On our first-ever snowboarding trip, my boyfriend and I took lessons at keystone because their magic carpet was large. Worth every penny! Our instructor Dan was phenomenal at teaching us how to snowboard. He picked up on our differences while learning and showed us how to improve. I enjoyed his lesson so much that I went back another day for a half-day class in which we had the opportunity to go on a chair lift and down a steeper slope with him and practice our turns. By the afternoon, my boyfriend and I managed to do the green run, named endeavor, confidently, thanks to Dan. read more

Keystone Ski and Ride School - View from magic carpet - Ski Schools Near Me - Keystone, Colorado

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Corporate greed has ruined this ski resort. Prices for Everything are astronomical. From lift tickets to food, most can't afford. But as usual, the CEO is probably laughing all the way to his private yacht. read more

Our son has a hard time learning anything from us, the dear parents. We wanted a ski vacation but didn't want to teach our kid how to ski. We scold, we argue, we toss our hands up in the air. Keystone Ski and Ride School to the rescue! Let a complete stranger handle it and we'll save money on our blood pressure medication! When it comes to sports, our son has two left feet. Very large left feet. We were worried he would hate it and come storming down the mountain side after a few hours but to our surprise, he totally loved it and his ski instructor, and at the end of the two-day class, was skiing down School Marm, one of Colorado's longest downhill slopes! We signed up for two days of group child instruction, which is an all-day affair. Kids learn how to ski or snowboard with certified instructors off the Keystone resort property. They get shuttled to another location to learn away from the experienced skiiers/boarders. The cost of roughly $200/day (without tip - be sure to tip your instructors) was totally worth it! Kids learn how to ski without poles and daily lunch is included (usually pizza). We had to rent our own ski boots and skis at the Blue Valley Ski and Snowboard Rentals (recommended). At the end of the day, you pick your child up in the designated pick up area in the Keystone resort. You need to hold onto your child "pick up ticket" so you can claim your kid, kind of like baggage claim ha ha. Totally recommend this if you want your kid to learn snow sports without the hassle of teaching them and pulling out your hair. read more

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In case Keystone reads these reviews, I want to first commend the instructors Jack, Max and Chris (March 2019) for our five year old's incredible four days going from level 1 to level 4 with these three fantastic people. Now, I've only had two ski school experiences so don't consider my review as coming from the perspective of someone with exhaustive experience. My experience is with a five year old, spanning two days at Heavenly and four days at Keystone. At Heavenly, although we had what I had considered a perfect day for day one of my child learning to ski, and a miserable failure of day two where they didn't even give her skis (I'm not kidding), I'm now thinking I should revise my day one opinion down because Keystone really just knocked it out of the park for four days straight. If you're familiar with Heavenly, you drop your kids off at the Gondola if you're at that location. Well that's issue number one; they're a solid 40+ minutes from the lesson location when you're talking about the ride plus the walking distance for children, so the day is going to get started later and be more hectic. They discourage parents from being anywhere near the lesson area. Check-in is a tent outside, regardless of weather. Inside is a nightmare of confusion among both parents and staff. Pick-up is you show up, tell them who your kid is, and they go get them out of the back room, and you may or may not meet the instructor, or hear how your child did. The lift for kids is a j-bar, which is more difficult than a conveyor belt for young ones. Now, we'll move on to Keystone, and this is specific to the Mountain House base, not River Run. The drop off is a well oiled machine, especially if you booked in advance, and even more especially if it's a multi-day booking. There are lines for all three types of drop offs for maximum efficiency. The school location is directly behind the building. They have no issue with parents watching from behind the fences as long as they aren't creating a distraction. They have a conveyor belt lift, aka "magic carpet", so easy even for young ones. The real lift for the bunny hill is right next to this area, no long walk. Our first two days were with Jack, our daughter had a blast. She went from level 1 to 2+. Jack was there outside with her in the training area at pick-up, and he spent a LOT of time talking to us about how she did. Day three, Max, solid level 3, did five or six rides on the actual chair lift and down the bunny green, so great progress, she loved it again. Day four, Chris, moves on to level 4 and they actually went up on the real mountain in the afternoon doing a mile-plus down Schoolmarm. Again, both instructors spent a great amount of time afterward telling us about her progress. Really my only minor knock on the Keystone school is the photo price. Heavenly gives you a photo, Keystone charges TWENTY dollars for the first one, TEN on additional days. Come on, $20 for a photo? You don't have to buy it of course, so I'm not taking off the stars for that, just complaining. I'll wrap it up with some advice. If you have a level one or two kid, you may want to avoid afternoon lessons on weekend days. On Saturday and Sunday they were clearly VERY busy in the lower level area with tons of afternoon-only half day kids, so the level of attention to each student is obviously going to suffer. The higher level kids were fewer to a class and were out on the real slopes, so no issue there. read more

