I took my two children here and it is just wonderful. I had Kincaid as my daughter's ski instructor and he wonderful, he was extremely patient with my children helping them figure out the basics! Definitely will be coming back, Thank you. read more

Both our kids have taken more than 5 classes here. Being probably the only one offering indoor ski lessons, their calendars do fill up quickly and its $45-60 for 20 mins. Heres some suggestions i think they can do better: 1) dont put classes back to back. Allot for at least 5 mins in between as theres always student whose class gets shortened one way or another. 2) allocate the same teacher for a day / time slot / ramp - this is i believe is their biggest issue. There is NO consistency on teachers and teaching style. Its only 20 mins of class, in the 10+ classes we only had 1 teacher that repeated. Except for "pizza" and "french fries", They all use different languages and approach that can confuse kids, especially younger ones. So it feels like a whole relearning the first half of the class. 3) have a way to track student progress or know skillset before class. They barely ask what the student can do, how many classes they had or what to work on. It just wastes a lot of precious minutes to figure it out. 4) dont put beginners in ramp 3. Its smaller, shorter and just makes it more difficult. 5) factor in breaks for teachers and ask them not to use phones during class. Consider time for bio breaks or lunch and imagine how thats done w back to back classes. One of our kids teachers was so distracted w pizza coming, he kept checking his phone and looking at the staff area where food was. And because we document our kids progress, we even have that on video! While there are some really good teachers like David, Ryan or Karla, its really a hit or miss for others. You cannot request a teacher or know who you are gonna get even if you book the same day, time and ramp for weeks even months before. We come back because they are the only ones doing it. But really hope they can work on a couple of areas to make it a better experience for all. read more

Came out to climb and saw a camp group with an instructor belaying like they're in the old top rope tough guys video. I'd be DISGUSTED if I knew my kids had their safety in the hands of someone so lazy and nonchalant, setting a terrible examples for the climbers of tomorrow. I'm disgusted just seeing it on my way through. read more

I can not say enough great things about this spot... it's fantastic! We've been exceptionally happy with indoor ski lessons for our 3 & 5yr old. The instructors are phenomenal with kids: big thank you to Grace, A.J., & Ryan. We'll wrap up this season on skis but will hopefully continue thru the year and be ready for snowboarding also next season. 10/10 read more

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Mini mountain was a key reason my daughter was able to quickly learn the concepts and get on the snow. The staff goes above and beyond to guide and help you. My daughter took 4 lessons and she was able to handle the magic carpet. Even though it was a drive for us from Seattle, it was well worth it. I am also planning to take my son as soon as he's 4. This is a perfect way for people to start off or improve their technique. read more

My husband and I are both 40, so we're not exactly...spring chickens :) We have snowboarded for awhile, but both of us felt like it was time to switch to skiing (no lift lines, and no more getting stuck on flats!). We booked one beginner-level ski lesson on the snow last month, then flew to see relatives in Redmond for a few days, and we stumbled upon Mini Mountain and decided to see what this revolving carpet was about. Wow! This place is so cool! The lessons seem short at 20 minutes, til you're up there practicing. Both of us were sweating like crazy! During each 20-min lesson, you'll practice turns over and over til they start to feel natural. You can also ask to practice other things if you want, such as hockey stops. The instructors were all great, but they're all very different--so if you have specific preferences on age, gender, teaching style, skiing philosophy, etc., you should let them know ahead of time so you can get someone who vibes with you. Following just two sessions each on the carpet, we both felt like we improved a LOT. We're really excited to get back to the snow to apply what we learned! The best part is they have great customer service. When they found out we're from California, meaning we probably wouldn't get through our 10-class pass during this trip, they said we could use the rest of our classes anytime in the future. That really takes the pressure off because we don't get to WA very often. Thanks for a great experience, Mini Mountain! read more

My 11 year old did a week of the ski summer camp and LOVED it! Highly recommend! Coaches were fun and engaging, and made learning a game, so it was a blast! read more

