How long to be 'dry slope safe?'

A snowHead

We've got a virtual beginner ( has skiied 'a million years ago' but hated it and gave up) coming with us next year. She wants to achieve some awareness and a very basic level of competence beforehand not least to put her husband in his place who though he's never skied thinks he's already Herman Maier and that she's going to be rubbish.

I spoke to the receptionist at our local dry ski centre about lessons today and having crawled back on to my chair at the cost, asked how long on average it would take to be sufficiently slope safe to do open practise. I was told 6 - 8hrs irrespective of whether private 1: 1 or group.

Due to group times she would need to do private lessons but that works out at £300 - £400!! ( the flipping holiday isn't costing much more!)

Question: Is it seriously likely to take that long in private lessons to get to the point where she can get on and off a lift and perform linked snowplough turns with the requisite control? Can anyone give me a prediction that I like more?

At that rate she'd be better just hanging on and getting a week of private lessons on the real stuff!

A snowHead

Hi Annie,
We had three lessons before we were competant to ski recreationally.
The lessons were booked as private, ie 4 or 5 people rather than the en masse groups that you can end up in.
It was worth every penny .
Chris

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

My local dry slope requires users to be able to 1} use the drag lift, 2} be able to stop, 3} make controlled turns, before they can use the main slope.
Their usual 6x1 hour course of lessons for beginners usually moves onto the main slope from the (liftless) learner one during the 2nd hour, stopping is usually acheived by then and they use progressively more of the length of the main slope to learn turning and control. If the individual can make the 3 criteria above they can use it to practise between lessons, you quite often see people getting off the drag part way up as they progress through the course.

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I'd agree the above advice - I have seen people walking down the slope at MK in tears having attempted "too much too soon". I think the key is would they feel confident on the main slope with more competent skiers swooshing by?

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Having put 4 of us through the dry ski slope at Bracknell timings vary - they do 1 1/2 hour group sessions and if you can pass each level on one sitting you get to do open practice after 6 hours - you have to pass their level 4. This means you will have used 2 drag lifts and 3 slopes - the tiny one you first slide on, the medium and the main slope and will have covered the length of the main slope in linked turning snow ploughs. Private lessons are 1 hour and you could possibly manage it in 4 lessons - certainly my husband zoomed ahead in the group lessons where it was just him over the summer! I however got stuck with a snowplough that went only one way (since sorted!) and so it took me longer. The teenage boys of course made faster progress - I am not confident so take longer to achieve each step.
It is not the cheapest way to learn - private lessons in Spain cost the same in euros per hour as group lessons did in pounds!! The guys in Spain were horified at dry ski slope prices. Shocked

But it means you know how to do the basics so you can bypass that bit in real snow.
About 8 hours on the dry slope took me onto green runs in Spain with our instructor within 30 minutes - great views so felt it was worth it.
Cool

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At Christchurch most people seem to be safe after 4 lessons for which they used to charge about £60 in total but that was a few years ago. If they seriously expect you (or anyone else) to pay that much (£300+) I'd say save the money for resort lessons

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Annie, before my first ski holiday, I had 3 one hour dry slope privates (together with a couple of friends). During the second we were taught to use the drag and taken progressively higher. At the end of that lesson we were allowed to practise on the main slope for half an hour or so as long as we didn't go all the way to the top. At the end of the third we were told we were now ok for the main slope and given a further hour of free practise. We were able to ski blue pistes on our first day on snow. MK runs learn to ski days, or you can do it as 2 learn to ski half-days. I think the prices for these sessions at MK are reasonable. Certainly good value if it means you can ski a blue on your first day. Dunno much about dry prices at present. snowHead

After all it is free

Annie,

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This is probably a minority opinion (like so many of my opinions), but I'd be wary of sticking a complete beginner on a dry slope, especially if s/he is easily deterred. Dry slopes are a bit grim in many ways (location, views, length and general grottiness, in my limited experience) and falling on them hurts like hell compared to a bit of decent snow, to say nothing of the old thumb injury problem. It might be better to let her find her feet in the delightful surroundings and glorious conditions which you will no doubt enjoy on your hol.

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Ok, Firstly thanks for all the replies!

rob@rar.org.uk, fatbob, In principle I agree with you. I have taken very nervous beginners skiing before and have actively discouraged them from dry slope lessons for those very reasons. However my friend WANTS to get the basics under her belt: To kill some of her own demons, to give her a head start ( particulalry where the husband is concerned) and to be able to present an aura of confidence on the real stuff to her daughter who is less than keen.