Booked a full day advanced snowboard lesson for late march and couldn't have asked for a better experience. Nobody else showed on a super cold and snowy morning and I had the instructor (Brenden) to myself. He assessed my style and skill and quickly threw new techniques at me to incorporate into my snowboarding and push me out of my comfort zone. We went to hard terrain I would have never been brave enough to try solo, and it is a credit to him that I made it out safely and learned how to stay in control in all kinds of advanced terrain. He gave me the option to try bergman and south bowls for the first time and taught me how to hit the best spots on the mountain with force and control. I think I picked up 2 seasons worth of skill and experience in one day, this is not an exaggeration. read more

Absolutely love Keystone ski school. I usually take 2-3 lessons every time I'm up here. Instructors are super knowledgeable and friendly. The class will be tailored to the student's ability and they break the classes out in levels between 0-9. With 0 being first time and 9 being black mogul skiers, so you'll be with students of your ability level. Also, remember ski lessons aren't just for beginners everyone can use some pointers. read more

Keystone Ski Resort & Ride School far exceeded our expectations! My two sons & I planned a first time trip to Denver, Co over the Thanksgiving break and we knew we had to spend a day skiing in the mountains. We chose this resort 1) customer service over the phone. They made planning very easy and were detailed and friendly. 2) they had night skiing we wanted to experience. The drive up was gorgeous (leave early to avoid traffic! 6 am) As soon as we arrived there were parking guides instructing us on where to park. The first 4 rows are for families with 4 or more or with children. Parking is FREE! Which was unexpected as most places want to nickel and dime you. And the village (base) is right there! As soon as we walked in a gentleman was busy working- but I asked where the restrooms were and he walked me to them instead of just pointing and wished us a happy holiday. The ride school was so easy to find. It looks like a huge tunnel in the back of the park with two entrances. We made advanced reservations and getting through that was a breeze. First they check you in then a gentleman comes to take your shoe/ski size and gets you fitted like at a shoe store. Then you go to the station to get ski's. The next station is to obtain your lift pass and progress report card. There are also lockers available to rent. They asked that you be there between 8:00-8:30 am to get checked in. Line up between 9:00-9:30 am to meet your instructors. There are coffee/ pastry shops and bars near by. Even sub shops you can sit at or enjoy while you wait. Now the time comes to meet your instructor and we got MR. MACK HOLLAND III to instruct us and we soon found out he is a big deal in the village. He was well-informed, attentive, kind, fun, and so caring. We were so fortunate to train with him. There are 8 people in each ski group so you'll feel like you're getting a private lesson. This is where I found out how amazing the crew at Keystone Resort & Ride Schoo are- unfortunately, I succumbed to the adverse symptoms of the altitude of the mountains. I started to have a panic attack and got sick. Mack immediately began to calm me down and directed me to a near by restaurant for water, shelter and seating. Within a few minutes he got a ski patrol attendant named Bill to take over. Bill gathered all of my things and gave me his arm to walk me over to the lift where he escorted me down the mountain and back to the ski school. He took off my ski boots, turned in my equipment, got me water and called EMT. He wished me well and made me feel so cared for. Marissa the EMT officer looked over me for 30 minutes to an hour, as I declined going to the clinic. Once I was able to sit up and walk she escorted me in her car to my vehicle. She then gets out of her vehicle and goes over to mine to get my proper shoes. Lastly, before we left, Todd at the check in desk made our check-out very easy and adjusted my final bill with absolutely no hassle. I didn't get a chance to thank everyone properly as I did not feel well. But the entire team at Keystone resort fully cared for my family and I. I would highly recommend them to anyone who wants a fabulous skiing experience or just amazing customer service. read more

