Why people don't take lessons

[smootharc]

Incredible program at the 'Bush.

Take twenty long time, middle aged ski fiends (at least I'm middle aged....the rest of my pilot pals are less middle aged) and make a season long (all day every Saturday) private group lesson in which you are broken into 3 to 4 groups, each skiing with a stud/studette Pro rider from the Vermont North Pro Ski Team. You cut lift lines, and basically nook and cranny your way all around the resort with incredible free skiers who've made the valley their home for ten, twenty years....or more. You ski on piste, off piste, in Slidebrook. You live, learn, and no matter what you improve.

On any given Saturday, as you gather at the base, a legend of the sport may show up to tag along and teach. Hello, John Egan. There's Dan Egan. Adam DesLauriers. Guru Dean Deacas. I wouldn't be surprised if freakin' Dick Durrance or Alf Engen showed up some Saturday.

You ski, observe, ride lifts and talk technique with the best in the business. The comraderie and friendship is icing on the cake. All for less than $30 bucks a day. Last year was the pilot program for the Bush Pilots. 99.9% return sign-ups for this season.

In my opinion, "lessons" just don't get any better than this.

[campgottagopee]

Originally Posted by eastcoastpowderhound

Solid advice. I had been skiing for 15 years (from the age of 3) I was good in the bumps, skied fast, loved catching air, spent a winter at Squaw skiing steeps, chutes and dropping cliffs...thought I was the schit, then went to U Maine Farmington for their ski industries program and saw just how much I had to learn. We had classes on hill twice a week where we were brought all the way down to a wedge turn and built back up again using a combination of PSIA and racing techniques. Sophomore year you'd spend more time on hill preparing for PSIA and USSCA exams, also teaching other students in a phys ed class or freshmen in the program...by the time I graduated from UMF I would have skied circles around the 18yr old Squaw Valley hot shot I was 4 years earlier. Then I spent 2 years skiing 100 days a season with other solid skiers. No way would I ski the way I do today if it weren't for all that coaching and mileage. I've also been able to share the technique and knowledge with friends and family...there are some tools in any instructor or race coaches bag of tricks that help the average recreational skier, even "experts" to unlock some of the mystery or drop one seemingly insignificant bad habit that is like their keystone to the holy grail of great technique and advancing to the next level. Sometimes its just a matter of focusing on one thing and getting mileage...I watched my mother improve significantly over 3 seasons of skiing together 10 days or so and a few tips from me...she's 66 and has been skiing since she was 10. You just need to find the right instructor or coach...find out who the best pros are at your local hill and book a lesson...or do one of those "steep camps" out west. If you've never had any coaching or teaching you're not as good as you likely could be.

That sounds like a awesome program!!!!! I never got into racing as much as I would've liked to. I spent alot of free skiing time with a few race coaches so was able to pick up some tips from them. You can learn alot from a racer. There's more to skiing than just good form!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[OldsnowboarderME]

I never had any problems in taking lessons .. At Pats Peak, I would sign up for the group 7 weekends plan and both times I was the only one in the class so I basically had private lessons at the group rate for 7 weeks. The lessons is what taught me how to ride. I could have never done it on my own. I plan on taking some lessons this season too.

[YardSaleDad]

Originally Posted by AdironRider

Theres an old addage that you can only learn by doing right? Ive never taken a lesson in my life and taught myself how to ride simply by riding with others who were better than me. After a couple days of being ragged on for holding back the group I found myself learning more myself than any instructor couldve taught me with words. Thats all an instructor can do really, is tell you vaguely how to move, you have to figure it out for yourself either way.

If you have never taken a lesson how can you say what an instructor can, and cannot do.

I started skiing in Jan 2005. My kids were already skiing blacks and starting glades & bumps. I had a lot of catching up to do, if I wanted to be able to ski with friends and family. I did ski with people better than me, but I also took lessons. A lot of lessons.I found that certain days and times would result in group lessons of just me, or at most one other person. I came to appreciate the different styles of different instructors. I observed other students and learned from their mistakes. I am now on the blacks, and easing into the glades and bumps. I am certain I would not have progressed as fast as I have if I had skipped the lessons. I am still going to be taking lessons this year. I get an honest appraisal of where I am, what I need to work on for a modest fee.

[AdironRider]

Cause taking lessons doesnt just apply to skiing, it applies to all physical sports. I swam competitively for over 13 years of my life, and while Im not saying coaching isnt going to do anything, I didnt get to where I was competively listening to technique tips. (Division 3 nationals in the 100 and 200 free). I got there by busting my ass in the pool 7 hours a day, 250 days a year. An honest appraisal of where you are really doesnt do anything to make you better IM0, it just tells you something you already know. Unless your ego is huge, you know what you can and cannot do on skis realistically, do you really need to shell out cash to the mtn to tell you what you already know? Go out there and rip bumps all day every day this season and I guarantee youll get better than if you were to sit and listen to an instructor tell you what to do.

I look at Bode as a prime example of this. Hes arguably the best skier on the planet right now, and coaches all bitch and moan about his technique. You know how he got to where he is today, by getting out and skiing every day during the winter and pushing himself. Everyone is going to have their own technique, its being able to look at oneself, realizing what you personally need to do to improve, then going out there and doing it. Coaching doesnt take a college degree for a reason, its pretty simple. Coach yourself.

