Not Sure What Level Lessons to Go For

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    • Not Sure What Level Lessons to Go For

      Hi All,

      We are off to Arinsal on Sunday for the second year with Neilson and I need some advice on what level lessons we should take.

      Neilson seemed to split people into beginners, intermediate and advanced and my wife and I don't seem to fit into any of these. Last year my wife and I both did different advanced beginners lessons (which do not seem to be listed by Neilson although they exist).

      This will be my fourth year skiing and, at the end of last time, I could parallel turn on a good day but, outside lessons, tended to lose confidence on some of the steeper blue runs and degenerate into snow-ploughing. I want to get more confidence in parallel turns and be able to do blue runs properly, I have no wish to be pushed onto red runs yet.

      My wife missed a year a couple of years ago, due to a knee injury (not while we were skiing), so is still doing stem turns and is very lacking in confidence. She did a slightly less advanced beginners course than I did last year and found it difficult to keep up with some of the group (the instructor did not seem to make allowances for the slower ones in the group). She dropped out of her group and did have a couple of private lessons, shared with a friend, but did not really progress much. She really needs to get her confidence back or this will be her last year skiing.

      Any advice on what groups each of us should aim for would be much appreciated.

      Many thanks,

      Richard

    • Hi Richard

      After reading your post I would recommend you go to the intermediate meeting point, however for your wife it is a difficult one as I think she is in between advanced beginners and intermediates depending on her confidence.

      The school have issued a few questions to help people decide and there are two which may apply: (1) Do you have difficulty in linking snow plough turns confidently?, and (2) Do you find it difficult to ski a blue run in control? If she answers 'yes' to either of these questions she should go to the advanced beginners meeting point, which is by the dry-stone-wall at the top of the gondola. If not she should go to the intermediates meeting point at the bottom of the magic carpet lifts.

      When you join intermediate classes you are graded according to ability, ie. the instructors watch you ski so put you in a suitable group.

      If in doubt, speak to an instructor when you are meeting for your lessons and they will help point you in the right direction.

      I hope this helps.

      Steve :thumbup:

    • Thanks Steve, that is exactly what I was looking for. From your comments, it is clear that my wife should go to advanced beginners, as she can link snowplough turns reasonably but is not happy skiing a blue run.

      I was not sure that I was advanced enough to intermediates but it sounds as though I am ok for the first level and the instructors can always set me right when they see me ski/fall over.

      It is good to get this clear before we go, rather than during the bun-fight on the first day.

      Cheers,

      Richard