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This place is great and the costumer service even better , we had a great time here Alexander was our instructor was super friendly and patient. I came here with my family for a all day level 1 , we never ski before he was really understanding. The guys at the equipment rental were friendly too . Will definitely be coming back here. read more

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Last year I took a group lesson and met Colonel Dave. I had a great time and learned loads from him. So this year I signed up for a private family lesson with him - what a huge mistake! Now my son loves skiiing almost as much as zip lining! Colonel Dave has a way of explaining and teaching that is exceptional for me as an adult and for a child under 10. He is patient, skilled, and talented. I hear everyone is similar. But if he's available, I'll always request Colonel Dave. In addition, both Dave and the personnel in general are friendly and helpful. It was very tough trying to carry gear for both of us. Everyone helped me carry and transport equipment. The extra mile at this mountain is not extra. It is standard based on my experience. read more

If I were just reviewing the kids ski/snowboard school, I would absolutely give five stars from start to finish. The booking agent over the phone was helpful and determining what best fit my son. We bought the lessons and the lift tickets but told her we would rent equipment elsewhere. When then booking my own lesson, she forgot to book a lift ticket ... which was honestly a very easy fix when I checked in to school. There wasn't a lot of signage to find where the ski school for adults meets because it was almost in a alcove behind a building. But again, that was a small complaint. My son did snowboard school and his instructor was Ian. He was kind and patient and my son had a blast. He learned so much and was able to snowboard on his own in the afternoon. Ian also made sure to come and talk to my husband about what he needs to continue working on. My experience was the complete opposite with Matt. I was the only girl in a group of athletic young men who caught on very quick. He spent most of his attention teaching them. When going down a small hill, I was nervous and angled my skis to slow myself down. He told me I needed to go faster. When I said I didn't want to, he abruptly told me, "well, then you aren't skiing." I took a break at the bottom only to be completely ignored. After being so frustrated to the point of tears, he told me that I should have known skiing is a speed sport, told me there were only 10 minutes left and then walked away. At that point, I was too scared to even try again. So in review .. it was great for kids. For adults with zero experience, be sure to find an instructor with the same patience needed to teach kids. read more

Went above and beyond to help my boyfriend with ski lessons! Any questions/concerns they got right to the bottom and accommodated. I went to ski school here at 5 years old and now my boyfriend is. Very family friendly. We are at mountain house location! read more

one of the instructors told my mother to go when she was taking her time going down, she is new and needed help. I wanted to divert his attention to me so that he would stop embarrassing her. I asked him if I could wear my ski patrol hoodie that I bought from one of the shops, he said we'd prefer you not and he told me to flip the hoodie inside out on the spot, he then went to ask if I was coming back tommorow in which I said I would be taking a break, he then says something by the lines of "well don't wear that next time you come" not only was this embarrassing to both of us, he stood there and waited for me to do something. He had explained that wearing this wasn't against the rules yet he had wanted me to flip it inside out.. not cool read more

A great option for learning to ski. The rental and check in/out process were easy. The best part about the entire experience, however, was the ski instructor Jason Seiber. He was flat out incredible. He took 4 small children who had never skied before and had them able to ski down the mountain unassisted after only 1 1/2 days. Not only that, but he was extremely friendly and patient with each of them. He truly made this trip one worth remembering and he will be THE reason we come back. Do yourself a favor, book Jason for any lessons. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned professional, he can help you become better and increase your enjoyment. He's worth every penny! read more

