What’s the best way to learn to ski?

Like many skills, you are most likely to succeed under the watchful eye of a professional teacher. But ski instructors can be expensive and surely it’s possible to educate yourself with the use of a few books along with a lot of trial and error? Or maybe a friend or relative can teach you instead and only require a few drinks in the bar afterwards as payment?

DIY ski lessons?

The first obvious argument against official ski lessons is cost. When you’re already paying
for a holiday in the Alps why spend more on the ski-school? And it can’t be denied that some ski-instructors do charge a lot for their expertise, even when you’re indoor skiing in the UK.

But this can be a false economy. There are right and wrong ways to learn to ski and it’s best to choose the right way from the start. Professionals will teach you a progressive set of skills that follow naturally from one another and are therefore easier to retain.

Your pro instructor will also assess your level and choose the right terrain for you to work on. You good friend could be sending you onto a red slope long before you are ready. The result could be frustration and regular bouts of pain as you land face first on the snow for the fiftieth time that day.

Cost is also less of an issue at Club Med where the costs of ski lessons for all the family is built into the price.

Go your own way?

Who wants to go to school when they’re on holiday? When you arrive at your resort you want the freedom to do what you want, when you want. Lessons seems like an unnecessary interruption to your leisure time that could be better spent with friends on the slopes.

It’s a valid argument but, once again, do you really want to spend all that free time falling over or possibly injuring yourself? Ski lessons are a small investment into a lifetime of enjoyment. And the better you get, the more fun the sport gets. You might also be ruining your holiday for those who are trying to teach you the basics. It’s not fair to expect them to give up a large slice of their time trying to teach you how to do a turn.

It’s also the case that ski lessons aren’t the least bit like school. At Club Med, you’re likely to be learning with a group of people who will be falling over as much as you are. It can be fun to be bad at skiing together. Lessons are a social affair, a chance to make new friends then share a drink afterwards and talk about how difficult it is to make a turn.

I only want to be competent

Most of us have no intention of winning the Winter Olympics. We simply want enough skills to be able to head down a slope at a reasonable pace to enjoy the scenery before thinking about apres-ski. Why pay all that money to get better when all you really want is a little bit of exercise before the evening fun begins?

It might be an argument that works for some but the true joy of skiing only really occurs when you reach a level of competence where it feels natural and relaxing rather than a constant worry about breaking a leg. Reaching the intermediate level is ideal for the more casual skier and your unlikely to achieve this standard without professional lessons. Do you really want to be the worst skier in your group who everyone has to wait for before they can carry on with their day?

I'm too old

Ski school is for kids, because adults simply can’t learn enough in a short enough time to make ski lessons worthwhile.

This is all wrong! Anyone at any age can learn to ski competently in a fairly short time. Our Club Med classes are full of people from the age of 3 to 73 who are able to pick up the skills they need from our professional instructors. If you are using your age as an argument against ski lessons then you’re simply making an excuse.

All of the above arguments can apply to snowboarding lessons as much as skiing. Whatever your choice of winter sport, an investment in lessons is most definitely worth it both for the sake of your physical health and your ability to enjoy a great holiday in the Alps. Book with Club Med, combine everything in one price and truly enjoy your time on the slopes.

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