# Experienced Riders: Lessons?



## SnowRock (Feb 28, 2011)

Anyone done one? Been riding since the 90s, can tackle most everything I ride pretty well but was thinking it might be nice to get an outside opinion on my riding style/habits. Would love to improve my approach on real steep stuff. 

Wife and I are headed to Stowe after New Years and was thinking about doing a lesson.


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## ridinbend (Aug 2, 2012)

I would think you'd have to track down somebody that really knows their stuff to get the type of continuing education your looking for. I don't know much about differences in lessons personally.


Edit: sorry for the lack of contribution


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## Noreaster (Oct 7, 2012)

I don't do lessons but I sometimes do sessions - hire out a guide or an instructor to ride with for a day. Especially if I'm unfamiliar with the resort or area, or don't want to board alone in a sketchy terrain. I don't ask them to evaluate my riding but sometimes pick up new tricks that I wouldn't have otherwise necessarily tried on my own.


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## SnowRock (Feb 28, 2011)

Yeah I would certainly want it to be with an experienced instructor, the private lesson rates up there are pretty pricey so if I were to do it I would not be happy if I got some rube.


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## bseracka (Nov 14, 2011)

I took a lesson last year and spent some time talking with various ski pros and the boot fitter at the mt to figure out which board instructor really knew their shit. I found the lesson to be worth it. It was more about refinement and getting feedback on my form and the little places I could improve. Most of our time was on the steeps and slack. As a bonus I also got advice on different access points to areas and secret stashes.


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## IdahoFreshies (Jul 9, 2011)

i dont know how it works for every resort. but the general classes are usually ranked on skill level, so if you go to the ski school office and explain your situation, and tell them your ability level that you are presumably at the most advanced level you would appreciate it if you could get a senior instructor that is level 3, preferably with other certifications (such as a freestyle cert) so you can get the most precise fine tuning on your riding


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## SnowDragon (Apr 23, 2012)

IdahoFreshies said:


> i dont know how it works for every resort. but the general classes are usually ranked on skill level, so if you go to the ski school office and explain your situation, and tell them your ability level that you are presumably at the most advanced level you would appreciate it if you could get a senior instructor that is level 3, preferably with other certifications (such as a freestyle cert) so you can get the most precise fine tuning on your riding


Exactly this.
I'm a CASI Level 2 instructor and my club starts the season with two days of on-hill training for instructors by having sessions with Level 4 instructors.
We also have a mid-season professional development day of the same plus half-day sessions throughout the season.
I have always found these sessions helpful in advancing my riding.

Do exactly as described in the quote above so you get a top level instructor.
I think you'll be surprised at how helpful a session is, even for an advanced rider.:thumbsup:


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## Lamps (Sep 3, 2011)

GreyDragon said:


> Exactly this.
> I'm a CASI Level 2 instructor and my club starts the season with two days of on-hill training for instructors by having sessions with Level 4 instructors.
> We also have a mid-season professional development day of the same plus half-day sessions throughout the season.
> I have always found these sessions helpful in advancing my riding.
> ...


You know I tried exactly this at blue Mtn ontario and they lost it in the shuffle at their office. When I showed up I got a random instructor from the lineup. 

If you can get a specific name that might help. Maybe other hills are more organized.


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## SnowDragon (Apr 23, 2012)

Lamps said:


> You know I tried exactly this at blue Mtn ontario and they lost it in the shuffle at their office. When I showed up I got a random instructor from the lineup.
> 
> If you can get a specific name that might help. Maybe other hills are more organized.


:laugh:
Good 'ole Blue.
They try hard.

Try Jim Morris at MSLM to set you up with a Level 3 or 4 instructor there. That's where we get our afternoon sessioners.


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## Outlander (Nov 28, 2011)

With an advanced rider, it isn't a "lesson" per se. At this level of riding, it becomes coaching. Sometimes, as an advanced rider, coaching is even more beneficial than a "lesson" to a lower level rider because at these levels of riding, technique becomes even more critical. Movement analysis is the key here. The coach does not necessarily have to be a "better" rider than you. He or she just has to have the training and experience to do accurate movement analysis and have the technical knowledge to use it to improve your performance. I have coached far better riders than myself and made them even better by being good at what I do. 

