The resort suggests an on-piste ski because most of your training and all of your work with clients will be on the groomers initially. More than likely, any work will be with beginners and advanced beginners. You'll want a ski that's easy to turn at slow speeds.

Find out what lines your potential ski school director reps for (most rep for some ski company).  Get something in the carver or racing line from that brand to start out on.  Don't go too long, you'll likely  be fish boning up to do drills, shuffle around a lot teaching noobs, etc.  A teaching ski should be somewhat multi purpose, mostly hardpack orientated.  Rocking the brand your director works for will get you brownie points when time comes to decide who makes it and who doesn't.

Honestly, I would say something cheap.You will most likely be teaching beginners who are going to run over our skis, crash into you and generally not be nice to your skis. It makes zero difference what you teach on in the learners area.

 

For doing exams and training I used a pair of Fischer Progressor 9's when I was an instructor, and loved them.

 

Are you going to be teaching mostly? or training mostly? I would suggest getting two pair if you can afford it. One being a really cheap used pair for teaching on.

Keith, I think the real question is what will be required by your school/national organization for your initial hiring. Do you know anyone who has been through the program you plan to attend? What the type of terrain will you be focused on your training? Will you be primarily off piste or on? What ski(s) is/are popular with the teaching staff? Does the director have any thoughts or preference? I think Neal's advice is pretty spot on, but here's another 2p.

Personally, I wouldn't 'dumb down' your day to day work ski for teaching. Skis are tough. Sure, clients will run over them, but IMHO and experience, it just isn't that big a deal, and I'm not willing to suffer lesser performing skis at any speed. The trick is to get very comfortable on one pair that will be your 'go to' ski that will handle the widest variety of speeds and conditions. Don't skimp on having them tuned properly and fairly often, and even of you have an existing tuning preference, ask around for other's thoughts as there's always something to learn.

At your size and weight, I'd think about something that while more piste oriented can still be comfortably skied off piste... 80'ish to mid 90 something underfoot might be a good range, but again, ask the program you're entering for more specific suggestions that will help you complete your instruction training as well as teach on.

If i where selling you a ski, I'd point you toward something like a Kastle 88MX, Rossi E98, or Blizzard 8.5 ti. There's no reason these skis can't be skied slowly and precisely, or fast and aggressively even on the same trip down the hill. And again, all the above is only a humble opinion with some questions thrown in. cheers and good luck!

The OP expressed interest in the Salomon Enduro XT 800. Keep in mind that Salomon builds several models of Enduro skis, every thing from cheap rental Enduros to pricey, stiff, only wants to turn at high speed models. I think the Enduro XT 800 is the latter and if it is, it would not be suitable for teaching.

Dano, not to high jack Keith's thread, but why would the 800 be too much ski for teaching? He's not a small guy, and there's nothing that would keep him from dialing things back and skiing slowly, yet he'd still have a nice ski to free ski and train/clinic on. I'm wondering not to call into question the validity of what you say, but only that it runs counter to what I see at our school. just wondering if it's common other places to use a soft, lower performance ski to teach on. Thanks.

Yup, I think I got the model wrong. Is there an Endruo  XT 1100 or 1200 that I am probably thinking of that are very stiff? I hate it when ski companies come up with several different skis, but with very similar names and graphics. Head did this too with several Super Shape skis. Dynastar did it with all the Legend models. My real complaint is that there are just too many ski models to chose from; over 1000 different choices in Canada last year and then each of the 1000 skis preforms just a little bit different in each length.

Another thing to consider is where you land on this spectrum:

 skis only for teaching....personal skis, i just happen to teach in em

 

I'm in the camp that yes, skis will get run over.  I'm also in the camp of who cares if they do.

 

the more you are "teaching skis only" you would go shorter and softer.

 

the more its personal ski that you happen to teach in then you can pick your own.

 

Will twin tips do spray, you typically have to be fairly close to the person in front of you to get hit with it.

From the ski school perspective, i can see why they might discourage this.  Just not sure how often

it would happen in lower level lessons.

 

while it takes research and time and money up front, your best bet is probably to get a pair via discount,

use 1-2 years only, then sell and start over.  if you hold them too long you have a high(er) end ski that

is now 3+ years old, which limits your market and your selling price.

 

once you come to realize its a lot of "deficit spending" it becomes less stresfull

From someone that is fairly new to the instructor ranks -

 

You should be able to do anything needed for a beginner lesson on any ski; shuffling around, walking uphill, wedge turns and stopping by going uphill.  I've used all mountain, cheater race, 155/165 SL race and even 176 21M race stock ski.  I didn't chose those skis for it but happened to be on them when asked to teach a beginners class.  You'll never hear someone asked to teach a beginner class say "Wait.  I have to get my other skis."  Without a doubt, some skis will be easier.  I like to go short if for no other reason, they are a smaller target.  I'm not that worried about getting pretty skis marred from new skiers.  I do worry about the inevitable tangled mess that will happen now and again.  Before you know it the 6 y/o that was standing still next to you, will have one ski under your skis and the other on top of your skis, and bodies will be twisted in a way you didn't think possible.  The child will giggle and any other child in the area will be immediately drawn to this, look at what is going on and as you know, you go where you're looking and before you know it, there's another kid about to get twisted up with you because it looks like fun.  Shorts skis minimize this and worst case, untangle faster.  I don't have knees that can handle this too often.

