Lessons

[method9455]

I've been riding 6 seasons and I've always scoffed at lessons and coaching as being for kids who are trying to buy their way into being good. Well, trial and error for learning was great when I was 14 but at this point the consequences of the error part are too great compared to the cost of a coach here and there. Plus, you can't always tell what you are doing wrong even though its obvious to an observer. So now I have to figure out where and what I'm going to do. I'm a JFBB & Belleayre season pass holder, I've got trips to Jay Peak and Mount Snow lined up, and I"m closest to Mountain Creek so I'd say those 5 are the ones to choose from.

 

I was thinking take one at Belleayre for free riding on groomed steeper stuff, one at Jay Peak since I'm new to glades, and 3 or 4 for park. I can't decide between Mount Snow, Mountain Creek, and JFBB. I'm comfortable on jibs of all sizes and happy with my bag of tricks for rails, I want to primarily work on jumps. I am comfortable on up to about a 40 foot jump doing straight air's with grabs. I can do backside 180s 100% of the time on up to about a 15 footer, frontside 180s about 80% of the time, but nothing past that. I'm hoping to get 360's this year, maybe a 5. I'm not really interested in going any further than 5s, or doing flips/inverts. I can whip 360s around on the little mini jumps but that doesn't count, I want to do it correctly.

 

All three places have suitable jumps for it, I'm just not sure on the quality of the programs. And I guess if you are doing a one on one its about the individual guy you get, so how do I screen that out? I don't want to sign up for a park lesson, drop $80 and then find out he only teaches noobs how to 50-50 10 foot rails (not that there is anything wrong with that but, not useful for me).

 

Any recommendations on where to go? What to ask? Any one know names of coaches that are good? What about going on like a weekday vs a weekend? I will be doing Mount Snow on a monday-friday in january so the park is nice and empty and really well maintained that time of day, but I don't know if there will be a good selection of instructors if school is in session. I'm not really interested in doing a long term program like the one at Blue, I can't commit the time, and I feel like 3 hours of instruction I should be able to learn 3's if I have been able to get everything else on my own. I'm sure its just a mental block anyway, if I'm paying some guy I bet I will force myself to do it instead of wussing out like I do now.

[toast21602]

i'm pretty sure Snow has a good program. i wouldn't go to BB or MC... but thats just me.

[Papasteeze]

Dude, at your level you might consider contacting the guy over at Camelback Mountain School for a private. Mike Jennings is his name, I think. He has the accredation and all that. There is another guy who left JFBB for CMS, damn... was it Shawn? At your level I would not waste my money on anything less than referal, going blind without references will probably not satify you, IMO. Hell, see if Billy Van Gilder is available or willing.

 

I have standing rule with my son that he take lessons each year. It is getting increasingly difficult to find or get to the most qualified coaches. It's not exactly a career profession.

[Mike Piccoletti]

what Mountains in this area DO have lessons for people that wanna prefect rails, 270 ons and stuff on skis? And spinning jumps and grabs?

 

I did not even know that there was a such thing as a freestyle coach?

[toast21602]

Blue has one. T*Maki runs it. you can talk to him.

[Mike Piccoletti]

Uhm... How do I know my Ski level? and definatly! thanks Toast! I'll talk to Maki!

[method9455]

Uhm... How do I know my Ski level? and definatly! thanks Toast! I'll talk to Maki!

 

Thanks all for the quick replies, a lot to consider but thats what I was thinking. I called Mountain Creek about it and my requirements and they where basically "What the hell is a 360?" when I called the number for private lessons.

 

Doug - a group from the shop where considering steep & deep together, we might do it in the future. I was also thinking South Shore soldiers next spring break when I'll be 21 so I can enjoy the South Tahoe night life as well. For this spring it is Mount Bachelor, do you think they would have a program? I know thats kind of far out of our region but I could look into that.

 

The referals I idea sounds best, so if anyone has any other recommendations around here, I'm all ears.

[Mike Piccoletti]

I dont see much of a diffrence between 8 and 9, I'm going to say i'm a 9 beacause I can do abit more than the level 8 description and I'm pretty good in the park, (not pretty good, kinda shitty, but better than a noob.. lol) so..... Idc!

[toast21602]

I dont see much of a diffrence between 8 and 9, I'm going to say i'm a 9 beacause I can do abit more than the level 8 description and I'm pretty good in the park, (not pretty good, kinda shitty, but better than a noob.. lol) so..... Idc!

 

in mind that the rating is most likely not based on PA resorts... go out west and ski a black diamond and it is like a tripple black diamond here. just letting you know. 9 is a pretty high level...

