Adult group lessons, or just go private? Where?

[bplinder]

Hello all,

First time poster here.

My family just skied for the first time in 2 years. My older teenagers regressed plenty, so i want to get them some lessons.

One son was a low blue skier, but is now a higher green skier.
Second son was mid-blue skier, and is now low blue skier.

I've been very disappointed in children intermediate group lessons at many places (Belleayre, Catamount, Butternut). My son had a great experience at Killington, but that's a bit far from my close to NYC home.

So, does anyone recommend Adult intermediate group lessons for my teens?

How about private lessons? Are private lessons at all mountains good, or do I need to target specific mountains. I would hate to drop $100-$200 for a bad private lesson. I see that Plattekill offers private lessons for just $95 an hour. Everyone else $130-$170/hour.

I really want to get my teens ski level up so they can ski more of the mountain.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Brownski]

Go to Plattekill for sure. They rock. And consider upgrading their equipment as well. Dangerboy refuses to take a lesson but, due to a comically rapid growth spurt, he inherited some 120 flex boots from me and used race skis from his brother. The difference in his skiing was night and day versus the softer equipment he was on before.

 

[Harvey]

very disappointed in children intermediate group lessons

What was disappointing?

 

[Campgottagopee]

Lesson then mileage

 

[bplinder]

@Harvey, We had 2 different issues:
1) At catamount specifically, for green lessons (not first time), the teacher only knew 1 way to get their point across. If my kid didn't understand, they just repeated themselves.
2) For intermediate lessons, they often didn't have enough kids, so they grouped in some beginner kids, and tailored the lesson too easy.

This was all pre 2020. Now my kids are a bit older and age into adult lessons.

 

[Harvey]

I was going to say Plattekill too. But I'm biased.

I also think Gore has an excellent ski school. My daughter did mountain adventure (7 weeks in a row group lesson with the same kids) and then had maybe 20 privates over maybe 5 years. She doesn't ski much, but she is a good skier.

 

[Harvey]

@bplinder you could start a conversation with @Roman the director of the Plattekill Ski School.

 

[MarzNC]

How about private lessons? Are private lessons at all mountains good, or do I need to target specific mountains. I would hate to drop $100-$200 for a bad private lesson. I see that Plattekill offers private lessons for just $95 an hour. Everyone else $130-$170/hour.

I really want to get my teens ski level up so they can ski more of the mountain.

Based on my experience helping set up lessons for tweens and adults who were intermediates, a semi-private lesson can be the most effective approach. When there are 2-4 students, the per hour rate per person is usually pretty reasonable. What I'm looking for from any ski school is a PSIA Level 2 instructor with 10+ years experience or a PSIA Level 3 instructor. Definite advantages to a small mountain like Plattekill, especially on weekends. Well worth a phone/email conversation with the Ski School Director if possible.

I've had quite a few lessons with 2-3 friends with assorted Level 3 instructors in recent years. In some cases, all adults, but also mixed ages in others. Have always been impressed by the ability of the instructor to deal with a mixed-ability group. Everyone can be doing the same drill for some fundamental skill but with a different focus.

 

[bplinder]

@MarzNC That's great advice. I never thought to ask about the instructor qualifications. I haven't skied at Plattekill in 22 years. It's about 2 1/2 hours from home, so that's not too bad.

 

[MarzNC]

@Harvey, We had 2 different issues:
1) At catamount specifically, for green lessons (not first time), the teacher only knew 1 way to get their point across. If my kid didn't understand, they just repeated themselves.
2) For intermediate lessons, they often didn't have enough kids, so they grouped in some beginner kids, and tailored the lesson too easy.

I remember having similar issues for kids at Massanutten. Doing the full-day ski school specially tailored for kids ages 4-12 was quite good. Especially up to about age 10. The general group lessons for 7+ depended a lot on the instructor. Level 2/3 instructors with lots of experience are great for beginners and intermediates but they rarely end up teaching group lessons at a small hill. After I learned the qualifications for an instructor to teach beginners, that changed my expectations quite a bit.

Note that the situation for group lessons at a destination resort like Alta for adults is quite different. My friend has had several Level 3 instructors for the adult intermediate group lesson at Alta in April.