Clues in finding that great ski instructor

Let's be honest here, we are talking about ski lessons and getting to that sacred "expert level" fast!


As someone who was on the jury instructor certification board, it amazed me at the great variance of instructor "quality"! Not all instructors are equal!

Here is a short list of points you should consider BEFORE you hire a ski instructor.

However before we present these point, some background information is needed.

Most countries have an umbrella organization that "certifies" ski instructors. Note the term used "most"!

Find out before you go on holiday or before you hire a ski instructor if such organisation exists. Also ask if your instructor is certified and what level of certification he/she has.. Most serious ski schools will have the staff certificates on their wall.

This certificate means that in that in a specific country all ski instructors will speak the same pedagogic language and use the same type of exercises and teaching techniques. This means that you can have another instructor, in another ski center and your teaching progress will be uniform.

Once you get to know the various ski schools all over the world you will discover that some are rated "better" than others. My goal is not to rate these schools but rather to help you select the very best instructor for you! ( thus allow you to progress fast).

I will share with you one of my 'biases" related to teaching. I believe teachers are born with that magic "desire" to share knowledge, techniques or life skills. Such persons get fulfilement by seeing their students progress. A course possibly can make them better teachers but if they do not have that "aptitude" to teach,,,,,,, no academic degree or certificate will make them a good ski instructor!

Let me illustrate. An Olympic ski racer might have won 10 gold medals but if he/she does not have that teaching "aptitude" all that you are going to get is, "follow me and do as I do classes".

So much for my biases, now for the considerations of an "effective" ski instructor!

1. Effective communicator
I am not just talking about "verbal" communication here. I mean someone who can demonstrate a complex skill or concept to a student. This can be done with physical action, a story, a symbol, etc....
Very quickly an effective instructor will "discover" how the student learners and use this means of communication! He/she applies Gardner's principles of the 7 inteligences we all have!
Here is the essential of this point, the effective instructor modifies his/her teaching to the student. Not the other way around!
I often tell students, " if you do not understand, it is my fault, thus tell me you do not understand and I will find another way to show you"

2. Student happiness is central to the effectiveinstructor.
For some instructors the central issue is "showing" student how good the instructor is! That is not why you hire an instructor. An effective instructor will pick the perfect slope and the perfect exercise to highlight your great skiing abilities.
It is so easy to show "what poor technique" skiers have, but to illustrate that good move, that great turn or edge set,,,that is much harder.
Look for the instructor that stays on the positive!

3. Availability
Again I am not talking about social availability here. I mean by this term ,the instructor that will be there for you during your holiday, during the ski season or during your rise to the expert level. How many times have you had instructor A who tells you to do "this" while instructor B two days later tells you to do, "that"!!

No consistency ! No progression! The certification process is supposed to eliminate this teacher variance!

My very best advice I can give is, take the time to select your instructor, then stick with her or him.

4. Personality mesh.
What I mean by this word "mesh" is that you have to be comfortable during the learning experience. The "in" word now is interface!
There is a famous finding by a noted American educational researcher which seems so evident. If a learner enjoys the learning situation he/she will come back and learn better! So it is in learning skiing.
Regardless of nationalities, ski schools, certification levels what is very very important is how you-the learner and the teacher interact!
The way to do this is very simple. At the end of your hour of lessons, if it seemed 15 minutes you are "meant for each other". If that hour seemed an eternity......

5. Certification levels
I have to be very careful what I say here since I am sure to get ski schools directors, ski area staff, and national ski instructor certification boards denying the next sentence.
A secret that all ski instructors know but will not tell you, is that many "ski instructors" are not certified, have no pedagogical training and some can not even plan a basic lesson plan.

They use the , "do what I am doing" technique!!!!

Many "young" ski instructors graduated from the very ski school you are "hoping" to get ski lessons. They may be great skiers and often are friends with staff but can they teach?

In North America there are subtle clues that tell the aware skier what level of certification an instructor has.
All certified ski instructors have a patch on jacket which indicates they are certified!
All serious ski instructors also have a small metal pin which indicates to others what level they are.
Here are the levels;
Level 1 : Entry level (usually first year) instructor
Used mostly for very young kids, large groups at beginner level
Certification is done by local ski resort ie Ski School Director.

Level 2 : National certification. This means instructor must pay for one week course with national standards, national trainers and national examinations. The success degree of mastery at this level is usually 60-70%. That is 70% of skiers who enroll get their "pin" after one week.

