Do You Tip Ski Instructors and How Much?

You should tip your ski instructor, and 10% to 15% of the total cost of the lesson is pretty standard. You are not required to tip, but most ski instructors don’t get paid much from the resorts and rely on tips to make a living.

I’m Christine, the founder of this blog and a lifelong skier. I love everything about the sport and spend as much time as possible in the snow as I can every year. I know how much to tip ski instructors through first-hand experience. 

This post will examine if you should tip ski instructors and how much is recommended if you do. I’ll provide you with some information to remember whenever you have a ski lesson and tell you why tipping is recommended. 

Let’s dive in. 

Key Takeaways

  • The average tip for a ski instructor is anywhere from 10% to 15%. 10% is usually standard for a private lesson, and 15% is for a group lesson. 
  • You are welcome to tip as much as you want. If an instructor did an outstanding job, higher tips are a nice way to show how much you appreciate their skills and knowledge. 
  • Tips are not required for ski instructors, but many instructors don’t make very much money and rely heavily on tips to supplement their income. 

Do You Tip Ski Instructors? 

You should always tip your ski instructors. Even though there are no requirements for tipping them, it’s pretty customary, and the instructors rely heavily on tips to supplement their income. Tipping is a great way to show you had a good lesson and enjoyed the experience. 

This is similar to tipping at restaurants, where even though you won’t get into trouble for not tipping, it would be considered inappropriate. Ski instructors don’t make that much money from the resorts they work for, so tipping helps out a lot. 

I’ll get into the details of how much to tip your ski instructor in the section below, but there is no upper end to how much you should tip. If you had a really great experience and have the money, a large tip is a good gesture. 

Similarly, if you have a terrible experience or don’t think the instructor did a good job, you don’t have to tip much or anything. But even if the instructor was just average, or you were part of a group lesson, you should still tip something. 

How Much to Tip Ski Instructor

There are no exact rules on how much you should tip a ski instructor, but anywhere from 10% to 15% of the total cost of the lesson is pretty standard. 10% is common for a private lesson, and 15% for a group lesson. 

But as I said earlier, you can tip as much as you feel the ski instructor deserves. If you had a private lesson and that instructor helped you make progress and took the time to show you and help you, they might deserve a really large tip. 

Or if an instructor didn’t do that great of a job or was just average, you can give them a standard tip. It’s really up to you, but just know that any tip is always better than no tip at all. And ski instructors really appreciate it every time they earn a tip. 

I’d say that using the percentages mentioned above, you can expect to pay anywhere from $20 to $100 for a tip. $20 is average, and a minimum and $100 would reflect an excellent tip from a great ski instructor

FAQs

Here are a few quick answers to some of the most commonly asked questions relating to if you tip ski instructors and how much is recommended. 

How much do you tip a ski instructor at Vail? 

The amount you should tip a ski instructor really doesn’t change based on where you are skiing. At Vail, you should tip your instructors anywhere from 10% to 15% of the total cost of the lesson. You can tip more if you think the situation deserves it. 

Do you tip kid’s ski instructor? 

Yes, you should tip a kid’s ski instructor just like any other ski instructor. Even though you might not be around to see how well that instructor did with your kid, they still deserve a tip for putting in the hard work and being patient with the little ones.

Is it customary to tip a ski instructor? 

It might not seem customary to tip a ski instructor, but it actually is. Instructors rely heavily on tips to supplement their income, and you should always tip them because of this. They don’t make that much money from the resorts. 

Final Thoughts

You should always tip your ski instructors. They work hard to share their skills and love of the snow with you and are often not paid that well by the resorts they work for. A tip can go a long way towards showing you appreciate their skills as an instructor. 

10% to 15% of the total cost of a lesson is the average tip you should give a ski instructor. But there are no exact rules here, so tip whatever you feel is warranted. 

Have you tipped a ski instructor lately? How much did you give them? Let me know in the comments below.

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