How Ski Lessons Make Everyday on the Mountain Better
The classic reason to take ski lessons was to make you a technically more proficient skier, but today the concept of what is a good skier is changing – for the better. The emphasis has evolved from lessons simply being about improving technique to maximising the value of your whole mountain experience.
Recently we spoke to Kirsty Oakes Ski School Director for Cardrona and Treble Cone, and Sam Davie the Snowsports Experience Manager at Coronet Peak and the Remarkbles to learn about their approach teaching skiing.
As part teacher, part-psychologist, and part physiologistthey have a wholistic approach to skiing that’s so much more than the old cliche of ‘bend zee knees.’
By the way, although we refer to skiing in this article, everything we discuss applies to snowboarding too – plenty of families have a mixture of skiers and boarders – it’s just a matter of personal preference – but you will need separate instructors for each sport.
The Whole Mountain Experience is What Matters
There’s no avoiding the issue, skiing can be an expensive sport, especially if you’re travelling to the snow and paying for a family holiday. It can also be stressful, frustrating and even a little bewildering. Having a ski lesson or better still multiple lessons can help you avoid all that, so you can relax and enjoy every moment you and your family has on the mountain.
Of course the skiing experience isn’t just restricted to lapping the main trails. There’s so much more that your instructor will help you to appreciate and enjoy – where to find the best snow and the best terrain, they can show you how family members with different skill levels can ski together so everyone has fun, what gear to rent or buy, and even tell you where the best restaurants are in Queenstown and Wanaka.
Premium Family Private Lessons
For families who want to learn or improve their skiing or snowboardingand to do it together, the new Premium Family Private lessons are a game-changer. These lessons offer personalised teaching for up to four family members, with your instructors tailoring the experience to everyone's individual skill level.
This type of lesson will help make your vision of beinga skiing family a reality. As your part-time psychologist your instructor will recognise the family dynamics which might be causing problems and steer you all to success. Bonuses of having your own family instructorinclude insider hacks like timing lunch so you beat the rush, and priority lift access so you get a lot more skiing during busy times like school holidays.
It goes without saying that your skiing journey should begin with lessons – either as part of a group lesson or a private lesson. It’ll start you off right and stop any bad habits forming.
Once you’re progressing, we recommend booking skill building lessons at the start of every ski holiday. It’ll set you up for a great time and make sure every moment of your holiday is as good as it can be.
Lessons will also help you stay injury free. Knowing how to warm up properly is very importantto prevent muscle strains and learning how to fall safely is a very usefulskill too!
Learning Styles
Not everyone learns a new skill in the same way or at the same pace.Your instructor will evaluate what learning style you have and then tailor your lesson to it. There are three main learning styles:
Visual- you like tolearn by watching.
Auditory - youlike to have the skill described to you
Kinesthetic – you like to watch and listen briefly then just have a go yourself.
Your instructor is conscious of all these learning styles and knows how to adapt their teaching approachso you get the best value out of every session.
Private vs Group Lessons
You have the choice of private lessons which are one to one (or maybe two to three to one), and group lessons for up to ten people. It comes down to your budget, learning style, and how fast you’d like to progress. Learning in a group can be lots of fun and you might make friends to ski with after the lesson. Private lessons are a lot more intensive and individually focussed.
How Many Lessons Should You Have?
The answer to that is keep taking lessons forever- or progress into a coaching programme for racing, freestyle, and freeride skiing and snowboarding. You can never stop learning new ways to love skiing even more.That’s why skiing is a lifelong passion for so many people.
Having said that we recommend at least one day of lessons for every week of your holiday. But if you’re skiing together as a family skiing taking a Premium Family Private lesson everyday can literally be worthits weight in gold.
Lessons for Kids and Teens
Teaching children is about setting them up for a lifelong love of skiing. For very young children your instructor will concentrate on making the experience fun, so they’ll want to come back again tomorrow.
By the way have you ever noticed how little kids ski leaning way back? The reason is that their heads make up much a larger proportion of their total body mass than older kids and adults. If they stood up straight and leaned forward in the classic skiing positionthey’djust face-plant! There are several developmental stages thatchildren go through that influence how they learn, and their instructor will be aware of them and will vary their approach to match the stage your child is at.
Teens need to have a safe space where they can make mistakes without getting embarrassed and frustrated because they’re not instantly perfect.
Lessons for Adult Beginners
Many adult beginners get into the sport because their friends or partner already skis and they want to share the fun. But the skill gap can develop into an issue if it’s not managed right. If you’re an adult the big thing your ski instructor will do is manage your expectations (and also your partner’s too if they need it 😁). They’ll help you set realistic, achievable objectives and above all help you have fun - safely.
Advanced Lessons and Coaching
If you’ve been eyeing up a trip to Japan or Canada, lessons in New Zealand can set you up to get the most out of your northern-hemi holiday by introducing you to the skills you’ll need to have fun in steep and deep snow.
There’s also plenty of challenging freeride terrain at our local ski fields like the chutes at the Remarks or Treble Cone. Once you’re at a suitable skill level an instructor will take you there and show you how to get down safely and in control.
Book Your Lessons Now
So there you have it – ski lessons are for everyone from little kids to seniors, and your instructor is guide to the wonderful world of snow sports.
With lessons you’ll learn to look at the mountain in a new way, make the most out of every single day you’re lucky enough to spend on the snow, and know how to keep safe so you can enjoy skiing for many years to come.
If you're just beginning, or for children who're growing fast, renting your gear is the smart way to go. Outside Sports at Queenstown and Wanaka have hands down the best quality fleet of rental skis, snowboards, and boots in the Southern Lakes. You can rent for a day, a week, or a whole season.
If you're ready to take the next step and buy gear your first purchase should be boots. They're the most important part of your gear to get right. They have to be comfortable and the must fit properly. The difference a good pair of boots makes is amazing. We have internationally trained bootfitters at our Queenstown and Wanaka stores who will fit you into ski boots that match your ability and aspirations.
