Virtual Snow Training System

Due to a knee injury, I wasn’t sure I could ski any more. With a week-=long family vacation to Telluride coming up, I went to Virtual Snow and met with Bob. He was great. I took 6 lessons from him and felt completely confident when i got to the slopes. I highly recommend Virtual Snow for anyone looking to learn to ski, or get some practice in before hitting the slopes!

I enjoyed my sessions here, most importantly the sessions boosted my confidence to ski. I’ve only ski once in 2007 and it was a rather bad experience for me, I would never imagine that I can do what I did with 2 weekends at Virtual Snow and ski down the intermediate slopes.
Thank you Bob, Katie, Mark and John! I truly truly appreciate your help!
Highly recommended to everyone, it works!

After 6 Ski lessons with Bob and his awesome team at Virtual Snow, I hit Beaver Creek’s slopes as an advanced beginner and was able to enjoy myself without falling. After just a few days, I was an intermediate skier and the star student of my group lessons on the mountain as the instructors often commented that I had really good form and foundational skills. It was great to learn good technique and skills while getting used to wearing ski boots and skis without being on a busy ski slope with tons of people and kids whizzing about. I highly recommend Bob and his team if you want to have fun as a first time adult skier when you hit the slopes instead of spending a lot of time getting up from failing in the snow.

It worked! Big thanks to Bob and Virtual Snow Training System!
I’ve tried skiing and snowboarding several times on the mountain before but never was able to get down the mountain without falling hard several times. but after I took the ski lessons with Bob at Virtual Snow I was so happy to see the results! Bob was super friendly and helpful. He only focuses on the results rather than counting the hours for you. and he will teach you things according to your learning pace, what you want to achieve. etc. I went to Mammoth right after taking 4 ski lessons with Bob and and by the end of the day I was able to ski down the hill easily without falling. My friends were all surprised at how fast I improved!
I would definitely recommend to anyone who is a beginner at ski/​snowboarding, who is willing to learn but don’t want to keep falling.

My husband and I had a trip planned to Switzerland to ski with friends and my husband is/​was a beginner skier. Well, not anymore. After his sessions with Bob & staff at Virtual Snow he hit the slopes in Zermatt as what I would call an intermediate skier. The fundamental techniques and muscle training that he received at Virtual Snow made a huge difference in his skiing abilities.
Highly reccomended on so many levels.
Thanks Bob & staff (Katie + everyone else).

I went snowboarding for the first time last year with no experience and it was brutal. By the end of the day I was bruised, sore, and discouraged. A friend suggested taking indoor lessons (no falling and hurting yourself!) so I found this place online and contacted Bob to set up training.
After taking several lessons from Mark and Katie I returned to the mountain today. It was much different than my previous experience — I actually had FUN! I took 6 – 7 runs over the course of the day and did not fall even once when getting off the lift! And hardly fell on the runs either! Of course I had a few spills but it was nothing like last year. My training at Virtual Snow provided an understanding of the mechanisms of snowboarding and experience in using the muscles and movements. I’m so glad I did this and can’t wait to go snowboarding again! Highly recommended!!!

Our whole family has been training all summer and we are all excited and confident about this upcoming snow season. Our two daughters 3 and 6 are proficient on their skis and myself, a beginner, am confident I will carving the slopes on my board the first day. Bob, Katie and Thomas have been great! Bob is a hall of fame skier and we are stoked to have him teach us!

I was concerned about getting hurt snowboarding so I went to Bob and Mark and
was very well prepared BEFORE I had ever touched the snow. I highly recommend
Virtual Snow to anyone and everyone who wants to have FUN when they go out.

