Lessons

[tcarey]

I have been taking lessons for many yearsleading up to my current position as ski instructor.I see many people taking first time lessons.It seems to me that at some point where adults reach the intermediate level they do not take any more lessons. Why? How could a ski school attractmore guest to take lessons? Any thoughts?

Terry

 

[ski diva]

An excellent question, Terry! My personal opinion is that lessons are ALWAYS a good idea, no matter what your level.

That said, it's been 3 or 4 years since I've taken one, and I really think I'm due. My last lesson was a private one in Breckenridge, and every time I ski I still think about the things the instructor told me to do. My husband took one at the same time, and it really turned his skiing around.

I think people who are serious about improving their skiing will always want lessons. Others probably don't know what they're doing wrong, or else they don't care as long as they get down the hill. I've always thought that more people would want lessons if they could only see how they ski or if they had a better idea of how much they'd improve.

What I'd really like to learn better is bump skiing. I had some of that as part of the lesson I took in Breckenridge, but I really need a more concentrated effort. Part of that, of course, is practice. I always liked it when Okemo kept Tomahawk bumped up; it was just the right level for me to practice on. (The bumps on Sel's Choice are usually too big and icy.) Now they've turned that trail into a terrain park, so it's harder for me to find the smallish bumps I need.

 

[tcarey]

It was not a good move for Okemo to put the family terrain park on Tomahawk. It was a great teaching trail for bumps. Now it serves as a teaching area for ski patrol!! I have seen more people hurt ther this year. Even the Techinal Ski School director doesn't want his son in there.(and his son rips!!)So I hope to see the bumps back this year!!

Maybe everyone needs to see video!!

Terry

 

[liquidfeet]

As a teacher (art teacher, no less) I am very thoughtful about teaching strategies and the those strategy's effects on students. I have taken maybe eight lessons in the last three years. I have not been a happy student; during lessons I've had no lightbulb moments. Even the "group" lessons that turned out to be one-on-ones didn't go too well. I am totally bummed out on ski lessons.

As a result, I have bought six books on how-to-ski, read and re-read them, written notes in the margins, practiced with my notes I've written and laminated FROM those notes, and coerced one guy (PSIA level 2) from my ski club to ski with me one afternoon and help me out, and I've taught myself to do some things rather well during all this effort.

However, I have much more to do. I am thinking of taking an early morning Sunrise Race Clinic on Wednesdays ay 7:00 am - 9:00 am at Wachusett this winter to supplement my skiing in a night league there. You and everyone else that has ever skied first chair knows what that early moring "snow" will be like at 7:00 am. If at the end of this clinic I don't know how to carve ICE it's definitely going to be my fault, don'tcha think?

So my point is, I'm like Charlie Brown, trying one more time to kick the football that Lucy is holding. I keep hoping that that football will be there to make contact with my foot when I kick, despite the times when it was snatched away. I hope this series of lessons will prove usefull, and that the lightbulb will go off more than once during those COLD FIGID FROZEN early morning runs down the short slopes of frozen WaWa.

So what's the experience of other women on this forum? Have the lightbulbs gone off during group lessons? One-on-one lessons? When you are alone doing your drills with a personal goal? When, when, does the lightbulb go off? Or does it at all? Is it dependent entirely on serendipity?

 

[snowflake]

IMHO for a lot of skiers intermediate stage is all they want to do. They just want to be able to buzz around the mountain with their families and have fun. For those skiers who want more...practice practice practice.

As for retaining skiers being an instructor you have to sell yourself and have fun that will keep clients coming back for more.

 

[tcarey]

Liquidfeet- sorry to hear that your lessons haven't provided you with the lightbulb moment. As an instructor I can say that only on rare occasions do I see the big breakthrough in a group less particularly at the intermediate level.

This is probably one of the things that led me to teaching.As I progressed as a teacher of skiing my understanding of concepts deepened. I finally was able to understand what the instructors were asking me to do.Was it a lightbulb moment? Not at all.

So my thinking is that a series of lessons with the same instructor over a season works really well.

I think the race instruction series you are going to take is going to really help!Having the opportunity to get on the hill before the masses is rockin!

Have you thought of the Women's Alpine Adventure at Okemo?

Terry

 

[liquidfeet]

Well, yes, I've thought about it since reading in this forum. So many positive comments! BUT ... I can only do so much, and at this point racing one night at Wachusett, going Wednesday mornings there for a lesson and skiing afterwards, and driving to N.H. to ski on the weekends and race there also .... I guess my cup runneth over. Plus I work.

At this point I don't even know how I'll do this.

 

[SnowHot]

So my thinking is that a series of lessons with the same instructor over a season works really well.



Have you thought of the Women's Alpine Adventure at Okemo?

Terry

The series of lessons with same instructor is a great idea.
I have NOT done this with skiing but I did for golf, and it was a phenomenal experience. A 5 lesson series with the same Golf pro made a huge difference in my game and enjoyment.
I can imagine that it would be just as much benefit in skiing.

 

[liquidfeet]

I've never had a series of lessons from the same ski instructor, but I'm definitely looking forward to it. I suspect this race class may do the trick in teaching me to carve ice, finally. I really want to be able to do that.

 

[tcarey]

I am sure this will help liquid-as far as carving ice goes it takes razor sharp edges and sometimes some finesse. Early edge engagements to progressive edge angle! Arc em and Sparc em!!

