Skiing in Kilternan

Par72 · 30-08-2007 08:13AM #1

Just seen that the Ski Club in Kilternan is opening again on Monday and they are offering a 20% discount for lessons in September. I went last year and it's well worth it to get ready for your holiday.

Static M.e. · 30-08-2007 10:42AM

I disagree

The "dryslope" is nothing like actual snow, I found it next to worthless.

Unless this is just a plug for the Ski club then I whole heartedly apologise for interupting your advertisment.

5starpool · 30-08-2007 10:57AM

Possible shillery here, website removed even though it is harmless enough. All relevant info still in the post anyhow. Probably just my paranoia sensor up to high though.

Par72 · 30-08-2007 12:48PM

Hey delete away if needs be. The snowboard instructor thread prompted me to look at the skiclub site.

5starpool · 30-08-2007 02:13PM

Nah, it's grand, I just have to make it seem like I actually do something here from time to time

Breezer · 31-08-2007 12:41AM

It all depends on what you want to get out of skiing.

It's well worth it if it's your first time skiing, you'll pay a fraction of what you will for lessons abroad and it teaches you the basics so you can explore the mountain and not be stuck on the nursery slopes once you get there.

Also good for serious skiers who want to practice their technique.

If you've been away before and just enjoy messing about on snow when you're on holiday, it probably isn't for you though. Not exactly a thrilling experience.

redzerdrog · 06-09-2007 04:51PM

its ok for 1st time skiers just to learn the very basics but apart from that it is rubbish and nothing like real slopes

monkey tennis · 06-09-2007 04:57PM

That dendix stuff is too bloody dangerous to make it worth it. About the only useful thing you'll learn at Kilternan is how to use a button lift, which will save you from falling on your ear in front of a big line of people at a resort.

unga bunga · 29-01-2009 02:49PM

Kilternan is good value for money - i joined late as a full season member last night for discounted 190eur. its gonna work out costing me less than 5eur between now and my holiday (saying that i probably wouldnt have joined for the full season). i havent skiied in a few years and am looking to build back up to where i was.

Kilternan is good for beginners because - wheres the fun in flying to the Alps simply to learn how to put on boots and skis, and staying on a baby slope all week, while your mates are off touring around the mountain...

Kilternan is good for beginners because - its harder to learn on dryslope than snow, nail it up there, and you will find the techniques so much easier on snow.

Kilternan is good for every level because - its harder to execute, you have to concentrate more on your technique, therefore your technique will be better when you hit the snow

Kilternan is good for every level because - you can only improve so much by skiing one week a year... you need constant practise to improve. unless you live in the alps 6 months a year...

Kilternan is good for advanced skiiers - many racers have developed and honed their skills there and competed abroad.

Kilternan is good because - what other option have you got?

flikflak · 29-01-2009 04:58PM

In my experience of having a dry slope lesson before I first went skiing was a total waste of time and I nearly cancelled my first skiing holiday because I hated it.

Luckliy I didnt cancel the holiday and after a week of lessons on real snow I loved it and have been every year since and lived in Austria in a ski resort for 3 years!

I found it to be of no benefit and if anyone asks me if its worth it I say no - just go and book in for a week of ski school in resort.

unga bunga · 29-01-2009 07:09PM

flikflak wrote: »

In my experience of having a dry slope lesson before I first went skiing was a total waste of time and I nearly cancelled my first skiing holiday because I hated it.

Luckliy I didnt cancel the holiday and after a week of lessons on real snow I loved it and have been every year since and lived in Austria in a ski resort for 3 years!

I found it to be of no benefit and if anyone asks me if its worth it I say no - just go and book in for a week of ski school in resort.

What would you rather do?

A) Spend a grand on a holiday to the Alps to a ski resort with say, 200kms of piste. Spend 3-4 days learning how to put on boots and skis, then sidestepping 50 yards up a kids slope - only to snot yourself on the way back down.

