Tag Archives: Ski Lessons in Les Gets; Ski School in Les Gets

Group Lessons w/c 3rd March

Posted on by
Reply

Anyone visiting Les Gets w/c 3rd March and looking for group ski school may be interested to know that we have just set up an adult intermediate course 3×2 hrs with spaces available.

For more details visit

http://www.alpinelearningcurves.co.uk/special-sessions/confirmed-courses/

If you are interested in booking please contact Babs either by phone/email or using our enquiry form!

These are currently the only group ski lessons available for this particular week but it is always worth contacting us in case we are able to collate individual enquiries

Private Lessons?

Posted on by
Reply

Private lessons are a very popular option for clients booking with the British Ski Schools in Les Gets & Morzine.

They offer greater flexibility for people keen to get the most from their ski holiday. Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of booking ski school this way:

Pros:

You can request the instructor of your choice. If you have found a rapport with a certain instructor it is worth its weight in gold and certainly worth paying good money for!

Flexibility – so long as arrangements do not infringe on other bookings, the instructor can change the meeting or finishing point of the lesson.

A party may prefer not to be split up even though there is a spread of ages & levels. Provided we can offer a workable lesson which offers value for money we will try and accommodate this. This is not possible with group lessons, where individual clients have a right to expect more strict organisation so everyone in the group has a fair deal.

Similarly, you are able to influence the theme of a lesson. In a group you may all be capable of skiing powder, but if you are the only one who wants to you are going to be out-voted!

Nervous clients are inclined to respond better in one to one lessons where they can dictate the pace. Nervous people tend to compare their own progress with other members in a group with negative and often demoralising results.

In peak weeks hiring an instructor to zip you through the priority lift queues and straight to the best skiing on the hill is a sure-fire way of maximising your ski time!

Cons:

Private lessons cost more – but cost versus benefit, better value for money perhaps?

You decide!

Group Lessons

Posted on by
Reply

Group Lessons are by far the most economical way for most people to learn to ski. Here are some of the pros & cons of group lessons to help you decide if it is the way forward for you:

pros:

  • less expensive than private lessons, group ski lessons can represent excellent value for money
  • group ski lessons can be very sociable. it can be a welcome relief to ski with other folk going through the same learning curve, instead of being dragged around by(or dragging around) your mates!
  • you could even pal up with another class member who turns out to be your perfect ski buddy
  • if you are the weakest in a group of very similar ability it can be great motivation to up your game. Or, if you are a timid skier and you discover you are the best in the group it can give your confidence a huge boost

Cons:

  • If the group is too large it will be difficult for the instructor to provide individual feedback
  • Poorly organised groups can have a huge spread of ability and attitude. Either the whole process becomes dominated by one section of the group, or the poor instructor is spread so thin it is impossible to give everyone due attention
  • There have to be a minimum number of clients for the ski school to benefit from organising group lessons. Unfortunately some ski schools promise lessons then cancel or shrink courses which are undersubscribed at the last minute, leaving clients high & dry. Even worse, they might amalgamate two different levels to make up the numbers, creating the problem previously mentioned.
  • Some ski schools will only set up groups at times that they can guarantee will fill – which are not necessarily when you require the lessons

Alpine Learning Curves offer group lessons to a maximum of 6 clients per course. We do not mix adults with children because they learn very differently and at a different pace (12yrs+ can be deemed adults at our discretion). Feedback is requested on all clients to ensure compatibility in lessons as far as possible. We never cancel or shrink undersubscribed courses and we never amalgamate courses to make up numbers. Lessons are set up according to demand.

Half Term in Les Gets & Morzine

Posted on by
2

The half term holidays are historically the busiest two weeks of the ski season and all the ski schools are choc-a-bloc, frustrating for anyone who has made a last minute holiday booking!

FYI this week we have a couple of spaces available at the end of this week for private lessons on Thursday & Friday afternoons. Next week the instructors have wall to wall bookings BUT if any Absolute Beginner Adults staying in Les Gets are looking for lessons, we have a course running with space. Give us a call if you want to know more!

Why Separate Adults & Children In Lessons?

Posted on by
Reply

In ski school in Les Gets, when a child is about 12 we deem them mini-adults and give them the option of joining either group. This will depend on the child, as some 11 year olds are more mature and so happier in adult’s lessons whilst others still think as “kids” and best off in children’s lessons.

Every person of any age will learn in a slightly different way and children definitely learn in a different way to grown-ups (although some adults could be said to be children too)! But the main difference you’ll come across in ski lessons is that children have little to no preconceptions when performing a task and see challenges as FUN. Whereas adults do have preconceptions and will normally need a reason to go along with the task and will ask why we are doing something.

For example if you ask an adult and a child to ski around a turn on one ski, they might both ask “why?” but the answer may have to be different. To the youngster-“just to see if you can do it” “because it’s cool” or “look I can hold it off the snow for 10 seconds”. An adult may need a more technical answer- “it will improve your balance/confidence”.

This willingness to experiment means children often pick up the basics more quickly than adults.

This is a simplistic look at this and there are so many other examples and reasons. More often it’s the parents that want to be with the children than the other way round and this is a normal urge to protect your off-spring. But try to allow the instructor the time to build the trust of the pupils, normally the first session is enough. Remember you did this the first day of school, leaving them to go into the school building on their own from the yard or playground. The sooner you leave them in the capable hands of the teacher the sooner, normally, the sniffles stop.