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New terms for Breck lesson pass 2015-2016

bounceswoosh

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
These are the terms, per the official email. @Bluestsky , you asked for the specifics ...

The Breckenridge Ski & Ride club program has evolved over the years. This coming season it will become a true club experience for each guest.
We are excited as a school to have consistency and comradery within our groups as well as keeping the class sizes down. With this consistency there will be more opportunity to develop your skills and progress with the same pro week after week. You will get to experience a great group dynamic that hasn’t always been possible in the past.
Program Details
  • Ski or ride with the same group and pro for the duration of the ten week program!
  • Groups will be formed by the Ski & Ride School based on ability level and pro requests.
  • Sign up for Thursdays, Fridays, or Saturdays. At registration you choose which day of the week you would like to join and your program runs on that day of the week only.
  • Groups meet at 9:30am at the Vista Haus on Peak 8
  • If you have a group of 10 or more and would like to form a custom group please email [email protected].

Program Dates:
Thursdays:
  • December 3, 10, 17
  • January 7, 21, 28
  • February 4, 18, 25
  • March 3
Fridays:
  • December 4, 11, 18
  • January 8, 22, 29
  • Febraury 5, 19, 26
  • March 4
Saturdays:
  • December 5, 12, 19
  • January 9, 23, 30
  • February 6, 20, 27
  • March 5
Program Price:
  • One Day (Thursdays, Fridays, OR Saturdays) - $350
  • Two Days (choose two set days for the duration of the program, choose from Thursday, Friday,Saturday) - $600
  • Three Days (Thursdays, Fridays, AND Saturdays for the duration of the program) - $825


Program Restrictions:
  • Participants may only join on the weekday they select and cannot choose different days each week.
  • Cancellations/Refunds will only be offered before the program begins.
  • Participants must be 15 years old when the program begins.
  • Participants must be intermediate skill level or above (able to warm up on blue runs, comfortable linking turns on blue runs).
  • Participants may request a pro at the time of registration, pro requests are not guaranteed unless a custom group is formed.
  • Participants must have a Vail Resorts Season Pass valid at Breckenridge.Get yours now!

Purchase in person before April 19, 2015 at any of our Ski & Ride School locations.
After April 19, please call us at 888.576.2754to register.
Registraton is open through July 31, 2015.
 

bounceswoosh

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
These are my thoughts:

I would be pretty excited if this were a new program, but it's pretty inferior to the old program. But ... I am slowly calming down.

My biggest complaints:

#1: No Sunday
#2, 3, 4: Really, I'm supposed to know in April if I'll be working Thursdays and Fridays the following season?
#5: It's a bummer to lose the ability to ski with different instructors. Different perspectives, drills, phrasings, and even different lines through the same old runs have all benefited me
#6: It's a bummer not to be able to bump myself up or down a lesson level depending on how strong I feel that day. This may be more of a level 8/9 thing where they ski the same things but at different paces.

I also don't like having to choose a favorite instructor, or possibly ending up with an instructor I don't gel with, or possibly ending up with a group with annoying people (people who whine or are negative are my number one pet peeve and can really mess up an otherwise beautiful day). Historically, I've solved this by scoping out who's in a group and avoiding the ones I don't want.

Question: can the custom group of 10 choose another day, like Sunday?
 

Skier31

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I don't think "10" is keeping the classes down. I know that the group size has grown over the years and yes, 10 is fewer than 15 but 10 is too many.

Forcing you to choose 1 instructor and the same group of people is not an evolution. Eliminating Sundays is not an evolution.

This is too bad. It was a great program and a great social opportunity.
 

bounceswoosh

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I don't think "10" is keeping the classes down. I know that the group size has grown over the years and yes, 10 is fewer than 15 but 10 is too many.

Agreed, but I figure it'll be like a shared condo rental - I doubt everyone will show up most days.
 

Bluestsky

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
@bounceswoosh - thanks for providing the details. I'd sent an email requesting info on both Breck and Keystone, but haven't got a response yet. Will post when I get info about Keystone program.

