Getting into a new sport can be challenging and even if you know what you’re doing, it can always help to brush up on your skills. For this reason, a lot of people hire a ski instructor to help them hone their expertise. While you will pay a flat rate to the skiing instructor, they always deserve a tip. The problem is that not many people know how much to tip a ski instructor.

The amount that you tip an instructor will vastly depend on a few factors. Most notably, you should consider whether you are taking part in group lessons or private lessons. 

However, there are other factors at play and when we asked people their thoughts, there was a lot of difference in opinion. In this short guide, we will be revealing the results of our poll and giving you a clear idea of how much you should be tipping your ski instructors. 

What Should You Tip A Ski Instructor?

Many of the world’s most famous ski resorts are located in the USA; in this country, it is customary to tip any service provider. But even in countries where tipping isn’t a given, there is a general consensus that someone as skilled as a ski instructor deserves to receive a gratuity for expending their knowledge. 

How much you tip your instructor will likely depend on many factors including how well you felt they performed. It is not uncommon for people to tip more when they feel that the service they received was above and beyond what they expected. 

However, some people tip a flat rate in all service sectors and while a skiing teacher might be seen to be more knowledgeable than say, a waiter, they would still receive the same. 

Group Lesson Or Private

When choosing the amount to tip, you might consider whether you have taken part in a group lesson or had a whole day private lesson. In the case of the latter, a lot of people might assume that the instructor is already receiving a substantial fee. In fact, our research shows that only half of all students that took part in private lessons at Snowbird tipped their coach! While tips aren’t a given, it’s always nice when the instructor receives one. 

According to On The Snow, those taking part in a private lesson would be expected to tip 10% of the total cost of their lesson. However, those attending group lessons generally tipped a little higher at 15%. Further to this, some ski instructors have detailed that, for an all-day private lesson, some clients will tip into the hundreds with one of the highest being around $600!

Do I Need To Tip Ski Instructors

We created a poll in four of the most popular Facebook groups and asked “What percent should you tip a ski instructor?” We also included an option for Private or Group lessons.

Facebook Ski Club - Link

Ski The East Group - Link

Skiing Group - Link

Telemark Skiing Forum - Link

After adding all the votes from the four polls together this is what the data tells us.

Group Ski Lesson - Facebook Poll

Private Ski Lesson - Facebook Poll

The results speak for themselves with most people opting to tip between 20 and 30% when taking part in both group and private classes.  

Summary On Tipping Ski Instructors

If you are planning to take skiing lessons, even the most confident people can find themselves in a muddle over the correct amount to tip the instructor. While the amount may vary from person to person and the service you receive may have an impact, most would agree that anything between 20-30% would be sufficient. At least, that’s what our Facebook polls revealed. 

In any case, skiing can bring on a wealth of questions even once you’ve got your head around how much to tip your instructor. If you’re still left trying to find an answer to skiing related queries, we have all the information you might need here, so don’t leave yourself hanging; go and check it out!

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