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Skiers Seeking Private Lessons - Here's How to Find a Great Instructor

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I teach skiing part-time at Stratton in Vermont. This will be my 14th season. I've averaged about 20-25 days of instruction per season. And I'm a 60-70% "Request Lesson" instructor. So I'm mostly "on the schedule" for numerous weekends, plus all the super-busy times: Xmas/New Year's week, MLK weekend and winter break week in February, plus a few extra days here and there. If you're not looking for a few tips on finding a really good instructor, you should stop reading now...there's plenty of other threads here at SkiTalk!

Even if you don't think you want a private lesson at all, consider this: each season, all of us instructors are required to take two full days of ski instructor lesson/coaching...from other top instructors. Almost every skier could use an early-season technique tune-up, even instructors. If you take one lesson early in season, you'll likely enjoy the rest of season more.

My biggest point here is this: most ski areas have lots of ski instructors, many are good, some
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are OK...and a small number are truly outstanding. So if you're going to take some lessons, or your kids are, especially private lessons, please put your valuable money to work with the best instructor you can find, because the learning that you/your spouse/kids will experience will be far greater, the more effective the instructor you go out with on the hill. Problem is: no ski area, ever, has provided a list of these most effective/best instructors! Ya, I also wonder why not.

There are ways to find a hugely talented ski instructor, here's some of them:
1. Wherever you're going to ski this season, find a friend who's been there, and gotten lessons for his/her kids. Ask if the kids improved a lot and if they loved their instructor's approach. If answer is yes, get that person's name.
2. Visit the resort now, in the fall during Columbus Day weekend/leaf peeping time/ or just as a weekend away. While there, whatever shops or restaurants you visit, be bold: ask the server or salesperson if they know a super-talented instructor: and don't stop there, ask also for the instructor's name & how to contact the person, be pushy in a friendly way. Ski towns are small towns, and everybody knows everybody. And the best instructors are not necessarily locals, but it's a great bet some of them are. Get a name and mobile number. And do this in every commercial establishment you visit. The locals know who the best instructors are. Back at home, do some google searching, LinkedIn searches, Facebook etc.
3. Work your network at home. Parents will be protective of their favorite instructor, so ask them to ask their favorite instructor: "WHO WOULD YOU RECOMMEND - I DON'T WANT TO GIVE THEM YOUR NAME (haha! - the instructor will get the humor and likely will have a friend whom she/he respects talent-wise.
4. Restaurants are particularly useful because the locals go there, especially if they're open in the off-season, and everybody talks.
5. If you've got a couple kids who could use lessons, put that info out there also.
6. Reality check: ski instructors love to ski & the best ones love to teach, but all ski resorts pay low wages. So tips are a primary way that good/great instructors get paid. Do that.
7. Boldest suggestion: if you visit resort before ski season, walk to the ski school building, knock, walk in & ask anyone there if they'll give you a specific name of a great instructor.
8. Last, but very important: people who've done this for a season or two all know this: private lessons get booked quickly. There's a finite supply and when everyone's booked, then it's simply not possible to get a private lesson. So book lessons early.
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JohnnyGVT
JohnnyGVT
As a ski instructor at Stratton, VT, I spent first couple years doing mostly group lessons with young adults and kids 7-12. Teaching groups is a very effective and quick way for an instructor to learn..."hey, do I like doing this ski instructor thing?!" Think about it...watching one by one as the "students" in class go down and make a few turns, focused on what I just explained, and showed how to do, I've gotta instantly "see" whether they're doing it correctly, then immediately give positive feedback that creates changes in each of their next efforts toward the "ideal" I'm looking for.

After several years, I started getting requests from skiers for private lessons. I quickly found even greater satisfaction giving private lessons, as these guests tended to be "repeat customers", and I'd see a son or daughter, wife or husband for not just one or two lessons, but sometimes for several seasons, and I'd be able to literally take them on a journey from GREEN to BLUE to BLACK difficulty levels as they improved - and that's where my satisfaction as an instructor still comes from.

Replies

K
There is a lot of truth to what you have written. I'm a former ski school director and have traveled extensively to ski here in the States, Canada, and Europe. I am an upper-level cert and know from experience that if I want a meaningful lesson, I ask for a level III PSIA, Canadian, or maybe, by chance, get a level IV Canadian for the best experience. A good lesson at a big mountain will be pricey, and I want the best that I can afford. For kids, it's even harder to determine who would be the best fit for junior, and can be a crap shoot, so your advice to ask around is spot on. If you have the opportunity, take the time and slide through the teaching area, if permitted, and observe. You'll learn a lot.
 