Maybe if you are a quick learner and you progress, you'll spend your last day trying a button lift for the first time (to get you to the top of the same kids slope youve been crawling up for the last few days).

That is of course, if you're not held up by having to wait all the time for the 10 other fat old beginners in your class who keep falling on their a*rse and delaying the class.

Spend 150eur more overall, learn all these skills before you go.

Have the ability & confidence to motor around the whole mountain (bar the most difficult terrain) enjoying yourself, seeing some of the resort, and being able to ski on all the piste you came to the alps for!

Compare the holiday experience of someone forearmed with basic skiing ability, against someone who has never skiied before. No contest, the skier with basic ability will realise more value from their holiday. Thats an irrefutible fact.

For those who are concious about getting the best skiing experience from their investment (first time skiiers generally are concious about budget, its usually an additional holiday to their standard break) prior skills makes all the difference.

Its completely irrelevant to discuss how dryslopes compare to snow.

Its about doing everything you can to maximise your experience once you get to the snow.

robinph · 29-01-2009 08:00PM

flikflak wrote: »

In my experience of having a dry slope lesson before I first went skiing was a total waste of time and I nearly cancelled my first skiing holiday because I hated it.

Luckliy I didnt cancel the holiday and after a week of lessons on real snow I loved it and have been every year since and lived in Austria in a ski resort for 3 years!

I found it to be of no benefit and if anyone asks me if its worth it I say no - just go and book in for a week of ski school in resort.

I'd say that proves that is really was useful for you to have been to the dry slope first. Those first few hours in ski boots or just trying to figure out how to stand up on a board are not really going to be "fun" for anyone, but that you did that part of the learning at home rather than wasting that time on your actual holiday will have made all the difference to your actual holiday.

Your not going to be flying down any red or black run after just going for a few lessons on an artificial slope before heading to the real snow, but any time you spend learning the very basics there is time that you don't have to then waste learning that stuff on the holiday which you will have spent much more on.

flikflak · 30-01-2009 10:52AM

A few points from the 2 above replies,

It was not "a few hours" it was one.

I would never spend a grand on a ski holiday.

3-4 days trying to put boots on? I learnt how to put boots on when I was very young - your foot goes in and you do them up.

We were skiing reds on the last day of our week and were on the button lift on the second day not the last.

Why are beginners old and fat?

There was no point in having that one hour on the dry slope as when we got to resort they asked us what we had done before in order to split us into school groups. They said that even people with a few days on dry slope still had to go into complete beginners. They then assesed everyone over the next day or so and split the groups again according to ability. So we would still have had to go into beginners ski school.

I dont see it was wasting time. I had booked a learn to ski week and thats what that week was for - learning. I was with a group of people who were also learning so no one was whizzing round the mountain. I really enjoyed meeting people in my ski school class and having a few drinks with them and the instructor after the class.

So if asked for my opinion I will always advise people to forget dry slopes and get out to the real stuff with the great scenery.

olaola · 30-01-2009 11:53AM

I think it's worth doing the 4 lessons so you'll be able to stop, turn and you'll be familiar with putting your boots on (you know what they should feel like in the shop) and skis. Even tips for carrying your skis are handy. They do teach you a lot about safety in Kilternan and I do think that's important.
However, these lessons are NO substitute for ski school when you get there. Snow is a completely different experience.
You will still be in the beginners class, but you will be a little above the complete beginners if there are enough classes to accommodate you.

The price of 4 lessons in Kilternan is about the same as skischool in the resort. I was reading a supplement in the Sunday Independent the other week and it implied that once you did the lessons in Kilternan you could skip them in the resort. These seemed to have come from the skiclub themselves. And I'm appalled that they would put their name to this article.
In no way are the dry slope lessons ANY substitute for skischool. If you have to choose, skischool when you get there wins hands down. It's highly irresponsible for them to suggest that you would be safe on the slopes after 4 hour lessons!!!