[Mike Piccoletti]

I've skied mougles higher than me? does this count? lol

[Papasteeze]

The referals I idea sounds best, so if anyone has any other recommendations around here, I'm all ears.

 

T-maki on here for Blue. I would think he knows who would suit you best.

Skier150 - twelve60.com for MC - talk to him.

Billy Van Gilder - MASS he replies to messages.

SkiCamelback on here. for the CB guys I mentioned above.

[CaptDave]

I dont see much of a diffrence between 8 and 9, I'm going to say i'm a 9 beacause I can do abit more than the level 8 description and I'm pretty good in the park, (not pretty good, kinda shitty, but better than a noob.. lol) so..... Idc!

 

If you can ski anything, anywhere, at anytime, then your a 9.

[Barb]

speaking of lessons...will the jfbb freestyle coach please get back to me if anyone from their reads this. I have emailed Jesse 3 times and am getting kind of annoyed.

[Ski4Food]

I've taken lessons everywhere and the two best places I've ever found are Steamboat Colorado and Timberline Oregon.

 

Steamboat has instructors that also work with the US Ski Team and if you schedule a park and pipe lesson they will take you anywhere and help you to better your skiing wherever you may want to. When you train and get coached on bigger mountains and then come back east your skiing is A LOT better!

 

As far as Timberline goes, I have skied with Chris Hargrave. He's written the book on park and pipe lessons as well as much of the PSIA handbook. He is a PSIA Examiner and a full cert on Snowboard as well. He's a great guy and by far one of the best skiers I've ever skied with. He can teach you anything and everything that you want to know. He also runs the Cutters camp at Mt Hood each spring.

[Jer]

if you are in the 7springs area ill be glad to give you a private lesson on whatever freestyle skills you want to work on. I can teach pipe, jumps, and rails all equally well.

 

i am a team rider for 7springs, work on the park crew at 7springs and work at windells in the summer. i helped out a few days with coaching this summer and may be a coach full time at windells next summer so you can rest assured i will be better than anyone you would get from your mountains ski school.

[Glenn]

Dude, at your level you might consider contacting the guy over at Camelback Mountain School for a private. Mike Jennings is his name, I think. He has the accredation and all that. There is another guy who left JFBB for CMS, damn... was it Shawn? At your level I would not waste my money on anything less than referal, going blind without references will probably not satify you, IMO.

 

I took a group lesson there a few years back as a college credit. In our class we were supposed to learn park stuff, but the rules CB laid down meant we weren't officially allowed to hit rails and maybe not even real jumps. So the instructors showed us how to spin using natural features and how to ride the walls of the pipe. A couple of times we went through the park anyways, but if any of us got hurt I think the instructors would have been fired...

 

I have no clue if things have changed.

 

Never the less, my instructor was very good. I can't remember his real name, but he went by "Yukon". I think lib knows his real name. You can definitely learn the spins you want from this guy, but I'm not sure he will help a whole lot with nailing huge jumps, because CB doesn't have any. Either way, if you get things dialed on small jumps it's just a matter of hitting bigger stuff progressively.

[Mike Piccoletti]

How much are Lessons like that?! Private and a class?

[method9455]

Yea I don't think I would do CMS lessons, it goes against my grain to go to Camelback for anything park. I could talk to them. I would also consider Blue or Mountain Creek, but Mountain Creek would need to have jumps before I went back to school in January - good luck with that. So basically it is going to be Blue, or Mount Snow.

[method9455]

Woah woah did anyone ever know that 7 Springs is the closest place to Newark Delaware? I sure didn't. Bear creek is an hour and 45 away, but 7 springs is only an hour and 15? I had no idea I thought it was like 3 hours west of here, I guess because it is so far from me when I live at home north and east of the poconos it feels like it is out super west, but I guess not. I think I might take you up on those lessons, and a superpipe? Damn man. Damn. This is the best news I got all week.

[method9455]

Seven Springs is probably 4-5 hours from Newark Deleware..

 

Damn it you are right, I looked up another place called 7 springs in PA last night - this is why I need to sleep more than 4 hours a night. When I put in the actual address of the mountain i'm screwed.

[method9455]

I'm ending up doing them at Mount Snow.

Mountain creek I would have to pay $49 a day for lift tickets + lessons, which means I have to either do it all in one day (bad idea, I would get hurt) or shell out a bunch for lift tickets.

 

Blue & Camelback are better, but I can't imagine spending money at Camelback for anything park related. Blue was a maybe but still, I have to buy at least $60 in lift tickets.

 

JFBB didn't seem to have much of a program.

 

Mount Snow, I will already be buying the lift tickets, I can spread it out over 4 days, and they have a program for it, it should be good.