Every guest deserves to have a great ski lesson experience. Whether they’re a nervous first timer, or an advanced skier wanting to push their limits, a ski instructor with the right qualities can make all the difference.
Here are the top five qualities that every great ski instructor must have.
1. Patience
Everyone learns at different speeds. Some people take to skiing like a natural, others feel completely unbalanced or even scared at first. A great ski instructor is patient and very happy to change their teaching pace to suit the guest.
With skiing, it can often take a lot of repetition to learn new movements. Guests may simply need time practicing the same thing over and over before they are ready to move on. A helpful and patient ski instructor can guide the guest during this practice, offering advice and feedback.
Patience is fundamental to being a great ski instructor. Guests book lessons to feel safe, have fun and learn something. So ski instructors need to let their guests progress at a comfortable speed and be sure that the guest is comfortable before moving to the next part of the lesson.
2. Understanding and Using the Right Ski Terrain
Sometimes overlooked, terrain choice makes a big impact on the success of a ski lesson. Knowing the ski resort well and understanding what your guest is capable of skiing, is the mark of a great ski instructor. It can mean the difference between the guest having a great time and learning, or feeling scared or even getting injured.
This is especially true for novice skiers. Skiers at this level are still relying on a snowplough shape, stem or wedge for some speed control. They may look great on an slope with less steepness, but it can all fall apart very quickly on something steeper if they lack the skills to truly control their speed. A great ski instructor understands the subtle changes in steepness and shape of different ski slopes, something that many skiers might not even notice themselves. They will carefully consider a good ski slope match for their students, so they can challenge but not overwhelm them.
3. Passion For Teaching
A great ski instructor must truly love teaching people. Most ski instructors got into the industry through a love of skiing and wanting to live in the mountains. But, many ski resort guests are beginners.
Ski instructors will spend at least some, if not most, of their time on beginner areas teaching people. For an advanced skier, this is not the most exciting place to be at all. So, being passionate about the process of teaching is a must have quality for any great ski instructor.
The best ski instructors in the industry are eager to see people learn and progress. Sure, they absolutely love skiing, but they equally love teaching and coaching.
See how experienced instructors use their passion for teaching to stand out as a ski instructor here.
4. Fun Ski Lessons
Ski lessons should be fun, after all, that’s what most people go to the mountains for. All great ski instructors create a welcoming and enjoyable atmosphere in their ski lessons. Guests should be allowed to experiment and try things their own way. They also shouldn’t be expected to make perfect movements or ski exactly like the instructor.
The best ski instructors out there realise that guests learn to ski in many different ways. Most guests aren’t looking for textbook technique, or to be able to execute movements like they’re on the swiss national team. Most guests want to safely ski around the resort, feel comfortable and have a good time.
A great ski instructor is able to tailor their lessons to the students and adapt how they teach. For example, a guest might not have the best stance, but they’re doing what they can and they’re capable of trying a new slope. As stance is the foundation of skiing skills, in theory they should only be working on improving that before seeing any new places. In reality, the guest would be having a better time on that new slope, they’re going to have more fun and feel more accomplished.
5. Being Humble
In some areas, ski instructors have a reputation for being elitist. After all, it’s not easy to become a highly qualified ski instructor. Great ski instructors however, are humble and happy to teach any level skier.
Guests love to have a knowledgeable and very skilled ski instructor. But they truly appreciate one who focusses on their needs and is able to understand their struggles of learning.
No matter how good an instructor is at skiing, their attention should be on the guests. Some of the best ski instructors are just as happy teaching first timers as they are to be carving down a black run at high speed, with the same enthusiasm for either.
These must have character traits make for a fantastic ski instructor, who is happy to make every guest’s lesson unique and memorable. With these qualities, see how to stand out as a ski instructor here.
