Braehead

My partner is going to accompany me on my next ski trip.

As it is her first time I am going to get her some lesson (she is going to try boarding)so she can get the most out of her trip.

So I thought I'd book her in to the indoor centre at Braehead.

Has anyone used it before? Also is the quality of instruction good there?

Hi
I am a skier but went for a boarding lesson last week with my boyfriend. It was a Saturday so was very busy. The instructor was very good, and the equipment was brand new, the only problem was the amount of people about and we had a full group so didnt get a lot of attention.

I guess if you are a beginner, it could be ok, an hour, at most does me before i start getting bored!!

p.s don;'t know what like the instruction is! would you not be better at hillend being from edinburgh?

The essential difference, of course, is that Hillend is on a mat whereas Braehead is on snow.

Unless it snows in Edinburgh!?

My girlfriend has already been warned about Hillend Thumb which has given her the panics.

Unfortunately she won't be skiing now as she has got reactive arthritis and won't be able to walk properly for the next few months never mind board.

Mind you I quite fancy giving it a whirl to test out my new skis. I wouldn't risk them on Hillend as the carpet stuff can really shred the bases.

Braehead is where I learned to ski :-) I found that the instructor was really good, made me very confident and took things at a pace where you were most comfortable with. The only thing which is a little disadvantage is the number of people taking lessons at the same time. Deffinetly worth it though, I would recommend lessons at Braehead to anyone.

From level 1 to level 3 you start on the beginner slope which no one else uses apart from learners, so that's good in terms of not having to watch up-hill first for any one bombing it down.
From level 4 you will go onto the main slope, but only half way up for a little break-in, if you will. You will also learn here how to use a Poma lift (toe lift).
And depending on how comfortable you feel with the bottom half of the main slope, the instructor may take you upto the top which is slightly steeper. You can reach here on level 4, I'm sure almost everyone does.
Once you've completed levels 1 to 4, you're free to use the main slope yourself and with friends for recreational slope use. Levels 5 and 6 are optional, they teach you more advanced techniques at these stages.

Hope this helps.