If I dissect what the rest of you are saying, I think you're confirming what I was already pretty cetain of, in that it would probably take around 6 hrs in group lessons depending on how much comes flooding back/ fitness /commitment etc or 2 to 3 1:1 private lessons unless it all goes horribly wrong.

If that IS what you're saying thankyou, it's what I thought you'd tell me and what I wanted to hear! If not, please feel free to correct me

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You know it makes sense.

Our local artificial slope expects instructors to get the majority of people skiing in controlled snow-plough turns from the top of the slope after 4 one-hour lessons. IME just about the majority do this, and most others do it after repeating one of the lessons (usually lesson three). Group lessons are £15/hour, or private £35/hour.

A hint if she's not sure: book and pay for all four lessons in advance: then there's more incentive to keep it up

After the initial lessons, a few hours practice is then recommended before joining the 2-hour improvers sessions (£17/session), which will generally take skiers to basic parallel after another 4 sessions or so.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Annie,

You don't say where you are but the Southampton dry slope does a 1.5 hour Ladies Morning on Thursdays for all standards for £10.50 or a Over 50's for £6.90. I suppose other slopes must do the same.

here's the details http://www.southampton-alpine-centre.co.uk/ladies.htm

And even one hour is time saved on the slopes and is worthwhile to experience putting boots on, walking with skis, and all the other palaver you have to put up with on your first morning.

Also just had a look and the Beginners Course is 4.5 hours all day Sunday and only costs £64

http://www.southampton-alpine-centre.co.uk/beginners.htm

A snowHead

But I think the Southampton slope (as opposed to Calshot, not far away) is old fashioned scrubbing brush surface.

A snowHead

pam w, So's the one at Chatham in Kent where they charge £26/£27 for group £48 for 1:1 and £16.50 for the coffee morning but 'level 4' (lift, stop, turn) only!

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

well, that's the south east for you. Calshot has nice surface, and seems to offer quite reasonable days tuition, though I haven't been there. They have a "gentle learning" option for those who want to progress at a slower pace than average. The slope at Calshot is covered, so no rain either (rain makes dry slopes slicker, but isn't much fun).

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Annie, I think you'll find Chatham is now the carpet stuff .. snowHead

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

ski, Could be right - it's a long time since I've paid too much attetion to the nursery slope

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Annie, and on the main slope too. We can't race there anymore Sad

Where are you based ? Bowles has a carpet nusery slope too, with a Poma lift.....

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Chatham is not the carpet stuff (snowflex), but permasnow which is being used at all centres owned by John Nike. It may not catch fingers like dendix, but it is horrible to ski on.

After all it is free

I stand corrected! When I looked on their website last week I thought it said Dendix and certainly was last time I went along there.

My friend & I took group lessons at the local dry slope - 2 afternoons of 3 hours each. Total cost about £60, I think, which is pretty cheap compared to some of the numbers quoted above. At the end of week 2, there were 4 (out of the group of about 12) who were deemed 'not safe for the main slope' - including me & my mate Embarassed

We could both snowplough turn just one way - which was obviously a cause for concern. We then had a couple of hours' private lessons (£30 an hour, IFIRC) and progressed sufficiently to be allowed to use the main slope unsupervised rolling eyes

Once we got on the snow, we definitely had a major advantage over others in ski school who had not done the basics beforehand.

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Annie, it's 22 years since I learnt to ski on Dendix and 10 years since I last skied on the stuff (at Southampton).

I agree with richmond about the worrying possibility of putting off your friend altogether - if she falls heavily it hurts Sad

unlike the real stuff.

Having said that, my learn-to-ski sessions at Bassingbourn (is there still a slope there?) were really useful to get used to boots and skis. I think I had 4x2hrs and on arrival in the resort (Flaine) skied the nursery slopes with my skier friends without probs (I did fall off the chairlift at the top while trying to dismount however as I had only experienced drag-lifts!)

So that's a definite maybe then Puzzled

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Annie, As others have suggested the Xscape 'learn to ski in a day' course is good value at £150 for seven hours. Mrs Axs did it four years ago and she was able to handle drag lifts and snowplow turns (and stops!) by the end. I have no personal experience of artificial slope surfaces, but it seems to me that your friend would have a better learning experience on 'real snow' than any plastic surface. BTW If her husband hasn't skied before he should take the lessons too, or he'll most likely end up injuring himself or someone else with an untutored 'dive-in and see what happens' approach! Very Happy

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And now for something completely different.

Why not get your friend to go to the local gym instead.