[Marc]

I don't take lessons because I've never wanted to take lessons. At least not paying for them.

Two parts of my personality lead to this- 1) I'm cheap and 2) I've always preferred learning on my own rather than seeking the help of others... not once in the process of earning my two engineering degrees through 5 years of college did I seek extra help from the professor or TA during office hours.

A BIG part of the enjoyment I get out of skiing is discovering things on my own, and improving on my own. It's not the destination for me, it's all about the journey. I've been skiing for six winters now and last year I skied Killington quite a bit, and there wasn't one open trail all winter I couldn't ski in control. I'm not a good skier by an stretch of the imagination, but the way I've been going at it the last six years makes me extraordinarily happy... so I'll stick with it.

[eastcoastpowderhound]

Originally Posted by AdironRider

Cause taking lessons doesnt just apply to skiing, it applies to all physical sports. I swam competitively for over 13 years of my life, and while Im not saying coaching isnt going to do anything, I didnt get to where I was competively listening to technique tips. (Division 3 nationals in the 100 and 200 free). I got there by busting my ass in the pool 7 hours a day, 250 days a year. An honest appraisal of where you are really doesnt do anything to make you better IM0, it just tells you something you already know. Unless your ego is huge, you know what you can and cannot do on skis realistically, do you really need to shell out cash to the mtn to tell you what you already know? Go out there and rip bumps all day every day this season and I guarantee youll get better than if you were to sit and listen to an instructor tell you what to do.

I look at Bode as a prime example of this. Hes arguably the best skier on the planet right now, and coaches all bitch and moan about his technique. You know how he got to where he is today, by getting out and skiing every day during the winter and pushing himself. Everyone is going to have their own technique, its being able to look at oneself, realizing what you personally need to do to improve, then going out there and doing it. Coaching doesnt take a college degree for a reason, its pretty simple. Coach yourself.

Bode, great example...I'm sure he didn't pick up anyting from his coaches at CVA.

[campgottagopee]

Originally Posted by AdironRider

Cause taking lessons doesnt just apply to skiing, it applies to all physical sports. I swam competitively for over 13 years of my life, and while Im not saying coaching isnt going to do anything, I didnt get to where I was competively listening to technique tips. (Division 3 nationals in the 100 and 200 free). I got there by busting my ass in the pool 7 hours a day, 250 days a year. An honest appraisal of where you are really doesnt do anything to make you better IM0, it just tells you something you already know. Unless your ego is huge, you know what you can and cannot do on skis realistically, do you really need to shell out cash to the mtn to tell you what you already know? Go out there and rip bumps all day every day this season and I guarantee youll get better than if you were to sit and listen to an instructor tell you what to do.

I look at Bode as a prime example of this. Hes arguably the best skier on the planet right now, and coaches all bitch and moan about his technique. You know how he got to where he is today, by getting out and skiing every day during the winter and pushing himself. Everyone is going to have their own technique, its being able to look at oneself, realizing what you personally need to do to improve, then going out there and doing it. Coaching doesnt take a college degree for a reason, its pretty simple. Coach yourself.

No doubt that your success in the pool came from YOUR hard work, BUT don't you think your coaches/instuctors input helped by accelerating the proccess??? IMO, if your "sitting and listening" to a ski instructor then you need to find a new instuctor.

Bode is a prime example of what we are talking about because he's had more instruction than all AZ'ers put together x 3. Does that mean he does what they all say??? Nope!!!! Does that mean he may have picked up one little thing that may have helped him get to that gate quicker than anyone else alive???? YUP!!!! He knows what works for him, takes all the coaching, teaching w/ a grain of salt then pounds it to the snow!!!!

[jack97]

Originally Posted by AdironRider

I look at Bode as a prime example of this. Hes arguably the best skier on the planet right now, and coaches all bitch and moan about his technique. You know how he got to where he is today, by getting out and skiing every day during the winter and pushing himself. Everyone is going to have their own technique, its being able to look at oneself, realizing what you personally need to do to improve, then going out there and doing it. Coaching doesnt take a college degree for a reason, its pretty simple. Coach yourself.

Originally Posted by campgottagopee

Bode is a prime example of what we are talking about because he's had more instruction than all AZ'ers put together x 3. Does that mean he does what they all say??? Nope!!!! Does that mean he may have picked up one little thing that may have helped him get to that gate quicker than anyone else alive???? YUP!!!! He knows what works for him, takes all the coaching, teaching w/ a grain of salt then pounds it to the snow!!!!

Go to youtube and search the sportskool series of Miller and McNichols. Miller is fundamentally sound, imo he has great tech but he takes so many chance. In that he sometimes skis out of control which hides his fundamentals.


BTW, I believe in taking lessons, had one two years ago, I'm just selective on what I want to work on.

[YardSaleDad]

Originally Posted by AdironRider

Unless your ego is huge, you know what you can and cannot do on skis realistically, do you really need to shell out cash to the mtn to tell you what you already know?

This is my point. I do not already know everything. I admit it. Since I am a Dad, and work, I can't live on the slopes. I want those 20+ days of the season to be well spent practicing the right things, at the right time in my progression.