So happy I finally experienced virtual snow! I originally saw the concept at a ski dazzle event in SF, but it was called something different. A few google searches later I came across Virtual Snow & a few months of procrastinating I finally made it.
I’ve been snowboarding for years, but I only go once a year, or once every 2? So it’s really difficult to improve my skills. I also was self taught and have managed to make my way down the Mtn slowly each time LOL.
Bob & Katie are really great and talking to you & figuring out what you want to work on specifically. You essentially learn/​practice at your own pace, with their guidance. There’s a training DVD that you follow along with, which is super easy to follow and fantastic lessons.
It’s a small shop with 4 of these machines, so i don’t see it getting crazy there. I went on a weeknight & loved the peace & quiet.
I chose to work on my posture & pressure (since I never learned correctly) and long term I want to improve linking my turns, and carving.
The only caveat is how expensive it is. The introduction was half off ($ 80) and ea lesson is $ 160 after. It’s cheaper if you get packages (6,10,15,etc) but you have to pay for it all upfront. Uhhhh yea I don’t have 1k to just throw down. If you do, it’s def worth it.
One hour on the machine & it def feels like a day on the mtn.

I love training at Virtual Snow. Bob Salerno and Mark are so accommodating to my last minute time requests. I am trying to get my daughter of 3 years to ski and they have been more than patient with her. I am going to Mammoth to ski this weekend and I am confident I will ski like a pro. Take a lesson and stop falling so much on the mountain. Enjoy!
Melika Rafael
SportsFit Physical Therapy and Fitness

Simply: Bob was able to teach my 2 ½ year old to ski.
We had a ski vacation planned in Jackson Hole and our options were Ski School or Day Care. Signed her up for lessons with Virtual Snow and she was able to ski the small green runs all week long. Last weekend took her to Deer Valley and she skied the long greens and some small blues. Most importantly: She had so much fun on the carpet machine and slopes… absolutely loving it. Thank you Bob for making a great experience for my daughter!
Bob is amazing.

It seems a little strange, learning to ski on a giant treadmill. I had my doubts about it, but when I got on the skis that Bob had for us and they started the machine, I was shocked by how much it felt like I was on the snow!
I am an experienced skier, but definitely not an expert. We were skiing in Squaw in January and I thought I was doing pretty well on the double blue runs and wondered if I could handle the black runs. I was with my husband who was a new skier, so I didn’t dare it. We decided to take lessons with Bob at Virtual Snow simply because it was closer and easier than going all the way to Mountain High or somewhere else close.
So we brought 2 of our kids, a 3 y/​o and a 4 y/​o, to learn how to ski, as it is important to us that they learn. The 3 y/​o had been on skis only 3 times in his life and the 4 y/​o only about 7 times. Each of them had 7 lessons including the introduction. They actually split the lessons, so they each got about 30 minutes of the 1 hour. Anyhow, we are in Jackson Hole, WY and the older one is skiing at a Level 4 and the 3 year old is skiing at Level 3! We know this is all because of Bob and Katie and Mark at Virtual Snow.
My husband began skiing last March and had only skied about 7 times before taking lessons as Virtual Snow. Now he is almost a level 6 skier after just 6 lessons with Bob! He is skiing blues and double blues in Jackson, which is a really technical mountain.
I went down 2 black runs today and we confident and very able to handle them. I was surprised by how easily it came to me– the muscle memory was there! We cannot put a finger on what it is about these lessons that has made skiing so much easier (and therefore more fun), so I’m assuming that it is just the muscle memory. I highly encourage people to just sign up for 6 lessons with Bob and then head out to the snow. You will be SHOCKED at how easy it is to ski. Not only that, but my kids LOVE to ski now and are sad we aren’t skiing every single day while we are here. It is a fight to take off their skis! This is exactly what we hoped for in our wildest dreams when we signed up for these lessons.
Thanks Bob for the great counsel and wisdom and for helping my family hit the slopes!

