ilovepugs
Angel Diva
I totally agree!!!! I also think the smaller hills need to have a bigger stake in making their learning programs accessible, because the only way they will stay in business is if they get newcomers excited to ski!
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Progressing from smearing to carving turns?
- Thread starter ilovepugs
- Start date
I totally agree!!!! I also think the smaller hills need to have a bigger stake in making their learning programs accessible, because the only way they will stay in business is if they get newcomers excited to ski!
tinymoose
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I get where it's not challenging to a point for advanced/expert skiers... but as a former intermediate and now low advanced skier... mileage and race lessons have done wonders for my skiing, small hill or not. And even if you're solid advanced - expert.... surely practice and there is always something you can learn?
marzNC
Angel Diva
It's not easy. At Massanutten the Pathway package for a lift ticket, rental gear, and two 1-hr lessons means the lessons are almost free. Even when the ticket sellers mention the package, relatively few beginners go for it.
One weekend I was with friends of a friend. Two families, each with two kids. Parents paid for full-day ski school for the kids. Lessons for themselves . . . not at all. Two had skied once or twice. It was not pretty. But no matter what I said, they wouldn't consider a lesson. These were smart people academically, all with graduate degrees. Not college students on a tight budget.
One way to tell if a ski area is geared to families is to observe what signs are easily visible as you walk in from the parking lot. If the ski school or kids program is one of the first stops, then families are important to the business.
Look around some small ski area websites. Many have webpages for First Timers. How many newbies do you think find that info?
tinymoose
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Speaking of small, local hills... I feel incredibly lucky to live close enough to Blue to attend their adult race clinic, usually on Tues or Thurs nights. It's an interesting cross-section of former racers and never ever racers, but even being a predominantly male class, I've found it to be a warm, welcoming environment. I think of adult skiing a lot as I do of adult gymnastics programs. Maybe slightly more accessible and prevalent than adult gymnastics but somewhat comparable in how limited the options are.
EasternSkiBum
Certified Ski Diva
Thanks to the shout out for Liberty.. our Development Programs are for advanced beginner and up (and I do mean level 4-6/7)... we have multiweek programs for kids.. adults.. and women's specific. The instructors who teach the adult classes (and many of the kid classes) are L2 and L3 psia instructors https://www.libertymountainresort.com/winter-sports-liberty/ski-ride/multi-day-programs
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ilovepugs
Angel Diva
Oh cool! As the dates approach, I’ll surely keep these programs in mind! Thanks for the info!
MissySki
Angel Diva
This inspired me to reach out to Wachusett for more info on the adult clinics they have on Tuesday nights, to at least find out more about them. Never really thought about doing lessons during the week, but now that I'm only 45 minutesw away, it might be worthwhile. I don't have any interest in race specific stuff, but these look more general. I am kind of annoyed that they have a women's specific weekly program, but it's only on Thursday mornings from 9:30-11:30?? I assume the focus there are stay at home moms or retired women because who in the world else can do that every week? Seems to really cut out a large segment of women who work typical 40 hr per week jobs. I made sure to mention that when I emailed the ski school about their co-ed adult clinics that are offered on weekends and Tuesday nights. lol
Not sure if it'll mesh with what I'm looking for or not, but we'll see what they respond with. I'm also not the most fond of night skiing overall, so there is that. The lighting makes me really uncomfortable because I have an astigmatism so dealing with dark to light to dark spots doesn't do wonders for my being able to see so it makes me more cautious overall as well.
As an aside, I was recently talking to someone at work who had a lesson a long time ago and is just getting back into skiing and saying he really wants to progress this year.. BUT he cannot STOP and even then still doesn't want to take a lesson, he thinks he'll just figure it out following others around. Why are some people so hesitant to take a lesson? So strange to me. I adamantly was like "PLEASE TAKE A LESSON!!! lol Trust me, it gets way more fun when you are in control and can actually stop, it's worth a couple hours of your time, and you'll spend so much less time dawdling around and actually making that progress you desire!"
marzNC
Angel Diva
Be good if you posted more about the Liberty ski school in the MidA thread.
https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/i...kiing-pa-nj-dc-md-va-wv-nc-for-2018-19.23010/
marzNC
Angel Diva
Understand that skiing under the lights is not ideal. However, if you think about it as good practice for low visibility situations due to fog, clouds, or a powder storm then it's just another aspect of what can be learned with a multi-week program.
One day during a multi-week program at Massanutten, the temperatures were in the mid-50s . . . in February. We spent that lessons working on skills useful during late season skiing in March, April, or May.
