Guide
Five questions to ask before you book a ski school
Ski schools look almost identical on their websites. The differences show up on the slope, when it is too late. These are the five questions that decide whether you come home with your first turn or just cold feet. Ask them wherever you book — including here.
1. Will I get the same instructor every day?
Why ask it
In larger schools instructors are assigned each morning by who happens to be free. That means every morning starts again with your name, your level and your fears. Over a four-day stay that is easily half an hour a day — a whole paid lesson you never ski.
How we do it
Whoever you get on day one stays with you for the whole stay. We don't start again each morning.
2. Will I be alone, or added to strangers?
Why ask it
The words "private lesson" mean different things in different places. Sometimes it means others can be added to your slot to fill it. A child learning alongside three strangers gets a quarter of the instructor's attention.
How we do it
It's you or your family in the lesson. We never add unknown people to fill a slot.
3. What does the second and third person cost?
Why ask it
This is the most commonly hidden item. The price on the homepage is often for one person and the surcharge for another sits in the terms or the FAQ. For a family the final sum can differ by tens of euros from the one you saw.
How we do it
All three columns are on one screen, so you see the total for your group up front and nothing gets added later: 55 minutes 65 € / 90 € / 115 €, 110 minutes 95 € / 145 € / 195 €.
4. Is the helmet included, and do I pay in advance?
Why ask it
A helmet is often a daily extra, and for a family that adds up. And paying in advance through a gateway means your money is committed before you have even met the instructor.
How we do it
The helmet is free with every course. We have no payment gateway and never ask for a card in advance — you pay on site on the day. Cancellation is free until 8:00.
5. What happens if the first hour isn't for me?
Why ask it
Most schools have no answer to this, because they have never had to. Yet it is the one question that protects you when you are picking an instructor blind from the internet.
How we do it
If after the first 55 minutes you tell the instructor on the slope that it wasn't for you, you pay nothing for that hour and we part ways. Once per customer.
Bonus: From what age do they take children?
Why ask it
A school that takes three-year-olds sounds accommodating. But a three-year-old usually has neither the leg strength nor the concentration skiing asks for, and what remains is a bad memory instead of a first turn.
How we do it
We teach from four. Three-year-olds only by arrangement, and we would rather say so in advance than take your money for an hour.
One more thing
None of these questions is a trap, and no school is bad because it answers one of them differently. The point is to know the answer before you are standing in the snow holding a child's hand. If you choose us, you get these answers on paper and by email.