 Poster: A snowHead
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I have read a couple of messages where comments have been made reguarding "young" instructors and i'm intruigued as to whether people generally think it makes a difference whether they are taught by someone younger or older than themseves. Do you see young instructors as a good or bad thing?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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intructors, much like policemen.. should be older than you are.. i have no rational reason for this.. its just the way it should be 
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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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CANV CANVINGTON, Even if a young instructor has relevant experience and is clearly a very competent skiier?
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I feel there is a massive inbalance regarding intructors as a whole. For me there is too much weight on ability and not enough on personal skills.
The limits put on the speed test and CAPA are for me way too high and many better people get ommitted by 10ths of a second. People with good people skills for me are generally a little older than i, the proof being the life perspective of pensioners, also i find the attitude of some of the younger ski intructors match the 'GOD-LIKE' stereotype but i also know some synical older ones too. Guess the conclusion being, a good ski intructor should be a good mix of all things and that could be anyone of any age. 
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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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death*on*the*roof (good name, BTW), anybody much older than me would probably find that their zimmer interfered with their skiing too much to be a good instructor.
The best lessons I've had were from a bloke around my age, I'd guess, and since these were over several years, it was good that we were able to form a good friendship (of sorts); it might have been more difficult to do that with the very pleasant (and no doubt excellent) 19/20 year olds who took our kids. For lessons where you're not spending all day, day after day, with the instructor, I don't think it matters much, providing that they're good instructors (and a few years experience must help here), although I reckon that I've done best with older instructors, in general. I'd choose age over beauty, given the choice.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I'd agree with Smallzookeeper. It's best to look at someone's overall qualities, irrespective of their age.
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David Goldsmith, Yeah I'd agree with you both on that one
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Do some people prefer an older instructor because they feel like they hold more authority?
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I think that I have preferred them because they have been better instructors, not simply because of their age. Several have been in N.America and have learnt to ski as adults, as I did; I am convinced that this helps with instruction.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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cool. Fair point 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Or is it simply that some people don't want to be 'told' what to do by someone younger than themselves?
I'm only 18 and I'm a rugby referee, and every now-and-then (although not all that often - the beauty of rugby ) I'll get the odd comment before a match "How old are you?", "Is that a Micky Mouse watch?" (for crying out loud, I'm 18!  ) etc. You can sometimes sense that they don't like the fact that the man with the whistle is 10 years or more younger than them, but post match, you can tell that whatever pre-conceptions they may have had, it's your performance on the pitch that they're interested in, and I'm glad to say that mine are usually quite good, and you get a different response the next time you're at the club. I'm sure it's very similar with ski instructors: pre-conceptions and/or prejudices, but at the end of the week, you'll look at your progress and how much you enjoyed it and judge your week on that.
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You know it makes sense.
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Yeah. I'm 17 and a trainee ski instructor. I sometimes feel like older people prefer instructors their age or older.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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skisimon, I can see that being reffed by an 18 year old could be tricky for some hairy arsed, 21 stone, 35 year old prop, but ski instruction is rather different, because I know that the instructor can ski better than me, and so does s/he. Your charges may be better players than you, maybe even better refs.
I don't think that I have a prejudice against young instructors; these days, the chances are high that I'll be older than my instructor, so I can't afford to be. I can only speak from my own experience. I think that the experience of the instructor is important. Although there'll be the odd new instructor who just has the talent to do it brilliantly from day one (death*on*the*roof, this means you), you'd expect someone who has been doing it for 20 years to be more effective, on average, as in most jobs. For example, my old lady has been known to throw a bit of a wobbler on the bumps (not any more, though); someone who has been around the block a few times may be better at coaxing a wobbly middle aged lady down the slope than a 17 year old, who'll find it like dealing with his mum. In the end, though, it's all down to the individual. I'd certainly never refuse an instructor on grounds of age.
Don't worry about it, death*on*the*roof. Of all the things to worry about, your age is a particularly unproductive one. If you find the odd old timer who doesn't want a young instructor, sod, 'em. Find someone who does.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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death*on*the*roof, I would say that the important thing is a mature approach.
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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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Elizabeth B, Yeah, 'Benz ze kneez or i'll scream and scream and scream.'
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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If you're good enough, you're old enough.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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laundryman, pity it doesn't work the other way round.
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FAQ
good teachers come in all ages, shapes, sizes and nationalities, although I would say some particularly sexist men do seem to have problems with women ski teachers! 
