Since you asked......
I think it all depends on how the ski school is run, what programs and options are available at that hill, the child's personality and environment they learn best in, what they want & what you can afford & commit to. Lots of factors, trial, error & experience of other parents. Our first experience was 2 yrs ago when my son was 8. That day the school was overloaded & the ratio of instructor/student at beginning level was overwhelming. My son got so frustrated at not being able to get help, that he refused to go back. He apparently vocalized this to his instructor as she told me when I picked him up there were too many kids & she just couldn't help him when he needed it.
The following year he agreed to try again, 9 yrs old now. He had a 1/4 ratio in his class & a male instructor that made it so much fun the kid was "stoked" about skiing. I came across the lesson on the hill & the instructor invited me along. Great teacher for kids. Another day, again the class was overwhelming w/a huge span of ages & abilities & a ratio of about 1/9. An instructor became ill in the middle of the day & the class took on extra kids. I ran across them on the hill & again was invited to join in. A real eye opener. Instructor was a saint, I would have lost all patience due to the conditions he was put under. But he handled it fabulously & kept the more advanced kids involved with "patroller" duties & helping the little ones. I was at the tail & could help with those who fell & just couldn't get themselves up.
At the end of that class I got a real eye opener about non-skiing parents expectations & behavior when they put their kids in ski school. Another thread could be opened about that !
Another lesson had 1/3 ratio. Great. So this year I reviewed the programs offered & have 5 programs to chose from. Ski school w/random lessons, Ski school at a multiple all inclusive $43.00/day rate, privates, skill building team program at an awesome price with great consistency,and racing team development. And then a 6th choice-the local Buddy Werner league which also includes kids at lower level skills.
Considering my desire for consistency, progressive learning, ease & stress reduction, my child's personality & social desire, and Squaw's postings about her kids, I found out all I could today from the director. My child loves being in a lesson with kid's he has been in lessons with before. He likes getting to know his instructor & interacting with him & knowing what to expect personality wise. Shared experiences are great & mean alot to him. The non-competitive team program draws from families pretty local to us and I believe will best suit my child's personality as a learning medium as well as social medium. I love the thought of walking from the parking lot, hitting the bathrooms, then heading straight out to the meeting place. No waiting in lines. Any waiting for the group to gather is an opportunity to socialize & goof off for the kids, or going for an early run with mom. And there is a celebration awards BBQ at the end. The consideration here is a committment to the 12 scheduled days of coaching. But I find that once something is on the calendar, it's really easy to schedule the rest of life around that committment.
So at $475. including a season pass, 12 days of an assigned instructor & team of kids same age group & abilities, the most consistent program in my eyes, this will be a bargain & should be lots of fun. I'll report back in April on how it went.
