🚀 go-pugleaf

> What experiences have people had with the various downhill teaching
> methods?  Is one method preferable for quick learning?  How do I know
> the ski school will really use the method advertised and not just give
> some snazzy initials to each instructor doing their own thing?
> Are private lessons worthwhile for a beginner?

The snazzy initials you refer to are probably GLM, or the Graduated Length 
Method, which was popular about ten years ago.  GLM was a breakthrough since 
it acknowledged that short skis are easier for a beginner to turn than long 
skis.  In a full-blown GLM ski school, the student was issued successively
longer skis as he progressed, perhaps every lesson.  This method is seldom
seen anymore, partly because stocking all those skis was expensive for the
ski school, and partly because ski instructors realized that GLM was based on 
an incomplete understanding of ski technique.

The current snazzy initials are ATM, or the American Teaching Method, a 
development of the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA).  While
GLM emphasized the ease of turning, ATM acknowledges that there are three 
basic skills in skiing--turning, edging, and pressuring--and that all three 
are important.  In ATM, the beginner uses a medium length ski, one that is 
easy to turn at low speeds, but that will also serve as he advances to higher 
speeds, learns to use his edges, and masters the subtleties of pressure.  

There are no magic tricks in ATM.  It is based on an understanding of the 
fundamental skills in skiing, how these skills develop as the skier progresses,
and how people learn.  This teaching method is becoming accepted throughout
the country.  Nearly all ski schools in all regions are using it, or at least
trying to.  I recommend that you find a school that is associated with PSIA and 
has a good percentage of certified instructors.  Unfortunately, you could still
end up with a lousy instructor, but you will have minimized the risk.

With a good instructor, class lessons are actually the best place for a 
beginner to learn.  In a small, friendly group, with an instructor who is 
more of a facilitator than a disciplinarian, you will learn as much from
each other as you do from him.  Have a fun winter.

    On the hill:  Lowell Skoog  PSIA-NW  Crystal Mtn., Washington
    At the tube:  Lowell Skoog  John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc.  Everett, Washington

P.S.  Snow?!  We don't even have rain.  Even Rainier is starting to look naked.