 Poster: A snowHead
|
HI there,
Going to Whistler in March with the wife.
Neither of us have skiied before, and are quite likely to be terrible at it...
What is the best type of lesson to go for (private/group) when we get out there to get us up and about quickly?
Have any of you guys got good/bad experiences of the ski schools there, and where did you get your tickets through?
Also how many days lessons should we go for, and should we go for full days? We're thinking of going for 3 full days in a group booked through AlluraDirect.com. Does this make sense?
Any tips greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Hi walkingwounded, Welcome to snowheads.
I would strongly recommend the Ski Esprit, Level 1 for you both. It is an excellent, fun programme with a nice social side. As learning a new sport can be tiring, i personally favour group lessons which are a little less intensive,and a little more fun (all in the same boat together sort of thing).
If you have booked your accomodation thru allura, they will be the cheapest place to buy your ski school. You should be able to purchase a package which includes Esprit, rentals and liftpass as an all in one beginner package.
Good luck, and have fun! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
walkingwounded,
Welcome.
In 2002 I taught a group of friends (secondary school pals) all over 50 years old first timers to ski. No skiing lesson myself. Only one of the friend who took the free official lessons threw in with the ski pass. He was the only one who got injured and couldn't ski for the rest of the year.
Having said that I think their skiing schools are pretty good.
My concern is that the grading of the Whistler slopes isn't consistent. I can offer two examples; the section of Pony trail before joining with Bear cub is green but it is nearly the red standard in Europe. The Papoose is partially blue but it is possible the easiest among the green slopes.
Overall I found Whistler to be a rather difficult for beginners to learn skiing unless someone knowledgeable about the pistes is on hand. Normally when a resort is big enough one could progress from mild runs to steep runs easily and quickly when a large number of choices is available.
For absolute beginners we started at the mid station of the Whistler Villeager Gondola but the poor condition drove us to the top. With better snow the situation should be better.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Hi, walkingwounded,
Having been teaching skiing at all levels for nearly 30 years and now living in Whistler I have a few thoughts for you....
No matter what the resort, I highly recommend class lessons at beginner level rather than privates. As a beginner it is really important to understand that even the simple things like walking about, when done on skis are, at first, really odd and unnatural.. In a private class you will feel really foolish and self conscious, while in a class with half a dozen or more other folk all having the same basic coordination problems you will realize that it is quite normal!
Also a fair bit of physical effort is required and in a class you will have a chance to wait your turn and recover your breath, while watching your fellow beginers contort themselves... In a private you'll find that even though the instructors here are FAR more laid back than their European counterparts, you will be wishing for a rest before too long.
3 days in a group sounds like a great idea, & stick with it the whole week if you can! The ski school here is very 'user friendly' you couldn't start off in a better place.
Hope you enjoy yourselves, PM us if you need help while you are here.
Aloha,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you are a begginer, you may find a full day of skiing to be very tiring. And two or more full days in a row may be pretty unpleasant on your body. You are using new muscles in new ways when skiing - you will tire out and stiffen up much more than you think. This goes away with time though - I just spent 4 full days in a row boarding and feel fine.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks everybody for the info! You've been very helpful. I think we'll go for a series of group lessons at the start and see how far that gets us.
Here's hoping for plenty of snow, and not too many bruises(We've been told to pack plenty of painkillers just in case)!
On a slightly different note, is there anywhere we would be able to watch the grand slam decider between Ireland and Wales on the 19th March in Whistler? I reckon it'll be kicking off about 7.30am Whistler time.
Thanks again!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
I'd reckon the Dubh Linn bar at the foot of the gondola *might* be showing an Ireland match, since it;s an Irish Theme pub
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Quote: |
Neither of us have skiied before, and are quite likely to be terrible at it...
|
Really? You got a crystal ball or something? Don't worry! Everyone's shite during their first week - nature of the beast. No-one with more than a week's experience on planks is going to have you on about it - we all remember our first attempts!
BTW, I don't think anyone's mentioned it, but you might find yourself best placed in a morning- or afternoon-only group lessons over the whole of the week (if you can get 'em in N America - perhaps it's just a Euro thing?).
The reason I advocate this (c.f. private lessons, or full day 3 day group lessons) is because, as a 1st weeker, you'll spent the majority of your time simply needing time to let your body get used to how skiing feels and works. There's a lot of down time required by novices to allow for this "getting used to" stuff, and it eats into the time that can be spent on valuable instruction. Private lessons are great when you have some experience and know what you need to learn, but I tend to think that for a 1st weeker, private lessons can be exhorbitantly expensive given the amount of instruction that can reasonably be imparted. Also a half-day format means you won't get too much information at once and you don't get too physically fatigued to carry on, and the whole-week bit ensures that you're getting monitored and corrected every day (bad form is VERY easy to pick up and maintain!). Also group lessons mean that you're get the shared support of other novices who're also struggling.
