I am trying to be a student of this great sport and realize that since I picked up the sport at a later age than most, I would need a structured program in order to make me become a better skier.

I have been looking at multi-week programs at the local resorts (Whitetail, Roundtop, and Liberty) and was wondering if anyone had any experience with their adult programs? Are there any other programs at different resorts that I should look into as well?

Wintergreen has a multi-week program.
The Colonel

Massanutten just started a program for "Silver Seniors" who are 50 and older.

In general, I've been very happy with the instructors at Mnut in the last five years. Both full-day kid ski school and the clinics for intermediate kids and adults. Often my daughter ends up with a private lesson when there aren't any other intermediate kids taking the 90-min clinic. I tip well in those cases.

Thank you for your suggestions. I am actually 29, but I do feel pretty old. So I don't think Silver Seniors would work for me.

Colonel, I went to Wintergreen's website and only found skier programs for women. Unless I missed something on the website, or put on a wig, are there other programs at Wintergreen that can accommodate a 29 year old male?

Sorry, I'm also in another forum that has 50-somethings just getting started on skis.

Are you thinking that you would not go regularly unless a lesson was already paid for? Perhaps all you need is a ski buddy to get you to the slopes on a weekly basis. If you are willing to pay for private lessons, I'm sure you can find an instructor willing to set up a program for you.

No need to apologize, I should've been more descriptive about my goals.

I started skiing about 2-3 years ago. My goal would be to have the skills to ski in any terrain without much trouble. I have taken a group lesson once a season (twice this year). The problem I have with the lessons is that it takes a while to for them to assess what I need to work on, and then they tell me something to work on for 30-40 minutes. I would much rather have a sustained program where I have the same instructor for a couple of weeks with other skiers around my ability. This way, I can really improve my skills and find other skiing buddies along the way.

I have looked into Liberty's program, but since I'm going to be out of town, I will miss too many sessions for it to be effective.

What I've had my daughter do at Mnut, as well as my niece when she was a teen, is make use of the 90-min group clinics (10:30, 1:30, 5:30). There are relatively few intermediates who take a clinic there. They usually separate people by age and ability. When things are not busy, it often means a private lesson. Even if 3-4 people, there is plenty of 1-1 instruction adjusting for individual experience. Quite a good deal for $30. I've been happy with all the instructors. Been tipping pretty well, but still cheaper than 60-min private lesson.

You might give it a try. If you find an instructor you like, then perhaps a few pre-arranged private lessons would do the trick. Certainly worth taking advantage of the great snow conditions to learn as much as possible.

Once you are comfortable on the Mnut blue and black runs at the top of Lifts 5 and 6, you should be able to handle easy blacks any where in the SE/Mid-Atlantic. At least, that's been my experience with my daughter. We started exploring other places after she skied DJ and ParaDice at age 7.

I imagine there are other places the same idea would work. I just know the Mnut ski school the best.

A few private lessons with the same instructor does wonders. You can even arrange for a solid day of lessons, or just one or multiple hours.
You might give the Wintergreen Ski School a call and explain what you are wanting to accomplish and get their suggestions, or call any of the local hills.
The Colonel

Thank you Colonel and marzNC for your advice. I will definitely keep your suggestions in mind when I think about lessons for the rest of this season.

I will also try to check out Massanutten and Winter Green this season. How would those two resorts compare to the Liberty and Whitetail?

Thanks again and happy skiing!

So I just completed a 4-week Adult Development Program at Ski Liberty for intermediate skiers.

Overall, I was very pleased with the value ($320.00) for 4 weeks of instruction with the Advantage Card option added on. Our instruction started at 9 (though we usually waited for everyone in the class to show up) and ended at 3 (the instructor usually stayed with us a bit longer to make sure we start to "own" some of the drills).

I was fortunate enough to participate in this program with my regular ski buddy and met some new faces along the way as well. The biggest breakthrough for me was being videotaped and then watching myself ski. I really noticed how my upper body bounced around when I turn and how far back I sit on my skis. Another "a-ha" moment was the side-slipping and pivot turns that we were doing over and over. I now understand how the initial edge of the side-slipping represents the "old turn" and you have to disengage and point your skis down in order to initiate the "new turn". Finally, we tackled bumps. I have always been fearful of them and while I am still STRUGGLING on moguls, I feel that I am some experience skiing them and would actually seek them out to work on my ski game.

I feel like I have gotten a lot of quality skiing because of this program. By paying money up front, I felt compelled to get up early every Saturday to ski in order to get my "money's worth". That alone was worth the price of admission in my book because the additional practice have helped me improve as a skier. I was also able to get information on how to be a ski instructor for next ski season. Hopefully with plenty of skiing this season and by attending their clinics, I continue to improve my skiing.

For anyone interested in long lesson programs that's considering a trip out west in the future, take a look at Taos Ski Valley in NM. It's a great mountain and they offer "ski weeks" which are two hours every day for a week with the same group and instructor. Everything from beginners to very advanced (my group spent at least half our time in the trees and I distinctly remember passing a sign that said "Beyond this point you must be able to self arrest.").

Best part is the price, they start as low as $99 for the whole week.