Park ski coaching ..... worth it ???

I’d say a coach would be chill but it cost $ and sometimes you won’t be able to develop your own style if you constantly have a coach.


also get bragging rights saying your completely self taught once you get real good.


another take I have on it, are you going to go professional skiing park? Probably not, you don’t need a coach In that case

Used to coach Woodward and did some private coaching on the side. A lot of the kids I taught ended up being way better than myself. The private kids I taught did compete and did pretty well in USASA comps. There are actually a lot of solid coaches out there who may not be able to necessarily throw down the double cork 1260 but they can see a lot from you in air awareness and visualize how to make you better on tramps, water ramps or skis on the park. You wanna find a coach who loves skiing as much as you and isn’t necessarily in it strictly for the paycheck. Then again teaching yourself is badass, trail and error is awesome if you have mad insurance! Either way man, good luck to you!!


just remember if you don’t do a double cork 1260 this year, you’ll be one year older when ya do

musclehamsterUsed to coach Woodward and did some private coaching on the side. A lot of the kids I taught ended up being way better than myself. The private kids I taught did compete and did pretty well in USASA comps. There are actually a lot of solid coaches out there who may not be able to necessarily throw down the double cork 1260 but they can see a lot from you in air awareness and visualize how to make you better on tramps, water ramps or skis on the park. You wanna find a coach who loves skiing as much as you and isn’t necessarily in it strictly for the paycheck. Then again teaching yourself is badass, trail and error is awesome if you have mad insurance! Either way man, good luck to you!!


just remember if you don’t do a double cork 1260 this year, you’ll be one year older when ya do

Sounds pretty FIS to me

ColoradoDogfartSounds pretty FIS to me

Can’t smoke weed in FIS....so no

musclehamsterjust remember if you don’t do a double cork 1260 this year, you’ll be one year older when ya do

Luckily I'm 150 and I'll be dead long before anyone notices how shit my park game is

Got it- So I guess I’m also trying to stop any bad habits before they become a real problem. Which also I’m not even sure what habits I should be watching for. Example - I don’t have the ability to be videoed all the time, but when I do, I look nothing like what I think I look like lol like flailing arms sometimes when I swear I didn’t. And an awkward AF posture.

I have tons of good experience with getting coaching, I can't really think of a time it didnt pay off. Basicly its like paying for cheat notes.

Just ask @WoFlowz

CatdickBojanglesJust ask @WoFlowz

I wasn’t in a park program. But I think coaches are worth it to an extent. I’m a great skier because of it, maybe not a great park skier but a great skier. From what Ik from friends is park coaches can be a good thing. They help prevent you from developing bad habits with sets and things like not turning a full 90 onto a rail. Also no matter how good you are at skiing itself there’s always something with your turns you could improve on.

yeah coaching is tight, a lot of it is mainly self motivated but having a coach to teach you what your doing wrong is super useful, its not a foolproof method of getting good. but if you have the option its pretty worth it as long as the coaches are somewhat good.

Yes coaching can help, it REALLY depends on who is doing it.

when i was a lil freshman paddy flanagan was my coach for a night and he was too high to actually teach me anything

I really wanted to join the freeski team but u couldnt and i got way better anyways, couldnt hurt tho also coaches can give you lots of advice but actually putting it to use is the hard part cause ive gotten lots of tips but its just hard to apply

KentuckyHillsGot it- So I guess I’m also trying to stop any bad habits before they become a real problem. Which also I’m not even sure what habits I should be watching for. Example - I don’t have the ability to be videoed all the time, but when I do, I look nothing like what I think I look like lol like flailing arms sometimes when I swear I didn’t. And an awkward AF posture.

It’s good though because you are your worst critic.

Depends, there’s 2 sides to the spectrum:

- large programs like PC United that cost thousands of dollars a year.

- freestyle team at your local hill which costs a season pass and a coaching fee (for mine it was roughly another season pass worth of money to pay coaches for the season)

if you’re considering a large program like PC United where coaching is on/off hill and often times year round then you should probably be going into it with the mentality of “this is going to be my career” because those programs can range anywhere from a few thousand to upwards of twenty thousand per year (Note: I have no experience with such teams and am basing this off what others with experience have told me- if I’m wrong please say so). But they will definitely turn you into a top notch shredder, if you’re willing to put in the work and time.

I was lucky enough to do my local team in MN which was significantly cheaper than larger programs (still not affordable to everyone though) and it had a lot less pressure. It was mostly local dudes that you already grew up skiing around coaching you and giving you advice. It was nice to have someone who knows what’s up watching you and giving you pointers, they’re also great for helping you jump any mental hurdles and getting you amped.


coaching isn’t for everyone though, I know kids who were coached and shred and I know kids who never had any coaching that shred. Kinda depends what your mentality and desires for skiing are, I wasn’t (and still am not) a conventional comp skier but I still loved the help and the community it gave me.

It really depends on who you are and what the best method of progression is for you.

I'm a pretty competent park skier. I am 99% self-taught (despite me being the head coach of a freestyle program lol). Youtube trick tutorials, watching skiers, and over-analyzing tricks in my mind was how I learned. I picked things up slowly because I was afraid of falling and didn't have much peer pressure.

I honestly think that peer pressure is the biggest drive for progression. A benefit of joining a team is that you will get peer pressure plus coaching. Private coaches can provide pressure but it won't be as effective as homies or teammates pushing you unless you already have the drive to push yourself internally. Skiing with your homies gives you peer pressure, but you won't have a coach to diagnose problems.

Just figure out what you think is the best fit for you.

KentuckyHillsIf so is it worth it? or is watching YouTube tutorials or talking to guys around the park and just hammering away over and over just as good ?

All of the above...
I've only had just a couple lessons from a short program at my resort and little tips here and there from people. Mostly self taught. My progression rate is very slow due to being old and cautious, not having peer pressure, and in general an obsessive person that likes to hammer at small little details.
You take what was taught to you / what you see on YT or on the hill and you apply those techniques over and over. Repetition is important. A coach is beneficial if you can do it, but its up to you to put in the work.

I did the park program for 1 year when I first started in the park, I got a rlly late start at like 15, I had to actually convince them to let me sign up cause I was to old. Anyways ended up joining and smoked j’s on the lift with the coach while all the other 12-13 year olds were on the other chairs. Increased skill a lot in a short amt of time, he had me going from never hitting a rail to a front two in like 2 weekends, and after that season we became pretty good friends and he basically coached me for free for the next two years. Anyway that’s my experience with it.

Let me add to all the great advice listed above here by just saying that in any sport such as skiing, skateboarding, surfing, biking, snowboarding etc etc. Your level of progression directly correlates to your level of fun. You seshing with 6 homies is going to have a much higher chance of you putting some shit down you didn't think you could do. Solo sessions have their place and are certainly great but getting over the fear and commitment aspect (which is what a lot of homies struggle with including myself) happens so naturally when you have good people encouraging you. A coach can be that homie if you connect with them and trust them. Trust is the big key, as if you value their opinion then you'll take it to heart when they say "you got this man!".