Lone Mountain is a good work out. The X Class is basically Ninja Warrior. You can be a great swimmer. In the camps you do a bunch of games. Lone mountain is great!
Mom says…
Lone Mountain is the BEST place in Bozeman for the whole family to get lessons at once. Their staff is incredibly friendly and knowledgable and the kids all love their lessons and I love that they are learning skills and techniques while having tons of fun. With multiple abilities and ages of classes running at the same time, we enjoy all 3 kids getting activity at once while only having to go to one place.
Sam did 3 or 4 weeks of swimming lessons from Lone Mountain, coming into lessons with the ability to dog paddle and no fear of water, but no real stroke technique. After lessons spread out over two summers (at age 6 and 7) he has progressed to have a nice freestyle! Since I felt he now has a good grasp at swimming, I offered him the choice to swim more or to do the X Challenge (Ninja Warrior-like gymnastics for boys) and he chose the X Challenge, which he has loved!
I love X Challenge because it is all boys (let’s face it, boys can be rough and tumble and mixing girls into this dynamic doesn’t always work well) and the teachers are so encouraging while still correcting technique at the same time. He does X Challenge while our other two children are taking swim lessons, so we leave Lone Mountain, even on cold winter days, with three tired kids… I love that!
The saltwater pool is a warm for little ones, and great for sensitive skin. Changing rooms accommodate opposite-sex children until age 4 (I believe) and are nice and clean, with child-sized amenities to help your little one change with ease. Showers are out on the pool deck and the kids shower before entering the pool to keep it clean.
The swim lessons use games to encourage little ones to be comfortable in the water, while learning to put their face under, blow bubbles, and learn skills for swimming techniques. Classes are a great length, with a change in activities every 5-10 minutes to keep their interest and practice a variety of skills. Groups of lessons rotate around the pool, using platforms in the deep end, paddle boards, floating dumbbells, and more.
I’m really impressed with how everything flows with Lone Mountain, and how children are given lots of individual attention even in group lessons.
Special needs notes: One of my favorite things about LM is that they are accommodating my daughter! Eagle Mount also offers great swimming lessons for children with disabilities, but driving kids to two different places at two different times got old, especially when the roads are icy. LM staff directed me to the head of the swim program and we discussed her abilities and limitations, and they answered all my questions about the lessons. I was told that as long as she could wait her turn on the wall, they could accommodate her in group lessons.
They provide her with more time to respond, and visual instruction if she doesn’t understand the verbal instruction. I’m really happy with this solution. I understand that not all programs are going to be able to accommodate special needs due to both the nature of different disabilities and the nature of different classes, but I’m VERY thankful that Lone Mountain is able to have Hannah in their classes at the same time her brothers are in classes there.
Some tips:
- The pool area is crazy warm. This is great for keeping the little little swimmers comfortable, but for parents- be sure to dress in layers! Parents are encouraged to stay with their swimmers in case they need a trip to the bathroom.
- Since it’s so warm in the pool area, we don’t do swimming lessons during the summertime, but in the winder it’s a welcome break from the cold!
- For activity and swimming lessons without having to melt by the pool, the camps offered also contain daily swimming lessons along with other daily activities. The camps have been a hit for Sam!
- The little swimmers (age 3-5) classes fill up really fast since there is a low child to teacher ratio. If you need this class, need weekends, or need 2 or more children in lessons at the same time make sure you’re on their email list and set your alarm to register as SOON as they open registration (usually in July for the school year classes). Some classes fill up within minutes.