Loon Mountain Resort has introduced customized, 3-hour, private lessons that facilitate quick improvement for skiers and snowboarders-and they can be affordable, too.
This just in from Loon Mountain: they’re offering three-hour private ski and snowboard lessons.
That’s a good thing. Nothing improves your skiing or snowboarding faster than a private lesson. Even better—a series of private lessons.
But, I know what you’re thinking. Who the heck can afford private ski and snowboard lessons?
Well, there’s a trick to affording them: don’t go privately to your private lesson.
"Three-hour private lessons are offered daily and cost $175 for one to five people," says the Loon announcement. Five guys? That’s only $35 bucks a head.
Wait a minute. Five guys in a lesson isn’t really a private lesson is it?
Well, not strictly speaking. But, as the announcement goes on to say, "These lessons can even be split to accommodate different ability levels or interests of the participants, making this a great option for families."
Shall we just call these semi-private?
It doesn’t really matter. It’s still better than a random group lesson in which attitudes and ability levels may vary widely enough to deter learning. At least if you’re in with your friends or family, you’ve got established relationships that allow you to forego any group dynamic preliminaries.
What’s Custom About It?
What Loon’s doing is this: you can choose your
lesson time
coach
terrain
the techniques you want to learn or improve.
I actually did this last season at Loon, taking an Intro to Terrain Parks session. Frankly, I’d never have ventured into the terrain park without it. And, Loon, being the home to one of the original Burton Progression Parks, had just the "terrain" for me.
By the end of the morning, I was grinding boxes and getting "little airs" off jumps. It was very cool.
And there was no pressure to deal with or live up to other students’ progress or lack thereof.
Privates Rule
"
And, of course, as a ski/ride school VIP, you get to cut lift lines.It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or veteran skier or rider, lessons can make all the difference and enhance your time on the slopes" says Booie Alward, Loon Mountain Snowsports director. "Private lessons allow our guests to focus on specific terrain, techniques and fine tune even the smallest moves while gaining confidence in a very focused environment."Loon isn’t necessarily the only ski resort that offers this kind of program. Indeed, even if such a program isn’t formally offered, you can usually contact the ski/ride school and tell them you want to share a private. There’s usually a way in which to split the fee.And, the truth is, once you’ve mastered even just the basics, this kind of attention will carry you further faster. When an instructor is relating to you one-on-one, or close to that, s/he quickly learns how to communicate with you individually. And, communication is half the battle.I once experienced a major breakthrough in a private snowboarding lesson. The young man who was teaching me repeatedly used sailing analogies. I finally stopped him and said simply, "It’s no use talking to me in sailing terms. I don’t sail. I get seasick just looking at the ocean."The light bulb lit (I could see it happening). He changed tacks (pardon the sailing term), and said simply, "At some point during the turn, the board has to be flat on the ground—even if that’s just for a second. Then you continue the turn."Now my lightbulb lit. I suddenly understood that I was putting an involuntary hitch in my turns, afraid to let the board run from even that small amount of time. Voila! In minutes I was linking turns."How large the leaps are depends on who you are, your ability and, most importantly, your attitude. But, it does happen.After one private lesson," purports the Loon announcement," skiers and riders will be have the confidence to move to the next level: from intermediate terrain . . . to the steeps; catching some air in one of the terrain parks; carving turns on the corduroy; conquering the bumps . . or exploring . . . tree skiing areas."Loon—and most resorts—recommends reservations for private lessons. Guests can request a specific instructor or meet with a snowsports planner to choose the right coach for their ability and terrain preferences.Info: www.loonmtn.com or 800-229--5666.
The copyright of the article Loon - Custom Ski Snowboard Lesson in Winter Sports is owned by Mitch Kaplan. Permission to republish Loon - Custom Ski Snowboard Lesson must be granted by the author in writing.
