Lesson structure

LESSON INFORMATION

Waivers are required for ALL Lesson Participants.  The link for the online waiver can be found HERE

Lessons run rain or shine, please dress accordingly - in the event of a lesson disruption, Mount Pakenham will contact you prior to your scheduled lesson time.

The reference age for the students’ classification is the age on December 1st; proof of age may be required.

Please review our Cancellation Policy prior to payment. In the case of injury, a credit on the remaining hours may be issued at Mount Pakenham's discretion.

No lesson re-take or lesson transfer will be accepted in case of a no-show;

Lesson length: All 1 hour lessons are 55 minutes on snow; and all 90 minute lessons are 85 minutes on snow, with 5 minutes to allow for instructor feed back and questions. 

We reserve the right to adjust group lessons from 1.5hrs (85mi) to 1hr (55min) if the group size changes to 2 or less.

Late arrivals must search for their instructor with the help of a facilitator,

Instructors cannot wait for late students and cannot extend the lesson to accommodate late students.

Please be on-time

Students who are misbehaving, being disrespectful and not obeying the hill safety and/or the Alpine Responsibility Code will be removed from the class without compensation.

We cannot guarantee the same instructor for each lesson due to scheduling constraints.  To ensure continuity, instructors maintain a written record of student progress.

Class progression in monitored weekly.  Students will ONLY be moved levels at the discretion of the Snow School.

Special requests (i.e. with friends, family or a specific instructor) are always acknowledged but cannot always be accommodated due to age, level, scheduling conflicts, etc.

We reserve the right to cancel or reschedule classes. 

Students are assessed and grouped according to age and ability for fast track learning.  Each group is lead by a professional ski or snowboard instructor who loves sharing their passion for winter sports. With Mount Pakenham’s certified Pros, you and your child are guaranteed to have quality instruction.  Our learning progression, exercises and drills have been developed and tested throughout the years. 

Mount Pakenham’s Pros follow the Canadian Ski Instructors’ Alliance and the Canadian Association of Snowboard Instructors progression in order to provide you with consistent step by step learning and a clear evaluation process.  Please see step progression videos here: Demonstration Videos 

An evaluation of progress is presented at the end of each multi-lesson program. 

Class sizes are controlled to provide each group with plenty of individual instruction and supervised practice. 

Mini (age 4-5)  GROUP LESSONS FOR AGES 4/5 ARE AVAILABLE FOR INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED SKIERS WHO CAN INDEPENDENTLY SKI ALL TRAILS WITHOUT HARNESSES OR AIDS ONLY. PLEASE SEE PRIVATE LESSON OR PARENT &TOT LESSON FOR FIRST TIME/BEGINNER SKIERS & MINI SNOWBOARD LESSON OPTIONS  
Private Lessons for students under 5 yrs of age are the most advantageous for individualized learning. Our 'minis' instructors are chosen specifically for their love and passion for teaching young children. Our Mini Learning area is colourful and inviting for young children and features a carpet lift and handle tow for easy travel to the top of the beginner hill. Lessons for children aged 3 and under are offered in a private lesson setting.

Class sizes & information -  We specialize in personalized attention with classes of 3 to 10 students. We reserve the right to cancel or reschedule classes. Classes less than 3 students may have a shorter lesson.

(Instructors with larger groups or younger students may be accompanied by Teacher’s Assistants to help on the hill and with the use of lifts.)

 Please ensure you and your child are familiar with the Alpine Responsibility Code

updated 07/2023 MOUNT PAKENHAM RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE LESSON STRUCTURE AND PROTOCOLS WITHOUT NOTICE