Level 3 : This is now getting to the serious level of teaching mastery. Not only does this instructor ski well,,,,no,,,no,,,, not well - very well IN ALL CONDITIONS, but he/she can diagnose what the problem is with the skier. I can not stress how important this is!
Effective teaching begins with correct diagnosis of the skier. That often is an art. Graduation level is 50% !

Allow me to illustrate. A ski school direct in a large ski center was "confused" why one of his ski instructors failed his level 3 exam several times. he seemed to be a very proficient instructor, fit with a gregarious personality. The director asked me to "check out" this instructor!

I enrolled in his class ( without him knowing who I was or the reason of my enrolement) and after 5 minutes it was clear this instructor loved his job, had great "people skills" was an effective communicator and really had great skiing skills!
I was his worst pupil since I could not do "exactly" what he wanted the class to do!
It was a simple technique for the "expert" class and I was not doing it the "orthodox" way.

I am sure you are all thinking, "ha that Pavel, he is giving him a hard time"! Truth be told I was not!

At the end of the class, I did not progress. The class felt ( as I did) my failure and yes the class lasted at least one if not two eternities!

Now I had to meet this instructor and his Director and give them my "perceptions" and suggestions!

Here is my perceptions and explanation of the situation!

First you should know that I have some physical limitations ( that I try to hide)! You see I have had several knee operations and now must wear a brace! It is an old ACL injury and I have had re-constructive knee surgery. In short my right leg is very different to my left leg!

As a result I have "adapted" my skiing style and technique to compensate for this "shortcoming"!

I think you all know what my explanation was to the Director! This very good instructor, who knew all the standard techniques and standard "moves" did not perceive that I was not a "standard" student!

I could not edge my inside right ski "as was required in the manual" since my brace had a "locking mechanism" and I no longer had an anterior cruciate ligament!

He failed in the "diagnosis" portion of the teaching! He was "producing" great skiing robots!
I suspect many skiers are like me, with "limitations" !
An effective ski instructors takes the time to "observe" his students and allows "individual" adjustments!
I always let my student ski free in various slopes in order to "diagnose" his or her technique! I even have a little black book to note all my student's skiing "techniques".

It is interesting how great racers often were "critiqued" for their style that was not like the rest of the team, yet when they begin to win.........

Diagnosis is the bedrock of effective teaching!

Level 4 : The summum in ski instructor certification. You can tell a level 4 instructor by the way other instructors lower their voices when he/she enters the room.
At the packed bar, bodies just move apart like the sea for Moses allowing "the master" find his/her spot!
Level four is the goal of all ski instructors and if you really want to learn and progress look for that rare bird! Graduation levels is in the 30% level! That is only 30 out of 100 ski instructor candidates pass!
Most have already booked their clients for 2007!

Group Management Skills
I do not know how to define the many subtle skills associated with this category! I can however indicate some tangible examples of effective and ineffective group management skills that instructors use!
- Positioning group on slopes
I am sure you have all seen classes going on just below a steep section or around a tight turn, or in the middle of a crowed slope! NO COMMENT
I am sure you have all seen a class meeting at to top of chair lift in that narrow path where only three skiers can pass.
I am sure you have seen a class of 15 skiers going down a slope with the instructor 15 meters ahead while class is like some young ducklings trying to follow "mother"!

Again the focus is on the effective management of the group, NOT on the demonstration of how good the instructor is and how "poor" the class is!

Class management is selecting a correct slope to make students look good!

Class management is letting "others" be the first skier that follows the instructor.

Class management is going up the chairlift with a new skier every time.

Class management is skiing last in some runs to see how group is doing!


I am sure others will come up with more effective instructor characteristics. I hope they share them with you.

What you must do as a "wise" consumer is to observe your instructor, ask around and you chose the teacher that fits your needs!

If you ever go to Whistler ask for Mike W....., now of the very best instructors at this resort. Now he is a level 4 instructor!

pavelski, found this very interesting. In the past we have pre booked ski school before setting off and in general have found the instructors to be pretty good (one exception in France this season) but sometimes the groups were too large and therefore we didn't progress as far as I wanted. Next season we have a couple of trips booked but no ski school and was unsure exactly how to select our instructor.

Pavel,

Just as "hopscotch" stated, this is most interesting and based on your experience, it is valuable information -- one might say it's "magical"!

Of all the points you mentioned I think one of the most important is that the instructor wants to teach and really enjoys sharing thier knowledge. (Assuming they have the knowledge to share!) This makes the learning "fun" for the student; he will learn more and since it was fun learning, he will remember what he has learned. Also important are their obervation powers. Often I think I'm doing what I've been told only to have it pointed out that I'm doing something quite different. Yes, that's usually my fault ... but the good and observant intructor can pinpoint how to fix my error.