When you are an advanced rider looking for coaching, be sure to have some very specific riding tasks that you want to focus on. The cert level of the instructor is not nearly as important as their ability to do good movement analysis and be able to communicate their observations well and then come up with strategies to improve your riding. Be sure to ask specifically for a coach that has a reputation for having good skills at movement analysis.


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## Magnum626 (Dec 31, 2009)

Well said outlander. 

I started riding in the 90s as well. Last season I took a lesson....or rather got some coaching. I told them I was an advanced rider. It was midweek so I decided to get a group lesson and hope no one else was in the class. I lucked out and it was just me and one other person. 

It was interesting to see what the isntructor noticed. He commented on turn initiations, my dynamic movement, tips for steeps and great drills for practicing switch. I just wish I didn't do it on my 3rd day of riding. They were getting 8-10 inches a night so I didn't wanna waste my powder days on a lesson. :laugh:

Regardless I think it's always beneficial to receive some kind of coaching, there's always room for improvement for all of us.


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## Jed (May 11, 2011)

SnowRock said:


> Anyone done one? Been riding since the 90s, can tackle most everything I ride pretty well but was thinking it might be nice to get an outside opinion on my riding style/habits. Would love to improve my approach on real steep stuff.
> 
> Wife and I are headed to Stowe after New Years and was thinking about doing a lesson.


Absolutely worth it. I took seasons worth or private/on-hill lessons from beginner up until I was already doing steep terrain and bigger tricks like 360s/540s off 40+ foot jumps smoothly, so I transitioned up from total noob up to an experienced rider on lessons (and kept doing lessons for a little while after that).

Basically lessons as an advanced rider help more with making sure you understand how things work and how you get them to work, even if you kinda could do them already (but maybe not as efficiently or correctly then you could if you had better knowledge/understanding).

On top of that, everyone develops bad habits, and lessons are a very good way to become more aware of your own bad habits and work on correcting them.

If you do choose to do lessons as an advanced rider, I will say that the quality of your instructor starts to matter even more though. Private lesson with an instructor who knows their stuff is the way I'd go for advanced riding lessons.


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## rvigh72 (Dec 26, 2013)

Thanks for this thread guys... I'm in the same boat. Been riding on and off since '88 but I don't get to do it that often. Never feel like I really progress. Anyone know of a guide/instructor at Mammoth Mt? I'm heading there in March and am thinking this may be a good idea.

Thanks in advance.


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## stickz (Feb 6, 2013)

Outlander said:


> With an advanced rider, it isn't a "lesson" per se. At this level of riding, it becomes coaching. Sometimes, as an advanced rider, coaching is even more beneficial than a "lesson" to a lower level rider because at these levels of riding, technique becomes even more critical. Movement analysis is the key here. The coach does not necessarily have to be a "better" rider than you. He or she just has to have the training and experience to do accurate movement analysis and have the technical knowledge to use it to improve your performance. I have coached far better riders than myself and made them even better by being good at what I do.
> 
> When you are an advanced rider looking for coaching, be sure to have some very specific riding tasks that you want to focus on. The cert level of the instructor is not nearly as important as their ability to do good movement analysis and be able to communicate their observations well and then come up with strategies to improve your riding. Be sure to ask specifically for a coach that has a reputation for having good skills at movement analysis.


this is a great point. Shawn Foley is obv not a better golfer than tiger woods. but As his coach he can def help fix his technique issues


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

I'd actually like to get a carving lesson/coaching. My pack is bad at explaining/analyzing ("dunno, I just ride"), all of them also learned ling ago without ever having lessons and have very own styles and I just learned by copying and try n error. There's a lot to improve and a lot of bad habits that accumulated. But the fact that all the instructors ride duck has so far prevented me from taking one :dunno:


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