How do you teach your friends and family to ski? I'm about to have visitors from all over the country who will try skiing in Breckenridge. I am not an instructor with Vail Resorts, so I'm not allowed to make money teaching skiing, but I know I'll be teaching skiing! I suppose I'll have to barter for other services that I need, like a massage, babysitting, or whatever creative options there are. Luckily I have a job in town where I can actually earn money, so my ski hobby can stay my ski hobby!
LEVEL 1 | NOVICE
You have never tried skiing before. Welcome to the greatest sports on earth!
Start out right! You will learn to think like an expert and discover the techniques, tactics, and mindsets of the world’s best skiers and riders while avoiding bad habits from Day 1.
What to expect:
- Learn about equipment and the mountain environment.
- Discover the joy and excitement of sliding on snow!
- Learn to stop.
- Learn to get up from a fall.
- Learn to make first turns.
- Learn about equipment and the mountain environment.
- Discover the joy and excitement of sliding on snow!
- Learn to stop.
- Learn to get up from a fall.
- Learn to make first turns.
- Make it fun.
LEVEL 2 | NOVICE
You have spent a few hours on the slopes—probably a day or two. You can put on and take off your equipment and move around on the flats. You are comfortable gliding and stopping on the easiest learning terrain (carpet lifts), and you can sometimes make simple direction changes while sliding.
What to expect
- Improve your turns.
- Gain confidence, control, and freedom as you explore the secrets of expert skiing and riding!
- Improve your turns.
- Gain confidence, control, and freedom as you explore the secrets of expert skiing and riding!
LEVEL 3 | NOVICE
You are very comfortable gliding and making turns on beginner terrain. You feel almost ready for easy green runs on the mountain. You probably make “wedge turns,” but you may make “parallel turns” too.
What to expect:
- We will assess your technique and get you up to speed.
- Develop confidence with different sizes and types of turns, with rhythm and consistent speed.
- When you’re ready, ride a chairlift and ski on the mountain!
- We will assess your technique and get you up to speed.
- Develop confidence with different sizes and types of turns, with rhythm and consistent speed.
- When you’re ready, ride a chairlift and ski on the mountain!
LEVEL 4 | INTERMEDIATE
You ski comfortably and confidently on “green circle” mountain terrain. You can ride chairlifts and link smooth, gliding turns on all but the steepest green sections. You may be skiing parallel, but probably use a slight wedge much of the time, especially when it gets steeper.
What to expect:
- Refine your fundamentals, becoming more consistently parallel.
- Build confidence to glide at slightly higher speeds or steeper slopes
- Explore all “green circle” runs and perhaps easiest “blue square” runs.
- Refine your fundamentals, becoming more consistently parallel.
- Build confidence to glide at slightly higher speeds or steeper slopes
- Explore all “green circle” runs and perhaps easiest “blue square” runs.
LEVEL 5 | INTERMEDIATE
You ski comfortably and confidently on all “green circle” and most groomed “blue square” terrain. You can link turns using mostly parallel skiing, and you can control your speed in most situations by adjusting your line, with little need for braking.
What to expect—depending on your needs and goals:
- Explore higher speeds and more vigorous movements for shorter, complete turns.
- Develop higher edge angles and discover the control and sensations of carved turns.
- Gain confidence on steeper, more challenging groomed blue terrain.
- Venture into easiest ungroomed terrain.
- Learn to incorporate pole use for better timing and precision.
- Explore higher speeds and more vigorous movements for shorter, complete turns.
- Develop higher edge angles and discover the control and sensations of carved turns.
- Gain confidence on steeper, more challenging groomed blue terrain.
- Venture into easiest ungroomed terrain.
- Learn to incorporate pole use for better timing and precision.
LEVEL 6 | INTERMEDIATE
You are comfortable and confident on any groomed “blue square” terrain, and capable of skiing easiest ungroomed and moguled blue terrain. You can link turns of varying size at moderate speed. If you are a skier, you are usually parallel, and you may use a pole swing or plant in most of your turns.
What to expect—depending on your needs and goals:
- Refine your balance, technique, and consistency.
- Explore technical options for more versatility, from pure-carved turns to braking. Skiers learn to use both skis independently, with step turns, stem turns, and one- or two-footed movements.
- Explore tactical options for confidence in more challenging blue terrain and conditions, including the steepest blue square runs and easy moguls.
- Refine your balance, technique, and consistency.
- Explore technical options for more versatility, from pure-carved turns to braking. Skiers learn to use both skis independently, with step turns, stem turns, and one- or two-footed movements.
- Explore tactical options for confidence in more challenging blue terrain and conditions, including the steepest blue square runs and easy moguls.
LEVEL 7 | ADVANCED
You are comfortable and confident on all blue square and easier black diamond terrain, including moderate moguls and ungroomed snow. You can modify your technique and tactics from a growing quiver of options, linking dynamic carved turns with consistent rhythm on blue groomed terrain. You usually ski parallel, with effective pole use.
What to expect—depending on your needs and goals:
- Continue to refine balance and develop skills and versatility.
- Learn to manage the changing forces of higher speed, short, medium, and long carved turns, and uneven terrain.
- Explore tactics and technique options for enjoying the whole mountain, including moderate moguls, steeps, powder, racing, carving, crud, ice, or freestyle.
- Continue to refine balance and develop skills and versatility.
- Learn to manage the changing forces of higher speed, short, medium, and long carved turns, and uneven terrain.
- Explore tactics and technique options for enjoying the whole mountain, including moderate moguls, steeps, powder, racing, carving, crud, ice, or freestyle.
LEVEL 8 | ADVANCED
You ski with confidence and flair, with offensive tactics and techniques on most terrain. You handle moderate mogul runs with consistent speed and rhythm. You are competent, if not always confident, in moderate ungroomed conditions, and you can handle all but the most extreme in-bounds terrain. You may lack the needed confidence or particular technical or tactical options for true virtuosity in all terrain and conditions.
What to expect—depending on your needs and goals:
- Solidify your fundamentals while expanding your limits with versatility and confidence at an ever-growing range of speeds, terrain, and conditions.
- Refine your technique for efficiency and strength at higher speeds and longer runs.
- Identify your strengths and growth areas for continued learning and improvement.
- Solidify your fundamentals while expanding your limits with versatility and confidence at an ever-growing range of speeds, terrain, and conditions.
- Refine your technique for efficiency and strength at higher speeds and longer runs.
- Identify your strengths and growth areas for continued learning and improvement.
LEVEL 9 | ADVANCED
You can ski almost anywhere, almost any time, with confidence, flair, efficiency, and offensive movements and tactics. You fear no terrain. The challenge is no longer merely to survive, but to continue to improve, and you can challenge yourself on even the easiest green, groomed runs. You are becoming a true virtuoso, enticingly close to earning the title “expert.”
What to expect—depending on your needs and goals:
- Explore any of the challenges of the mountain, from steepest and gnarliest double-black diamonds to easiest corduroy-groomed greens, to the Freestyle parks and race arenas.
No comments:
Post a Comment