Snowboarding lessons - bad experience
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Language barriers are often the problem when it comes to teaching - they don't have the vocabulary to suggest something else. Also schools are often inclined that their clients don't learn too fast in order to maximise lesson expenditure - sad but true.
They key to a good instructor is generally experience. Someone who has only taken the instructors' course, but attained very little mountain time will always be inferior to an wise old 7-seasonnaire....
Next holiday try to arrange it with either a school (+ the actual instructor) that you have had good rep. from, convince an able friend to come along and give you some tips, or try even a chalet that is operated by a 'wise old seasonnaire' and arrange lessons that way.
Check the indoor place for deals; they can be expensive. Also have a chat with your potential instructor before you pay; to get a vibe from him/her.
- Don't give up; we all went thru the initial day of sliding out of control onto our backsides....
The first 2 days it snowed all day - could not really see that far, but the snow was well maintained and not moguled at all. On the 3rd day it cleared, there was no ice at all and it was beatufilly groomed.
I still could not cope with him. All he kept saying was "It's not possible....! "That was his extent of his english. I asked him why he just said "It's not possible".
I hear you about the language barrier being a problem but he must have a vocabulary of more than, "its not possible, see you at 2pm, the other way, slow down" Worse than useless.
Thomson have replied to my email saying they will get back to me in 28 days.
As you can imagine, I am not happy :cry:
what a shame everything else about the holiday couldn't have been quite as precise.
This is what happened to me. As I posted earlier in this thread I basically taught myself.....quite painfully and frustratingly at first.
I also got into bad habits, but as the amount of time on the mountain increased I began practicing how to do it properly.
I just came back from a week in Mayrhofen. Now I am comfortable on about any slope in any conditions, I can ride either end of my board with classic linked turns, or ride whilst switching at high speed. As I discoved last week, I can actually do the later in powder also which surprised me (although you have to be travelling a bit). Ice doesn't bother me a bit and my 2 experiences with powder this year have been great. Also this time I spend a good chunk of time off-piste which is sooooo much fun.
Gonna have to ask nicely if Trencher can give me some proper carving lessons soon :)
I think the curve at the start of snowboarding is more extreme than skiing, if I was introducing someone to it now, I would insist they have 1-1 lessons and pay the extra cash for them, from what I've seen and read, at this level group lessons are a waste of time and money, and more importantly may put you off something wonderful.
Roll on Chile in the summer!!
I always wondered... when I was on the nursery slopes learning to ski in obergurgl I couldn't figure out why the poor snowboarders where on this short, steep slope. it looked difficult to someone who knew no better but it was obviously what they needed. explains a lot!
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Started by Iplanet77 in Snowboarding 11-Jan-2008 - 24 Replies
Chaletslovakia
reply to 'Snowboarding lessons - bad experience' posted Apr-2008
Language barriers are often the problem when it comes to teaching - they don't have the vocabulary to suggest something else. Also schools are often inclined that their clients don't learn too fast in order to maximise lesson expenditure - sad but true.
They key to a good instructor is generally experience. Someone who has only taken the instructors' course, but attained very little mountain time will always be inferior to an wise old 7-seasonnaire....
Next holiday try to arrange it with either a school (+ the actual instructor) that you have had good rep. from, convince an able friend to come along and give you some tips, or try even a chalet that is operated by a 'wise old seasonnaire' and arrange lessons that way.
Check the indoor place for deals; they can be expensive. Also have a chat with your potential instructor before you pay; to get a vibe from him/her.
- Don't give up; we all went thru the initial day of sliding out of control onto our backsides....
RoseR
reply to 'Snowboarding lessons - bad experience' posted Apr-2008
My husband and I fancied a winter holiday in the snow but had never skied or snow boarded before. We found an all inclusive at Axamer Lizum with crystal. We booked the boarding package. The night we arrived the rep put us into groups and gave us instructions how to get the ski bus up to the mountain where she would meet us, arrange our equipment, put us in the right lessons etc. The rep did a bunk that night so we were up the top of the mountain with about 10 others from our hotel without a clue. Any way some-one came to our aid and got us sorted with equipment etc and put us in groups. I am 50 and was put in a group of 20 year old lads. the instructor was great, Dutch with good english and very good. We had all missed the first lesson because of the time it took to sort us out with equipment. After the first couple of days all the 20 year olds were making good progress my husband and I were fairly slow so we made the decision to drop out. We would either have held the others back or we would have tried to keep up with them and ended up doing ourselves an injury. So we bought the boards and boots down from the mountain found some slight hills and slopes in the village and taught ourselves, and had great fun in the process. Also the nursery slopes they were teaching us on were the bottom of the main slopes, every time you tried to do anything an experienced boarder came hurtling down on you. crystal did give us compensation against our next holiday. We have never looked back and have been the next four years.Having taught ourselves our technique may not be spot on but we certainly enjoy it.
I'm a laydee
Trencher
reply to 'Snowboarding lessons - bad experience' posted Apr-2008
Rose
You make a very good point about instruction and learning. It's as much the doing as having some one teach you. with some basic concepts you were able to learn at your own pace. If you have the right attitude, that type of guided discovery can work so well.