As a 40-year-old mother of three who had never skied, I admit I had quite a bit of trepidation about learning. My boys had been skiing for three years with my husband and were hitting the slopes every weekend. I knew I needed to get over my fear and learn so I could join my family in this outdoor winter activity they all loved so much! But how could I ever catch up with them? How could I deal with falling and making a fool of myself week after week? Was I destined for a season of lessons on the bunny slope while they skied the amazing terrain the northwest had to offer? Enter mini mountain!! I bought a 10-pack and started talking lessons in April 2018. I was terrified but Russ was so calm and patient with me week after week. I started to feel more confident. I took a break for the summer and picked up with another 10-pack in September. This time it was Mark and Kevin helping me go from terrified to triumphant in just 20 lessons! I surprised my family at the top of Pacific Crest (a blue run) my first day on snow! They were shocked and thrilled! I have been up 16 times this season and am comfortable with all greens and blues and even some black runs! I have even taken a couple of private lessons with Kevin on the snow to fine tune my skills. Mini mountain is an amazing way to learn to ski in the off season! No need for cold weather gear or skis! They provide boots and skis. Skip the snow lessons and learn indoors so you can spend the winter skiing with your friends and family instead of on the magic carpet! Thank you, mini mountain!!! You guys are amazing!!! read more

I wanted to get my son into skiing; I ski and I hoped it was something we could do together. For context, we put him through 2 days of lessons/daycare at Whistler one year. That was the only experience he had until, starting that summer, we put him in the summer program at Mini Mountain. My son was trepidacious and even cried/protested during several lessons. The coaches, especially the older guys (Tom and Russ), do a great job of getting the kids over that hump. They get the kid's mind off of the fear and start having fun. As the weeks go by, my son did better and better. He'd regress and the coaches would get him back on track. The indoor facility has a ski lift to practice getting on/off, as well. From the end of the summer until January, he didn't have any more lessons. We got 1-2 more in, and then we started in the Mini Mountain 6-week program at Snoqualmie Pass. Going from carpet to snowy mountain was a difficult transition for my 4 year old, but the coaches helped him along fine. Mostly, the issue was separation anxiety. He progressed from magic carpet to a ski lift run. By the 5th week, he was happy to see the coach that he had been working with and they got in 9 runs in 90 minutes, which was 2-3x more than the usual. Another trip to Whistler and my son was better than last year by a country mile. He was skiing blues and the instructors had to move him up to a more experienced group. We're keeping it up this summer with more MM indoor lessons. I'm looking forward to taking my son skiing locally every week this season. At this point, we both know he can handle it. MM is a great way to learn skiing because you get way more practice in a 20 minute lesson than you would in an hour on the mountain (waiting in lift lines, on the lift, waiting for others). It is continuous skiing in a controlled environment and an instructor to watch you closely and give you feedback. There is also a mirror in front of you so you can see your posture. It is also WAY cheaper and takes less time to do the lesson locally. You don't have the 90 minute drive up and then down from the pass. There is no need to rent/buy gear. The company isn't the most organized, but if you work with them and figure out the online reservation system, it is worth it. They may be busy sometimes at the desk; I recommend going at a time they aren't so busy (Friday evenings, weekend mornings in my experience) and you'll get plenty of attention. read more

Excellent lesson. Russ is a great teacher. I would recommend this place over Stevens pass lessons. Going down the treadmill carpet felt a little strange at first but within 20mins we were making turns without too much difficulty. Will definitely come here for more lessons and maybe on snow lessons as well. read more

Mini Mountain Indoor Ski Ctr - Sloped treadmill - Ski Schools Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

July 27 UPDATE: I disputed this charge with my credit card company, and Mini Mountain sent them A FAKE RECEIPT - a document that doesn't even have my signature on it. These people are scum. Watch your backs. read more

Mini Mountain saved my kid this season! We got a great deal on a season rental for him and lessons. The staff is polite and patient. They have 3 indoor ski lesson areas and they also offer ski lessons at Snoqualmie. Check them out. read more

My 6 year son and I started taking Ski classes in snoqualmie. I thought is was going to be easier! After 4 classes we started getting frustrated and started loosing the excitement. Someone told us to take indoor ski classes in Mini Mountain. Game changer! Great instructors. It really makes a difference to come here and learn technic before going to the mountain. They also teach you the proper and safe way to use the lift since they have one here. This is a great place, COVID protocols in placed, excellent customer service. I really recommend this place. read more

Great staff, for both rentals and indoor lessons! My son needed season ski rentals. I called Mini Mt., they were very helpful going over what sizes they had available, rental terms, etc. Other local rental locations have cut off dates for seasonal rentals. Kids seasonal rental cost was a great deal, after calling 6 local retailers. read more

Always fast and easy to work with them - on multiple things... (Ski binding adjustments, ski rentals, etc.)

