I'm tempted to go to a really small mountain somewhere (read: inexpensive lessons), sign up for a half day group, and not mention that I coach, just to see what it's like from the other side since I haven't been in a lesson in over 20 years.
-
For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.
What keeps you from taking ski lessons?
- Thread starter mister moose
- Start date
- Status
Time (opportunity) and money. My weakest skill set involves off piste tactics/techniques, and if we have a crappy winter like this year, off piste terrain is nonexistent.
Since I am a teacher, most of my skiing time is on the weekends (unless I am lucky to get a snow day with conditions conducive to travel and skiing). Weekend skiing is crowded, I am tired from the work week, and it is hard to find a good instructor here for bump/ off piste.
I did work as an L1 instructor for 2 seasons. Yes, there were great clinics at my hill. But, I couldn’t take the time to go to clinics elsewhere due to my full time job schedule, so working on L2 was nearly impossible....no time. Plus, I was exhausted from multiple night shifts after teaching high school all day and then being on a busy hill all weekend. It was fun, but I had no free time and no home life. I have other interests and hobbies, and a husband, and there was no time for them.
Travel to the west is hard as it depends on whether I can take days off. I got lucky last year. This year, I made last minute plans to visit Alta (Because flying to SLC is an easy nonstop) and there I will be taking 2 private half day lessons. It is a big chunk of change, but long overdue.
Since I am a teacher, most of my skiing time is on the weekends (unless I am lucky to get a snow day with conditions conducive to travel and skiing). Weekend skiing is crowded, I am tired from the work week, and it is hard to find a good instructor here for bump/ off piste.
I did work as an L1 instructor for 2 seasons. Yes, there were great clinics at my hill. But, I couldn’t take the time to go to clinics elsewhere due to my full time job schedule, so working on L2 was nearly impossible....no time. Plus, I was exhausted from multiple night shifts after teaching high school all day and then being on a busy hill all weekend. It was fun, but I had no free time and no home life. I have other interests and hobbies, and a husband, and there was no time for them.
Travel to the west is hard as it depends on whether I can take days off. I got lucky last year. This year, I made last minute plans to visit Alta (Because flying to SLC is an easy nonstop) and there I will be taking 2 private half day lessons. It is a big chunk of change, but long overdue.
Last edited:
Ski lessons are the biggest scam in ski industry ( the kids lessons doubly so). You pay exorbitant amounts to have a lesson with an indifferent “pro” who gets $12/hour (resort gets by far the most of what you pay). You are out in a group with people who are mismatched, so you are either bored or just trying to survive, there is always one a$$hole in the group that bugs everyone. In the meantime, your kid is in a group with an instructor who could barely ski and spends all her/his time dealing with a couple of spoiled bratty kids from the city. Sounds familiar?
If you can swing it, bring your own group to the lesson, go for a private, and send your kids to the ski teams.
If you can swing it, bring your own group to the lesson, go for a private, and send your kids to the ski teams.
By the way, if you are in Tahoe, be careful with ski lessons at Tahoe Donner. A lot of their “instructors” are Latin American kids who pretty barely can ski themselves and get hardly any training. I’d recommend TD only for never-evers. The recruits who actually can ski tend to go to bigger resorts where they can actually use their employee pass on off days.
Why did I not take lessons for nearly a decade after I learned to ski? Because I saw it as a big expense, I did not want to use the very limited chances I had to ski on anything but skiing, and it just did not seem necessary.
I naturally improved with time and experience, and I got comfortable and very content with the intermediate level that I was.
Why did I start taking lessons? Because my income improved for one. But most importantly I recognized I had reached a plateau on what I could ski well and I needed help to take the next leap.
But I understand most folks not bothering if they are happy on groomers and have very limited chances to ski.
Since then we have adjusted our ski budget, to include one half day private lesson a year. It has been the best bang for the buck option we found at maximizing teaching/learning and has helped a lot.
I naturally improved with time and experience, and I got comfortable and very content with the intermediate level that I was.
Why did I start taking lessons? Because my income improved for one. But most importantly I recognized I had reached a plateau on what I could ski well and I needed help to take the next leap.
But I understand most folks not bothering if they are happy on groomers and have very limited chances to ski.
Since then we have adjusted our ski budget, to include one half day private lesson a year. It has been the best bang for the buck option we found at maximizing teaching/learning and has helped a lot.
Lessons don't exist at the level I need them where I live and ski. Most of the ski trips I do are Ski Patrol related so I always make sure to hit up some lessons or clinics when I attend events, my next trip in April to the NSP Powderfall event at Snowbird I have signed up for a couple sessions with the PSIA demo team. It'll be a group setting, but should be good for working on things and getting feedback I simply don't get on my local hill.
That's not triple black, it's just annoying skiing.
Ha! You also have to be careful because some ski instructors can be like auto mechanics:
“Look, Mam, your balance alignment is off, causing instability of your CoM which will eventually wear out your rotator cuffs.Your remaining rotation is locked up and needs to be lubricated along with your ankle joints, knee joints and hip flexors. Your femur ball joints need to be replaced.. You need new shock absorbers on both sides. Your steering linkage is a bit loose and needs tightening. I suggest regreasing your rear axle. You also need to consider your driving habits. You need to stop overusing your brakes as you are now grinding metal on metal and need new pads. Why does your driver seat look brand new? Are you driving from the backseat? Also your tires seem to be worn on the inside but not so much on the outside. You really need to be wearing/pressuring them more on the outside. Lastly, with this ride, you should be using high test gas … I suggest Red Bull with 10% Grey Goose. If you do not get these issues fixed now, things will wear in and worsen to the point that you may not pass binding inspection or instructor certification next year or simply break down along a long and deserted slope where bears are often seen hunting for miscellaneous prey food items. You really need to start over from the beginning and have everything fixed from the ground up. We can put you on a payment plan. Will that be Mastercard or Visa?”
