Things to do before you hit the slopes: How to get a good ski instructor

Once you've made the decision to try skiing, there are some things you need to do, and some vital traps you must avoid:

1. Do not take lessons from friends/family. In 99% of cases the family or friends will not only teach you how to do things the hard way, they will often teach the opposite of what you should be doing.

2. Check out the ski school. Just because someone is wearing a ski school uniform doesn't mean they are a qualified instructor. Many schools around Europe and North America employ unqualified staff or use trainee instructors to teach beginners or children. You have the right to a qualified instructor and can usually insist on a qualified instructor at no extra cost.

3. Always remember that just because somebody looks like they can ski well, doesn't mean they can teach. Often they will not even be able to explain how they ski.

4. Check out the price of a group lesson and compare it with a private lesson split between one or two friends. Often the price is the same and in some cases cheaper.

5. If you are able, choose midweek to ski, and avoid all holidays. Ski resorts go crazy in holiday time. In many European resorts, when busy times come, any local who owns a pair of skis dons a ski school jacket and hits the slopes. Needless to say that the quality of the lessons is not of the highest standard.

6. If possible, an instructor who is not too old or young is best. This particularly applies to those skiing in Europe. Often the instructors over 50yrs old were trained in the 'old school' method and haven't changed their teaching methods in the last thirty years. Often their skiing style hasn't changed either.

Skiing is not cheap, so a bit of planning can make it not only a fun experience, but also get you good value for money.