The guy that works the counter at this place is about the dumbest most annoying person on the planet and overly complicates the whole process to register. His customer service skills are non existent. If you can make it past the registration process the instruction is great! read more

I took lessons from here when I was a kid, and that is the reason why I can ski today. Indoor skiing lessons! On what? Carpet? Yep, carpet. Equipped with sloped electronically-controlled rolling carpet to practice on (it's as fascinating as it looks), this place has instructors who give you quick learning tips. The instructors are quick to react when you fall, too. They also have small batting cages and a rock climbing wall. The place is really small and kind of run down. Skiing and snowboarding lessons both given! read more

Fantastic practice facility, especially for young kids. A little out dated, but nice staff and friendly.

Best thing I did to get my kids on skis. I took my 3 and 6 year old here for lessons before taking them up to the mountain. They each took about 8 lessons and we had a different instructor on several occasions. Each one was nice and did a great job with my kids, even through some mini melt downs. Great place for kids to learn before taking them to the mountain and the staff was great with my kids. read more

Both of my kids take lessons here and I have found them to be great. First, they are very responsive by email or phone - even during theses uncertain times where I'm sure they are fielding tons of questions. Second, I feel that they are good at adjusting to the level of the student. My older daughter took both indoor and outdoor lessons. For the outdoor lessons, they took her on the ski lift the first run (she was just 5YO). I've seen other students at other ski schools stay on the magic carpet the whole season. With my second daughter who started much younger, they have been great about not pushing her too hard in the indoor lessons so she will enjoy skiing rather than being overly frustrated. The only slight issue I have is their online scheduling system could be more user friendly, but again I have been able to make adjustments by calling or emailing. read more

After finally just going in, we were happy to find that their services a top notch. My wife got a good foundation to get on the hill. Still not easy to contack. But a good business read more

My daughter and I took a snowboarding class and loved it! The instructors were amazing and it was really fun and helpful! I am not very coordinated, but the instructor was really great in explaining what to do and in gradually increasing the difficulty. My nine year-old wanted to stay...she was all smiles and felt so much more confident by the end of the lesson. Great experience!!!! read more

We had several indoor lessons for our daughter that went well. Then we took outdoor lessons and for the last we went to Snoqualmie and paid a lift ticket for nothing. The instructor (Tommy) did not show up and didn't give any excuses for that. We will no longer work with this company. read more

We had a Groupon to use, and called three times, but never heard back to schedule. Disappointing, as I know my friends' kids have had a wonderful time here. There must be some trick to getting on the schedule that I don't know about! read more

Mediocre execution of an interesting idea. The quality of instruction is merely okay, delivered by a couple teens who don't seem at all concerned about actually teaching my kid to ski. Even more frustrating is that they frequently fall behind on their schedule, and have an unprofessional, unacceptable habit of reducing lesson time to make up the time. Why am I paying top dollar for 20 minutes of instruction, but receiving less than 15 minutes?!? read more

As someone older getting into skiing for the first time (40s), I had a lot of trepidation with getting on to skis. Taking indoor lessons and later outdoor lessons at Mini Mountain, gave me both the know-how and confidence to really enjoy skiing. I'm still taking regular lessons from them in order to continue learning. I've had lessons from most of their instructors including Dave, Tom, Mark, Russ and Kevin. All of them are fantastic. Each have their own techniques and recommendations and I've picked up great advice and insights from each of them. If you are new to skiing, Mini Mountain is a fantastic way to learn the techniques that will give you the confidence you need when you are finally on snow. Our son has also taken lessons with me and his progression has been tremendous. I wish I had known about Mini Mountain years ago, I would have been on the slopes a lot sooner :) read more

Staff is great and patient with my 6 yo son. Tom is the little kids specialist and so sweet. My son doesn't open to to anyone topically but Tom is a natural. Mini saves us a ton of time and headache with beginner training on their ramps. This is sorely needed in Seattle and Bellevue has been lucky to have these guys for decades. Rental program is fantastic for kids and we are fans for life. I brought my brother here to train over 15 years ago as well! read more

It is basically a treadmill for skiers. I brought my 2 daughters there for a trial lesson. You learn basic skills like proper technique on how to get up, stop, turn, etc on this rolling carpet. It takes away distractions like the cold, wet pants, frozen fingers, snow in the face and avoiding other skiers and lets you concentrate on basic skills. Their instructors meshed well with the kids and provided support and humor as well as teaching the basics. I recommend taking some lessons here before going up the slopes. By the time it takes you to get to one of the local ski resorts, they would already have mastered the basics and skip the headaches of the elements, cold and the long lines. read more

