Instructor reccos at Alta

[Jmarmon]

Hi! I am going to Alta for a week in March with my two sons ages 9 and 12. Trying to decide: do i put them in group lessons or go private? And if private, any recommendations of great instructors. 12 year old is a advance intermediate who can ski any kind of terrain. Working on more advanced moguls and steeper stuff. 9 year old is advance beginner who just wants to keep up with his bro. This is our first time at Alta. We have skies at Vail, copper and Steamboat. Staying at the Rustler. Any other Alta tips appreciated! Thanks!

 

[santacruz skier]

paging @marzNC

 

[alison wong]

No group lesson offered this season at Alta. Private lesson only.

 

[marzNC]

Hi! I am going to Alta for a week in March with my two sons ages 9 and 12. Trying to decide: do i put them in group lessons or go private? And if private, any recommendations of great instructors. 12 year old is a advance intermediate who can ski any kind of terrain. Working on more advanced moguls and steeper stuff. 9 year old is advance beginner who just wants to keep up with his bro. This is our first time at Alta. We have skies at Vail, copper and Steamboat. Staying at the Rustler. Any other Alta tips appreciated! Thanks!

My Alta instructor, Arthur Haskell, is quite good with older tweens and teens. I know of more than one family who have been quite happy. He is good at doing semi-private lessons with 2-3 people who are not quite the same ability level.

From a family dynamic standpoint, would the boys do better together or separately? Are you interested in being part of the lesson?

I usually book a 2-hour lesson. If Arthur has time afterwards, can be extended to a 2.5 or 3.0 lesson after the first hour or so.

Send me a PM if you would like Arthur's contact info.

 

[marzNC]

This is our first time at Alta. We have skies at Vail, copper and Steamboat. Staying at the Rustler. Any other Alta tips appreciated! Thanks!

What day of the week is your first ski day? Who is going to be skiing with the boys when they aren't in lessons?

From the Rustler, it's easy to start at either the Wildcat or Albion base. For the first day, probably better to ride Sunnyside to Sugarloaf or Supreme to begin with.

 

[Chuyi]

No group lesson offered this season at Alta. Private lesson only.

I think that was last season. I have seen kid groups & website lists group classes. U probably need 2 call & sign up so they can get enough instructors.

 

[marzNC]

I think that was last season. I have seen kid groups & website lists group classes. U probably need 2 call & sign up so they can get enough instructors.

Yep, looks like the standard group classes for children and even teens this season. The dates for the special teen dates are in 2021-22.

What's missing is the group lessons for adult intermediates.

 

[marzNC]

@Jmarmon : Alta Ski School for kids is unusual in that no advanced reservations are required. The idea is to show up during the morning registration period. It's a bit confusing at first, but the advantage is that you don't have to commit until that morning. For instance, if altitude adjustment means that a full-day lesson isn't a good idea, can change to the afternoon only.

Note that the times depend on level. My daughter preferred just doing the Afternoon Explorer after age 9 instead of having to rush breakfast in the mornings. What happens is that the instructor(s) bring the All Day Explorer group by the ski school to add any kids joining in the afternoon. Depending on how much she had skied before the spring trip to Alta, there were seasons when she moved back a level instead of going into the last level from the previous year. For instance, even if she was Level 7 the previous yet, she would start in Level 6. She was Level 8 by age 11. That meant skiing pretty much any of the challenging terrain that didn't involved tight chute entries, including hiking Devil's Castle.

 

[Jmarmon]

Thank you so much @marzNC!
The boys do best in separate lessons mainly because the 12 year old is way more advanced than his little bro. And I want him to continue to push into harder terrain/bumps etc. and not be held back. I was thinking that if I had an instructor for the day - he could ski with my little guy in the am and my older son in the afternoon, BUT I also think it might be more fun for the boys to be in semi-private or group lessons so they can meet other kids. Our first day of skiing will be Monday, March 14th. (We arrive on the 12th but are visiting some friends in Park City and taking some time to adjust to altitude!). Were you happy with the group ski school lessons at Alta? (We've had some bad experiences (mainly in Vermont) where classes have been huge and kids don't learn much.)

 

[marzNC]

Thank you so much @marzNC!
The boys do best in separate lessons mainly because the 12 year old is way more advanced than his little bro. And I want him to continue to push into harder terrain/bumps etc. and not be held back. I was thinking that if I had an instructor for the day - he could ski with my little guy in the am and my older son in the afternoon, BUT I also think it might be more fun for the boys to be in semi-private or group lessons so they can meet other kids. Our first day of skiing will be Monday, March 14th. (We arrive on the 12th but are visiting some friends in Park City and taking some time to adjust to altitude!). Were you happy with the group ski school lessons at Alta? (We've had some bad experiences (mainly in Vermont) where classes have been huge and kids don't learn much.)

I think the Alta group lessons will be best for your sons. Fair to say that the Alta instructors are at a completely different PSIA certification level than most instructors who are teaching group lessons for kids in New England. Not only did my daughter enjoy Alta Ski School, so do all the kids of all the families who stayed at Alta Lodge from 2010-2019. That included a couple of families I know well who had kids in Alta Ski School starting in 2010 until they aged out.

A friend's daughter was a young tween during her first spring break trip to Alta. She didn't like ski school in general at our home mountain. But after the first day of Alta ski school had to admit that was fun. Her older brother loves lessons in general. Like my daughter, he was in Level 6/7 by the time he was 10.

I usually put my daughter in a lower group the first day. Then she would move up into the next level the next time she did ski school. Usually did ski school 2-3 times during a week-long ski vacation.

For your 12yo, I suggest full day ski school. Depending on the situation, might be worth skiing a bit with the 9yo the first morning to get him warmed up before starting ski school. One advantage is that you can tell ski school which trails he enjoyed. But obviously you know your boys well, and I don't know your family at all. YMMV

 

[KatieM]

love all the comments about Alta - you'll love it!

 

[newboots]

Wow, the place to find new members is here, talking about Alta!

So glad to have you, @KatieM and @Jmarmon ! Hope to see more of you.

 

[npskihappy]

My kids were younger when they went, but they basically became great skiers at Alta and then it was only $100 for a whole day lesson it was amazing. I recommend group lessons just because its fun to ski with others your age even as a teen and the kids feed off each other to be competitive and improve. They take them through the trees which kids love, and then take them on level appropriate trails. My older boys are now 12 and 14 both advanced skiers and I would still put them in a group lesson to improve just to make sure their technique is correct. When they took the Alta lessons they were actually 9 and 11 so close in age and level to your kids.