Private vs group lessons

[highheelsandweathercocks]

Looking for some insights and opinions please.

Family of 4 skiing for the first time in February. DC are 6 and 8. Will have one two hour private lesson on a dry slope before going (as a foursome).

Originally planned to do the ski + hire package option with group lessons of 4 hours a day (am, lunch, pm). Spread across three groups due to age. Lessons over 6 days.

Now considering private lesson (1 instructor, 4 of us) for three 2 hour lessons and paying equipment hire separately.

Cost is coming in almost exactly the same. I know that we get less physical lesson time with private, but figured that it would be more focused.

What would you do or recommend?

Would the DC have more fun at the kids ski schools than with an instructor with parents? Sociable, adventurous boys!
Ski school for DC and private for DH and I?
School for all of us?
Private for all of us?
Ski school do a presentation day on the Friday. Would the DC miss this if not in kids ski school?

Thank you.

For adults I would really recommend privates if at all possible, although you may not get very far with 3 two hour lessons.

For children it really depends on the children and most particularly on the teachers they get. This is quite variable in style, and depending on where you go as well I guess.

My ds1 hated group lessons (he had a very bossy teacher) but did very well with privates. They were one on one, though, not sure how well it would work for a whole family (or even if the instructor would be willing to mix up beginner adults and children).

Ultimately, you do learn a lot faster with one on one attention, no question, but if you are an absolute beginner you may need to be supervised more of the time and so you would have to pay considerably extra for privates.

I would say that the children should learn separately from the adults.

You will be able to understand more technical language than the kids and have more stamina. I think private for you and your husband and ski school for the children.

If you wanted to ski with them you could always consider ski school in the morning only and then practice with them on the nursery slopes in the afternoon.

My kids much preferred group lessons.

Kids will be best learning separately. I’d personally do ski school for them and private lessons for you and DH. They could do half days so you also have time to ski together as a family. Don’t be surprised when they are wizzing past you!

Thanks all.
We've booked the DC in for group ski school. They're booked in for Sunday to Friday, 4 hours a day, but the cost was the same for 4, 5 or 6 days of lessons so we might just do half days with them a couple of the days so that we can spend some time together/go on the toboggan run and we won't be out of pocket.

DH and I have booked ourselves a private instructor to share. We've gone for 2 hour lessons over 3 days (6 hours total), planning to spend the rest of our time without the DC practising. We figured that we can always add more while we're there if we want or need to.

Thanks again for the replies. Kind of confirmed what I was thinking, but nice to hear from people who have already been as I never know if I'm talking rubbish.

I think you’ve made the right choice, hope you have an amazing time! Don’t neglect the pre-ski squats.

Ha!! I'm on it!