Inexpensive ski lessons for little kids?
Hello! Have any families here tried hiring a ski instructor not affiliated with a specific mountains ski school? I’d like my kids to learn how to ski and am thinking of ways to bring down the cost. If you have and have any recommendations I’d love to hear them!
Dec 4, 2023
Parent Replies
Be very careful doing this as it's not allowed at most mountains and they'll pull your pass if you get caught. If they're young, check the individual mountains for whether they can get a free pass. At Palisades it's under 5. For true beginner lessons, Granlibakken is cheaper and more laid back than a lot of "real" mountains.
Yes, we did that for my 4 and 5 year olds last season. I was hesitant to shell out $300/day for ski lessons for 3 hours per day but ultimately felt they learned more than if they had done ski school. The amount of instruction averaged out to 1.5hr each per child, so we let the instructor choose whether she preferred to do an entire morning of 3 hours with both of them together or 1.5 hr, one at a time. The cost was $600 all together since we did 2 days (I was planning only to do one day, but she was so effective). I believe private ski instructors can get in trouble if they aren't affiliated with the mountain ski school, so we had to do this on the DL and not really advertise on the slopes that they were taking a lesson. Also, we had put in some time prior to that to at least help them get familiar with getting on their ski boots and skis (something where ski school would start at complete beginning), so it was not their first time ever on the slopes. We weren't very good instructors ourselves (as parents), so after just being able to get them standing on their skis, I appreciated the instructor's way of working with them. Also, we did season ski rentals at a local shop in Tahoe - something I wouldn't do again actually because it was expensive (over $200 per child) and we always had to rent the helmets again. I think Sports Basement at Berkeley might work out better rental options, even if you have to rent every time. And maybe just buy the helmet because it really is something like $15 each time you rent, and if you plan on going 2-3 times, you might as well just buy the helmet. Feel free to PM me for more details!
Hi, skiing is wicked expensive! I recommend buying all second-hand/consignment ski clothes on BPN etc and shopping locally for goggles, gloves, and equipment.
I also recommend going to the smaller ski areas for less expensive lift tickets and lessons.
Group lessons with other kids really make skiing fun. Often kids are in the same classes together for years!
My daughter who “hates” sports loves skiing and riding and lessons are a huge part of that.
Good luck!