Teaching your spouse/friend/child how to ski

[witch hobble]

You are missing out if you outsource your kids' learning experience to an instructor, IMHO. Kids learn so much through osmosis that if you provide a fun, comfortable environment and exhibit how awesome sliding around on snow is, they are bound to want to learn how to do it. Or maybe I'm just really lucky. You might have to reframe your idea of what a "day of skiing" consists of. You'll definitely have to subjugate your desire to be hard charging, carving down the steepest, baddest-ass runs at the coolest ski resorts. But it is worth it.

Skating is great practice for balance and carving little turns. And cross-country skiing, even if it is just in your yard or a park or golf course, is an inexpensive and fun way to get used to having skis on and a cool way to see the world in winter.

Teaching adults --- totally different.I'll leave that to the pros.

 

[billski]

some things are best left to the professionals....knowing how to ski, and knowing how to teach are 2 different worlds....

You are right. These are professionals. Do not attempt this at home. The worst seems to be boyfriend teaching girlfriend. I've seen more anger, tears and screaming from GF being taught by BF than I care to remember. Why did you take me up here? How am I going to get down? You're a @#$%$5! I hate you! I can't!

And then there's the "guys trip". eclaire got it right. "Just get on the lift,and at the top just go!" Then there is the requisite laughter and mocking when they can't. What is this, Frat initiation?

Witch - you are damn lucky. For every one of you, there are 99 who can't (myself included). You may have skill, tolerant kids and a little luck. The kids spend 1.5 hours in a lesson, then the remainder of the day with me. I get plenty of hill time with them, practicing what they learned and reinforcing it. Don't lose focus though: skiing is supposed to be fun, so a whole day of drills won't go over too well. Throw in something fun along the way. For my kids it was racing me (and I lose), going through a few baby tree runs (slowly..), doing small jump hills (again slowly) and so on.

 

[Bumpsis]

You are missing out if you outsource your kids' learning experience to an instructor, IMHO. Kids learn so much through osmosis that if you provide a fun, comfortable environment and exhibit how awesome sliding around on snow is, they are bound to want to learn how to do it. Or maybe I'm just really lucky. You might have to reframe your idea of what a "day of skiing" consists of. You'll definitely have to subjugate your desire to be hard charging, carving down the steepest, baddest-ass runs at the coolest ski resorts. But it is worth it.

Skating is great practice for balance and carving little turns. And cross-country skiing, even if it is just in your yard or a park or golf course, is an inexpensive and fun way to get used to having skis on and a cool way to see the world in winter.

Teaching adults --- totally different.I'll leave that to the pros.

Good comments here. I think that my kids learned more form following me and my wife around the mountain than from formal lessons. If you have the patience and the abilty to see the kid's point of view (empathy and good skill/ablity assesment), in many cases, you can probably do a better job than a formal group lesson.

My kids actually really detested being put in those. I once or twice followed the lesson group where my son was in and to my dismay, there was very little if no real instruction going on. The instructor would just take off and the kids struggled behing the best way they could. No instuctions, no pointers and the teacher wasn't even looking who did what. Granted, I did not observe the group for the duration of the whole "lesson", but seeing how little progress the kids were making subsequent to multiple lessons, we ened up doing most of the teaching by ourselves.

It's all really mellow and when we do some actual teachning, we usually concentrate on one thing at a time and don't drill it. My wife is better at this than me and the kids readily accept it. I enjoyed watching my kids take it in and getting better. It was (still is) a good experience for all of us.

 

[HD333]

Leave the initial teaching to the Instructors, BUT, after the lessons make the skiing all about them (I am talking little guys here). Use the 2 hrs or whatever that they are in lessons to rip wherever you want, then pick them up focus on them, if they are done call it a day and get Hot Chocolate/beer, if they want to keep going on a lame blue cruiser, guess what, it is time for a lame blue cruiser, they want to take FOREVER navigating through some moguls then sit back and watch.

Our kids now 7 have done some type of lessons/program the past 3 years and they have advanced becasue of it, but I think they have learnt more by miminking my wife and me (more my wife as she is a textbook skier) when we ski as a family, but without the first couple of lessons I am sure they would not be where they are now.

Both want to snowboard now and I would not even consider trying to teach them myself right out of the gate, I will leave that up to the instructors.

 

[Sparky]

Moose - great post with great points

I think of skiing like driving. Lots of us know how to drive, but that doesn't mean we're qualified to teach someone else to do it. You need proper training in order to be an instructor.

