Do I need a lesson to go skiing?
In this post Marcus explores taking ski lessons and how to make sure you have a great vacation!
One of the most common questions is ‘do I need a lesson to go skiing?’. And it’s an important question to answer. If you’ve never visited a ski resort before, you’d correctly wonder if there are any expectations for you to have the required skills.
To borrow from James Bond, you don’t need a license to ski. In the same way, you don’t need to prove your ability to swim to go out into the ocean; you don’t have to prove you can ski to hit the slopes.
Should I take a ski lesson?
The more important question is ‘should I take a lesson?’. There are a lot of activities that you should take a lesson in before you launch into participating in the activity, and the reasons to do so fall into two camps. That’s what we’ll explore in this post. Why should you take a ski lesson?
The main reasons for taking a lesson at the start of your ski trip are safety and enjoyment.
Accidents can happen
Skiing and snowboarding are extreme sports, and there are dangers associated with them. In 2009 I was teaching skiing at a resort in New Zealand. While riding up a T-bar, I watched a skier fall over a series of exposed rocks, landing on the race track in front of the race coach and his assistant. The skier later died of his injuries.
The great Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher suffered head injuries in a fall.
These types of situations are rare but do happen. More commonly, skiers will sustain an injury to their knee or shoulder.
Injuries can happen to anyone, whether you are a beginner or an expert. But injuries typically occur as a result of a fall. Getting out of control often results in a fall.
Lose Control?
While there is no license to ski, there is a responsibility code. One of the critical parts of this is to ski or ride in control. Being under control doesn’t mean you can’t go fast; you have to be able to slow down and avoid somebody if you are going fast.
Skiing or riding in control is paramount to your safety and those around you. Everyone will lose control from time to time, but you have to be able to regain that control. In a ski lesson, the skills taught first are how to balance on skis and how to control your speed. Every different class teaches you how to handle yourself on increasingly challenging terrain.
Being able to turn allows you to ski or ride wherever you like. The type and size of your turn will define whether you can control yourself on green slopes or black bump runs.
If you can’t control yourself, you can injure yourself. Crashing at speed on snow can result in severe knee, shoulder, and head injuries. These injuries require expensive surgery. But, getting out of control means you could hit another skier on the slope. Skier collisions happen, but they can be reduced. The learning areas are the most dangerous area to ski because many people are working to improve their skiing. If you crash into another person on the slopes, you can injure that person. It’s a good bet they’ll probably call one of the lawyers with billboards next to the highway!
I’m not telling you safety concerns to deter you from skiing—quite the opposite. Skiing can be a rewarding experience, where most participants never experience a severe injury. But the possibility is there; taking a lesson reduces that possibility.
Dancing with myself
Do I need to take a lesson to ski safely? In my opinion, yes. Can you learn skiing techniques from a video or a book? You could, but only if you already understand how skiing feels. Your skis and snowboard are designed to slide on the snow. And to slide fast! Rental shops wax skis and boards to help them move with minimal friction so that you can experience that incredible gliding sensation. It can take you by surprise if you have never experienced this before.
Applying skills, you have seen in a video or read about will be hard. You learn to correct your balance to maintain a good skiing position through practice. Keeping your balance while sliding will be a new concept unless you already have a lot of experience as an ice skater or roller skater.
An instructor will support and guide you through this process, enabling you to keep control of your body. You can manage your skis or board when you can control your body. Your instructor will also tell you the safest place to practice on the mountain where the best snow for you is. Your video won’t. Your instructor will give you the best guidance to help keep you safe as you start your skiing or riding journey.
Maximum Enjoyment
If you have one week’s vacation, how would you like to spend it? Exploring the mountain and skiing with your friends and family? Or stuck trying to recover from an injury, or just struggling to get to grips with skiing? Lessons are expensive, it’s true. Are they worth the price? I find it hard to justify the lesson prices at the more prominent resorts these days. I understand why people would look at the cost and want to find a cheaper way. Skiing is an expensive sport. I’d like it to be most inclusive; I don’t run a ski resort.
If you are spending thousands of dollars to come on a ski vacation, consider budgeting a few hundred for a lesson or two to ensure you enjoy the trip. You won’t have wasted money on a ski trip by not enjoying skiing!
Could you ask a family member or a friend to teach you? Sure, if you think that person understands learning styles enough to explain the concepts in your best learning style. Otherwise, you’ll both end up not enjoying your vacation. There’s a universal truth about teaching family and friends. It would be best if you didn’t do it. It seldom goes well! A lesson with a professional instructor will be much more beneficial than one with a friend or family member unless that friend is or has been an instructor. And even then, teaching family and friends is hard. I put my children in lessons with other instructors. Not because I can’t teach them, but because they don’t fully listen to me. Your family never does; you can’t become that trusted instructor to them when they have seen you dancing to We Don’t Talk About Bruno.
Do you need a lesson to ski?
Do you need a lesson to ski? You don’t need a lesson to ski, but you should take a lesson to be safe. Safe for yourself and others. It would be best if you took a lesson to maximize your skiing enjoyment and to get the most value from your vacation.
If you decide a lesson is for you, look through the list of instructors signed up to Ski Instructor Finder. There are instructors at resorts across the US with varying specialties. You can register to see the instructor’s complete profiles and message them to discuss your lesson requirements. The ski resort books the lesson, and the instructor will tell you the booking process at their resort.
Most importantly, be safe and have fun! See you on the slopes.
Marcus is based at Loveland Ski Area, Colorado. A ski instructor with more than 16 years of experience, Marcus has taught endless winters traveling between hemispheres. He has worked as a supervisor and instructor trainer. He is also a winter gear expert with Curated. Find out more about lessons with Marcus here.