 

My favorite skis for "instructing" were my Volkl 165 SL WC race skis for a few reasons.  1) I bought them used for something like $325 with the bindings.  2) They aren't hard to ski to include going in the bumps.  3)  They're short, hold an edge well and are nice carvers.  Transferring from a beginners class into an intermediate or even a training clinic is seamless.  Skiing backwards is a breeze too.  I'll be skiing on these early and late season.

 

I will admit that this year I'll be on new skis that are more inline with the direction skis are going - the Elan Amphibio.  A couple different reasons - One is I like Elans.  Not sure why but the race skis I've had of there's, I like (for clarity, I'm not a racer.  I do race now and again but if you watched me, you wouldn't think I was a racer).  Another reason is I believe the instructor community here and the SSD where I teach, have mentioned that we should be teaching on skis similar to what students are going to be showing up in.  Not necessarily rentals for never evers, but the intermediate and advance skiers. A more contemporary ski.  If nothing else, you should be able to teach to the ski they are on.  Above were I said my Volkl's "were" my favorite is because I'm hoping these become my favorite for teaching.  I also think they will do very well in PSIA clinics to include bump clinics.  The Volkls I have handle the bumps well.  I don't ski the bumps well so I'm hoping getting a ski easier to handle in the bumps will aid my learning.

 

I have no information on the particular skis you are looking at.  As far as instructing beginners, if we can get them to do it on rental skis, surely we should be able to do it on almost anything; blades through FIS GS skis.

 

Maybe you should aim for a ski that is shortish for you, but you could use as an all mountain (on piste) so you can handle intermediate students and personal training clinics too, without wishing you were on different skis.

 

Have fun,

 

Ken

From my experience....

Get something you wil enjoy skiing, softer and shorter is real good advice.

Definately buy used, your students will trash your equipment.

Have a good pair for free skiing.

Good luck, it's fun!

You can ski backwards with beginners on almost any ski. I used to teach on 205 Hexcel Split Tails.

I've purchased a fair number of skis off FleaBay for less than your projected budget--both new and used.

If you have a chance to demo skis on site, you might be able to get some cheaper demo skis from the rep. I've also purchased skis off the demo truck.

 

You will get quite a workout lugging children around and running up back up the mountain to pick up and return yard sale gear.  Skating uphill will quickly become one of your most valued toolbox skills.

 

Re-read post #6.

 

Thats your answer.  It works both ways....I still ski the MX88 178cm, the most high performance mid-fat on the market, and I can ski backwards, wedge, gliding wedge, breaking wedge, hops, spins, you name it.  Why couldnt you??????????????  If you are an instructor I assume you know how to ski to a certain degree...buy skis you WANT to ski on. 

 

Having crap skis for teaching is a bad idea.  Why would you?  In real world ski teachiing, you work a bit, then get a few free runs, the work some more.  You want skis that enable you to ski at your best at a seconds notice.  Dont rob yourself or your students.  Plus you want to be able to give good demos, you want to be able to train in the morining, then slide right into the line up.

 

Yes you "may" get students stepping on your skis....so?  Your a big dude...get big dude skis. 

 

 

You may also have to ski across some dirt and rocks to get to someone that went there against your best efforts to prevent them from doing that.  Happens, especially early in the season with spotty coverage.  Get something good, but either slightly used, or at a season past new old stock discount.  You want to be able to look folks in the eye and say "it's really no big deal" when sparks fly out under your skis or they slice the topsheet clean through to the sidewall. Or be a big boy and really not care if that happens to a brand new pair of $600+ skis.

 

Well my advice would be if a student ends up in a rock pile or in the dirt/mud.  Take your skis, OFF, take thier skis OFF, and help them get back to snow.  then put the gear back on.  Trying to have a student work their way out of mud/rocks/trees/patio/cafeteria with their skis on, is poor form.  Make it easy for you and your students.  Everyone wins.

 

 

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

 

Serouisly.....you are more likley to hit rocks and do damage free skiing at speed then going slow with students.  When teaching look for good conditions, nor marginal ones!  The best snow is where I teach...I sometimes free ski in sktechy areas, but you shouldnt bring classes there!  Second, if students, are skiing over your skis all the time.....you need to re-evaluate your teaching approach.  You are obviously doing something wrong.  Collisiions with students should be very rare.

Most places I've skied have patchy thin cover all over early season, especially on the sides of the trail where the safest places to stop and talk are.  There are areas where trails connect that are barely white at all.  You must work someplace very nice to never have thin spots to negotiate.  Consider yourself fortunate. 

 

Here's a nice shot from late November of last season.  Yes, it was "open" and lessons were being taught..

 

 

Here's a pretty good early season day.  I still wouldn't ski new current season skis here though..