If you have the money and time, I'd do Kilternan. You'll still get a shock when your skis hit the snow, but it won't be as daunting. And it also adds to the excitement of the build up to your holiday - so no harm. But if you have to chose. Ski school has no comparison.

Random1 · 30-01-2009 12:21PM

i would fully recommend doing lessons in kiltiernan before you go. i was a complete beginner so i did 4 lessons before i went on my trip. it put me miles ahead of all the other beginners. was skiing red-runs on the second day, and by the middle of the week i had ditched the snow plow and was traversing.

the lessons give you at least an extra 2 to 3 days ski experience over complete beginners and really made the most of my first week skiing. just make sure to make the most of the practice before and after the lessons when you're up there. you'll also find how much easier it is to ski on snow, so anything you've learned on the dry slope only stands to benefit you, because when you go to do it on snow, it happens with less effort.

there is no point only doing 1 dry slope lesson though, do the 4, which will cover all the basics.

edit: just to add, i did do ski school on my trip incase anyone thought 4 dry slope lessons were enough!

Ski Club Irl · 30-01-2009 12:53PM

Hi Folks, good to hear the feedback and opinions of those who have been to the Ski Club in the past. For beginners we recommend a course of four lessons, each of which is an hour and a half long. We certainly do not suggest that taking lessons in Kilternan is a substitute for taking lessons when you get to your resort. The lessons are intended to give you a head start before you go away.

Normally on the first day of ski school in a resort you are assessed and divided into groups according to ability. If you have had a course of lessons at the Ski Club before you go away you could typically expect to be capable of skiing and turning in a controlled snowplough. You should also be able to use a button lift. This obviously puts you at an advantage compared to those who have no skiing experience and will spend the first couple of days learning how to do this at the resort.

olaola · 30-01-2009 01:26PM

In 'How to Ski and Save money' Sunday Indo, Jan 17th.

Tip number 8: - Save on the cost of ski tuition in a resort by taking a few dry ski slopes [sic] lessons before you go on holiday. Check out Ski Club Ireland, located in Kiltiernan www.skiclub.ie

Random1 · 30-01-2009 01:41PM

olaola wrote: »

In 'How to Ski and Save money' Sunday Indo, Jan 17th.

Tip number 8: - Save on the cost of ski tuition in a resort by taking a few dry ski slopes [sic] lessons before you go on holiday. Check out Ski Club Ireland, located in Kiltiernan www.skiclub.ie

I saved money last year as I only did 3 days tutition instead of the full week. also you save in the long run because you get more out of your holiday, which imo is invaluable.

jess_cork · 01-02-2009 03:42PM

I'm a total newbie to snowboarding and did the four 'A' lessons at the ski club, I haven't been away yet so don't know how useful they were but I thought they were great fun. I went to see if I actually liked the sport before spending however much on a holiday abroad. What was great about the place though was the atmosphere was really friendly and all the people I met were lovely.

silliussodus · 03-02-2009 03:03PM

I started snowboarding in Kilternan as a complete beginner 3 years ago.
I used to be a member as a skier as a kid in the 90s. Something that I think is worth considering is the risk of injury, especially for the snowboarders. My friend who started snowboarding lessons at the same time as me broke an arm and a finger, while I cracked a rib. There was also another guy in one of my classes who had a suspected broken arm one night.
Falling on dendix can be lethal and you could hurt yourself badly enough to ruin your holiday. A proper set of wrist guards would be money well spent.

As for the benefit of learning first on the dry slope, I definitely think it was useful and worth the time and money spent. I did 8 classes in total and about 5 practice sessions and got to the point where I was just about linking my turns. This made things a doddle when I finally got onto real snow and it all came together very quickly from there. Snow felt different initially but the basic skills and technique stay the same. Definitely worth it IMO, assuming you don't get unlucky an injure yourself badly.

CianRyan · 03-02-2009 10:59PM

Well i've never tried the dry slopes, was never interested before i went away, and im now even less interested now that i have been on snow.

