We are always pleased when parents give us comments and feedback on things we are doing here at Maple Ski Ridge! We believe it is important to have feedback to know if we are doing a good job or if there are things people think we should improve on.  Over this past weekend I got a chance to have a more in-depth conversation with one of our parents who have kids in our weekend lessons program and got some very valuable insight on what our lesson program means to our families as they watch their children progress from year to year!  This particular person has 2 children involved in lessons here, a daughter who is 9 in one of the snowboarding lesson groups and a son, 6, in the Ski Stars group.

Her son, who is 6, took private lessons last year here at Maple.  He started on a snowboard but decided to try skis instead after a couple of lessons.  I know this little guy quite well, he is a little on the small side for his age and skis seemed to suit his ability level much better.  When he first started last year he had a hard time using the tow rope and t-bar tow and could be quite apprehensive about it at times, at times after lessons his mom said she would bring him up the tow rope holding onto him and neither in his lesson or after did they ever go to the top of the hill.  The bunny hill tow ropes were never something he really mastered on his own by the end of last season she said.  What he did learn was fun stuff like “duck walking” with his skis, “driving the car” and getting used to maneuvering while on his skis, all essential steps to moving on in the learning process!  He loved his instructor, Greg, and by the end of the season was already for it to be Winter all over again so he could learn more!  He really wanted to be able to ski down the “bigger part of the bunny hill” he told his mom, but as most parents would respond, his said, “all in good time buddy!”

When this year came around and it was time for lessons, the parents thought he might want to go onto to take snowboarding lesson so he could be like the rest of the family (mom does both snowboarding lessons here and has skied before) but he replied “nope, I just want to ski!” I was pleased to hear that he had so much fun learning here last year that he wanted to continue on with what he was already doing even though the rest of his family does something else!  His mom said he was soooo excited to come back to Maple this year and take lessons that he talked about it since Thanksgiving when the family started talking about the upcoming winter plans!  They were concerned that he would be upset that he would not be having private lessons with Greg this year and although he was upset not to have Greg as his instructor he was pretty excited to find out he would be in a group of kids his own age!  His mom has told me that in the 3 lessons he has had here so far this year with his group he has come even farther in his skiing progress!  His parents are so proud of him and he is even prouder of himself!  His mom has even said that since he has seen other kids his own age be maneuver the tow ropes by themselves he has also learned to do it himself!  What a difference from last year she said!  Now when lessons are over and she puts on her skis to ski with him after lessons are over she said he refused her help on the tows and they even went to the top of the bunny hill and while he needs to learn more ski maneuvering she has said he has no fear this year at all about being able to make it from the top to the bottom of the hill!  Mom said her main concern is him plowing someone over!  She said he just laughs at her and say’s “pizza slice mom!”

It made my day to hear about this families progress within our lesson program!  It is our goal here to provide the best lesson programs and match the kids to the appropriate groups!  We strive to make sure that each year children in lessons are ready to move up and begin new challenges and have great pride when they overcome challenges and continue to progress! And it makes us all at Maple Ski Ridge here smile when we think of the great fun everyone is having in their lessons and how much it benefits their families!