Notes from coaching at Lake Tahoe and in the Andes.

Mostly the questions guests actually ask: what lessons really cost once lift tickets and rentals are counted, which Tahoe mountain suits a first-timer, what PSIA certification levels mean when you are choosing an instructor, and whether the gear being marketed at you is worth the money. Written by the coaches who teach it, which means occasionally saying that the expensive option is not the one you need.

Two things shape what gets published here. We put real prices in writing, including the lift tickets and rentals most operators leave out of a quoted number, because hiding what something costs is usually a sign it is not worth it. And we name the limits of what we sell: there are mountains we do not coach at yet, and we say so on the pages about them rather than letting you find out at the lift.

Gear reviews follow the same rule. We buy what we review, we say when a claim in the marketing does not hold up, and we will tell you when the upgrade is not worth it. If that costs us a commission, so be it.