>back to the
skiblog

Why Book Ski Lessons?

Posted on
March 5, 2020

Hi everyone, and welcome back to another post from your favourite blogging Méribel Ski Instructor. It's been a few weeks since my last blog about the best pistes in the Belleville Valley (ie Val Thorens, Les Menuires and St.Martin de Belleville), click here for the link. Since then we've experienced countless weather systems, with snow depths continuing to increase particularly on the upper slopes.

The British school holidays have been and gone, and the final French holidays are about to end in a few days time. Spring is soon here, and it is certainly one of the most popular times of the ski season for people to come out. The skiing is normally fantastic, with longer days, warmer pitstops and lunch breaks. There is still a demand for skiers wanting lessons, and is the subject that I'd like to talk about today. We all have different reasons for wanting lessons, so I thought that I'd ask some of the people I ski with. First up, Jane....

Jane

I first met Jane several years ago over in Val d'Isere, and we were re-united again this January when I covered for one of my colleagues for a couple of days. She and her small group particularly wanted to ski off-piste, and at that time unfortunately the quality of the snow was sub-optimal. However it was what it was, and we made the most of it by searching out the well tracked routes at high altitude and north facing. We had a fun couple of days. Here is Jane's explanation as to why she wanted to spend time with a ski instructor.....

"Having really started skiing in my forties (after one school trip aged fifteen), I became relatively competent on piste in the first few years. I then made a challenge to myself to learn how to ski off piste and in powder snow in my fifties. Starting late meant that time was not on my side, so I needed a guide/instructor to achieve the goal in the most time effective way. Time is precious, so investing in lessons has been invaluable."

"A good guide/instructor spots my faults within minutes, and I can work on them straight away. I love the fact that I'm learning a new skill and still improving - I'd get sooo bored if I plateaued and 'pootled' around the piste. Skiing correctly means hopefully longer in the future with a healthy body. A guide/instructor takes you off piste safely. I'll continue working on skiing steeper pitches like we did earlier today. During the lessons an instructor helps you to progress one or two steps at a time, and then you can go off and practice and consolidate by yourself before having another set of lessons. I love it."

Well done Jane, thanks for your feedback, and happy skiing in the future. Next up, Carolyn.....

Carolyn

Carolyn enjoying some fresh powder snow early in February.

I first met Carolyn here in Méribel over twenty years ago. She is a very experienced skier, used to be a Ski Club of Great Britain ski guide, has enjoyed several winter long ski seasons in Méribel, and passed the first few ski instructor exams with BASI (British Association of Snowsport Instructors). In other words, boy oh boy, Carolyn skis very well for a recreational skier. Here is why she booked me for a couple of sessions.

"There were two main reasons that I wanted to ski with you this week, the main one was that I wanted you to take us on an adventure, in particular the Lac du Lou itinerary from La Masse. It was seventeen years ago when I last skied down there and I couldn't remember the route to take, and how to enter into it safely. In fact the last time I skied it, I was stopped by a Swedish guy who had fallen and broken his leg inside his ski boot. I had to phone the pisteurs to get help, and then hang around to act as a translator between their French, and pass on what was said in English to this Swedish guy. In the end a helicopter was used to evacuate him."

"I wanted to show Aimée (Carolyn's 15 year old daughter) this route because I love it so much. The other reason for booking you was for her to ski more off piste, and check that she can ski it well enough."

And here is Aimée skiing off piste. What a day to choose with the fresh snow.

Thanks Carolyn, next up is Sarah.......

Sarah

I met Sarah at the end of January, after her husband had contacted me and booked a couple of sessions. She had last skied, as a beginner, thirty years ago. Understandably Sarah was looking very nervous when we met up at the start of her first lesson. Here are her thoughts on why she booked private lessons with me...

"I really wanted to have a good kick-start to my skiing week, because I felt as though I was starting all over again from the beginning, and I couldn't really remember what to do from all of those years ago. I had a group lessons back then, but this time I didn't consider having them, instead going for a more focused approach with my private lessons. I was very excited about skiing again, but also nervous even though I knew I was going to be with you. That's why it took a while for my trust to build. I can't believe how the chairlifts have improved over the last thirty years, they are so much safer and more user friendly. And there are hardly any drag lifts around these days."

Did Sarah have a fun time back on skis again?

I reckon that's a resounding yes don't you?

Well done Sarah, it was great meeting you, and thanks very much for your cheery email after you got back to the UK.

As you can see, everyone books private ski lessons for slightly different reasons. I believe it can be an integral part of whether people get to enjoy their ski holidays. And on a selfish note, I really enjoy meeting and skiing with people from different backgrounds, whatever their reasons for booking lessons. You know, I really enjoyed this blog post theme, I wonder if I should publish another one at some point? In the meantime, I hope you are all well by staying fit and healthy, and don't forget........ Live With Passion. Martin.

Contact me

Email me athello@skihemsley.co.uk> or use the form on theContact page>

Full phone contact details also on myContact page>