I recently bought a Google Offer for a discounted lesson at Virtual Snow; I decided to give it a try, because I am a beginner skier, and my only experience skiing was over 12 years ago, and it was horrible. I have friends who like to ski, so I decided to give the sport another try.
To summarize, I highly recommend this place, especially for beginner skiers; intermediate skiers could probably also benefit from some lessons. Read on for more details!
If you don’t know anything about the place, it has three slanted conveyor belts about 6 feet wide, covered with carpet; you get strapped in (with skis or a snowboard) and practice going back and forth in a very controlled environment, with effectively one-​on-​one instruction (as well as video instruction).
I went in for one lesson, but ended up squeezing in three lessons before my first skiing trip about a month ago, because I found the lessons to be so beneficial. I have since gone skiing a second time, and both times were great experiences (unlike my first ski trip years ago). I highly recommend that beginners take at least 6 lessons at Virtual Snow before heading out to the slopes; I would benefit from more lessons, but haven’t had time to go back.
For beginners, this place will teach you the essentials of skiing; the correct posture/​stance, how to turn, how to stop, etc. For intermediate skiers, the instructors there can help you get to the next level, increasing your confidence, correcting small errors that may be preventing you from advancing, and giving you the chance to do some very concentrated practice in a controlled environment. (Caution — your legs will be sore after an hour on the machine!)
The staff are knowledgeable and helpful, and Bob Salerno is a great instructor. If you want to learn how to ski or snowboard, or you want to improve your skills and gain confidence on the slopes, this is a great way to learn a lot in a very short amount of time.

My 12-​year-​old daughter decided she wanted to ski. I’m from Hawai’i and knew nothing about it, so I started Googling and found VS. If you are a total beginner, with no knowledge as well as no experience, Virtual Snow is a very sound investment. Here’s why:
Skiing is so expensive, wasted time and mistakes can quickly blow a lot of money. Also, it’s easy to get discouraged and quit, or maybe injured as well.
I wanted my child to have a positive experience so she would not quit. With virtual training, you can learn to ski BEFORE your first time on the snow, so you won’t get to the mountain and spend your first day falling and freezing. If you are going on family vacation, virtual training sets you and your kids up to have a great time on day one, rather than starting with lessons and spending a lot of time trying to learn the basics. You will be able to take advantage of every minute’s worth of resort expenses.
Without any knowledge of skiing, I also didn’t know where to go at first Big Bear, Mammoth, Mt. High? Or what equipment to rent, etc.
After several virtual lessons, Mark suggested we go to Mt. High, ski on our own for a bit, then take a lesson on the slopes. He told us where to rent skis, etc. We took his advice, and on our first run down the baby slope, we were skiing. We did feel a lesson at the slopes was worthwhile to learn how to get on and off the chair, etc. By the afternoon, after getting tips from the instructor, we were pretty comfortable. That was the last lesson we took at the slopes.
For the rest of the season, we alternated skiing with virtual training. By the end of the season we were intermediate skiiers, having fallen only a handful of times.
Again, the up-​front cost of Virtual Snow is made up by sparing you the cost of not having a good time after you’ve traveled far and spent a lot on a resort, only to spend time falling and maybe quitting in frustration.

Bob is great, Mark is awesome! my sis litteraly learned how to ski here and I went in to get back on the ski after taking a break for few years. it is actually harder to ski on the carpet, but it does teach you technique which you have no idea what a huge difference it makes when you’re out there
keep up the good work!
great for any age — 3years old to 90 years old :) safe

I highly recommend Virtual Snow. Bob and Mark definitely improved my skiing and my boyfriend’s snowboarding. I really felt like I was in a rut and never going to progress beyond the beginner/​low intermediate stage. After taking 11 lessons at Virtual Snow, I can now comfortably ski black diamonds. I can’t believe how much progress I’ve made this season! I really can’t recommend this place highly enough. If you are serious about becoming a better skier or boarder, buy a package of lessons here — you will not regret it!!!

