Ski better in Taos, New Mexico

Skiers in these programs all seem to feel the same way. “It’s like going to summer camp again,” almost everyone says.

“I feel like I am a kid again for a week,” one mentioned.

Others claim, “When we are on the mountain focused on skiing, the rest of the world doesn’t exist for us – our world is formed by the next turn and the snow beneath our skis.”

Jean Mayer, one of the founders of the ski week program, says, “We try to keep skiers looking ahead, just as in life. Every turn is different. Conditions differ. The good skier can deal with those changes and react accordingly. For me, it’s just like life.”

He continues “Taos ski week is less teaching and more of an immersion in the life and spirit of the mountains. These week-long programs allow skiers to discover new things about themselves.”

From the moment that a student is assigned to an ability group, the discoveries, life lessons and turns come fast and furious. The peer dynamics are amazing and an intricate part of the ski week learning process.

Friendships are established through the week. Competition between skiers develops, Group members help each other with suggestions. And many skiers end up making plans to return to renew that friendship and ski again with many from the same group.

According to Max Killinger, once the Taos ski school director, “Each skier in any group is at a different level  and needs encouragement in different areas. The magic of teaching a group like this is that helping one student reinforces what others may know but have forgotten. Everyone learns more together than they would alone. It’s like conducting an orchestra.”

Chris Stagg,  another veteran ski week instructor, says, “The bottom line is that students help each other learn. As they spend time together during the week they develop a bond and encourage each other.”

“Along with encouragement, there is plenty of pressure,” he notes, “No one wants to be last in the class and that makes every class a bit more interesting.

From an instructor’s point of view, ski week is far more fun that a week of private lessons, and a better learning experience. Every instructor I spoke with agreed that they would rather teach a ski-week course than individual lessons or private group lessons even though they make less money.

Several veteran instructors noted, “Teaching the group is far more fun than working with individuals. Instruction can be phased in day by day. Different skills can be introduced each day. The instruction can be digested. Plus the we can learn more about our students over a week than we could ever learn in a two-hour lesson block.”

These long-time instructors also agree, “Teaching a series of group lessons is difficult because you never know who will be coming into the class each day. It takes time to get newcomers up to speed with those who might have been there earlier. Too much of our time is focused on assessing the students. The ski week reduces that assessment to one time a week. Then we help them grow as skiers.”

Their final verdict, “A week is perfect for real instruction.”

The Taos Ski Week is acknowledged to be one of skiing’s best learning programs. It draws from teacher-student interactions honed over decades with a veteran instructor corps that rarely changes. Then it blends those measured lessons with the natural dynamics and interplay of the group.

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