways, but it sure felt like it) to our local park, thanks to our Premier Skis. The snow was coming down fast enough to cover up the hard work of my shovelling neighbours and make for prime Premier Ski gliding grounds. At each intersection we had to cross over unploughed roads—a mishmash of tire tracks and various textures of snow. I was impressed with how well the Premier Skis performed at each crossing. I know strollers with smaller wheels than the BOB would have never been able to navigate the journey to and from the park without the help of Premier Skis.
What I love about Premier Skis
- Made in Quebec
- Preferable to pulling a sled
- Compatible with most strollers
- Sold individually (purchase only as many as you need)
- Makes it possible to skate or snowshoe with your stroller
- Easy to set up and install, take them on and off as needed
Disadvantages of Premier Skis
- Not equipped with brakes, so only suitable for flat surfaces
- Cannot be used with strollers equipped with mud-guards
- Extra attention required when going up and down curbs
Bottom line:
Whether you use your stroller for snowy walks on gentle trails or for making your way to the corner store, turn it into a winter warrior with a set of Premier Skis.
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