Level Up with Max: Private ski and snowboard lessons in La Plagne

If you’re looking for private ski or snowboard lessons in La Plagne, Max from Level Up with Max is one of the independent instructors I’m very happy to recommend.

Max only set up Level Up with Max independently last winter, but he’s been teaching in La Plagne for much longer than that. He knows the resort incredibly well, is a brilliant communicator and, importantly, is just a genuinely lovely guy.

He’s great with children, beginners and nervous or less confident adults, but he can also take things much further for experienced skiers and snowboarders, including off-piste and backcountry exploration.

And snowboarders, keep reading. Max isn’t just a ski instructor who can also snowboard. He’s a fantastic snowboarder in his own right, which makes him one of the people I’d particularly look at for private snowboard lessons in La Plagne.

That’s La Plagne readers can get 5% off lessons with Max using code TLP MAX. The easiest way to book is to contact him directly on WhatsApp at +33 6 52 26 19 19.

Who is Max from Level Up with Max?

Level Up with Max is Max’s independent ski and snowboard instruction business in La Plagne.

Although Level Up itself is relatively new, Max definitely isn't new to skiing or teaching in the Alps.

He grew up in the French Alps and started skiing when he was just two years old. He went on to ski race before moving more towards freeride and exploring the wilder side of the mountains.

And the snowboarding isn't an afterthought either.

Max started snowboarding when he was 15, which is one of the reasons I think he's particularly worth knowing about if you're searching for a snowboard instructor in La Plagne. He's not simply a ski instructor who has learnt enough snowboarding to teach it. Both sports are a genuine part of his mountain background.

He's also been based and teaching in La Plagne for years, knows the ski area extremely well and is now raising his own family here.

So while he only launched Level Up with Max independently last winter, you're not booking with a new instructor. You're booking directly with someone who already has years of experience on these mountains.

Max is a native French speaker and also teaches in English. He works with children and adults, from complete beginners through to advanced skiers and snowboarders.

Private ski lessons in La Plagne with Max

Max teaches skiing from complete beginner through to advanced level. So no panic! You absolutely don’t need to be an experienced skier to book him.

In fact, one of the groups I particularly like recommending Max to is nervous or less confident adult skiers.

There are far more nervous adult skiers out there than you might think. And you don’t have to be a beginner to lose confidence.

Perhaps you’ve had a fall that knocked you. Maybe you’re fine until a piste gets steeper, icier or busier. Perhaps your technique is good enough to get you around the mountain, but you’re constantly skiing with people who are faster and more confident than you.

Or maybe you’ve simply reached the point where skiing feels more stressful than fun.

Max is a really good communicator and very good at putting people at ease. He can work at your pace rather than you feeling as though you need to keep up with everyone else.

He also knows what it's like for confidence on the mountain not to be straightforward. At 21, he had a serious freestyle skiing accident in which he fractured seven vertebrae, followed by a long road to recovery.

I don't want to tell Max's story for him, but I do think it's useful context when I say he's someone I'd recommend to skiers who are dealing with fear or trying to rebuild confidence.

So if you’re looking for a private ski instructor in La Plagne specifically because you want to improve your confidence as well as your technique, I’d definitely have Max on your list.

Ski lessons for children with Max

Max is also really good with kids.

I wouldn’t particularly position Level Up with Max as a ski school specialising in tiny children first starting on the bunny slope. That’s not really his specific angle. But for slightly older children, starting out and looking to move from the nursery slopes to the higher peaks with confidence, then Max is absolutely someone I’d reccommend.

He’s good at making kids feel comfortable and communicating with them without making the whole thing feel overly serious. He can build their confidence alongside their skiing, which is often just as important as the technical side.

Sometimes a child physically has all the skills they need to ski something but hasn’t yet decided they believe they can do it. Having an instructor they trust can make a massive difference.

When you contact Max, tell him your child’s age, what skiing they’ve done previously and what they’re currently comfortable doing. Don’t worry about trying to translate that into a particular ski-school level if you’re not sure. Just explain what they can actually ski.

How much are lessons with Level Up with Max?

Max doesn’t publish a standard price list, and lessons are arranged around what you actually want to do.

Rather than me putting prices here that could quickly become out of date, message Max with your holiday dates, who needs lessons, your current ability and what you’d like to work on.

That applies whether you’re looking for a first ski lesson, private snowboard tuition, confidence-building, advanced skiing or some off-piste exploration.

Max can then suggest the appropriate lesson format and give you the current price.