Whatever way you do it, I hope you have mountains of fun and come back with wonderful stories to tell us on Snowheads.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
colinmcc,
Can you recommend a snowboard instructor in Whistler? - we arrive in March and are looking to have a private lesson or two - both pretty ok at boarding but thought it wouldbe usefulto have a lesson and see the mountain at the same time - thanks
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
walkingwounded, first of all the ski and snowboard school in Whistler is excellent, I've yet to hear a bad thing about it, and I've had some great experiences there myself.
As an absolute beginner, I would go for the group lessons, for half a day at most. It is very tiring when you first learn, and a longer group lesson, or a private lesson is likely to leave you absolutely exhausted. Similarly a lot of the fun of skiing is the social side, and in a group you are far more likely to meet like minded people and make friends. Generally as a beginner it is also worth going for five days of lessons, or even longer, as you are likely to be learning new things every day, so the extra couple of lessons will make the world of difference. If you're there to ski, try and have your lessons in the morning, if you're there to party, try and arrange them in the afternoon. Lastly don't worry about being rubbish, most people are when they start, and the falling over and making an idiot of yourself is part of the fun!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Quote: |
If you are a begginer, you may find a full day of skiing to be very tiring. And two or more full days in a row may be pretty unpleasant on your body
|
| Quote: |
you'll spent the majority of your time simply needing time to let your body get used to how skiing feels and works. There's a lot of down time required by novices to allow for this "getting used to" stuff
|
| Quote: |
It is very tiring when you first learn, and a longer group lesson, or a private lesson is likely to leave you absolutely exhausted
|
Far be it from me to contradict my fellow Snowheads, but this doesn't really gel with my own experience of learning to ski from scratch. I took a 3-day "Never-ever" programme in the US at the tender age of 44, and not only did I not feel exhausted by the lessons, but I spent most of the lunch intervals each day practising what I'd learnt in the morning, and then continued after the session finished until the lifts closed. IMHO, 3-day instructional programmes are an excellent introduction to skiing, and I've continued to sign up for them as I've moved through the ranks.
I think that enthusiasm for a new sport can offset the fatigue factor quite a lot, so don't let yourself get too disheartened by this lot!
HOWEVER, do be careful to avoid anything too challenging toward the end of the day. If you take to this wonderful sport of ours like ducks to water (as I'm sure you will) just remember that most injuries occur when you're tired.
So, welcome to Snowheads, and here's hoping you get as thoroughly addicted as the rest of us. I too will be in Whistler in March: I hope our paths (but not our skis) cross.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
Acacia, it also depends on your level of fitness before you start. If you only book half day lessons, then at least you have the option to go and practice in the afternoon, and can stop when you want to.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
walkingwounded, I have always thought that it is worthwhile having a go at home on the plastic first. Don't know what the dry slope situation is in NI, but if there is a slope near you, give it a try. It will give you the feel of having skis on and they will teach you some of the basics. Don't be put off by it though if you find that you don't like skiing on dry slopes, as the real thing is infinitely better.
If you divide the total cost of your whistler holiday by the number of days that you can ski and then again by 5 (for the maximum number of hours per day you will ski), you work out that the hourly rate for skiing on plastic is so much cheaper than the hourly rate for skiing on snow. Therefore you may as well learn as much as you can at the cheaper rate to be in a better position to enjoy the more expensive stuff later.
And welcome to by the way.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
All learner skiers fall. In falling it hurts more in plastic than in snow. Bad cases have been reported that skiers got fingers trapped inside the plastic mat too. I for one recommend snow to start with.
The Whistler mid station is a very good beginner area. The button lift Platter is perfectly suited to the first timers. By the end of the week to be able to come off the Olympic chair at the top and ski down to the bottom would be a good result for many beginners. Also I found the snow does provide a better, smoother, more positive and more gradual control over the plastic mat. Some of the selling points of skiing are to enjoy the mountain scenery and the ambience of lunching in a skiing resort, whether indoor or outdoor. That privileage is immediately available to the beginners. We are not buying the same thing by skiing on a plastic mat on a dry slope.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
Acacia, you definitely fitter than I was when I started at 31!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
walkingwounded, Welcome to SnowHeads. With a handle like that you MUST have been skiing previously! Have a great trip to Whistler. Incidently, do you fly Air Canada through Belfast City Airport. Looking at your loaction, you must be able to walk to the airport!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Anyone else having trouble with Whistler website. I haven't been able to open it in either Firefox or IE for about a month. It starts to download, then freezes on a blank page. I don't have the problem with any other websites.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
kuwait_ian, thanks for trying, I still can't open it. NO idea what the problem is though.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Helen Beaumont,
Having same problem!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
