 Poster: A snowHead
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Ok, I know there are many threads already regarding 'group or private' lessons, but they all seem to be related to beginners or nervous skiers.
I am neither.
I am 25 and confident skier, happy to throw myself down almost any slope in a controlled, safe manner, but thats not to say I'm happy with my technique. I also wish to up my game off piste and on other things like jumps.
Group lessons seem like the more affordable, better value option, at 150 euro for 6 x 3 hour sessions. Private being 55 p/h, probably requiring 2hrs each time.
Do people think I'd get more from 6 days of group lessons, or is it likely others will hold me back?
Or will 2 x 2 hour sessions with a private instructor be more beneficial for my needs?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
150 euro for 6 x 3 hour sessions. Private being 55 p/h
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prices vary - some more than that, some less. Private lessons in smaller French resorts, except in the school holiday period, should be considerably less than that - our local ESI charges 62 euros for two hours.
http://www.glissepassion.fr/en/prices-pxl-49.html
Why don't you do one of the specialised ski courses, such as Warren Smith - there are a range of them.
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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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Advantages to private include (usually) being able to select instructor, having lesson geared towards you specifically and what you want to work on, getting in more skiing as you don't have to wait on others, instructor focusing all his time on watching you.
Advantages to a group lesson can include more instruction time for the same price, meeting other skiers that are close to your own level, being forced to work on things that others want to work on that end up making you a better skier, learning from what you see the others do (correctly and incorrectly) and from what the instructor tells them.
Depends on the time and place, but at some mountains during off peak times, advanced group lessons don't have a ton of people and end up being semi-privates.
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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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For me the more important factor is good instructor v. indifferent instructor.
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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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Great feedback already, thanks. I'm going to Flaine for one week on Saturday (28th). I've actually just emailed ESI asking them what they think is best for me. Lets see what they say.
I'd be more than happy to pay 62 euros for 2 hours. Is that definitely right? Their private lesson prices aren't on there website.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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RichTraff, the ESI ski schools are independent - and their prices will vary. My link was to the ski school in Les Saisies. Flaine is a lot more expensive resort, so probably the lessons will be more expensive too.
There is another group of independent ski instructors in Flaine - see http://www.skiflainemoniteurs.com/
They bring pupils over to Les Saisies sometimes (if the snow is better, I suspect, as it's quite a schlep) and I've seen several of them on the mountain with 2 or 3, presumably private, pupils.
They always look rather good (if you can forgive those dire jackets.....) and from what I've overheard, speak good English.
Worth asking them. 2 hours 95 euros.
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I have only ever had private lessons so maybe not best placed to comment; however I have found the private lessons I have had terrific value for money if I think about progress v money spent (only 4th season skiing). What I tend to do now is book a couple of hours near beginning (to give me stuff to think about/ pull me up on sloppiness) then an odd hour couple of times mid week as a top up. You might need to be prepared to have your skiing taken to bits if you haven't had any tuition for a while - but in the long run think this probably is a good thing!
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When there is a technique I want to master, I've found private lessons the way to go e.g. moguls. Otherwise, I've always had great fun and improved during group sessions - mostly with UCPA guides. There can be around 300+ people at a UCPA centre in any one week, so the sorting on the first day between groups means that you will truly spend the week with people of very similar ability or with very similar issues that need improving. I've always come away at the end of the week having improved significantly (and totally cream crackered! - a friend came back from Chamonix UCPA once claiming it was like boarding boot camp although promptly booked another week later in the month - guess he must have enjoyed it then!)
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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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Pick a school well and go for high level group imo - we do it fairly often and I've rarely felt the group is holding me back, instructors get good at filtering folks and/or working with mixed levels. But then I value fun over absolute progress, bang for buck private lessons may well be better but I enjoy the social aspect and gentle peer pressure of a group env.
aj xx
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I guess I should of mentioned I'm going with 5 mates of mixed abilities who won't be coming on the lessons with me. So really I'm not too fussed about the social aspect.
It's really which one I'll learn more from by the end of the week, 18 hours of group or 6 hours of private tuition?
One concern about the group lessons is that I'd be abandoning my mates for 3hrs per day, but maybe I should just think stuff 'em, I want to get as good as possible and I'll have all afternoon with them.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Took group lesson in vaujany 2 weeks ago, day 1, only me in class, day 2 one extra, day 3 to 6, six in the class.
Day 1 & 2 were very tiring as the instruction was constant as well as the skiing, the remainder were less tiring as there were more stops.
Both were good but the 1 to 1 was by far the best. In future i might do a 1 to 1 on the 2nd day, that way you have a day to get your ski legs on before meeting the instructor.
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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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If you want to work on technique I would look for lessons with video included. I did this for the first time recently and could easily see the flaws for myself as we went through frame by frame and surprisingly easier to correct the same day.
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| RichTraff wrote: |
| ...or is it likely others will hold me back? |
Or alternatively, it could be you holding them back! 
In all honesty it depends on how well you ski now.
Two hours of 1:1 private lesson is a lot of time to have one person focus on you and, IMHO, if you're not yet at the level where someone can tell you something and you can apply it quickly, then you're better off in a group lesson.
If you've got some video you can post then that might help.
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