Tom was a great instructor. He was very knowledgeable and patient with everyone. He took the time to check out or ski's and poles before hand to ensure they were the correct fit. He made sure we felt ok throughout the lesson and helped us go down the bunny slopes. I felt a lot more confident on my ski's after my lesson. read more

I took a lesson here today and had an awesome time. Props to Erin who made me a rockstar on the slopes after 15 years off. Please....if you go, request Erin. She is excellence personified. Oh, and tip your instructor!! read more

My wife and I have been skiing for years and are solid intermediate skiers. Bill Jones absolutely put us both on track toward becoming advanced skiers. The way he explained the concepts connected with us both and we were 'gliding' down the runs the rest of the day. It is not overstating the case to say that my skiing was revolutionized that day. read more

This rating is ONLY on the river run ski school not the mountain house ski school. Mountain house I give a 2. Only 2 because of the front desk and friendly greeters. If u r putting a kiddo in school use river run or Breckenridge. The river run ski school is so much more friendly, caring and the attention to detail for the kids is amazing. I did the mountain house the first day for my kiddo and I wish I didn't. The front desk was super super friendly and helpful but the instructor was impatient, and all I could hear is her yelling the kids name. This is 2-4 year old. Not a good instructor for that age group. She was too rude for my taste. Mountain House needs new instructor who have time and patients. They need to train the instructors that kids r excited and let them enjoy it. There was another female instructor out with older kids that had so much positive energy. She had an accent long brown hair. Wish my kid had her. I saw too much to keep my kid in that class and it wasn't worth the $189 for that teacher. NOW the mountain house instructor patients on a different level. I told the instructor my child has never skied and literally never seen snow. He went down to my kiddos level and talked to him and was so calm and collective with him even though the room was filled with kids screaming and crying. The teacher from Mountain House would lose her mind in here. The clipboard helpers who helped get the kids out on the mountain were amazing and made sure the kids were excited to get out in the snow. An older gentleman with eye glasses was amazing. He watched every kid get on the gondola n helped the instructors with the kids. Take my advice if u want your kid to join their day n don't do Mountain House. River Run is way more expensive but worth it. Also the Epic photo peeps on River run side are a bit pushy to buy the pics. If u have your phone out get ready for a young, tall guy to yell at you. He thinks u are taking pics of the picture. He literally yelled at the parents who had their phones out. Take it easy kid it's not that serious. If the photo is in hand then yell at them if they r on the rake still relax can't take pic of bar holding the pics which covers the kids face dude. Also the Keystone ski rental spot on Mountain House staff were amazing. Two guys from Argentina did wonderful n helped get skis n boots on. Even wiping down helmets to show they r clean. Thx for your patience guys. Rate this location 5 Thank u River run ski school for being amazing time for my kiddo. He loved it so much. Instructor even said he is ready for next level!!! read more

I had a similar experience to another Yelper who experienced Keystone Ski and Ride School's poor customer service. I normally do not leave reviews, but I find them extremely useful to read and appropriate in this case. I had reserved equipment online prior to my arrival to the area and called ahead to the Keystone Ski and Ride School to ensure I could pick up my equipment the night before we were going to ski. They assured me they would stay open for my fitting and when we arrived the people in the shop had refused to issue our equipment. We had called several times on our way to the shop to make sure they would stay open and to get directions directly to their shop as it was a little confusing to find it. We ended up having to wait until the next morning to pick up our gear and although this wasn't "the end of the world" for my group, it was simply poor customer service and I do not intend to use Keystone Ski and Ride School again. On the bright side, the instructor we had who took us out skiing in the morning was really good. All in all, I would recommend using another rental company for your gear. read more

