Fun-based learning includes more high-fives than falls
If someone had told me Wednesday morning that I would be skiing down two consecutive hills by the end of the day without falling, let alone flinching, I would have just laughed.
While the hills were probably shorter than my ski instructor, standing at the crest for the first time on my first day in skis felt like looking down from the crest of Mount St. Helens.
The lesson was part of a new learning program at Seven Springs Mountain Resort and Hidden Valley Resort called “Fun-Based Learning.” The point is to make learning fun instead of frustrating.
The initial phase of the lesson, when I learned the basics, was concise. My instructor, Dave Ott, told me to balance on one foot, shuffle my feet, and jump. That was the last time we stayed still for the rest of the lesson.
In contrast, I took a snowboarding lesson using the traditional learning methods at Hidden Valley last year. While the instructor was great and I learned a lot and left wanting to come back as soon as possible, I spent much more time standing still and listening than I did with Fun-Based Learning.
In the new method, the terrain is a second teacher. As you go down gentle slopes, they guide you into turns so that you know what making a turn feels like. You naturally shift your weight to keep balance and avoid a fall. And if, in my case, you happen to fall right into your instructor, he’s there to catch you and help you back up. (Live action footage of the crash is on the attached GoPro video.)
Feeling the correct way to make turns, slow down, speed up and stop was an unparalleled experience compared to someone telling me how to move. To borrow a concept from the trainer program guidebook, it was like taking a physics class based on sensations vs. listening to a lecture. The most satisfying moment was when I realized I could make S-curves down a gentle slope without being told how to do it. As I skied back and forth down the slope, I thought to myself, “How did I know how to do this?” and, “How am I even doing this?” Then decided it didn’t matter and I should just enjoy it instead of analyzing it.
It’s probably a good idea to come back soon and try the same exercises alone to make sure the skills are locked in. But for my first time skiing, Ott was the perfect instructor.
He was encouraging without being patronizing or overbearing. The guidebook he shared with me said to give the student positive feedback every six seconds. While that seems like a level of encouragement that not even Mister Rogers could master, I realized when watching the video that Ott did just that. He was once a professional ski racer, so slowing down to such an extreme would require a saintly level of patience. While that patience is expected from the instructors, students aren’t expected to tolerate boring lessons and frustrations. They can just enjoy the experience.
When I walked back into the rental shop to turn in my gear, someone asked me, “Were you just on the backside of the mountain?” The back of the mountain, the North Face, has the most intense slopes. I wondered what my hair and face must look like from the single-digit weather and wind gusts to make me look like I was skiing down double black diamond slopes. I hated to admit I was nowhere near hardcore enough for that.
Maybe next time.