Conditions are especially important when learning to snowboard. It's hard to be a beginner snowboarder when it's icey or hard. I think this may have a lot to do with different people's experiences.
Trencher
You make a very good point about instruction and learning. It's as much the doing as having some one teach you. with some basic concepts you were able to learn at your own pace. If you have the right attitude, that type of guided discovery can work so well.
Conditions are especially important when learning to snowboard. It's hard to be a beginner snowboarder when it's icey or hard. I think this may have a lot to do with different people's experiences.
Trencher
because I'm so inclined .....
Iceman
reply to 'Snowboarding lessons - bad experience' posted Apr-2008
Trencher wrote:Iceman
What were the conditions like ?
Trencher
The first 2 days it snowed all day - could not really see that far, but the snow was well maintained and not moguled at all. On the 3rd day it cleared, there was no ice at all and it was beatufilly groomed.
I still could not cope with him. All he kept saying was "It's not possible....! "That was his extent of his english. I asked him why he just said "It's not possible".
I hear you about the language barrier being a problem but he must have a vocabulary of more than, "its not possible, see you at 2pm, the other way, slow down" Worse than useless.
Thomson have replied to my email saying they will get back to me in 28 days.
As you can imagine, I am not happy :cry:
The Northern Monkey. Jan'23 Les Arcs
Caron-a
reply to 'Snowboarding lessons - bad experience' posted Apr-2008
Iceman wrote:Thomson have replied to my email saying they will get back to me in 28 days.
what a shame everything else about the holiday couldn't have been quite as precise.
Tino_11
reply to 'Snowboarding lessons - bad experience' posted Apr-2008
rose.rodgers@ntlworld.com wrote:My husband and I fancied a winter holiday in the snow but had never skied or snow boarded before. We found an all inclusive at Axamer Lizum with crystal. We booked the boarding package. The night we arrived the rep put us into groups and gave us instructions how to get the ski bus up to the mountain where she would meet us, arrange our equipment, put us in the right lessons etc. The rep did a bunk that night so we were up the top of the mountain with about 10 others from our hotel without a clue. Any way some-one came to our aid and got us sorted with equipment etc and put us in groups. I am 50 and was put in a group of 20 year old lads. the instructor was great, Dutch with good english and very good. We had all missed the first lesson because of the time it took to sort us out with equipment. After the first couple of days all the 20 year olds were making good progress my husband and I were fairly slow so we made the decision to drop out. We would either have held the others back or we would have tried to keep up with them and ended up doing ourselves an injury. So we bought the boards and boots down from the mountain found some slight hills and slopes in the village and taught ourselves, and had great fun in the process. Also the nursery slopes they were teaching us on were the bottom of the main slopes, every time you tried to do anything an experienced boarder came hurtling down on you. crystal did give us compensation against our next holiday. We have never looked back and have been the next four years.Having taught ourselves our technique may not be spot on but we certainly enjoy it.
This is what happened to me. As I posted earlier in this thread I basically taught myself.....quite painfully and frustratingly at first.
I also got into bad habits, but as the amount of time on the mountain increased I began practicing how to do it properly.
I just came back from a week in Mayrhofen. Now I am comfortable on about any slope in any conditions, I can ride either end of my board with classic linked turns, or ride whilst switching at high speed. As I discoved last week, I can actually do the later in powder also which surprised me (although you have to be travelling a bit). Ice doesn't bother me a bit and my 2 experiences with powder this year have been great. Also this time I spend a good chunk of time off-piste which is sooooo much fun.
Gonna have to ask nicely if Trencher can give me some proper carving lessons soon :)
I think the curve at the start of snowboarding is more extreme than skiing, if I was introducing someone to it now, I would insist they have 1-1 lessons and pay the extra cash for them, from what I've seen and read, at this level group lessons are a waste of time and money, and more importantly may put you off something wonderful.
Roll on Chile in the summer!!
www
The Only Way is Down
http://towid.blogspot.com/
Powder
reply to 'Snowboarding lessons - bad experience' posted Sep-2008
I had a rotten time learning to board but only put up with it for a few hours. It really had nothing to do with the instructor, he was okay. But the nursery slope is usually far too packed with inexperienced boarders and skiers to feel comfortable. Also, particularly for snowboarding, they are probably not steep enough and given that they are used so much the snow is certainly too compacted and icy to learn much. After spending the morning falling on my ass and cursing everyone and everything, my brother came by and insisted that I come up the mountain. His logic was that there was more snow and a decent incline to cut into and stay upright and he was spot on. After a while up the mountain with him I felt much more comfortable and confident, though I should point out that I spent some of my youth on a skateboard and had skied before. However, I think there is a certain logic in trying to learn away from the mayhem of the beginners and where snow conditions are better.
Caron-a
reply to 'Snowboarding lessons - bad experience' posted Sep-2008
powder wrote:Also, particularly for snowboarding, they are probably not steep enough and given that they are used so much the snow is certainly too compacted and icy to learn much.
I always wondered... when I was on the nursery slopes learning to ski in obergurgl I couldn't figure out why the poor snowboarders where on this short, steep slope. it looked difficult to someone who knew no better but it was obviously what they needed. explains a lot!
Topic last updated on 26-September-2008 at 21:05