 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all.
long time browser, new poster.
Despite my dad being an RAF Ski instructor, I didn't have my first go until my late 20s last year. I had about 8 hours of lessons on a UK snowdome and then a 10 days in Austria (4 days of lessons then by myself).
I'm off again on the 9th for another week, and despite being a rank amateur based on hours skied, I was pretty happy with my skill set, surpassing my wife and her family who have skied for years (please excuse the arrognace). My wife is opting to not have any lessons this year, My question is, after only one real trip a year ago, do you think I can get away with foregoing lessons too, to spend time with my wife. I was fairly confident on blacks and managing reds quite easily. Is it like riding a bike or would I benefit from a few hours "refresher" lessons on the first day?
Also any tips for a returning amateur with the bug!
Cheers all.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@FIREFITR1, it depends on what you ambitions are. If you eventually want to ski all the mountain, in all conditions, then continuing to have lessons will help you reach your goal. Good lessons will make sure you don't develop the bad habits which so many of build up over time, as we teach ourselves to get down the slopes, and will help you develop great skiing skills which will form the basis of all the skiing you want to do.
Will you be able to get away with it? Yes, I'm sure you will. Is 'getting away with it' the best way to develop your skiing? No, I don't think it is. But only you can decide what's best for you and what you want to do with your skiing.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I would ski hard your first day then stump up for at least 1 private lesson and tell the instructor you want to concentrate on technique. Most people get more out of a one hour private lesson then several hours of group lessons.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@TQA, don't you find 1hr a bit short? Sure an instructor can evaluate and make a plan, but there's not a lot of time for development where the changes start to take effect. Even on the plastic slope I suggest privates I know book 90 minutes minimum, the extra half hour makes a big difference.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| TQA wrote: |
| I would ski hard your first day then stump up for at least 1 private lesson and tell the instructor you want to concentrate on technique. Most people get more out of a one hour private lesson then several hours of group lessons. |
If you can get down most things (it sounds like you can) this seems like the best approach, though I would suggest as many private lessons as you can afford once you have had a warm up day.
Like @rob@rar said, good lessons stop you getting in to bad habits.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing you are relatively fit physically? Like a lot of sports, being stronger / fitter means you can get away with bad (or, rather, less than perfect) technique for quite a while - but can lead straight in to the intermediate plateau as well (which is where I am).
From personal experience of mixed groups it is also worth remembering that if your family and friends are pretty confident and experienced skiers they will certainly applaud you for rapid progress, but they may also want to ski some pretty tough stuff. You may well be able to cope on difficult slopes, or certainly be up for the challenge, but more experienced skiers should still be keeping an eye out for you.
Tackling difficult slopes and having to wait / watch out for someone who might struggle is much less fun. Further, if it really is a bit challenging for everyone, keeping one eye out will mess up their rhythm. I'm sure they are more than happy to do this, but having lessons will help you to continue to improve as well as giving the wider group you are with the chance to ski without having to look out for you too much.
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I imagine the the poster has been on their trip and already returned given the date of the original post.
That said, I would recommend to anyone returning to skiing after a long break/summer
Prepare for your trip by, getting fit enough for skiing and consider a refresher lesson/s locally on a dry slope or indoor snowdome.
On arrival on holiday, use the first day to get used to the feel of having skis on again and keep it simple. Ease yourself back into it gently, it wont be such a shock for muscles and joints. Skiing skills do not take long to return.
Arrange some tuition on/from day two. 90 minute/2 hours/3 hours what ever you like. As previously stated a 60 minute lesson may not give much time to achieve much.
Adults generally make better progress/improvements by participating in private lessons.
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FAQ
