Group or Private Lessons for first time skier off this Sunday?!!

Hello all!

I'm off to Corvara this Sunday with my girlfriend for my first ever ski holiday and I must admit I'm apprehensive/nervous to say the least! She's been skiing a few times before and so can ski to a decent level whereas I'm a complete beginner.

I did the 'learn to ski in a day' course at the Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead a couple of weeks ago and was in no way prepared for just how much being on ski's takes it out of you physically! It wasn't helped by the fact that I was also under the weather with a virus but by about three quarters of the way through the day most of us on the course (there were 5 of us) were absolutely shattered!! To be honest though I don't feel I did very well on the course. I can snowplough just about and could turn left but struggled greatly to turn right! Had my fair share of falls too (one high speed)which was to be expected though really but did keep denting my confidence.

My girlfriend is going to book into a course of group lessons when over there as a refresher but I'm really torn on what to do for myself now. Initially I was thinking of joining the group beginner class which is 2 hours 45 minutes a day but after my Snow Centre experience I'm now seriously considering 1 hour private lessons a day instead. Reason being that even though it was a relatively small group of us at Hemel, just 5, I don't feel that I learnt that much or benefited from enough direct, specific help considering the time I was there for and the fact that I was clearly struggling to grasp certain things. Felt as though I needed the instructor to give me a bit of one on one help to get me past the stage I was stuck at which it seems perhaps you don't get in a group.

So I'm really torn as to whether I'd benefit more from a private hour lesson each morning or joining in with the beginner group. Another concern is that once my private hour was up my girlfriend would still be in her group for another 1 hour 45 minutes though I guess I could use that time to practice. I've also seen some on here say that an hour isn't really enough though I couldn't really afford more.

Group lessons for the week are 180 euros whereas 1 hour private lessons would work out at 250 euros so not a huge difference in cost.

Any thoughts, help, guidance will be much appreciated!!

Here's the link to the ski school in question in Corvara: http://www.scuolascicorvara.it/index.php?page_id=1050&lang_id=3

Thanks in advance!

Dan

Hi Dan. I have done both private and group lessons and I would definitely recommend group lessons for a beginner in my opinion. As you know the basics you will progress quickly, but when I learnt in a group, by day two I was getting up the mountain. It is amazing how quickly you can actually ski. Fatigue is the hardest thing, especially getting up after falling down. I did a lot of that! Still do actually! You could always have a private lesson on your last day and hopefully by then you will be skiing like a pro! Enjoy your holiday!
Sue

Agreed, Group lessons :thumbup:

I'd suggest group lessons as well - save the privayes until you have some specifics that need attention.

Maybe you could contact the ski school and explain that you're not sure whether to have group or private lessons, and ask them whether if you start in group lessons and then find you don't progress as well as you'd like to, you could cash them in for private lessons. I've seen people do that before. And I've also seen people give up on their group lessons and just totally waste their money.

I've had group and private lessons and I find I much prefer group ones. But I guess it's a personal thing.

I'd also suggest reading up on ski-ing to make sure you understand the basics before you go. There are plenty of free articles on the internet, including videos. I find this helps me a great deal, as I understand what the instructor is trying to tell me to do.

Best wishes for a great holiday :D

Ally

I am not sure if 1 hour a day will do much. Possibly the better way to go would be to have one half-day private lesson. This should usually put you on skis, that's it you will be able to control your speed through basic snowplough turns by the end of the lesson and it should give you more confidence for the beginners'class. Or go straight for the group lessond. One hour instruction for a total beginner will leave you with pretty much nothing to practice while you will be waiting for your girlfriend. As for being physically demanding, you can try to prepare yourself by doing some wall-sits. They do miracles for quads and core. Enjoy your trip! It's an effort and takes investment in many senses but totally worth it in the end.

Ski schools and instructors will vary in their methods of teaching beginners. It could be that some part of the progression used at Hemel didn't click for you, and going through a slightly different progression with a different instructor will work. Only if you are not linking turns after first morning, would I look at a private lesson.

As for that first lesson being physically demanding. There's a cure for that. It's called a conveyor lift, and no ski school should be teaching beginners without one.

I would definitely go for the ski school option at this stage. In my experience, 1st timers learn a huge amount over the course of their 1st week in ski school. You may also meet a couple of other skiers of the same level that you can practice with in the afternoons.

1-hour a day will leave you with too much time on your own where you will either not push yourself enough or, worst still, push yourself too hard and destroy your confidence.

As for physical demands of lessons, I am afraid that it does tend to be very demanding initially. One awful part of some ski schools is making you side step up the hill to do exercises - this is so draining! Once you are using a lift the effort is much reduced!

Finally, do not fret too much about your level of progression. You are supposed to be enjoying yourself after all. Relax and it will come!