Do not pre-pay for any ski lessons at this resort! They will not refund your money for any reason even for a Federal Declared Natural Emergency Disaster! They don't care, it doesn't matter. They had a waiting list and sold my lesson to someone else who used it and scanned under my name and they still would not refund my pre-pay. They don't care and tow the corporate line. I will never ever ski at this resort because of the horrible customer service at the Ski School. Terrible Customer Service! read more

The instructors all seem lovely but this school is extremely inefficient. We paid 225 dollars and 80% of the day is spent in gondolas- to and from the school then again to and from lunch (not to mention snack and potty breaks a plenty). Why don't they just have the lunch there at the school??? Basically in a 9-330 day the kids ski TWICE for about 45 minutes, first with only one ski and then again with two skis. If the school were more efficient I would happily give 5 stars like everyone else but maybe I'm the only parent to buy a lift pass and actually watch how the school is run. Most parents probably just go off the teachers and the gear both of which are great. Thanks. read more

We used to love this ski school but it has gone down hill over the past few years. As a twenty something living in Colorado (before kids) my entire family taught skiing at Keystone. Now, grown up with children, I enrolled my kids in a day lesson and it was a poor experience. From the check in to the child care to the actual instruction- dismal. And its not like its inexpensive either In summary, teach you children yourself or seek other options. read more

As a true Floridian it's safe to say my familiarity to altitude and snow is an overestimate. I easily registered for snowboarding lessons online and approached my instructor the next day (fashionably late of course). Although I had missed initial instruction, I was quickly and patiently filled in. Before I knew it, I had caught up to my fellow students. I was far from the only person receiving lessons that day but it truly felt like my lesson was 1-on-1. Daniel C. from Argentina was my instructor both days I had lessons. By the end of the second day I was confidently riding down from the TOP of Keystone! What a view!! Dan played a critical role in my overall experience I had atop Keystone. I rate my overall experience 5 stars and I would give 6 stars to my instructor if possible. Already looking forward to the next time I can be back! read more

My wife signed up for a group lesson There was some communication problems where my wife only got a partial lesson so the school refunded all our money (less the $17 lift ticket cuz that was used) We will go back sometime. read more

We pre-reserved rental equipment from here for a pick-up the day before we hit the slopes and we were very disappointed with their service. We came in from Chicago and drove up to Keystone, the drive took us longer then anticipated and we called them at about 7:45 pm saying we were coming to pick up our equipment. They told us we had to be there before 8 pm in order to get our equipment. They were well aware of the fact that we would be cutting it close to 8. When we walked in 2 minutes before 8 they said "sorry we close at 8 we can't rent out your equipment now". We explained to them that we drove 30 mins to pick up the equipment and we were told over the phone that we could get it before 8 pm they didn't seem to care. VERY RUDE AND UNPROFESSIONAL. There are so many other rental places in the area, use another rental place! read more

Love the ski school, the instructors are great! Took one star off because we get ultimate 4 classes and we have had the kids paired with others that were not really at their same level just to fill the class, and this is very frustrating as they spend the whole day helping others catch up instead of learning, so make sure you are specific about having them with kids at their same level, but the instructors are very good! read more

I reserved a spot for a family of 4, thinking we would get the skiing basics down. This was a 700.00 half a day lesson. The first hour was wasted on riding a gondola to get water vs sending one person and starting the lesson with the other 3. Then the actual lesson wasn't anything you couldn't find by a simple google search. (Pizza and French fries). The instructor Michael also spent 95% of the time with our 3 year old and negligible time with the 3 folks who could actually take instruction. At the conclusion of the lesson the guy had the audacity to ask for a tip. So my tip is don't rip people off. If you are an instructor, instruct and teach. It was so frustrating. It was a ripoff. Additionally we learned nothing about the mountain, where we should practice, nothing about the resort, etc. Finally, a part of their hustle is to bait you into spending more money and booking more time to teach you "more" skills for 3 more hours. 3 hours for a beginner is plenty of time on the slopes to learn. They are hustling. He was in consultation with his manager through this process. I'm disappointed! read more

