We’ve been lucky enough to watch some of the best skiers and snowboarders in the world ride at Mammoth Mountain, and as locals we’ve been able to ride with plenty of extremely talented people.
Still, we know that learning to ski or snowboard is hard for everyone, regardless of their age, experience, or how good they eventually are at either sport.
For that reason, we always recommend at least one lesson from a professional instructor when learning, but you may be wondering if private or group ski and snowboard lessons will let you learn faster. To help you out, we’ve put together a quick guide to deciding on private or group ski and snowboard lessons below.
Read all about it, then use Mammoth Bound to find the best deals on ski and snowboard rentals and activities in Mammoth Lakes!
Group Lessons are Better for Learning the Basics
When you take a private lesson you obviously get more one-on-one attention. However, if you’re a complete beginner one-on-one attention may not necessarily help you learn any faster.
When you’re learning the basics of skiing and snowboarding like simply balancing, turning, and stopping, you’re learning by simply getting comfortable on the snow. Finding your balance takes practice, and while good instruction can make a huge difference you’re still mostly learning by doing, so that one-on-one attention may not be completely necessary.
Plus, learning with other beginners makes the difficult parts of the process, like falling over and over again, more fun.
Private Lessons are Better for Advanced Skills
Once you have the basics down though, advancing your skills can go much faster with private lessons.
For example, if you can ride down blue and green runs but are still struggling on black diamonds than a private coach can observe your skiing or snowboarding, find exactly where you’re making a mistake, and then help you fine tune your skills with personal coaching. You can also get a private lesson for specific skills like park riding or halfpipe where specialized techniques can push you forward much faster.
Group Lessons are Great for Kids
Having fun is important for anyone who is learning to ski or snowboard, but it’s especially important for young children since they can easily be distracted while learning to ski or snowboard.
One of the best ways to keep kids focused on learning to ski and snowboard is by placing them in group lessons with other kids so they can play and make friends while learning. Coaches who teach group lessons with kids are great at finding ways to make them learn without even realizing it and can make it easy for your kid to progress with a group!
Private Lessons are Great for Families
A private lesson is the best way to stay together if you and your family are learning together since most ski schools separate people by age and experience. Make sure you book your lessons well ahead of time so there is availability for exactly what you want though!