Peak Performance – Taking a Private Lesson

If you’re going to learn to ski or ride, start with a lesson.

There are far too many of us who share the same experience; someone (a friend or significant other who already knew how to ski or ride) took you out on the slopes with them for your first time with little more than a rushed tutorial on how not to crash. Maybe they helped you get your gear on before hitting the slopes, and it’s possible that they taught you how to stop at the bottom, but that’s about it. I’m going to venture to guess that for most of us, that experience didn’t end well.

There’s a reason that we say ‘friends don’t let friends teach friends how to ski’ (say that five times fast). Unless your friend is a trained instructor or PSIA certified, then unfortunately they just don’t have the skills to teach you how to ski or ride despite their best intentions. Which is why we always recommend taking a lesson, or two, or five.

Shawnee Mountain offers several different lesson options that each have their benefits, but today I’m going to talk about the private lessons, which are one-on-one with an experienced instructor. Unlike the majority of our lessons, Private Lessons are not sold as a package. The pricing for these lessons is higher than a group lesson but that’s simply because of the personalized experience that lesson-takers receive. In addition to booking a lesson, you also need to purchase a lift ticket and daily equipment rental.

I booked a Private Lesson with our Snowsports School and put them to the test! I am a beginner skier who’d only been out twice before this lesson. I brought with me very limited knowledge and relied heavily on my instructor – shoutout to Dan! – to get me going out on the beginner hill.

We started out with the basics: how to put on my skis (yes, there’s even a technique for clipping into the bindings). From there we moved into mastering the wedge, the uphill duck walk, and started practicing some turns. My instructor moved at my speed, all the while evaluating the areas I needed improvement on and working with me to correct them.

By the end of the lesson I was feeling significantly more confident on a pair of skis and managed a solo run down the beginner hill without toppling over! Am I an expert after my first lesson? Definitely not. That being said, with another lesson or two, I feel like I’ll be ready to hop onto the Tomahawk Express and snowplow my way down Upper & Lower Pennsylvania.

Written on: Jan. 20, 2024  |  Written by: Michaela K., Marketing Assist.

In short, yes!

We offer Private Lessons for ages 5 and up through our Snowsports School. Little ones can take advantage of SkiBaby in the Children’s Program, a private ski lesson for children ages 3, or WeeRiders for snowboarders ages 3 & 4.

The great thing about Private Lessons is that they are taught to your skill level. They are great for beginners and intermediate skiers and riders who need to build upon existing skills. The one-on-one instruction maximizes your time out on the hill, and the ability to add a friend or family member to your lesson ensures that small groups can learn together.

If you’re interested in learning more about our Private Lessons, click the button below!