 Poster: A snowHead
|
|
I'm off to ADH with my wife and kids at Christmas. My son is 7 & daughter 5 they both skied for the first time last season in different age group classes with the ESF. My other half has tried skiing a couple of times but hasn't been for a few years. I was thinking of getting them a private group lesson for the week. Good idea or bad idea?!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Your wife will hold the kids back! Seriously, kids learn differently to adults, they are not usually scared of falling, they usually just keep trying until they get it right, which they usually do intuitively miles in front of adults. Plus your wife will likely spend too much time worrying the kids are too fast/cold/thirsty etc to concentrate on herself.
If you want them to all to progress fast let the kids learn with other kids and get your wife a couple of private lessons.
Just my view I'm sure others will feel differently. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
lilywhite, Thanks appreciate your feedback, all makes sense, can't look at this objectively, hence why I asked
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| Quote: |
If you want them to all to progress fast let the kids learn with other kids and get your wife a couple of private lessons.
|
+1
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Um. Don't know. My wife and kids were in exactly the same situation last year (down to the same ages for the children, but my daughter is the eldest). They went for private lessons together (all three) for about 15 days, one day every weekend for three months. At the end they were all in pretty comparable "learning" situations, even though my daughter is the most reckless - relatively - and enjoys the most skiing faster, while my wife has the best technique. I joined them a couple of times and I cannot say that there was any particular worry about weather (and it was -30 on some mornings), thirst/hunger or safety; but perhaps it's our protection instincts that are low 
One last - but perhaps not least - consideration: one reason why we went for "private group" lessons is that the cost was lowest and the ratio of "instructor attention per minute" highest than other options, and all three were starting from scratch. Had one of them been more advanced than the rest, I am sure that the "separation" would have been beneficial, as Lilywhite and Pam_w suggest.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
If you want them to all to progress fast let the kids learn with other kids and get your wife a couple of private lessons.
|
+1 |
Solid advice. The kids will be hacking around and falling over; learning while they giggle and compete to fall over the best.
Your wife may spend more time being worried about the kids than concentrating on learning....
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Not the best idea, just as Lilywhite said. They will learn faster and better separately.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
At this stage of their development, Lillywhite has hit the nail on the head. I've been through this with wife&daughter.
What I would advise though, is trying to impress upon your kids that they should always try and push their way to the front of the "snake". My daughter always drifted to the back of the snake (which she does in every aspect of her life... lazy trout!), which meant that while the front of the snake was doing nice wide turns down the slope, those further back do less and less wide turns, until the back of the snake is almost snow-ploughing in a straight line down the middle of the slope.
The other perspective on your Wife always being concerned that the kids are too fast/cold/risky, is that the kids are more likely to "cry" when they fall over if there is Mum in close attendance. I haven't met an English kid yet that is happy to cry in front of a French ski instructor... (although I have been on the slopes many times and heard a whole snake of kids wailing as they ski down through a blizzard!)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Guernseyfreerider, IMO keep the kids in separate lessons - I always did.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
If you find a good ski school there is a good deal of logic to allowing children to learn with other children. However a poor ski school may at best end up teaching your children very little and at worst put their safety at risk. You also need to consider the personalities and family dynamics, would tour children have patience wlth eacht iother? With their mother? And vice versa?
Should've read YOUR children above my phone is refusing to allow corrections (not tour)
You know your family best, and how they all learn, go with your instinct
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
As a ski instructor, I hate teaching "family" lessons, especially when the kids are small. Kids and adults learn differently, and no one gets the most they can out of it. Parents are usually worried about the kids, the kids only listen to their parents.......or sit in the snow and cry when their gloves fall off....... It's pretty much a waste of time.
If the kids are close in terms of ability then get them a private lesson, and get the adults group lessons. If the kids are not of equal ability then put them in ski school, and have the adults in a private.
It is much harder to teach kids when their parents are with them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
skinanny, +1
kids in ski school, mum in privates (generally, she'll need the 1-2-1 attention the most).
parents, yes ALL you parents with sensitive kids too, your kids will have a better time and learn more if you go away and leave us to it. I have no problem if you want to observe but do it in a way that the kids don't realise you're there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
gilo, skinanny, as a mother with kids I wholeheartedly agree. I used to chuck my pair at their instructors and then rapidly made myself scarce - they always had a good time and so did I.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
You don't mention your skiing level - the one time that we did use a family lesson to very good effect was on one of our early trips - we had all started as beginners together and it was the first hols when my husband and I would be 'in charge' of the kids on the mountain without a more experienced skier with us. We gave our instructor (who had taught me previous year one on one) a brief that his main purpose was to give us (the parents) the confidence to ski with the kids (get them on and off lifts etc, know we could pick them up etc etc silly things but was good to have someone there for a few hours).... we asked him to coach the kids and then give adults hints and tips as he saw fit. It worked really well for us as we were far more relaxed going off on our own post lessons..... adults did have one on one sessions too that trip!!
One other thing that we have done which has got more time out of lessons is to book a block of hours and arrange to meet up the mountain and do a swap over of pupils...means you only have one returning to base at either end of the lesson (or even less so if you give your instructor leave to pelt back down to base without escorting you which means they get back in the fraction of the time!)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