MissySki
Angel Diva
True! Last week at Killington it was super low visibility with all tracked out powder and bumps where you couldn't really see any definition whatsoever, guess that would be much worse than groomers under the lights most nights and I dealt with that happily.
liquidfeet
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Have you skied at night before? I've found that on groomers under the lights any little lumps in the snow show up better than in the daylight. The lighting is more directional, since it's not coming from the sun, so it casts shadows better; it's the opposite of flat light.
I skied at Wachusett at night for years. Visibility was fine for me. I wore goggles with clear or light yellow lenses. The only draw-back (for me) was the deadly cold. Not sure about the effect on astigmatism though.
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MissySki
Angel Diva
I agree it's also much colder at night!!!
I have skied at night at Wachusett several times, though not since they changed their lights, and also used clear lenses. In the lit spots specifically I was fine, it was more the going back and forth between the more lit and less lit spots (under each light versus the shadow in between each) as you ski by. My eyes had a hard time adjusting so quickly to the back and forth.. perhaps this is much less noticable to others.
The astigmatism means the back of my eye isn't round, which is true for many people but to varying degrees. This causes the way light bends when it enters my eye to be off and can affect what is in and out of focus etc. very correctable with glasses/contacts, but I don't ski with glasses and don't wear contacts since it's only a night time issue and not something that affects me during the day. I have glasses for night time driving.
EasternSkiBum
Certified Ski Diva
The programs do fill up quickly. It's best to check will ahead of time.
MaineSkiLady
Angel Diva
Love night skiing! Learned to ski - all those years ago - under the lights. Missed it terribly when I moved east - but have found a couple of smaller places in my region that offer it. 
Hey, it's all about skill development. Some of us were relegated to small hills, especially in the Midwest, and made the best of it. A lot of pretty darn good skiers (think Lindsey Vonn?) came out of the Midwest. I've seen many a Midwest instructor just take off in Rocky Mountain stuff. DH has done Corbett's (upright). Twice. It's all about skill development and mileage. What we DO lack is endurance - and have to build up to that when out west. Also altitude adjustment.
There are a LOT of very high-level skiers who are from much, much smaller ski resorts and hills!
Hey, it's all about skill development. Some of us were relegated to small hills, especially in the Midwest, and made the best of it. A lot of pretty darn good skiers (think Lindsey Vonn?) came out of the Midwest. I've seen many a Midwest instructor just take off in Rocky Mountain stuff. DH has done Corbett's (upright). Twice. It's all about skill development and mileage. What we DO lack is endurance - and have to build up to that when out west. Also altitude adjustment.
There are a LOT of very high-level skiers who are from much, much smaller ski resorts and hills!
I've done my best to impress upon them that even starting a little later would help bring more women in. I would love to do the women's program, but I just can't get to the hill by 9:30 on a weekday. If they shifted it to start at 10:30...
I once talked to the head of the lesson program on the lift, I once did a survey with a customer service rep walking around with an ipad, I have emailed them. Their regular group lessons start at 10:30 on weekdays, so I don't know why the women's group starts an hour earlier.
And yes to having women's groups more than once a week. Why not weekends or evenings?
MissySki
Angel Diva
I got a response to my email inquiry this morning and was told that there wasn't enough interest for a women's group at night.. I find it really hard to believe that the demand is there on weekday mornings only, but whatever at least there is the co-ed option at night..
She said they break down by ability and try to keep it at 6-8 students per teacher (does this seem high?) and that the instructors are either Level 2 or 3.
Then she recommended I get the bronze pass as the most economical solution to needing 7 nights of skiing, I think that's like $389 right now. Again, if only they were on the Ikon, it'd be perfect!! I'm not positive I want to invest the money for the clinic sessions ($337) AND the pass ($389). When you only need the lessons it's under $50 per lesson while adding in the pass makes it over $100 per night if I don't use it really much else throughout the season. I could certainly get a few privates in general elsewhere for the price that's on my Ikon, just not the nice added convenience of being close to home and extra weekday skiing. Hmmmmmm..
How can they gauge interest if it isn't listed as an option? Same for the timing during the day. Most people look at the site, see when it is offered, and if it isn't offered at a time convenient for them, they move on. I wish they would list some times as "depending on interest, requires x number of registered participants or might be cancelled."
MissySki
Angel Diva
Right, do they just ask the women already participating in the weekday morning group, or??? I'll be interested in seeing if there is any discussion on this if I do the weekday night one, and to see how many participants are male vs female etc. I also don't see what it hurts to put the option out there and cancel if you don't get enough participants..
tinymoose
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I feel like this is a really common thing with the women's classes around here locally. Certainly not tailored to where people who work M-F can participate.
marzNC
Angel Diva
Certainly not common. But at the same time, Liberty in south central PA has a very good weekend program for women. Also Elk and Windham. Really depends on the Ski School Director.
