Private Tuition

These will cater for a maximum of 4 people in any one group.

It is important to note that the standard of skiing must be roughly equal amongst the group members. Failing this, the more advanced skiers will not benefit so much from the class.

We recommend that children and adults are also taught separately due to differences both in teaching technique and general learning capabilities. Children also often require much more personal attention and care, which can take away time spent on others in the class.

The length of class depends on you, the skier, but the usual amount of time for any class is 2 hours in any given day.

The only real exception applies to very young children, (4-6yrs), who would normally do better to start with a single hour to see how they adapt to the climate, altitude and the sport itself. If all goes well they may well be able to take further tuition on a 2 hourly basis.

Group Classes

Group tuition offers the opportunity for people to learn to ski and board with others of a similar standard, creating a fun environment for the learning process, and introducing people to others with whom to continue skiing throughout their stay or even on future trips.

Group tuition offers a more economical way of learning since, with more people in the class, we can reduce the per capita rate to cover our costs.

Due to increasing demand, we have now introduced a group scenario and offer you two types of group tuition as follows:

Holiday Groups:

These will run from Monday to Friday, typically between 10am and 1pm each day making a total of 15 hours tuition. This particular group scenario will run during the school holiday weeks of February.

For this we need a minimum of 5 people per group to warrant the group running. In this situation, you are obliged to start on the Monday. Due to high levels of demand, we do not accept mid-week starters, and require you to contract a minimum of 4 days' tuition.

Season Groups:

These will run for groups of up to 6 people between Monday - Saturday on a flexible basis. A minimum of 3 people is required to warrant the group running.

Times will run typically as with the "Holiday Groups". In this case, as long as you are not a complete beginner, we will consider mid-week starters and only require you to contract a minimum of 2 days.

Group Considerations:

Due to the the number of people in the group (usually 8-10 as a maximum in Holiday Group scenarios), levels of progress will be slower than with private tuition, because the instructor has to spend time with more people.

Also, bear in mind that people advance at different rates, often resulting in split levels within the group. When this occurs, the instructor can only teach to the level of those going slowest (primarily for safety reasons).

Where possible, depending on availability of instructors and group space, it is feasible to move people between groups to maintain equilibrium.

Please refer to our Terms & Conditions points 12-17 under "Group Tuition" for full details.

Ski/Snowboard Guiding

We also offer a guiding service to skiers and snowboarders with a minimum ability to cover blue runs and perhaps the odd easy red. Skiers and boarders of a higher standard can group together for our advanced guiding sessions.

Guiding will be taken by an experienced skier who knows the resort well but will not necessarily be an instructor. No tuition is given during the guiding sessions, although in certain situations it may be necessary for the Guide to lend a hand.

Groups will consist of a minimum of 4 people. We will take you off for 2 hours during a dedicated guiding afternoon, usually from 3pm - 5pm. Skiers and boarders should be confident on blue runs, (middle intermediate upwards), in order to make the most of this.

Kids Club - New!

For the weekend of the 28th & 29th March, we are planning a trial run of a Children's Ski Club, running from 10am - 2pm on both the Saturday and Sunday, giving your children the chance, not only to improve their skiing, but also to get together with others and make new friends - not to mention giving Mum and Dad some free time to pootle on down the slopes at their slower pace, without the verbal abuse of their impatient off-spring waiting for them at the bottom!

All going well, we plan on making this a regular occurrence for future seasons!

!!...FIRST TIME SKIERS & SNOWBOARDERS - READ BELOW...!!

If you are a first time skier or snowboarder you should always consider taking tuition - instead of trying to learn by yourself or with friends, which is the best way to involve yourself in an accident!

It is generally recommended that you begin with a 2 hour private class for at least 2-3 consecutive days of Private Tuition, or 4 or 5 days in Group Tuition, and then review the situation regarding further tuition.

You will initially spend time in a flat area where you will get to grips with the basics of putting on and taking off your skis/board and sliding motions. Gradually you will move to a very gentle slope to learn the basics of controlling your speed.

As a very rough guide, (and this does vary from person to person as well as the number of people in the class), you can expect the following from a one-to-one private lesson:

Notes From the Professionals:

NEVER rely on friends or family to teach you unless they are qualified and experienced themselves! A high percentage of ski accidents, (not to mention arguments!), occurs in these situations where basic safety procedure and technique are taught incorrectly or not at all!

DO REMEMBER that Sierra Nevada is one of the highest ski resorts in Europe. The altitude change can cause some dehydration and weariness.

For this reason, we recommend starting off with a 2 hour session unless you are partaking in Group Tuition (which will be 3 hours).

Very young children, (4-5 year olds) on their first skiing holiday should consider a single hour to begin with, to ensure they are enjoying themselves and to acclimatise.

As the resort of Sierra Nevada becomes increasingly popular with the English speaking skier/boarder, demand has increased significantly for English speaking ski instructors. British Ski Center can guarantee you this in a way that no other ski school in the resort can!!