I've just completed a set of swimming lessons and was "blessed" with such an instructor. She made it a lot of fun and was very obervant too. I learned lots and now must practice. Practice is always necessary in order to put the learning into action and develop the skill level we seek....

Hope all is well ...

Mike :D

Hopscotch,

You are like many skiers. here are some suggestions to make your progress more effective.

1. Speak to the Ski School Director or his/her supervisor's about your skiing level, specific technique you want to learn.

2. If in group class, make sure you are well placed. Also make sure you have option to move up if you are better than group!

3. Set up a ski diary. In coming years all ski schools will give out "un ski carnet" which is a log of who taught you, what he/she taught you and what level you are. Thus any ski instructor will know what has been done! This is like your report card!

4. Ask,,no require that your ski instructor provide you with a final evaluation of your progress, with possible exercises to do "between" frmal lessons.

5. Watch ski instructor on the very first 15 minutes of class. An effective and serious instructor will check your DIN level, your ski base, ski edges, and boots. You can not teach correctly if equipment is not correctly "tuned".

I insist that all students who want to have expert level ( ie ice, steep, hard terrain) classes, must have sharp edges, structured base and correct DIN level!


6. In my opinion a series of private lessons with same instructor is far more effective on the long run than group classes.

7. If you go to new ski center, do not hire a instructor right away. Ask around, look around, for the instructor that fits your needs! All the staff, from the barman to the patrollers know who is "good" !

8. Be honest about your skiing level and learning needs. That means you must learn the skiing jargon so that you can speak "their" language. If you have no idea what a weight transfer is, or body rotation read up on this!

At least before you go on slopes , get and idea what you should do!

I hope I was not too negative in the earlier messages. Most instructors love the sport and enjoy teaching, however as a customer you want to get your money's worth!
The goal of this message was to indicate to skiers that the very worst thing to do is to show up at ski school desk and ask for instructions. ( I think I heard groans...........)

One statement covers it all, " do your homework"!

The swimming example, presented by Mike is a good one!

One very importrant final comment I would like to make is the "sticky issue" about tips.

The rule is the following. If you have had a ski instructor a whole week and he/she has "followed" the group to the bar, dance floor, wax room etc... a tip of $10 or euros is a must per skier! In europe many instructors are local workers thus this ski teaching is an important income for them!

Hope this helps you!

Once again thank you pavelski for further insight.
I have noticed in the last couple of seasons my wife and I haven't made much progress in the group lessons, but having said that she is quite happy at this level and enjoys the group environment. I on the other hand have been frustrated and want to progress as far as i can and have found myself reading as many articles as i can in an effort to further my knowledge and therefore hopefully improve my technique. I think the next step for me is some private lessons and your advice will help me in my choice.
Thanks

You have brought up an very interesting issue.
The group vs private lessons. It is not an evident conclusion. I have had the same "problem" here in my family.

As you can surmise I have been "involved "in skiing in various capacities for many years. My wife has some "difficulty" taking lessons from me ( a topic I will bring up in coming months)!

As a gift I enrolled her in a "all week women's ski holiday"! It was the best gift I ever gave her. She loved the "group" context. Loved the "lack of focus just on her" and enjoued the social and physical easy competition!

At the end of the week, she confessed that the instructor had used the same exercises, the same techniques but since he was a "stranger" she accepted his comments!
Also since everyone was doing the exercises she did not "question" that it was ; too fast, too steep, too icy or even too demanding!

Her skiing improved 3 levels and best of all she really really enjoyed skiing. She confessed that with me she felt under the "magnifying glass" skiing with me!
I have learnt now to never make comments or SUGGESTION however mild or tiny. Seems it makes great marital sense!


The following year she saved up money and again went off to ski for a week. Now she is racing in the masters program and winning"

Conclusion, it is up to the skier and his/her needs; social, emotional and physical.


As a side note the same context occurs with children. It is counter-productive to teach your kids how to ski. I have some retire World Cup racers who tell me that their kids refuse to learn from them since that is now "old school" skiing! My sons are just now asking me for tips!!!
It has something to do with "maturity"!!!

I am sure you are aware of the definition of an adolescent! ( I use term loosely since it groups persons from 13 to 30 )!
An adolescent is someone who can not accept that some day her/she will be as "dumb" as the parents. Everything seems so simple, easy and not dangerous!!!
(ho ho I think I started another series of verbal confrontations from the new school skiers)!


Reading and reading about skiing If Mike from NS reads this , he will tell you the "bible" on ski technique to get! ( the title escapes me at the moment)


Be patient you will progress and get to that level!!!!!

Think snow!