I didn't have to learn to put on my boots (wtf?) and standing up on a board is the same as standing up on the ground.

The first time i attempted flying down a slope, i did it grand, yeah i didnt know how to stop, so i just threw myself on the ground.
After that i just went a quater of the way up and though myself how to stop and throwing myself on the ground got me over the fear of falling.

I tried to teach myself to turn, which i half got but i wasnt going to push myself as i had lessons booked in.
In an hour of my lessons i was going as well as people that had been there a few day, one of them had tried out dry slopes(this is was in scotland though, not kilternan).
There was no real difference in our level and we moved a long at the same pace.
If i could go back and take the dry slope lessons before going away, would i? No way.
No point, be commited and have a laugh, dont be afraid of hurting yourself, and you'll be flying in no time.

My opinion of course.

silliussodus · 03-02-2009 11:51PM

CianRyan wrote: »

The first time i attempted flying down a slope, i did it grand, yeah i didnt know how to stop, so i just threw myself on the ground.
After that i just went a quater of the way up and though myself how to stop and throwing myself on the ground got me over the fear of falling.

Every been hit in the back by an out of control beginner? Learning to stop is not just for your personal benefit :mad:

CianRyan · 04-02-2009 10:01AM

silliussodus wrote: »

Every been hit in the back by an out of control beginner? Learning to stop is not just for your personal benefit :mad:

Naturally i waited for a clear path to go down with no experience.
Being a beginner doesn't make you an idiot, being an idiot makes you an idiot.

sheesh · 04-02-2009 02:15PM

I have seen people that made no appreciable improvement on their skiing holidays as in barely able to use a a button lift etcetra at the end of it.

I did the kilternan lessons before going on my first ski trip and found them very useful and I was better in ski school than other people that were with me that had not done it. So I think it works.
The skislope itself is dangerous you have to learn to not put your hands out if you are falling and either way it is sore if you go down on it. I got what an Aurtrian work colleague called 'wiener schnitzel bum' (When I described what happened to myself - I did not show her)

Still it was worth it.

mcgratheoin · 04-02-2009 02:48PM

Anyone tried the magic carpet for lessons?

I personally wouldn't recommend dry slope - then again, I'm not a big fan of the way that ski schools teach anyway, but that's another story.

olaola · 04-02-2009 02:48PM

CianRyan wrote: »

I didn't have to learn to put on my boots (wtf?) and standing up on a board is the same as standing up on the ground.

We're talking about skiboots, not boardboots.

Liamo08 · 04-02-2009 03:29PM

mcgratheoin wrote: »

Anyone tried the magic carpet for lessons?

I personally wouldn't recommend dry slope - then again, I'm not a big fan of the way that ski schools teach anyway, but that's another story.

My girlfriend is doing a few lessons on the one in Sandyford, not sure how good it is but in the first hour she essentially learned to do a basic snowplough including stopping and some control of her speed. Next lesson moves onto snowplough turns. Seems like it can only be a benefit its obviously not as good as the real thing but if it can improve your technique and improve your experience on your holiday then its surely a good thing.

CianRyan · 04-02-2009 07:00PM

olaola wrote: »

We're talking about skiboots, not boardboots.

Well my parents were skiing, they didn't seem to have trouble putting on their boots.
They were showed how to step into theit skies(if you get what i mean) and they could do it fine after being shown once.

Ski Club Irl · 06-02-2009 03:37PM

We've had a fair bit of snow over the past few days. To see photos go to http://www.skiclub.ie/Great_Snow_in_Kilternan/Default.244.html

andy2854 · 06-02-2009 08:22PM

skiing in kil is fun

sarsfield06 · 08-02-2009 10:20AM

Wondering if there could be a cheaper fee at Kilternan if you have your own equipment? €35 is a lot in these times when you have already forked out for all your own gear.

Skiing in Kilternan

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