Michael Reusser

This is was my fourth year snowboarding-but I only get to ride 4-6 days in a year. I am in my 40's and fearful of hurting myself and others while snowboarding. This was my first time at Whiteface. I felt pretty comfortable coming down greens prior to my lesson with Michael. I had him on my second day of lesson- I had a different instructor on the first day, who accurately pointed out the problems that I had but didn't really help me address them. First of all, when I got to the lesson I was grateful to have a different instructor. Immediately, I could sense Michael was more friendly and enthusiastic. We discussed my experience with snowboarding- my inability to progress mainly due to fear- still on greens after 3 seasons. Michael acknowledged them and step-by-step started addressing them. He first addressed my fear of toe turns with small and doable drills- his positive reinforcement helped me build up my confidence. By the end of the first lesson, I felt very comfortable riding down greens linking turns throughout. After the lesson, he offered to email me the key points/drills of the day! This was so helpful as I referred to it later to refresh when I was riding by myself. On the second day, we went all the way up to the top of Little Whiteface- where the first half was Blue- my first time in the Blues. Yet, I felt pretty comfortable riding down following his drills/pointers depending on how steep/shallow/curve of the slope. I am so grateful for the confidence he somehow built with his positivity. Over the years, I have taken many lessons as my husband would like to point out. Michael, by far, has been the best instructor- he stands out because he is enthusiastic, positive, patient, and he cares- who else would spend his free time writing emails recapping the lesson after each lesson!