Agree on the complaint about not being able to (occasionally) switch days and selecting level (again occasionally). It's hardly ever a case that two skiers have exactly the same skills in EVERY area within the assigned skill level.

As to selecting an instructor you're in enviable position because you've been in the program for a while. How is a new person to select one...because he's good looking?? :-)
 

bounceswoosh

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
As to selecting an instructor you're in enviable position because you've been in the program for a while. How is a new person to select one...because he's good looking?? :-)

A) There are some really great women instructors. Don't assume they're all men!
B) Yeah, that's a tough one.
 

Xinga

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I am also boggled by these changes. I know I will be having extra time to ski next season and I'm going to have to make it work, somehow. I'm guessing that the last sessions of lessons this season, coming up next month are going to be a giant networking fest to try to establish future groups.

About the consistent groups: there are very few people I really want to ski with ALL the time, there are some people I love skiing with SOMETIMES, there are some people I would really rather not ski with MOST of the time, but can once in a while; there are people I like to try to hang with when I feel like I need a challenge, and people I love to ski with when I don't mind a slower day. Apparently I've become snooty about my ski groupies! Maybe I've just been spoiled by this program in the past, but I think getting to choose a group based upon my mood and desires for that day was an amazing benefit.
I think that particularly at the level 8/9 abilities, people swing wildly on a day by day basis about what they want to ski and how fast.
Even my 9 Ripper DH doesn't want to ski with the ripper group all the time.
Conversely, however, I had overheard many people complaining that they were uncomfortable being rushed to choose a group in the morning and felt that it was hard to break into some of the regular-ish ones under certain instructors. But I see this as potentially making it even harder to get into certain instructor groups.

I also believe that my skiing improved dramatically this season, not just because I was ready to push for improvement, but because I could take feedback from several outstanding pros, combine it and truly start to understand what I needed to change.
I guess that same benefit can be had as long as you sign up for multiple "days" with different instructors.

The custom group option, while nice for the flexibility, feels to me like having to build an ice hockey team -- once established can be great, but getting the right fit of group/team is a multi-year process and a giant organizational headache.

Also, how are they going to manage these custom groups? Is the chosen instructor in charge of collecting the 10 names to build one? Or can I pay for 10 people and choose my team, then collect money from them? Or something in between, where students are expected to self organize and submit all 10 names at time of group creation?

I'm guessing all of the higher end instructors will have a custom group on Sundays and there will be a wait list to get into groups for them. Will it be first come, first served? Or will the instructor get to mold the groups?

Sigh. I think my plan at this point is to make sure that my favorite half dozen or so pros know that I am interested in skiing with them, in custom groups if needed, any day of the week. Then hope that at least a couple work out and aren't overlapped.

I'm also tempted to try to pay $2000 and just sign up for a session each of the 7 days of the week, if possible, and let Breck auto-assign the groups, then see what shakes out -- and avoid the people organizing headache all together. Not sure if they'll even do that beyond the primary 3 days.

I have a feeling that the number of lesson pass sales to individual participants will drop dramatically this season due to these changes. And that the biggest decline will be from the higher level skiers. I think the level 5-7 skiers may see the most appeal in a consistent group setup and the 8/9s will be turned off to the rigidness of the program.
 

Xinga

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
On a related note about groups: The lesson club has addicted me to skiing with groups! I have really come to enjoy the social aspects of this club. I have only skied alone one full day this season, and that was enough.
 

MarvelousMartha707

Diva in Training
Does Breckenridge do any kind of ski camps for women? I thought I read somewhere that they did. Does anyone know anything about such a program at Breck? Thanks!
 

Xinga

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Does Breckenridge do any kind of ski camps for women? I thought I read somewhere that they did. Does anyone know anything about such a program at Breck? Thanks!

