Ski and Snowboard Lessons

Repetition of the movements is the key to skiing success! We have two rotating surfaces that provide an excellent way to get the feel of skiing. Learning to ski in South Africa is essential to the enjoyment of a ski holiday eliminating the discomfort of learning in the resort and spending the first week on the beginner’s slopes.

Rather be exploring the slopes, skiing from restaurant to restaurant, and getting full value out of your ski lift pass from day one! Easily the best investment to add value to your ski holiday. Experienced skiers use The Ski Deck year after year to improve their skiing ability and to get in shape before hitting the slopes.

Why learn to ski on The Ski Deck

The Ski Deck provide continuous skiing and we can guarantee 30 km of skiing when booking a lesson course.
The safest way to learn skiing and snowboarding.
More than 30 years of ski teaching experience.
The instructor is within arm’s reach and prove instruction while you ski.
With a bar for support, beginners get a safe and secure start. The bar also provides invaluable support to master the basic stance and confidence.
The Ski Decks are over 4.5 meters wide – anything less than this is not conducive to accurate turns or learning to carve.
Beginners learning on snow are hindered by continually changing conditions and the need to walk back up the slope to repeat the exercises – a difficult and time-consuming process.

SIX HOURS ON THE SKI DECK MEANS YOU WILL BE DOING IN A FEW DAYS WHAT WOULD HAVE TAKEN YOU A WEEK OR 10 DAYS TO DO.

The Ski Deck is for Beginners learning to ski and snowboard and for intermediate and advanced skiers getting fit and improving their technique.

Prices and Bookings

The latest and best technology of wet surface on the The Ski Decks, makes it conducive for carving turns whether beginner, intermediate or advanced. Lessons are 55 minutes.

The 20m long static slope to allow you to practice after your lesson for an extra 15 – 20 minutes (when available), ABSOLUTELY FREE, effectively making your lessons that much longer.

SKI SCHOOL PRICES FOR 2024/2025

Full Course

6 Lessons

R 2,950

Single Lesson

1 Lesson

R 590

Booking Lessons

Lessons are booked at any time that is mutually convenient (phone 011 781 6528). Get your diary ready and PLEASE BOOK BY TELEPHONE to eliminating lots of to & fro.

Once you are booked, we will send you a booking advice and you will be required to pay a deposit. Please commit yourselves to the booked dates as we have to arrange instructor schedules well in advance.

Lessons not taken or cancelled within a 24 hour period (48 hours before weekends) will not be replaced under any circumstances. This must be done by phone.

Questions and Answers

WHAT TIME ARE LESSONS?

We are open during the day and in the evenings (when we do most of our lessons). We work until the last lessons are done – this may be from 6 am until 11 pm in the busy season. When the season is busy we extend hours to include Sundays. The Ski & Snowboard Shop keeps its own hours and ski teaching staff are not available to help in the shop after these hours unless by prior arrangement.

WHEN TO START LEARNING?

Rather start earlier than leave your lessons until the last 2 weeks! We recommend that you start at least 6 weeks before you leave, doing 1 lesson per week e.g. leaving in December then start in October! This ensures that you get an early “wake up call” about skiing (it is a sport and physical effort is required). You will then have time between lessons to work on some ski-related exercises and still have recovery time before the next lesson. However, if time has run down to the point that you can’t do only one per week, doing more than one lesson per week is manageable. The bonus is that once you begin the lessons you will feel like your holiday has already started.

WILL YOU FORGET HOW TO SKI?

The good news is that you will never forget how to ski. The bad news is that you will also remember bad techniques that can hinder you in skiing better. Therefore the Ski Deck is not only for beginners but also for intermediate and advanced skiers.

WHAT IF I AM ALREADY BOOKED FOR SKI SCHOOL LESSONS IN THE RESORT?

Do not cancel these lessons. If you have done the course on The Ski Deck use these lessons to build onto the technique that you already have – besides they are an enjoyable part of your ski experience and a good way to meet other skiers. You are then well equipped to progress quickly through the ski school system. If for example you have now been up the ski lift and are doing good linked turns by lunch time on the first day then the instructors are obliged to progress you to the higher class using the ski lifts! If you are now showing good signs of outstripping this class by the second day, then you should find yourself joining skiers who have already been skiing for a week or more. You will be happy that you still haven`t got to the level we have taught you on the deck yet. Sometimes you may need to engineer a move to the next level. Practice hard on the first few days as these are the most important.

WHAT CAN I EXPECT WHEN ARRIVING AT A RESORT AFTER A COURSE OFF LESSONS?

After a six lesson course the average beginner is ready for the slopes and can expect to ski freely in a day or two, in control and without fear. Skiers & Boarders will need the first few hours on the snow to get used to the difference in surface. This should be done on a normal beginner’s slope so that falls are minimized and hard-earned technique does not fly out the window. Working through the same progression as experienced on The Ski Deck skiers will soon be doing confident basic turns and going up ski lifts while enjoying themselves. A look around will confirm you are already way ahead of any other skier just started.

I HAVE LOST MY CONFIDENCE, CAN THE SKI DECK HELP?

We specialize in rebuilding skier`s confidence. If you or a member of the family didn`t quite make it on the last ski holiday, come to us. We will rebuild your confidence by giving you the technique to get over those few initial hurdles and you will be the first one to suggest going skiing again next year. By investing in lessons before you go you will have a strong basic ski technique – without the bad habits. This will carry you through the rest of your ski career.

HOW FIT MUST I BE FOR SKIING?

At the end of each Ski Deck lesson (1 hour) you will physically feel the same as if you have skied for the whole day (+- 6 hours) thus you will gain a day of ski fitness with each lesson. Please, book your lessons well in advance so as to allow recovery time between lessons. You have to have a general fitness level. Skiing is about technique, once you have the technique then you begin to relax and so the lesson becomes easier, and so you relax and so the technique gets better, until we have you doing some quite advanced skiing in an easy and relaxed manner. What a pleasure to have done all of this hard work so that you can enjoy your holiday We can email you some recommended exercises to do to prepare for The Ski Deck and the slopes. Do not do lots of exercise just before a ski lesson!