I went to Mini Mountain as a child and had great memories of my time there. When my son started asking to learn to snowboard, my first thought was to take him here to see if he even liked the sport in a warm, indoor setting. He took 5 or 6 lessons with the same instructor, and was able to learn enough to do well on actual snow. His instructor was patient and consistent, and really knew how to teach a 7 year old boy. We had a wonderful experience and will be back for some pre-season reminders this year. read more

I can't say anything about the skiing instructions. I went here for the batting cage and would not recommend that at all. Instead of strikes across the plate the machine would throw at the batter, behind the batter, over your head... Pretty much everywhere except the strike zone. read more

Great staff, awesome teachers! Had a great time learning snow boarding here. I now feel a lot more confident going on the mountain!

While I thought the instruction was average, the business practices of the owners is much worse. Our kids instruction started at 4:00. We arrived early at 3:45 and watched as the previous lesson went over to 4:10. By the time they got to my kid it was 4:15. We were promised a 20 minute lesson, so we should have gone until 4:35, but lo and behold, around 4:28, the instructor looks at the clock, knowing they are running late for the next appointment and says to my kid "we've got about 2 minutes left". In other words, my kid got a 15 minute lesson. They charge $55 for a 20 minute instruction which amounts to $2.75 per minute. By my calculations, by shorting me 5 minutes, they owe me $13.75. From reading other reviews on this site, it looks like this is common practice. Buyer beware, this is a shady place. read more

Do not buy pre-paid deal, I did and now can't get a reservation! Only available date is dec24?! Naturally, my purchase is non refundable :( read more

Walked into Mini Mountain for my first lesson at age 55, was a bit nervous, but the staff was so wonderful and made me feel at ease. Taya, the instructor, was awesome and very helpful in showing me some of the basics. Can't wait to go for the next lesson! read more

We have taken our twins for the indoor lessons on the carpet when they were 5-6 year old. I no longer can ski because of my knee surgery so this was the best way for me to introduce them quickly to the sport. Now they still continue with the Mini Mountain, but now just the on-snow lessons each year in January and February (boys love them). The plan is to take the advantage of the great instructors @ Mini Mountain till the twins are mature enough to ski on their own. I think the Mini Mountain needs to advertise more both the on carpet and on snow lessons so people know about them. read more

My kids (9 and 11) had such a great introduction to skiing at Mini Mountain! Karla and Ryan were extremely kind and helpful. The facility has an actual chair lift so my nervous kids could see what it's like beforehand since they've never skied. They have deals on Groupon so it's actually pretty affordable. Highly recommended! read more

My kids have taken lessons on the carpet and snow and we couldn't be happier. The instructures are seasoned and the group classes are very small for the youngsters! My 4 year old is starting soon too. We've tried other places but this is by far the best! You get the same instructure every week so they get to know your children. Last year we had to try another school because of the timing. My 8 year old twins asked to return to Mini Mountain! Suzanne L. W. read more

Friends whose kids are good skiers recommended Mini Mountain to us for our preschoolers. We were investing in lessons at Whistler and wanted to get the most out of them, so we started the girls here and are so glad we did. They got used to the mechanics and equipment before having to also deal with bulky coats and helmets and cold. The owner is so, so nice. Very practical and helpful and he was great with our youngest who was scared. She insisted on him for later lessons. My older daughter was happy with the instructors too. We will definitely go back. I need to take lessons myself. I hear their adult lessons are very helpful too. read more

My son has had two wonderful lessons here and learned so much in such a short period of time. I would give 5 stars for these two lessons. Unfortunately, after having issues with online scheduling, I called to schedule another appointment. One week, four voicemails and an email later, I have not received a return call. I think I will appreciate a refund for unused lessons at this point more than a scheduled appointment. read more

I would not waste my money on this place again. What a joke! $55 for 20 min is absolutely ridiculous! I have Groupon select and only paid $21 andI still thought that was too much. We were gonna rent snowboard equipment for the day for three people and the equipment is all outdated and beat up. Looks like stuff off offer up or a garage sale. They were very slow and were unknowledgeable on any of the equipment. They put two left footed boots on my sons feet. I was so frustrated with the whole situation I decided not rent anything and just got it from the summit mountain. The people at summit had all matching and NEW gear. Everything was updated and only $5 more expensive but way worth. All burton equipment. My kids were so happy and the people knew everything about the product they were renting. I know the lines can get long but we went night skiing and not one person in line. I don't know hOw this place has even 31/2 stars. Save your money and go to summit, you will thank me. read more