 

 

 

Edited by crgildart - 8/11/12 at 5:47pm

 

cr, this is the problem with the internet. Switzerland isn't the mid-atlantic. With that little coverage in the PNW or most mountain areas I've dealt with, it's doubtful anyone would be skiing or that the area would be open. Crystal Mt. had better coverage on July 1st. Different locations, different realities. Interestingly, everyone who advised the OP to get a second pair of 'teaching/rock" skis seem to be from areas that depend heavily on snowmaking for their season. I completely get it, but it's not the OP's reality. In the end as a good friend says, "all skis are rock skis." :)

On the contrary!  The Mid Atlantic actually did better than Switzerland last November.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All I'm saying is don't plan to go out and teach everyday on a brand new pair of skis unless you have several.  Keep the good ones in the locker for free time later in the season.

 

You Western folks really don't know how good you have it most of the time.  Comes across a tad elitist sometimes..

 

He is not asking "should I have rock skis?"  Everyone does.  He asked what skis should I get for teaching.  Some are suggesting he should get some low end beginner skis to do that.  I am pointing out that is bad advice.  Sure use your rockers for teaching, when you are using your rockers for free skiing.  When you pull out the good skis....teach on those too.

 

Cr, you shouldn't be offended at all.  I grew up in the upper midwest. People drove for hours to get to our area, and it was a wonderful place to grow up. Hell, we skied every single day after school (night skiing) which you can't really do in the west. Skied all day Sat. and Sunday as well on 300-500' hills covered with rock hard man made snow and a relatively short season. Frequency and time on skis is huge and and often overlooked component to getting much better at your craft.  It was great, but it certainly wasn't CH or anything west of the Mississippi. There's no need to be thin skinned about geography. It just is what it is. We all live where we do for many reasons, most of which have nothing to do with skiing. If life/career takes us anywhere Beech Mountain, I'd be happy to ski there as well! It most certainly beats no skiing at all, and by a mile at that!

 

Keith, sorry for the thread high jack. You're going to have a blast regardless of what you end up skiing on!

Edited by markojp - 8/11/12 at 9:53pm

 

Ya, me too, Minnesota to be specific.  Just needed to point out that Europe isn't immune from crappy coverage scenarios. 

 

Keith;

I would assume that most ski resorts there have equipment rooms or lockers that instructors get free access to.  If that is the case, I wouldn't recommend spending top dollar on anything that is intended to be beginner to intermediate student teaching specific.  Save the funds for your free skiing boards, ya you might get caught in a back side lift line and not have time to get your teaching skis before a line up.  But, in the end it is less stressful teaching noobs on something shorter and not too overly valuable.  Again, I would highly recommend a slightly used or couple season old new stock SL ski or shorter GS.  Buy something from your boss's fleet of demos if they rep for somebody. 

I am coming up on my 4th season as an instructor in Tahoe. In terms of personal stats: 5'11" and 155-165lbs.

 

I think, first and foremost, the two most important criteria when choosing a ski to instruct on are: comfort and confidence. You need to feel extremely comfortable on the ski and you also need to feel extremely confident on it. Additionally, it need to inspire confidence in you when you ski on it. Honestly, it doesn't matter what type of ski it is, as long as you are comfortable and confident whilst skiing it in a wide array of conditions and terrain.

 

That said, here's what I have used over the past several seasons:

 

The first year I taught on a pair of 188cm Lib-Tech NAS (99mm in the waist) and a 19m radius. They were pretty long and unwieldy when teaching on the Magic Carpet, that's all I can say.

 

For my second year I taught on a pair of 180cm Blizzard Titan 9 (86mm) with a 20m radius and they were a joy. While still a little too long when teaching the ruggers on the Magic Carpet, they were extremely versatile everywhere else (during my second season I was teaching more intermediates and advanced skiers, so having a more versatile ski was key). Perhaps the best thing about these skis is that I was not only comfortable skiing them all over the mountain, but they instilled a great level of confidence in me, as well. I never doubted their performance or how I would perform on them.

 

This past season I skied exclusively on a pair of 174cm Blizzard Magnum 8.7 with an 18.7m radius. This ski kicks a$$. It was great all over the mountain, from teaching beginners on the bunny slope to intermediates on the groomers and more advanced patrons in the trees, bumps, and powder. I found it to be very versatile and it was the only ski in my quiver for the whole season. I used it to teach, train, freeride, and take exams on. If you wanted something a little more piste directed, look at the Blizzard 8.1, narrower in the waist a bit and with a little shorter radius. I absolutely love these skis. I didn't think I'd be able to find a pair to replace the Titan 9's, but these totally did. I was comfortable and confident on them and this showed in my skiing, both in teaching lessons and in training (the feedback I got from fellow instructors and trainers).

 

So, I suggest that you pick a ski that you will be comfortable and confident on (stick with a brand you already know and trust or demo a few models that seem like they would fit the bill).

Edited by dookey67 - 8/12/12 at 10:00am

He might get stuck in the wrong country, canton, or zip code. Scale's a bit different than NA.