3 Reasons to Take Up Snow School’s “Improve Yourself” Invite this Month at Whistler Blackcomb

Dave Hobson doesn’t really believe in lessons. The Alpine Supervisor of Whistler Blackcomb’s Snow School (and 2012 Supervisor of the Year)* is inclined to the philosophy that you can pretty much teach yourself anything.

Except skiing and snowboarding, that is.

In part, he advocates ski lessons because it’s a social experience.

Putting your self in the hands of a pro also means you experience more of the mountain.

“The mountains here at Whistler Blackcomb are a big place. It’s easy to fall into the habit of skiing the same terrain over and over. I came here in 1994 because it was the best. I knew you could ski a lifetime here without getting bored. And the beautiful thing about the mountain is it’s got a little bit of something for everyone. That’s what makes Whistler Mountain such an amazing teaching mountain. The terrain offers endless challenges.”

Whistler Blackcomb corduroy morning — Photo courtesy Dave Hobson

Finally, as Hobson told me for a Vancouver Sun story this week:

“If you’re happy with the way you ski, that’s great. Go slide around and have fun. Ultimately, that’s what really matters. But if you’d like to ski with less fatigue, better poise, and more grace, try a lesson. It’s such an easy sport to do badly, but it’s a lot more fun to do with finesse.”

Starting January 7, Whistler Blackcomb offers Discover Whistler Days pricing – 30% off Max 4 lessons with any of Hobson’s crew of pros, stacked with the highest concentration of Level 4s on the mountain. (Think skiing’s black belts.)

Whistler Blackcomb Max 4 Alpine smiles and sunshine — Photo courtesy Dave Hobson

As Whistler Blackcomb announced today in a press release:

Whistler Blackcomb’s snow school is one of the largest in the world consisting of over 1,200 professional ski and snowboard instructors. Combined, they speak over 26 languages, originate from all over the world and more than 50 of them are certified Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance (CSIA) Level 4 instructors, the most in a single snow school in North America.

On January 12 and 13, Whistler Blackcomb is also offering Never Ever Days, with beginner lessons (plus rental gear and a lift ticket) for just $25 for the first 500 newbies to take up the challenge. They’re even offering a free beer at the end of the day, so you can get a start in the art of aprés. (Register online at www.whistlerblackcomb.com/learn to nab one of those 500 spots.)

For a teaser of the Snow School experience, here’s a video we put together at Origin Design + Communication for the Whistler Blackcomb Snow School, with the guys from Sherpas Cinema.

Whistler Blackcomb – The Lesson from Whistler Blackcomb on Vimeo.

*Full disclosure: Dave’s my husband. Call me a lazy journalist for going for the easy interview. But he’s been “fixing” my skiing for almost 17 years, so I can say for sure, he’s the real deal.