Five Good Reasons To Join A Class.

A ski class practicing kick turns at Peckett’s-on-Sugar Hill, 1930s, where, for the first time, Americans could take lessons with skilled Austrian.
Credit: Concord Monitor

[Editor Note: In a SeniorsSkiing.com Survey, 30 percent of respondents revealed they took a lesson sometime during the season. Why? Correspondent Marc Liebman  found out five core reasons lessons might be a good idea.]

Back in the days when I was on the staff of Ski Magazine responsible for all its ski equipment and instruction articles, the most frequently asked question from readers was “When do I need to take a lesson?”

The question is a good , and the good consulting answer is “It depends….” After talking to several ski instructors and racking my brain as a former certified instructor, here’s a short list of conditions assuming you are not new to the sport and walking onto the slopes for the first time.

Keep in mind, Mother Nature didn’t have skiing 30,000 vertical feet a day down through waist high moguls when she created the aging process. As we age, despite our best efforts, we lose flexibility, muscle, and bone strength. In short, we’re more susceptible to injury. When we are hurt, it is usually more serious, and, even worse, it takes longer to heal.

So, you need to take a lesson…

1. After you have a serious illness or a major injury or a joint replacement or it hurts when you ski. Why? You don’t know how what happened will affect your ability to turn, your balance or stamina. The lesson, assuming it is taught by a trained instructor, will help you figure this out.
2. If you haven’t skied in awhile. Why? Two reasons. One, ski equipment has changed. The new short skis are easier to turn, generate less torque on your legs and more stable than the longer skis of yesterday. To ski them well, you have to adjust your technique. Two, while some may think skiing is like riding a bike, it is not. If you haven’t skied for awhile and your name is not Billy Kidd or Jean-Claude Killy, take a lesson!
3. If you just bought new equipment. Why? Unless you were the first person to use a pair of demo skis, your new ones even though they are the same make and model, may ski differently than you remember for reasons beyond the scope of this article. So, to get the most out of your new skis, take a lesson!
4. If you are planning to ski conditions with which you are not familiar. Why? If you have never skied waist deep powder, take lessons to learn how. Or, if you skied only in Utah or Colorado and suddenly find yourself living and skiing in Vermont, you need a lesson!
5. To polish your skills. Why? Unless you are an expert and can ski any condition with aplomb and in perfect control, you need a lesson. The majority of skiers are “intermediates/advanced intermediates” so take a lesson. Even instructors go to clinics to polish their skiing (and teaching) skills.

So that’s the consensus five. I’m sure there are others. Net net, if you cannot ski any condition or trail on the mountain like an expert and without hesitation, then you need a lesson!

Ski School, Austria, circa, 1930s.