I had heard about this «carpet skiing» system a couple of years ago (through a ski meetup), and despite hearing mixed reviews, decided to give it a go motivated by 1) a Living Social deal (the very one mentioned by Artur V.) — regardless of the debatable «regular price,» it was within my willingness to pay for the experience, and 2) the opportunity to identify any issues with my new ski boots so that I could have them addressed before heading up to the mountain. I recognize that the point of such Groupon/​Living Social/​similar deals is to get regular clients, but when I called to make my appointment, I was up front about primarily wanting to try the new ski boots out.
I live 3.1 miles away from the Santa Monica location per Google maps, yet some how during rush hour 30 minutes was not enough time to get there. I called Mark to let him know where I was at and he suggested an alternative route, and helped direct me to the few spaces off the alley since I was running late. I was about 10 minutes late, but didn’t feel rushed with the paperwork, and was really surprised that it didn’t affect the length of my session (there was also only one person scheduled after me, and there are 3 machines — probably not always the case).
Mark started me off with what I think must have been the first of some 77 lessons that comprise the system. I asked a question about edging when it came up in the video (you look down at a little video screen when you’re up there) with respect to wedge turns. He seemed to contain temptation to comment on other things I’ve heard (and I’ve heard a lot of different things — many unsolicited — when skiing by myself; but I’m also a fan of lessons and try to be receptive to them generally). At some point, he asked me if I just wanted to use the session to try out the new ski boots. He recognized that it was my session to use how I wanted, noting that he would not be offended if that was the case, and didn’t want me to be bored and wanted me to be happy as a customer.
Off of the video, he had me sort of edging from side to side for a good bit, the ultimate goal being to try to get me moving remotely closer to how I might actual ski. It took me a while to relax even a little bit on the machine, but I was definitely working (I admit I am out of shape). I took breaks as needed, and he offered me (filtered) water each time. Finally, addressing my stated desire to tighten up my turns, he talked me thru the relevant lesson (#54, I believe). So it felt like a nice customized first session.
I can’t speak to other people’s experiences with Virtual Snow, but overall, I was pleased with my experience for the money, and though I never quite got used to the carpet skiing (and have a Mammoth pass and a condo there so would probably prefer to spend my days on skis there), I see its value. The system seems valid and complete, and it’s probably nice to focus on technique without being distracted by everything else around you, but I suspect it requires some patience.
Four stars for excellent service from Mark (based on my experience — honestly, I was delighted he was not an a$$hole about my objective and he really exceeded my expectations). Minus one star for being pricey. Also, the ring thing that goes around your waist hurt my hip bones a bit.

What scammers! I called this company last week to get prices, they told me that a one hour lesson is $ 80 dollars. I asked if this a promotion, and they said no, this is the regular price.
Today I look at living social, and they have a deal for the same one hour lesson valued at $ 120. They padded the price to make the deal look as if it was 61% off, but this is not true.
I called them to find out why they did this and the guy was rude, rude, rude.
I will never use this dishonest company! I hope no one else does either.

This place rocks! I was referred to them by a friend, and after going through some training sessions in doors at Virtual Snow, I was snowboarding all the way down the hill w/​out falling on my first day at Mt. High!
They have a contraption that’s like a giant conveyor belt. It’s tilted, so when you’re standing on it, it’s as if you were facing down a hill. But
you’re strapped into a harness with a ballet bar in front of you and one behind you, so you can’t fall! Tail bone saved. You follow along these videos that are on a screen in front of you and develop the skills you’ll need on the mountain. That’s all there is to it.

I hate the idea of missing a run. I work out with the trainer at Virtual Snow and then arrive at the mountain in shape and with all the muscles ready to ski. And ski the right way. Carving nice turns.
First got into Virtual Snow a few years back when I needed to rehabilitate after a bad fall hurt my leg and ankle. The training with the boot (mine) and the skis (theirs) was a blessing and gave me strength and control that I did not have before the injury.
I think taking lessons at the mountain is a waste of money and time. I recommend showing up at the mountain lodge in top shape and form. Get all your runs and grins. How valuable is your time once you travel to Mammoth or Vail or Snowbird or ???
You want to send all the lower skilled skiers or boarders to get the basics before you go so that you can all ski together. More fun for them too.
Meet Bob the owner and learn about his «fun» attitude for all skiers and boarders. He is cool.
Keith L.^. .^