The sugarhouse is for beginner or second-lesson students. Those with more experience participate in the regular ski school program. It is here, in this welcoming environment, that guests are introduced to the first phase of their lesson. As customers arrive at the sugarhouse they are greeted by the hostess and staff and asked to sign in. Instructors initiate conversations with guests to facilitate natural groupings of three to five people.
Instructors make sure the guests are wearing clothing that is appropriate for a day on the slopes.
At every ski school, the attitude and participation of the instructors determine the quality of a student's experience, and nowhere has this been more evident than in Jiminy's beginner program. If the instructors were ever resistant to the new equipment and the fact that they might need to rethink some of the traditional approaches to teaching, they didn't make an issue of it. Most seemed eager to try the new gear, and once they did, their enthusiasm for the program quickly became apparent. The energy levels alone swept up hesitant newcomers. Area management helped create this positive atmosphere by empowering the ski school.