Skiing or Snowboarding Lessons with the Kids
Mammoth, California, Travel

Skiing or Snowboarding Lessons with the Kids

If it’s your or your kid’s first time skiing or snowboarding, I would recommend signing up for some private or group lessons.  

Since both types of lessons can get quite pricey, we opted to go with the private lessons and here’s why.

  1. Private lessons are the same price whether for 1 student or 5 students.  Since my 5 year old’s private skiing lesson was going to be $900 for 3 hours, I opted to join in as well since our levels were roughly the same and there would be no difference in price.
  2. Since we already had some skills, we wanted to be able to have the lesson more catered to our needs and move in a more expedited fashion.
  3. More flexibility.  My 5 year old was tired after 2 hours of lessons on the second day.  We were able to end the lesson after 2 hours and get an activity voucher valued for the last hour of the private lesson (has a year expiration).  We ended up using it on our third day skiing towards a 1 hour private lesson. 
  4. Private lessons can also be booked for 1 hour, 3 hours or a full day.  I really liked the 1 and 3 hours options.  The 1 hour is good for those who have some skills and just need to brush up on those skills and build more confidence.  
  5. Group lessons for the kids tend to feel more like daycare.  They play with the snow, learn a few skills, practice them, have snack time, and practice some more.  Having taken Whitney to Vail, CO for group lessons in the past, we learned that in order for her to excel at the speed we wanted, we would have to put her in private ski lessons.  We wanted more efficiency for the time spent.  
  6. Group lessons can still be pricey and in the beginner stages, the kids end up staying on the magic carpet most of the time.  Because of the slower pace and redundancy, my daughter would tell me that she was bored and not enjoying skiing. 
Note: Private lessons will not mix skiers and snowboarders.
The magic carpet by the Schoolyard Express was where me and Whitney spent time practicing our skills before going up the lift.
The magic carpet by the Schoolyard Express was where me and Whitney spent time practicing our skills before going up the lift.
Since me and Whitney had a similar skill level, we were able to spend more time together and bond more by being in a private ski lesson together.
Since me and Whitney had a similar skill level, we were able to spend more time together and bond more by being in a private ski lesson together.

If you aren’t sure which you will like for your kids, it could be helpful to do both.  You could always have them try the group lesson and then a private lesson the next day to push them along.  The key to becoming a confident skier or snowboarder, like everything, is practice practice practice, more time spent on the slopes.

Be sure to allow ample time at the rentals to get fitted for the equipment.  Weekends and holidays do tend to be a lot busier, so make sure you have enough time to get your rentals before your lesson. 

Meet at the Private Lesson flag 10 minutes before your lesson and remember to relax and try to enjoy the experience.  It is nerve-racking for me since I get nervous skiing but I’m trying to enjoy it more each time.  

Don’t forget to ask for your instructor’s Venmo or Zelle to tip them if you enjoyed their services.  They get paid a small fraction of the lesson fee (I believe they get paid hourly), so I made sure to leave a tip for the instructors that were helpful and patient with us.  

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