Learning to stop (and then forgetting how to stop!)

Yes more lessons definitely. I think I'm going to start each day with one (and maybe end on one too). Lets see how I go :)

I don't think it's possible to actually learn anything in a one hour lesson, certainly not enough to remember how you do it for much longer after the lesson is over. Maybe on your next trip you should just join a school for a week? To stop you really need to put pressure on tips, having your skis in a snowplough position doesn't mean you are snowploughing if you are sitting back - your skis are just taking you for a ride. If you weight skis properly it's very easy. Get more extensive instruction - they should be able to identify your problem and find a solution. One hour only is hopeless and you are in for a lot of struggle. Being able to stop at any time is an absolute must for a beginner. Otherwise there can be a disaster in the making. Plus, if you just keep doing ski schools for a few holidays you will avoid picking up bad habits which can be very hard to get rid of once they are ingrained into your skiing. And in skiing style = substance so lessons will definitely pay off.

Totally agree, I personally think any beginner needs to invest is a FULL week of lessons, not just mornings either but all day for 6 days.
By the end of that week, you should have moved from snowploughing to parallel turning and be able to comfortably get down blue runs, and possibly reds if you are a "natural". I certainly wasnt a natural by week 1, but I worked very hard at improving myself subsequently.

You'll find they teach you to stop from higher speed which involves something like a hockey stop by engaging your edges and pressuring the skis. It won't come easily to someone who has only had one 1 hour lesson though I am afraid.

Trencher wrote:

The reason you are struggling with the hockey stop is most likely because you have learned to turn using a braking snowplough. It will also slow down your progress to good parallel skiing. Try to find places with ski schools that teach direct to parallel, or a modified form of D to P that uses a slight wedge. You'll save a lot of money later if you don't have to struggle learning to ski parallel.

It shouldn't normally slow down any progress to good parallel skiing and I can't see this methid as being practical unless there is a possibility to keep beginners on bunny slopes for an extended time. In reality adult beginners are graduated to "grown up" slopes afte frist half a day or rarely after a day - once they get a good control with their snowplough and hockey stops as this is what they need to do well to fall back onj if they get scared etc. Even gentle blues over here are much steeper than an average bunny hill, so without a good snowplough it can be quite difficult for a learner to move to real slopes even if they can turn parallel on a bunny hill.

FWIW, I learned in Val Thorens, plenty of greens and blues which we were taught on. However, we spent 3 days snowploughing before being taught to parallel. I really feel looking back that I wasted 3 days of my life, and suffered with unecessary aches and pains as a result.
I didnt even realise there was a direct to parallel method of teaching!!!!

Thanks all for the input! A ski school is a great idea. I'm currently looking at stance-snow and ESF in Alpes d'huez but if anyone can recommend any, please let me know.

Tony_H wrote:FWIW, I learned in Val Thorens, plenty of greens and blues which we were taught on. However, we spent 3 days snowploughing before being taught to parallel. I really feel looking back that I wasted 3 days of my life, and suffered with unecessary aches and pains as a result.
I didnt even realise there was a direct to parallel method of teaching!!!!

It's not a waste, Tony. A good snowplough turn teaches you a lot about a weight transfer and can be a real life-saver in some sketchy situations. I look at turning as the way I move across the fall line. Using the shape of the skis is not optimal all the time. And when you get scared sometimes you need something very basic to fall back on. And while it's bit harder on legs if you have your weight where it should be it's not that hard. Most aches and pains come from relying too much on muscular support. And going to parallel from here should be easy.

Yes I agree learning everything thru from the basics makes and good safer skier in the long run !