JohnnyGVT
kwill said:
There is a lot of truth to what you have written. I'm a former ski school director and have traveled extensively to ski here in the States, Canada, and Europe. I am an upper-level cert and know from experience that if I want a meaningful lesson, I ask for a level III PSIA, Canadian, or maybe, by chance, get a level IV Canadian for the best experience. A good lesson at a big mountain will be pricey, and I want the best that I can afford. For kids, it's even harder to determine who would be the best fit for junior, and can be a crap shoot, so your advice to ask around is spot on. If you have the opportunity, take the time and slide through the teaching area, if permitted, and observe. You'll learn a lot.
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kwill: great stuff, thanks for the additional ideas; particularly like your alignment on difficulty of identifying “just the right instructor” for the young boy or girl. My takeaway in this category has become straightforward: an instructor who likes kids a lot/enjoys “playing” on the hill on skis, and understands the huge value contained in the research of Daniel Kahneman around the “peak-end rule”…which is ALL about the fun and enjoyment of the experience…because a kid who has a mediocre> rotten time in a first/second ski lesson (whether group or private) may resist ever coming back.
 
tromano
Never had an issue finding a good instructor, but my kids were mostly in season long devo programs so the hard work was done for me.
 
JohnnyGVT
tromano said:
Never had an issue finding a good instructor, but my kids were mostly in season long devo programs so the hard work was done for me.
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Ya, that’s a distinct advantage of the season-long programs, as most resorts will determine in advance who the instructors will be for the entire season. But it’s a real problem for the much larger pool of parents who’d like to get 3-5 privates (or more) for their kids… the difference in the total experience for the child (fun, learning, progress, on-going motivation) are all enhanced or squelched by the individual instructor.
 
markojp
Call the ski school office. This time of year, folks in the building will be upper management/SSD's, etc... .
 
JohnnyGVT
markojp said:
Call the ski school office. This time of year, folks in the building will be upper management/SSD's, etc... .
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That’s the problem Mark! Chances are, whomever answers will not provide any useful info. For one thing ski instructor schedules are unlikely to be “set” yet, and any true upper management types will be preoccupied with other stuff…much more likely you’ll get: “ best thing to do is ask for an “experienced instructor “. Good luck with that
 
markojp
I can't speak for other schools, but I'm happy to recommend particular instructors this time of year even if schedules aren't built. I'm not making a promise, but dropping names fpr them to request.
 
JohnnyGVT
markojp said:
I can't speak for other schools, but I'm happy to recommend particular instructors this time of year even if schedules aren't built. I'm not making a promise, but dropping names fpr them to request.
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You would not believe the additional hours of time I’ve spent (un-reimbursed!) trying to confirm specific private lessons - as you know, resorts are super nit-picky (some probably more so than others) about only paying “request lesson” rates if customer asks for specific instructor at time of booking.
 
markojp
JohnnyGVT said:
You would not believe the additional hours of time I’ve spent (un-reimbursed!) trying to confirm specific private lessons - as you know, resorts are super nit-picky (some probably more so than others) about only paying “request lesson” rates if customer asks for specific instructor at time of booking.
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Sounds like you didn't have very good back end systems.
 
JohnnyGVT
markojp said:
Sounds like you didn't have very good back end systems.
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Ya, it's called people, we don't have enough of them...in the new world of IKON and EPIC, it's my hunch that leading and managing any of these ski resorts is a very different, more complicated, and expense-control oriented undertaking, than when the original founders got things going, hand-picked the mountain ops guy, ski school director, ski patrol head, etc.
 
markojp
JohnnyGVT said:
Ya, it's called people, we don't have enough of them...in the new world of IKON and EPIC, it's my hunch that leading and managing any of these ski resorts is a very different, more complicated, and expense-control oriented undertaking, than when the original founders got things going, hand-picked the mountain ops guy, ski school director, ski patrol head, etc.
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If the back end systems are working and sharing info, you don't need a lot of people. Every ski school absolutely needs a spreadsheet formula guru though.
 
DerKomisar
Wanted to add that this forum was extremely helpful networking and finding a few great instructors. There’s definitely a SkiTalk/PugSki community here and very appreciative.
 
JohnnyGVT
DerKomisar said:
Wanted to add that this forum was extremely helpful networking and finding a few great instructors. There’s definitely a SkiTalk/PugSki community here and very appreciative.
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Nice to hear this feedback! My teaching schedule at Stratton has gone live, and here's my AVAILABLE DAYS for LESSONS at Stratton in December & January:
December: 27,28, 29, 30, 31
January: 11,12, 17, 18, 19 , 20

Reach out if any questions: Stratton very nit-picky about "requested private lessons (with specific instructor)" Text to: 203-249-3008
DerKomisar said:
Wanted to add that this forum was extremely helpful networking and finding a few great instructors. There’s definitely a SkiTalk/PugSki community here and very appreciative.
Click to expand...
 

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