Go Take a Ski Lesson

Learn to Ski

If you haven’t been skiing in a while or it’s the start of the new ski season, go take a lesson. It’s worth it!

Who Should Take Ski Lessons?

Hey, I’m a ski instructor and I take lessons all the time – we call them “clinics” but it’s the same thing. We’re always working on our skiing. We give each other situations and see if we can diagnose and improve a certain part of someone’s skiing. It gets really technical, believe me. So even if you’re an intermediate skier, there’s no reason not to take a ski lesson.

For me, the new ski season starts in about 2 months. I know that the first 2 weeks, I’ll be working on getting my ski legs back. I’ll spend a lot of time on the bunny hill, working on my turns and balance. We have a thing where we unbuckle our boots and have them on very loosely and we ski down the bunny hill. This helps us find our balance because you can’t rely on the boot so much. We do that for a few hours and that really helps. My point is (still is) that at virtually any level, skiing can be improved – if you want.

When I say “if you want” what I mean is, it’s up to you. If you’re fine with where you are at, then great. Go out and have fun because that’s what it’s all about. But if you want to get down the ski run with less effort, have more control and be able to easily take on steeper runs, then you’ll want to work on your skiing and lessons greatly help with that. With a lesson, it’s like cheating – I think. Instead of trying to figure it out yourself, in a lesson you get an instructor that should know what you need to know and they’ll show you.

Beginner Ski Lessons

In a beginner ski lesson, a few things will happen.

You should get the ski equipment explained to you. They should also check over your equipment to make sure you’re using it properly. Boots not fitting well or a binding set improperly can have some negative effects and consequences. So if the instructor does not check out your boots and equipment, feel free to ask them to do it quickly. It only takes about 30 seconds.

The next thing is to get used to the boots and learn how to stand and move in them. Being balanced while you ski is important, so the instructor should explain what that stance is and how to remember to stay in that stance. What’s good here is if you remember the balanced stance in everything you do – even during the lesson. When you walk, when you start sliding on your skis – everything. It’s critical. There will be a lot to remember and you’ll have a lot of information thrown at you but try to remember balance for sure.

You may then do some of the same (or similar) things you did in your boots with one ski on. Then you will put the other ski on and see how that feels. It’s very different walking around and moving with skis on because you’ve basically just strapped 4 or 5 foot long boards onto your feet. Most of us are not used to walking in that manner. If you are, then I have some questions to ask you.

Learning to stop and turn in your skis can be taught in several different ways, so I won’t go into great detail there but those will be things that you’ll need to know to safely make it down the hill.

Using the Ski Lift

Part of the lesson should include how to use the ski lift. The ski instructor will take you or the group (if you’re in a group lesson) there when you are ready. Don’t fear, it’s not very hard to use. See my article about how to use a ski lift.

Your First Run

At the top of the run or just before you use the lift, the instructor should go over the important safety information. These are important rules to follow and it’s know as the Skier’s Responsibility Code. You should look that over before you head out there so that you’re familiar with it. You will need to know it.

When it’s safe, the instructor will take you down the run. What I like to do with my classes is go down very slowly and in control. The first run down the bunny hill may take 15 minutes or longer because we’ll be doing things, as a group, the whole way down. I actually do this thing, which most people find funny, and that is to have everyone raise their right and an repeat after me. I say, “I will not” (“I will not”) “bomb the hill” (“bomb the hill”). Usually what happens then is someone asks what “bomb the hill” means. I explain that it’s when people just go straight down out of control. That’s not allowed in my classes!

Lesson Wrap Up

Once you’ve made it down, there may be time to take another run. There will be a wrap up meeting at the end, so stay in your group. Here, the ski instructor should quiz you on what you learned. Having you (or select people from the group) say it out loud helps to make it stick in your head, so that’s why they’re doing that – to help you. They should then ask if there are any questions and then invite you back for another lesson which can help you take your skiing even farther or go on steeper runs.

Intermediate Ski Lessons

If you’ve been skiing a while and need a quick refresher or want to focus on something else, then an intermediate ski lesson is for you. There may be intermediate skiing group lessons. If there are, then they might be only at certain times of the day, so be sure to check and sign up if needed. Go to the ski school desk to do this. If there are no group lessons, then a private intermediate lesson is what you will want. These are great because you get individual instruction and the instructor can devote all their time to you. They’ll watch your skiing and help you take the next step.

What is the next step? Well, that’ll depend. You can tell them what you think your next step should be or they can suggest something. The best thing to do to help decide what the lesson is about is to ask why. The instructor may keep asking why until they come up with the ultimate reason. Once they know that, they can tailor the lesson time to meet those goals. So be honest and explain why you want the intermediate lesson and what you truly want to accomplish.

For me, intermediate lessons are the most fun. I can totally concentrate on one or two people and those people are really interested in skiing and getting better. They’re like sponges that soak up all the tips and information you can give them. Plus, you get to ski on blue or black runs!

Expert Ski Lessons

If you really want to do something different and take your skiing to a whole new level, then an expert ski lesson is what you’re after. These kinds of lessons are all about exploring. They work best on ski mountains – not “hills” where there’s varying terrain and conditions. You’re looking to explore and find new challenges and then learn how to conquer them. That’s your catnip!

For expert ski lessons, you have some options. First, like I said, you need to find out where you’re going to ski and if doing that type of lesson is even an option. If it is, then great. You can either go to the ski school at that resort and ask about expert lessons or you can seek out a private instructor from outside that school.

Some people will prefer using the same ski instructor that they’ve used for their intermediate lessons – if that instructor is certified for expert lessons. I’ve heard of celebrities flying their ski instructor out to where they are and taking care of their room and board, too – along with the lesson. So it’s good to find someone you like and stick with them because that instructor will know your skiing. They will know at which point they left you last, see your improvement and know where to take you next.

Conclusion

Ski lessons are available at all levels. Don’t feel like you’re “wimping out” if you take a lesson. If anything, you’re cheating and you’ll get ahead faster – if you ask me. Wherever you take your lessons, find out the full menu of what is available – be it kids ski lessons, group lessons, private lessons, half day lessons, full day, intermediate, expert or private. Know your options. Call ahead, too, so that you can get a reservation if they are offered.

And, I encourage you to tip your ski instructor. They may not ask (and shouldn’t ask) but if they did a great job, then reward them. They’re not getting paid too well and are usually just out there because they love it. It’s that way for me and getting a tip just shows that people appreciated what you showed them. It’s a win-win!

So have fun out there, be safe!

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