And a lot of patients

 

[jrmagic]

My kids had a couple of formal lessons when they started but everything else they learned from following our group around the mountain. I sitll givethem pointers and things to work on while skiing. When they are young making it fun is very important and having more patience than you ever thought possible is even more important. There were a few of times when my little guy was 3 or 4 and we had just made the traverse from the locker room door to the beginner area and he would be done so I would just take him back in. No use in trying to force the issue and make him ski through tears. He eventually got past that and now loves being out on the hill skiing most of the terrain.

 

[ceo]

One thing I've found to be very important: Find a mountain with a good ski school and stick with it. First time I took Benjamin (now 6) last year, we went to Nashoba, where I taught him the very basics and then put him in an afternoon lesson. Their ski school seemed really lame and disorganized, and I didn't get the sense he learned much of anything. He'd been doing fine on the magic carpet slope, but they had the kids walking up a carpet and going down a much gentler slope. Next two times we went to Wachusett, which has a much better kids' program, and he improved immensely.

Since then we've gone to Cannon, which also has an excellent program (and the even more excellent feature that you drop the kid off at the desk and they handle getting his rentals fitted). Both Wachusett and Cannon give you a little report card printed with the goals for each skill group, and the ones he's mastered checked off. I don't remember this from my own ski school days, but it makes it really easy to track his progress.

Of course, there can be lousy instructors even in a well-run ski school; I had a few of those myself.

 

[Nick]

I have a character flaw I'm aware of and it's impatience. I would be horrible ever trying to teach anyone to ski. A couple tips here and there I can handle but actually spending a day teaching... fuhgetabout it. Ironically my wife is a school teacher and she is amazing at that and has all the patience in the world.

I tried to teach my wife to ski once or twice, just not a great experience. I plan on enrolling her in ski school some more :lol: instead.

 

[Warp Daddy]

B careful of SOME teaching pros , 5 yrs ago we were gien slopeside lodging as an anniversary gift and it included a "perfect Turn" lesson from a teaching Pro . When we arrived our condo was not ready so the Queen and I headed out to ski ( Shes a green and low level blue , blubird day skier).

I took her on the stuff i knew she could handle , she skied with me perfectly ALL morning long , Conditions were not primo , certain areas were getting scraped off when we broke for lunch .

After lunch we decided she would take a the Perfect Turn lesson while i free skied . Now this woman is in super athletic shape 5'4" 120 lbs , works out in the gym 3 days a week , plays tennis . XC skied for yrs on the Olympis trails in Placid , bikes , power walks etc -- got the picture . We AIN"T talking bout some couch potato here

Well the instructor had her and ONE woman in the class. I'm rockin the upper slopes took 3 runs and on my last run i can see in the distance a woman sitting on a sled heading for the ski shack . My thoughts immediately were OMG sure hope it's not the Queen -- well it was . Seems he had them turn on ICE sheets on the fall line ,

I mean these skiers were novices albeit some experience but WTF turning on the ice on the fall line for them ?????????? .. So an hr later shes in surgery to get 6 screws ad a metal plate in her ankle for an inside the boot compund fracture .

Lesson learned NOT ALL INSTRUCTORS know the what the hell they are doing .

 

[hammer]

B careful of SOME teaching pros , 5 yrs ago we were gien slopeside lodging as an anniversary gift and it included a "perfect Turn" lesson from a teaching Pro . When we arrived our condo was not ready so the Queen and I headed out to ski ( Shes a green and low level blue , blubird day skier).

I took her on the stuff i knew she could handle , she skied with me perfectly ALL morning long , Conditions were not primo , certain areas were getting scraped off when we broke for lunch .

After lunch we decided she would take a the Perfect Turn lesson while i free skied . Now this woman is in super athletic shape 5'4" 120 lbs , works out in the gym 3 days a week , plays tennis . XC skied for yrs on the Olympis trails in Placid , bikes , power walks etc -- got the picture . We AIN"T talking bout some couch potato here

Well the instructor had her and ONE woman in the class. I'm rockin the upper slopes took 3 runs and on my last run i can see in the distance a woman sitting on a sled heading for the ski shack . My thoughts immediately were OMG sure hope it's not the Queen -- well it was . Seems he had them turn on ICE sheets on the fall line ,

I mean these skiers were novices albeit some experience but WTF turning on the ice on the fall line for them ?????????? .. So an hr later shes in surgery to get 6 screws ad a metal plate in her ankle for an inside the boot compund fracture .

Lesson learned NOT ALL INSTRUCTORS know the what the hell they are doing.