I have to commend the instructors for tolerating this many misbehaved children. It's a shame that the kids who are actually there to learn are short-changed instruction while others are just there for babysitting. Parents: if your 7-yr old can't follow a simple instruction such as, "keep your gloves on," don't make them someone else's problem. There are many babysitters available in the area. read more

I've taken a few lessons at the ski school but couldn't get my confidence up until I had a breakthrough with Dillon this year. He's a patient instructor who knows how to keep things fun whilst giving instruction and helping you reach the next level. I definitely owe my progression to him! read more

Ski and Snowboard Instructor Ben Anklan is one of the two best ski instructors I've ever had. Both were at Keystone. Ben is a born teacher, positive, encouraging and patient. Even though I'm an adult, I sense that Ben would be great with kids, and I know that he is Child Specialist Certified as a ski / snowboard instructor. In fact, he has a lot of impressive certifications in ski / snowboard instruction. In one mid-week, all-day group lesson, Ben took me from a mediocre blue intermediate, with lots of bad habits, to confidently skiing groomed black advanced runs. Keep up the great work, Ben! Take good care of Ben, Keystone Ski and Ride School! read more

I had my beginner class at Brecks n it was 3 years ago. I was so lost when I first got back on my ski gear, so I took a lesson after falling a million times because the slopes at Keystone are way harder I think. Ford was my instructor n he was amazing. Definitely recommend him to anyone at any level. He would watch you closely n demonstrate every single steps until you get it. He corrected my bad habits so I went all the way down the slope without any falling. Good instructor !!! read more

I haven't skied in a year, I took the intermediate lesson with Graham. He is not only a great instructor who personalizes himself to his students to help them understand the concept but he has the patience of a saint. I feel down so many times I lost count. He knew I understood the concepts but had difficultly with my footwork. He would tell the other students the next concept and keep working with me. I did not have a sour attitude about falling which made him feel better about me falling so much. I would recommend Graham to everyone at any level. read more

The entire family learned to ski here. Most of the instructors are EXCELLENT. Great way to shake the rust off if you haven't been for a year! read more

Ski school gave my four year old some really good foundational skills and the confidence to get up on his skis and hit the beginner slopes on his own! read more

My mother's a planner.. I am not. She wanted to get everything in order so was doing a lot of research online.. called 5 times in the 2 days prior to coming to get things set up. Where we were told multiple wrong answers, or just out right terrible customer service and then were told not to purchase the lessons or lift tickets over the phone the day ahead.. they literally told her to come in 15 minutes before ski school starts when she's never touched a snowboard. By the time she went through everything it was 10 minutes after the school began. She paid for the 10-330 class... then since we were ready at 10:10 they said we couldn't get into the class and we'd have to join the 1-3:30 but offered no price adjustment. We could have disregarded their 15 minute recommendation, gotten here earlier and made the session but followed their anti prepare ahead of time mentality and then couldn't join. We did end up speaking about it's odd we payed for a full day but are only getting a half day. Where they chuckled and asked if we really wanted the $10 difference back. Then I explained I've only snowboarded once but had fully ridden down mountain switching from side to side... they told me they were putting me in level 2 but they put me in level 4..... where I then frustrated the instructor bc of my skill level (she was told I was a 4 so understandable that she was thrown off) but I then was put into a lower group which is fine but would've rather stuck w the instructor for the hour I had left.. I felt confident to learn try fall get back up. Didn't do the remaining hour of my lesson bc of how discouraged I felt after this. This feels like the Disney world of snowboarding and has some of the worst customer service skills I've ever encountered. :/ bummed and wish I had enjoyed my time w my mother. But we were both frustrated most of the time w how difficult the employees made it out experience. Hahaha on top of it... after we payed for an entire day of lessons but missed half bc they said we could not join 10 minutes late... 2 people joined our class over 10 minutes late haha we just had to laugh at that. Horrible experience. read more