Yes, Breck does do women's camps. They are typically on select, pre-specified weekends. There are also other women's programs like one for moms of the Bomber kids, and a Wednesday Women and Wine half day lesson program. The offerings seem to morph a little each season, so see the Breck Ski and Ride School site for details:

https://www.breckenridge.com/plan-a-trip/book-ski-and-ride-lessons/lessons-selector.aspx
 

bounceswoosh

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I'm also tempted to try to pay $2000 and just sign up for a session each of the 7 days of the week, if possible, and let Breck auto-assign the groups, then see what shakes out -- and avoid the people organizing headache all together. Not sure if they'll even do that beyond the primary 3 days.

The way I read it, you can't do all 7 days - if you're signing up for anything outside of Thurs-Sat, it needs to be a preformed group. BUT I'm also not 100% sure that you can do the other 4 days at all. I'll try to remember to call and find out.
 

Bluestsky

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Here are Breck school's answers to my questions regarding requesting a pro, moving up/down the level and level assignment.

"Guests will have the opportunity to request a specific pro and they’ll try their best to accommodate these requests. In October an e-mail will be sent asking you to give us information on your ski/ability level and the terrain you like to ski. If you plan on moving to another group we will try our best to move students around as necessary."
 

Bluestsky

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Info from Keystone. I followed up with some questions. Will post answers too.

KEYSTONE ADULT LESSON PASS
Price varies by date purchased. On sale through 11/22/15

KEYSTONE ADULT LESSON PASS DETAILS:
• Keystone only product, lessons are non-transferable,
season pass required.
• Adult Lesson Pass valid for ages 15 and older.
• Participants may redeem one lesson per day on
the morning of the lesson. Lessons meet at regularly
scheduled class lesson times: 9:45 am.
• Valid Thursday–Sunday, River Run Ski School only.
• Not Valid: 12/19-20, 12/24-27, 1/16-1/17, 2/12-2/14, 3/5-3/6,
3/12-3/13, 3/19-3/20, 3/26-3/27
• On your first day, stop into the River Run Ski & Ride School
office to fill out a release form, a Keystone Lesson Pass agree
ment and to obtain a lesson ticket. After your first day you will
not be required to fill out a release; however you will still need
to obtain a lesson ticket.
• We will make every effort to accommodate instructor
requests but reserve the right to make assignments according
to business needs and policies. The final decision lies with the
supervisor and not the instructor.
• Refund policy: Before December 22, 2015, the one-day
window rate for an adult lesson will be subtracted based on
usage. After December 22, 2015, Keystone Lesson Ski & Ride
School Passes are non-refundable.
• Sales while supplies last.
 

mtnrunner

Diva in Training
Thanks Bluestsky for the info on the Keystone lesson pass. I hadn't called them as I'm still trying to figure out which pass I want for next season but this helps make my decision easier.
 

RX2SKI

Certified Ski Diva
I don't think "10" is keeping the classes down. I know that the group size has grown over the years and yes, 10 is fewer than 15 but 10 is too many.

Forcing you to choose 1 instructor and the same group of people is not an evolution. Eliminating Sundays is not an evolution.

This is too bad. It was a great program and a great social opportunity.

And, it doesn't even say they will limit the class size to 10--only the 10 is the minimum needed for forming your own class.

I'm bummed since this Sunday thing may be the deal breaker for me.
 

RX2SKI

Certified Ski Diva
Here are Breck school's answers to my questions regarding requesting a pro, moving up/down the level and level assignment.

"Guests will have the opportunity to request a specific pro and they’ll try their best to accommodate these requests. In October an e-mail will be sent asking you to give us information on your ski/ability level and the terrain you like to ski. If you plan on moving to another group we will try our best to move students around as necessary."

In other words, take your money now, and they're going to figure out how they're doing it later. Note: I haven't complained about the increased prices--I knew it was too good to last.
 

mtnrunner

Diva in Training
Just an FYI. The current price of the Keystone season lesson pass is $309. Only a $10 increase from last years lowest price.
 

Bluestsky

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Thank you @mtnrunner for the update on Keystone. I haven't got any response from the school regarding the level they teach and instructor qualifications.
 

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