Wednesday

I have never tried skiing, but am interested and will be out West later this year...I see ski lessons for short periods...is it a sport where they teach the basics, then it's practice practice, or can you do ok after a brief instruction, what do you skiers think...thanks in advance...

sunbum1944

You definately can learn to ski with a couple of lessons - at least managing the green slopes.
The one thing to remember and I speak after having experienced this- is no matter how confident you are feeling about your new skills NO NOT let anyone talk you into trying something difficult- happened to me and am lucky to be alive. Made it down OK but with a million falls - didnt try skiing again til years later.

Wednesday

Cool, thanks sunbum !...note to self..avoid "dead man's curve" first day out... I can see where that would be a bad situation...

crefloors

I took ski lessons years ago at Squaw Valley and I'll tell you, they are worth every penny....just learning how to get up when you fall, how to stop, and how to use the chair lift, makes all the difference in the world. I didn't ski again till years later and it was like riding a bike...I couldn't believe it, remembered everything and again took some additonal lessons. I never was very good, never liked powder or steep but was good enough to get off the bunny slope and just have a great time. And PLEASE, follow the advice above about not getting in over your head, no matter WHO wants to take you there. I have had some TRULY miserable and horrifying experiences letting myself ski with people better than me and allowing them to talk me into going up on some of the difficult runs. Just awful. If you go at your own pace and stay comfortable you will love it I'll bet. If you want to challenge yourself then move up into the intermediate ski class and be with an instructor until you feel comfortable. Have fun!!!!!

dcespedes

Hi Wednesday, I learned to ski at Alta, Utah. I took one half-day group lesson and worked really hard on what I learned during the rest of that trip. On subsequent trips I started off each week with a private lesson for review and technique purposes. The private lessons worked great but I'm glad I started off with a group lesson--it was a lot of fun and it got me going in the right direction down the mountain ;-)

tcapp

I learned to ski from taking a class at Robert Redford's Utah resort-Sundance. Last year my daughter learned to snowboard pretty well after taking a lesson at the same place.

Wednesday

That is just what I wanted to know, thank you everyone so far!

sylvia3

You can easily learn enough in a morning lesson to have fun in the p.m. on the easy runs. The new short skis have made skiing much easier for beginnners!

lvk

I recommend private lessons over group lessons for faster improvement. Take a half-day private on the first morning, then try striking out on your own in the afternoon. If you still feel shaky, then sign up for a one-hour private or group lesson the next day.

Connie

Try to find out how many will be in your class. There were so many in my first class that the instructor only had a few seconds with each person. I didn't feel like I learned much and didn't try the mountain. If I ever go again, I'll get a small class or private lessons.

ET

As a former ski instructor, I think one of the very best ways to learn to ski is to go for a whole week. Its much more difficult to pick up skiing just doing a day here and a day there. Also, most resorts offer a discounted package that includes a daily group lesson and lift tickets. Most times you will find that by the end of the week there will only be a few people left in your class and you will end with something close to semi-private lessons. When people did that, they really ended up learning how to ski and had a lot more fun.

karens

Take it from someone who tried to have her husband teach her - take lessons!!

My husband didn't have a ton of patience, and did what sunburn warned you about - took me on an intermediate slope the first day. It looked like a double black diamond to me, and scared the daylights out of me.

I didn't get back on skis for another 10 years after that "lesson".

I learned to ski along with my sons, who have already surpassed me b/c they have no fear. Even though I've never taken a lesson, I know I would greatly improve with a private lesson. I did find that learning to roller-blade really helped me understand the movements in skiing.

Orcas

I'm with everyone else. 1. If you start with a group lesson, go private afterwards, as you will have a hard time finding a group where everyone is at your level after the basics. 2. Don't let anyone talk you into going on a more difficult slope until you have mastered the green runs, including turning in both directions. Don't talk yourself into it either.
I have followed none of the above advise and have had a couple of near disasters. I have decided x-country is the way I will go in the future, since I don't seem to be able to keep myself from going over my head and I'm too young to die and too old not to think I could.

sunbum1944

Orcas- hate to tell you but you can get in over your head on cross country skis too - been there done that - decided I couldnt ski down a BIG hill on my first cross country ski trip- so I decided I would walk out - took off my skis and sunk in snow mid thigh- after I got myself out of that and got skis back on I gingerly made my way down and managed to survive. Of course the people who talked me into it were way out ahead and not paying any attention to the fact that I was in trouble -
makes a quick learner out of you though

Orcas

Sunbum1944,

Oooh! I hate to hear that! Thanks for the warning, though....

Tess

Good advice from everyone. The best advice I can give (to repeat) is to never ever take lessons from a friend or relative. Take them from the pros who know the mountain. Definitely do a one day private lesson, then practice practice on the easier slopes.

Of course, the younger you are, the easier it is to learn. Will never forget seeing my 3 year old flying down the slope screaming "Bonzai" after a 1/2 day lesson. Mercy! Luckily his little sister was less adventuresome a few years later when she learned

questionmotives

I took two group lessons at two widely variant times in my life, and as ET mentioned, never really had the chance to practice much, so never really learned to ski.

A few years ago I took an all day private lesson at Copper, and at the end of the day, I could ski. Spent the next several days up at small resort in Leadville, just to practice and get the hang of things without all the crowds and people zooming by me, lol.

This worked, just skiied my first black diamond run last year.

offlady

I never took lessons and failed miserably my first trip down the slope. However, my daughter, 9 years at the time, skied down the same slope with no problem whatsoever! (She also learned to surf within an hour in the water.) What's up with that??? Unless you're under 10, I'd suggest to take lessons.

seetheworld

My sons learned to ski as older teens. They took a couple of group lessons at the near-by ski slopes (not resort) and since we went during the week and registered for early morning classes, these group lessons turned out to be near-private lessons. They had no fear and were quick learners.

Good luck, Wednesday! Don't forget to wear a ski helmet C