What You Will Learn by Taking Ski Lessons
Learn to Ski
If you’re going skiing at a ski hill or mountain that offers lessons, then you may be asking yourself if you should take the lesson. You may be wondering what you will learn and it taking it is really worth an hour or an hour and a half of your time. In this article, I’ll explain some of the benefits of taking a beginner ski lesson and give you an idea of what you’re going to learn so that you can better make that decision.
Who Should Take Ski Lessons?
The answer to that is… anyone! Hey, I’m a ski instructor and I take lessons. Skiing can be very technical. It’s more technical than I thought it was. The good thing, though, is that it’s as technical as you want it to be. Most people are fine just taking a beginner lesson and then doing the rest on their own. Some people will take a refresher beginner lesson every year. Others will go for intermediate and advanced ski lessons or get a ski lesson to just learn how to do one certain thing better. They’re for everyone, not matter what skill level you are at and you can take them any time.
What Type of Beginner Ski Lessons Are There?
If you’re a beginning skier, then there should be a ski or snowsports school where you ski. Not every place has them but most do. They will be able to offer a variety of lesson types. There are private ski lessons, group ski lessons and ski lessons for kids. With kids, they can start skiing from age 3 on up. Yes, I’ve taught a 3 year old to ski. He got down the magic carpet area just fine and even learned to stop and turn – awesome!
Group Ski Lessons are Fun
With group ski lessons, you are in a group of 2-20 people. Some larger groups may have multiple instructors in it. One will give the presentation and the other will be helping students. One of the benefits of group ski lessons is that you get to watch other people do things and also learn from what the instructor is telling them. You may also prefer to get instruction and then try it on your own (we all learn in different ways), so group ski lessons may be great if that’s how you are – and even if you’re not like that.
Some people prefer the personalized instruction of private ski lessons. With private ski lessons, it’s just you and the ski instructor. You can also have multiple people in private lessons but you are deciding how many people there are (usually adding another person helps the per person cost go down). In a private lesson, you may feel like you can ask more questions and you also know that the instructor can better watch your movements and give you specific ways to ski better. Most people say they get more out of a private ski lesson
What Happens in Beginner Ski Lessons?
The goal of most beginner ski lessons is to teach you about the ski equipment and how to use that equipment to safely stop and turn while moving down a slope. You will also learn how to safely use a ski lift.
So the first thing is the equipment. You will learn about your skis, bindings, poles and boots. I don’t know if the instructor will check your boots, so give me a minute here to go a little in depth about your boots since how they’re fitting is very important and will affect your learning a lot.
How Your Ski Boots Should Fit
Your ski boots should fit snugly. So they should be tight and you want them tight. Don’t make them so tight that they hurt or cut off circulation but they should still be tight. You should be able to get one finger between your leg and the boot cuff. The boots are going to kind of make your shin go forward. This is on purpose. Often, when we’re relaxed and just standing in boots with no skis, we keep one boot flat on the ground and the other one on its heel, which is a comfortable stance. This is because of how boots force your ankle to flex.
All the buckles should be securely fastened. Make sure the Velcro strap at the top of the cuff (if you have one) is also secure and tight – this strap is important.
Do NOT have anything tucked into your boot except your socks. Make sure your socks are pulled tight. This is so important: if you have anything bunched up between the shin of your leg and boot, you will be in pain! That part starts in about 15 minutes and can last up to a day or more. You won’t get anything out of the lesson if you are in pain. So please check this. The inner liner of your ski pants should wrap around your boot and not be inside it.
I once had a kid end up in ski patrol because he was in too much pain during a lesson. It was simply because he had his jeans tucked into his boots. He had regular ski pants on over his jeans, so I did not see it. I now check every student that I teach to make sure they’re not tucking anything in and that their boots are fitting fine.
And then even as you go through the lesson, feel free to adjust your boots and make them tighter if needed. We all do it all the time. You’ll feel more secure and more in control with snug fitting ski boots.
Ok, back to the lesson…
After learning about the equipment, you’ll learn the balanced ski stance and do some boot work. In all that you do during the lesson, you’ll want to be in that balanced stance. If you ski in balance, skiing is effortless. If you ski out of balance, then skiing is a lot of work and you’ll get tired quickly.
With the boot work, you’ll basically be learning everything you’re going to be doing on skis but first without your skis. So even though things may seem boring without skis, you should pay attention to what the instructor is saying and how they’re telling you to do things. It’ll help you so much in just a few minutes later.
You’ll next probably put one ski on and then both. If there’s a practice hill, you may take a short run to just get the feel of moving on skis and to make sure you’re in a balanced stance still.
Ski Instructor and Students
You may then learn how to stop and then how to turn. There will be various ways to teach you how to do this, so I won’t get into specifics.
After learning to turn and stop, you’re ready to take more of a slope. You may walk up a slope or at this point, you may even learn how to use a ski lift.
By the end of the lesson, hopefully you will have learned how to take the bunny hill slope with control – turning and stopping all the way down. You should not be “bombing” the bunny run. There’s no control there and it’s not safe for you or anyone around you.
You will also learn safety and the Skier’s Responsibility Code so that you know the rules and know how people will react to you when you ski next to them.
No two ski lessons are the same, really, since no two students or group of students are the same. Ski instructors today know how to tailor lessons to their students and will have a variety of ways to get you to turn and stop well. If how they are teaching is not working for you, then ask for help. Don’t be afraid to do that.
Benefits of Taking Ski Lessons
When you take a ski lesson, you learn so many more things than how your friends will teach you (unless they are instructors, of course). There are so many little tips and tricks that you learn in a lesson. It’s the little things. One quick tip can make it easier for you to walk up a slope or make a turn correctly – or, most importantly, stop!
I first learned on straight skis and I went with my friends to the top of the hill and somehow followed them down. It was horrible and I hear the story all the time of how someone took one run with their friends, took a big fall and then gave up. You want to be with you friends, sure but when you take a lesson, you learn the right way and by being able to ski better, you will be able to spend more time with your friends because you’ll be able to keep up with them.
You also learn important safety tips when you take ski lessons. These can literally save your life and keep you off of the ski patrol sled. You do not want to come down the hill in that sled, trust me. That’s not what you paid for.
Conclusion
Everyone should take ski lessons – take at least one. They’re so beneficial and it just makes things easier. You learn how to ski in balance and you learn so many little tricks that just makes skiing easier because you’re learning from an expert. It’s almost like cheating.
So take the lesson, have fun in it, ask questions if you have them and don’t forget to tip your hard working ski instructor that’s running around, trying to help you. They deserve a little love. Remember what TIPS stands for: “to insure proper service.”
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