“Look, Mam, your balance alignment is off, causing instability of your CoM which will eventually wear out your rotator cuffs.Your remaining rotation is locked up and needs to be lubricated along with your ankle joints, knee joints and hip flexors. Your femur ball joints need to be replaced.. You need new shock absorbers on both sides. Your steering linkage is a bit loose and needs tightening. I suggest regreasing your rear axle. You also need to consider your driving habits. You need to stop overusing your brakes as you are now grinding metal on metal and need new pads. Why does your driver seat look brand new? Are you driving from the backseat? Also your tires seem to be worn on the inside but not so much on the outside. You really need to be wearing/pressuring them more on the outside. Lastly, with this ride, you should be using high test gas … I suggest Red Bull with 10% Grey Goose. If you do not get these issues fixed now, things will wear in and worsen to the point that you may not pass binding inspection or instructor certification next year or simply break down along a long and deserted slope where bears are often seen hunting for miscellaneous prey food items. You really need to start over from the beginning and have everything fixed from the ground up. We can put you on a payment plan. Will that be Mastercard or Visa?”
I've had a mix of a couple of one and two hour privates in the Mid-A, and two Taos ski weeks the last two seasons.
I think I've improved significantly and credit all the lessons. The ski week group lessons have been great.
I guess YMMV.
Sorry you have had such bad experiences. I know there are crap instructors. I know there are some that talk a good game and can barely stand on the magic carpet themselves. Please don't bad mouth all of us or lump us into a scam! Yes take a private, if you are in a group, instructors do have to go as slowly as the slowest in the group. Most big Mts do group you by what level you claim to be as a skier. (I've seen people that claim to be 8-9 and are 5-6 in reality) Yes, it is one the problems w/big places and getting grouped wrong leading to your opinion lessons are a scam. Yes to get a group with similar goals and abilities and take a private class, Yes to get references from others on who's the best fit for you and your goals. Good instructors get requested and often are not in the line up as they are already spoken for. If you state your wishes of what you want to work on you should be matched with an instructor that will help. If not, you should report back to the ski school what happened and get comp lesson. I believe the majority of us have a passion to help people ski better, safely and have fun.
I teach at a small Mt. We are very Low cost. We aren't in a ritzy cosmopolitian area and we cater to locals and families. We charge $35 for 1hr 15min group or $70/ 1hr15min group lesson, rentals,helmet and all day slope pass! BUT We do split up the groups properly, sometimes people get a private based on the abilities/ages of the group. We teach a lot of under 5 and they are not going in a class with older kids/adults. And Thankfully Instructors are appreciated at my Mt. Our Owner pays us more than he makes. He's all about getting people into skiing/boarding and keeping good instructors teaching. I know this is Rare in this world. This past holiday week we were booked solid and we taught so many kids and adults from never ever and got them carving and ripping up the Mt in a few lessons. LOL One of my 7yr old students told me about the mean teacher at KMart- the student said 'he's screaming pizza pizza pizza". What do I know? I've never been on skis! Pizza's are ROUND! Connecting with an instructor is MAJOR to getting the most out of any lesson.
I know we have skied together. I hope that you knowthat everything you say here doesn’t apply to me or the advanced and expert group lessons I teach almost every day of the week. Anyone who thinks that lessons aren’t worth their time should come take one with me. It might be the best day of skiing you ever had. I’ve heard that a lot this year.
The last few posts are exactly why getting lessons is a pain (two extremes). It seems to me it's all about finding the right instructor, except you don't know who you gonna get. I can't see profiles of the teachers, I can't interview them in advance. I'm completely at the mercy of whoever in charge or whoever is available. The worst part about it for me isn't about money. It's about wasting my time because I don't have the time to ski as much as I used to so I want to maximize my experience.
Personally, I think it perfectly acceptable for you to interview the instructor assigned to your group and see if you think it will be a fit. If not, you should be able to discuss the issue with the supervisor and request an alternate instructor or decline the lesson.
Mike
The website for Whitefish has a selection of instructors (they don't update it much that I can tell) with their qualifications and background. I'm sure there are other areas that do that.
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2017
- Posts
- 1,584
I saw something similar on Squaw/Alpine's website.
interesting perspective. This explains a wasted full day lesson I got at Beaver Creek recently.
The instructor said "I don't like to talk a lot. I like to ski". He would go in front of the group and ask us to follow him. He gave one or two pieces of advice during a full day lesson. His advice to most of group was keep skiing and you will get better. Why do I need to take a lesson to hear that?
It seems like he was teaching there so he could ski Vail and Beaver Creek for free.
You should complain and ask for your money back.
I think many stuck intermediates with “home made” technique intrinsically know that hints, tips and random lessons are not going to take them to the next level. In fact, despite being well intentioned, they are more likely to regress. What they really need to improve is to go back to square one and start over. Doing this is a HUGE time and money commitment, that most are not prepared to do, so they just keep plodding along on their own. Helluva explained this concept in his “What It Takes” thread.
- Status