Choosing a lesson shouldn't be a leap of faith. Whoever you end up booking with, the same handful of questions tell you what you're really getting. Here's the checklist I'd use as a parent or a beginner — written to judge any lesson in Flumserberg, with honest answers for how mine work so you can compare like for like.
1. How many riders per instructor?
This is the big one. The more riders share a coach, the more of your session is spent waiting. Ask for the hard maximum, not the average. (Here: capped at four, never more.)
2. Do they group by level, or just by who booked?
A lesson that mixes a first-timer with a confident rider moves at nobody's pace. Ask whether they group by ability. (Here: always by level. Mixed-level groups get split or steered to a private slot before we start.)
3. Is the instructor certified, and in what languages?
Ask about certification and which languages they teach in — learning something physical in your own language matters more than people expect. (Here: certified coaching in English, German or Spanish.)
4. What does the price include — and exclude?
Get this in writing. What's the price for the slot, does it cover the whole group or per head, and what's on top? (Here: one flat price for up to four riders — CHF 110 one hour, CHF 200 two hours, CHF 385 four hours, CHF 500 the full day, Season 2026/27 — with video included. Lift passes and lunch are separate; you buy your own Flumserberg ticket.)
5. Where do you meet, and is it easy to reach?
A meeting point you can't find eats into your paid time. (Here: the COLORS restaurant door on Tannenbodenalp for the one- and two-hour lessons; for longer sessions we agree a point together. Flumserberg is in the Heidiland region of canton St. Gallen — by car from Zürich or St. Gallen, or by train to Unterterzen and the cable car up.)
6. What are the cancellation and weather terms?
Mountains have bad days. Ask what happens if you cancel, or if the weather closes the lifts, before you pay — don't discover it afterwards. (Ours are set out plainly in the terms.)
A quick note on age
For children, also ask the minimum age and whether the format actually suits kids. (Here: from age 8, with warm breaks and games built into children's lessons.)
Put the checklist to work
Run these six questions past any lesson you're considering and the right choice usually becomes obvious. When you're ready, you can see every length and price on pricing, meet the coaches on instructors, and book on book a lesson — or just call and ask me the six questions directly: +41 76 638 18 70.