Terry

 

[liquidfeet]

Terry,

Does the type of ski have anything to do with ice-carving potential? I get my skis sharpened (by hand) and waxed every week by an expert, so I know I'm covered there. Last April I had a break-through on Wildcat when it was bulletproof all day long, and I'm eager to try shifting my weight the way I did that day and feel the carve again. (At transition I lunged waaay forward and low, and engaged my new downhill ski's edge into the ice way back behind me at the tiptop of the turn and just rode it around with no weight at all on the inside ski, using lots of angulation at the hip; repeat.) It was really phenomenal, but I didn't figure out how to do it until about 2:00. I was really tired at that point after skidding so creatively (and perilously) all day, so I couldn't capitalize on it. Then after that day it warmed up permanently and there was no more ice anywhere to practice on.

So, I carved honest ice just fine, once, for about an hour last spring. I'm going to go for that feeling again first thing this season. But, I wonder if it would be easier on different skis. So, what's the best type ski to use when carving ice? Super stiff, torsionally stiff but vertically limber, flat tail or upturned tail, cheater-race ski or all-mountain ski, short or long ski? Is a specific angle for the side bevel essential? Or does it really matter, as long as your edges are superdoopersharp and you finesse it right?

 

[tcarey]

I am sure that a good tune is what is needed here.All skis have edges so they all have the capability to carve.Is it just carving on ice that you wish to achieve? Faster race times? More fun?

Personnaly I find that a short slalom ski is easy to get on edge.Is it the right one for the race course? Well that depends on how the gates are set.

I am pretty new to the race thing so I am still learning about tuning. Certain ski are tuned to certain degrees.Someone in the race department could answer this question better that I.

Maybe our new member Crystel will chime in here. She has been racing all her life! My goal is to beat her on the race course!

 

[Molly]

As for lessons, I've always done best one-on-one. And I like it especially when the instructor pushes me hard and gives me a whole season's worth of tips and exercises to keep thinking about...

 

[liquidfeet]

Thanks, Terry, for the comments. Yes, carving on ice is exactly what I want to do. Because the races I ski in are on white stuff that looks kinda like snow, but is hard and slippery. I call it ice. Actually, in my race league, the stuff we race on is just like any old 2:00pm skied-off intermediate blue in New England. If it isn't, if it snowed during the night, "techs" sideslip down the course to push the snow away before the racing begins, revealing the hard stuff below. I've only raced one year, so last year I groaned when they did that. I knew I could carve in snow, and that I couldn't on ice. The seasoned racers around me kept saying the hard stuff was faster, that they wanted it harder and were looking forward to that type of surface. I'd like to be at that place psychologically this year, at some point.

Yes, I have short (154's) skis (published radius 12.5m), and even though it's advertised as an all-mountain ski, I think of it as a slalom ski.

I think that if I can carve ice, I will have more fun after lunch on all those non-race days. And that whatever it takes to carve ice will slide over into my mogul skills, which are in serious need of development.

 

[tcarey]

Hey liquid-I hear ya on how they like a slick race course!! But its fast!!

some tips on carving ice.Here is an analogy. When we are walking on a slippery sidewalk we a very delicate and soft with our movements,anything abrupt and we are on our keesters.This can apply to our skis too. Genltly feathering on to the new edge.I know on the race course this might not be feasible but it is good pratice to learn how to hold edge.

You mentioned in an ealier post that you weight transfered to the new outside ski early in the turn. While this is great remember the inside ski is still there and wants to be engaged also.Both skis should be leaving arcs in the snow.

Play around with traverses across the hill while tipping both skis on edge.You will be able to see if both skis are carving through the snow. In opinion two skis are better than one.

Hope you can make some sense out of my posts. I can explain concepts much better out on the snow!!

T

 

[liquidfeet]

Thanks for the tip. I'll try that. It's difficult to wait.

 

[Jilly]

I'm also an instructor here in Canada. I've have to go along with the series of lessons from the same instructor and/or the race series. I've taught "ladies nite" for years, with the intermediate level gals. We have a great time without the guys and they do learn something. I know most ski areas are now doing a ladies lesson of somesort - Chicks on Skis, Elle Ski etc.

 

[dburdenbates]

So what's the experience of other women on this forum? Have the lightbulbs gone off during group lessons? One-on-one lessons? When you are alone doing your drills with a personal goal? When, when, does the lightbulb go off? Or does it at all? Is it dependent entirely on serendipity?

I try to take a lesson every season. My husband is more resistent. Usually immediately after a lesson, I feel let down and that it didn't help. But typically a day or so later after I've let it all sink in and had a bit of practice on my own, it usually does help. I think I may try to get some time with a female instructor this season and see if that makes any difference. I think my biggest problem is not having ready access to a mountain. Each season, all my old habits want to come out and it takes me some time to get back in the groove.

 

[Lilgeorg]

I was resistent to taking lessons because I used to feel like a failure after them. Since attending the Women's Alpine Adventure, I have NEVER felt like a failure. That is because instructors like Terry and Crystel give you confidence along with instruction and encouragement.

 

[SnowHot]

I was resistent to taking lessons because I used to feel like a failure after them. Since attending the Women's Alpine Adventure, I have NEVER felt like a failure. That is because instructors like Terry and Crystel give you confidence along with instruction and encouragement.

And they make it FUN!
Lose the intimidation and make it fun and you'll conquer the mountain!