Do some step aerobics or pilates classes. By the sounds of it, it will be about the same cost or cheaper than going on the dry slopes. It probably won't take much more time and when she does indeed get to the slopes she will be able to outlast her husband so will learn more. Her husband is probably in for a rude awakening if he thinks that he will be on the next World Cup circuit.

I will qualify the above statements by saying that I have never been on a dry slope in my life. I think it highly unlikely that I will ever be on one either.

smolo,

You know it makes sense.

Here's an interesting point with beginners and learn to ski packages I spotted on Inghams web site yesterday. It might affect what your friend does. But how they could tell whether a Bambi lookalike has had two lessons or ten, i'm not sure. I understand the reason though because last year some people in Bulgaria were booking Cheap learn to ski packages then going off in to the advanced classes.

NB. Learn to Ski packages are only available to complete beginners (except in Arinsal where they are available to all ability levels) and must be pre-booked in the UK. Clients who have had a few dry ski lessons are no longer regarded as complete beginners by ski schools. Non-beginners will be refused on the course and no refunds will be given.

from http://www.inghams.co.uk/ski/skipacks/MER.html

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Annie, Definitely worth your friends having lessons before hand if they want to get the most of their ski holiday. If they have absolutely no intention of continuing to ski on a dry slope after the lessons, then it would be best to have lessons at an indoor snow slope. If that is impossible then definitely go for the dry slope option as the skills learned will transfer to snow, but don't think I'd fancy doing it the other way round. As to how long it would take to be in control and do linked snowplough turns, the "learn to ski" group sessions at our local dry slope are for a total of 6 hours, usually 4 x 90 min. lessons, but they also offer some full day courses. The cost is about £60. If they had private lessons, I guess you could halve that. At our club if you then want to continue skiing on the dry slope you can attend supervised practice sessions which take place every Sunday pm (£6 per hour) where you are monitored and then "signed off" by an instructor when they think you are ready to attend the "open" sessions. This normally takes a couple of 1 hour sessions. I wouldn't worry too much about the risk of falling and getting hurt. The lessons are done in a very safe and controlled way, and I guess most clubs nursery slopes are now snoflex or similar which are much more "fall friendly". You shouldn't be going very fast anyway, so any tumble is more likely to hurt their pride than anything else.

A snowHead

A snowHead

pam w,

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

pam w, yes, totally agree that it can be seriously painfull falling on the dendix, as I know to my own cost Sad

(sprained thumb, sore hip etc), and it wasn't my intention to minimise that, I was really meaning in the context of having lessons. I do feel that a lot of negative stuff is said about dry slopes, in my view unfairly, which may put people off trying them for themselves. Accidents happen, but accidents happen on snow as well, and if you land heavily on your hip on a hardpacked/icy piste that can be more painful than the dreaded dry stuff (again as I know to my own cost Crying or Very sad

). Anyway, my impact shorts, freshly purchased on ebay, arrived today so I'm now sorted Very Happy

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My friend is now definitely going to go for a couple of private lessons either at Chatham or Bowles and see where we go from there. smolo, it's the 'on planks' bit that we want to conquer but I am definitely recommending the gym or some other form of pre holiday fitness building alongside that to them all WayneC, Interesting point, though it won't effect us as I haven't done a packaged holiday for years and have no intention of starting now - worth flagging up for others that may be beginnners taking a peek at this thread though. The husband may have some lessons nearer the time and despite his probably over optimistic view of his ability I do actually think he'll find it 'relatively' easy hence my friends desire to get the head start.

Thanks for the input everyone.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

3 lessons, I'd say...but maybe a bit longer for older and more timid people.

That said, I still fell over on a flat nursery slope all afternoon, the 1st half day on snow....so it was off to the top of the mountain for us the next day...!!!!

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We had a couple of lessons at our local slope,(group, but there turned out to be only two of us), then went on our beginners ski course. I managed to rip my thumb ligament in between though. Sad

The lessons served the purpose of getting used to the ski boots, and gave us a better sense of balance on the snow, but we were still definitely beginners. It would be difficult to prove you weren't a beginner, if you'd only had a couple of dry slope lessons, then wnet on snow for the first time. Particulalry in France your in with a bunch of people from lots o tour ops and other nationalitieds. I don't think the ski instructor would be interested who you booked yuor package with. You are moved up or down the group depending on your ability during the week anyway, and some are quicker learners than others. I think this clause would be to exclude better skiers than 'almost' beginners. Anyway, it's fun learning to ski in a beginners group on the snow. If I was to learn again, I wouldn't go to the dry slope.

Help!!

How long to be 'dry slope safe?'

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