When you’re a child and you’re taking up skiing and snowboarding for the first time, it’s usually a given that lessons are the best way to go, but did you know that the same goes for adults?

I know you’re thinking “Lessons are for babies! You would never find me at a ski/snowboard school, My friend Bobby has been skiing forever. He can teach me!” Well I want to take a moment to sway your opinion.

Teaching someone to ski or snowboard is not a simple task, it takes more than showing someone how to snowplow or carve. Teaching takes a lot of patience and time, something that sometimes even the best of friends fall flat of at some point. The last thing you want is to half learn something and then be talked into jumping on the chairlift.

Ski and snowboard school instructors are trained using CSIA (Canadian Ski Instructors’ Alliance) or CASI (Canadian Association of Snowboard Instructors) training programs and are given tools that help them break down the learning process to assist new skiers and snowboarders. They can access your style and provide expert advice and even give positive feedback to get you comfortable on the slopes, chairlifts and so much more.

My advice to you is let the experts show you the ropes.  I’d rather be spotted in a lesson than be a yard sale* on the hill because I let someone teach me their “not so great” habits. When in doubt, convince one of your beginner friends to join you!

For more information on ski and snowboard lessons, check out the “SET” section of our website or contact the ski and snowboard school at your local ski and snowboard area.

*Yard Sale Definition: A yard sale is when a skier falls and loses his skis and poles, which end up scattered across the mountainside.