Poster: A snowHead
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Having stirred up a huge debate in The Piste by whinging, it's time to be positive.
My three kids have just had their best ever ski school experience in Panorama. OK, I know that they haven't been able to sample every resort on the planet, but the ski school there really is excellent. Here's where it scores:
- They really stretch the kids: in relation to their ability, our children were taken on much tougher runs in Panorama than anywhere else they've skied. The challenging skiing was usually just for a short time after lunch when the snow was good and the kids not tired; it scared them witless at first but the sense of achievement and self-confidence it gave them was amazing
- Kids were reassessed every half-day and moved up or down a group as appropriate. They were never left to fester or struggle in an inappropriate group.
- The instructors were great - the kids had confidence in them and, more important, loved them. And they matched instructors' personailities to the class abilities so, for example, the top class was taken by a serious chap who enthralled his pupils with technical details on equipment maintenance (really!) while the lower class teachers were enthusiastic and fun.
The net result was, in my lowly opinion, faster learning and greater happiness than my kids have yet experienced. I'm sure there are many other good ski schools around - where are they and what makes them so good?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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thredbo ski school... at least a few years ago it was awesome - why? Angie beresford! angie rocks!
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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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BASS in Morzine was good for my five year old.
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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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Jonny,
How old were your kids? How many kids per class?
How did they find the flights, jet lag etc?
regards,
Greg
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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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I think Jonny Jones is talking about older kids, but our 4 year old was often in "group" lessons of 1 in Canada this year - and in two weeks never more than 5, probably averaging about 2 or 3. The ski schools at both Big White and Silver Star seem to have a policy of running classes at all levels regardless of the numbers booked in for them - which probably does mean that small groups at the higher levels for little kids are fairly common.
A total contrast to our experience in Chatel last year where junior got thrown out of ski school after the first day because he could actually ski and according to them he wasn't allowed off the kids beginner area until he was 5.
He also enjoyed SMT in Mayrhofen last year, where they just looked at him skiing, and happily put him, at three and a half, in with kids of 6 and 7.
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