Glad me and the DW are past this but I tend to think that the typical Level I instructor that teaches beginners/novices may have some skiing skills but are not really experienced in teaching. Looking back I think I would have gone for a semi-private or private lesson when starting out.

My skill level isn't enough to teach skiing, but teaching family members in general is something I like to avoid. I already had enough trouble trying to instruct my son when he had his learner's permit and I'm not looking forward to the time in the not too distant future when my daughter gets hers, especially since she will be learning in my newer car. :smash: :argue: :roll:

 

[Trekchick]

RE: ski instructors for novices.

We had an interesting conversation with a PSIA Demonstrator about the level of instructor that usually gets designated to beginners. He specifically likes teaching beginners because he believes that those are the people who need the more experienced instructor.

Warp, as for the free lesson........I could say, you got what you paid for, but in reality you/she REALLY paid for that one. So sorry, that sucks!

 

[neil]

I'm not an instructor, and always point friends who ask me to teach them to an instructor, but at the end of the day, I like bringing people into the sport so have no problems with taking a day and saying "let's go. I'll hang out on the bunny slope with you." I find the "lets go on this black trail, best way to REALLY learn" attitude incredibly dangerous and selfish.

If I have a friend who is just starting out I'll enjoy my day by giving them tips, and even for myself I'll spend the day working on something myself. I've spent a whole day riding switch with a newbie friend. Good for me, good for them.

 

[scott]

I taught both of my boys to ski mostly due to expense of lessons. For the most part I gave up 5 years of skiing on my own from the time I started with my oldest to the time I felt my youngest was able to ski without following me down the mountain. It requires a huge amount of patience and understanding as some days they just were not into it. In the end it was a worthwhile experience as they are terrific skiers and now are on a freestyle comp team.

 

[SkiDork]

I taught both of my boys to ski mostly due to expense of lessons. For the most part I gave up 5 years of skiing on my own from the time I started with my oldest to the time I felt my youngest was able to ski without following me down the mountain. It requires a huge amount of patience and understanding as some days they just were not into it. In the end it was a worthwhile experience as they are terrific skiers and now are on a freestyle comp team.

I'm wondering if you're the scott I'm thinking of, formerly of Mount Snow?

 

[scott]

I'm wondering if you're the scott I'm thinking of, formerly of Mount Snow?

Not formerly, still there. Probably not the person you are thinking of though.

 

[SkiDork]

Not formerly, still there. Probably not the person you are thinking of though.

Not Smith?

 

[scott]

Not Smith?

Nope

 

[marcski]

I've taught both of my girls. I never push them to do things they don't really want to and it is ALWAYS about them when we ski. Skiing, at least for me, is more about enjoying the time in the great great outdoors on beautiful snow covered slopes and mountains with people that I enjoy spending time with and/or love and less about becoming as technically great a skier as one can get. With that said, my girls, (8 and 5) at least IMHO, are quite efficient and technical skiers who can ski a variety of terrain. But more importantly, they LOVE the time out on the snow. Mostly because, they know, its super quality time with Dad. I've been skiing for 40+ years now and have been skiing since before I can remember...how many years are my girls really going to want to ski with me? I'm going to take full advantage of every one of those days when I can.

 

[Nick]

I taught both of my boys to ski mostly due to expense of lessons. For the most part I gave up 5 years of skiing on my own from the time I started with my oldest to the time I felt my youngest was able to ski without following me down the mountain. It requires a huge amount of patience and understanding as some days they just were not into it. In the end it was a worthwhile experience as they are terrific skiers and now are on a freestyle comp team.

Welcome to the forums, Scott!

 

[Nick]

I've taught both of my girls. I never push them to do things they don't really want to and it is ALWAYS about them when we ski. Skiing, at least for me, is more about enjoying the time in the great great outdoors on beautiful snow covered slopes and mountains with people that I enjoy spending time with and/or love and less about becoming as technically great a skier as one can get. With that said, my girls, (8 and 5) at least IMHO, are quite efficient and technical skiers who can ski a variety of terrain. But more importantly, they LOVE the time out on the snow. Mostly because, they know, its super quality time with Dad. I've been skiing for 40+ years now and have been skiing since before I can remember...how many years are my girls really going to want to ski with me? I'm going to take full advantage of every one of those days when I can.

Good way to think about it. i have an internal conflict when I ski with others because I always want to go do more ,faster, steeper, but still do it with the people I'm skiing with. Inevitably I push them to do things they don't want to do and I end up pissing them off :lol: