No better time to take lessons
If the pandemic winter mimics the pandemic summer, there will be a surge in folks looking to take up outdoor sports like skiing and riding this winter.
Like all things mountain sports, learning is going to look a little bit different this season. But the ski world wants you, and with understanding and planning this really is the year to join in on the fun.
Here’s your first bit of advice: Take lessons. All the lessons.
But first, a reminder: Lessons are the perfect way to start rt or maintain a season for skiers and ddm riders at any level. I’m m in my fifth decade of ffo take skiing a and tune-up I still lesson like to oon
nna at least once or twice a season.
For the first-timer r or someone who may have skied decades ago but not since? Say this out loud: Skiing or riding without learning from a qualified pro is a bad idea. Even if your good buddy (or heaven forbid, significant other) tells you they can show you the ropes and you don’t need a lesson, nod politely, ignore and sign up for those lessons. I’ve seen more relationships fizzle from this dynamic. (Flashback to the guy on a snowboard trying to help his girlfriend ski for the first time after taking her up a lift to a pretty upper intermediate trail. Just: no!)
Not taking a lesson can sour you on the sport quickly. I’ve met more folks who tell me they hate skiing, and when I ask how they learned, it’s always the same.
“My friends took me out and I just could not do it so I walked down the trail and said never again.”
Ski and ride friends don’t let friends not learn correctly. Got it?
So, how will lessons look this season?
With the challenges of social distancing, masking and small groups, resorts have all tweaked the lesson experience a bit. The good news is this: For the most part, there’s a way to learn correctly for everyone. From “family family lessons” that adapt to multiple levels in the family, to small group g lessons, privates vvt things and like even “Learn new with Mom/Dad/ wwGt Grandma” programs, t there’s a choice for everyone out there.
An example of what you will see can be found at Pat’s Peak in Henniker, New Hampshire (www.patspeak. where programs have been tweaked in a way they believe will answer the high demand they could have this winter.
Pat’s is offering a first-timer adult lesson package this season for all first-time skiers ages six and up. The package includes a one-hour beginner group lesson that requires an advanced reservation. (On most days you can choose from 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.). It also includes rental equipment and full day lower mountain lift ticket that allows you to practice your new skills from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
A bonus: This program enters you into the resort’s Passport Program which, after four lessons, gives you a pass for the remainder of the season along with rental gear for just $469.
Pat’s is also offering “family” lessons. Bring three family members along and you’ll take your own lesson with a pro ready to focus on many skiing levels.
Privates are still an option too for the person who’d rather not mix with a small group, and semi-privates can be booked if you want to learn with your “bubble.”
Pat’s will offer their popular Bear Cub program, but this year only for skiers and riders 7 and up who can both ride a lift unassisted and ski at a level three or higher. Younger children will have to learn in family or privates, and there is no day care this season.
Some other trends you’ll see out there? Parents may need to be on hand for younger child lessons. At Cranmore Mountain Resort in North Conway, N.H., as at most resorts, social distancing rules mean that smaller children (they are offering their popular “I Wanna Ski or Snowboard” program for 4- to 5-yearolds still, but parents are required to be nearby for any help needed up close and personal.
Smuggler’s Notch, Vermont (www. smuggs.com) is taking it to a new level, and in a way that may stick after this. There, parents are invited to come along on lessons for small children, not just to assist in any up-close needs, but to learn how to help their child learn beyond eyond the lesson time – something that could ould be a great innovation.
It’s a good year to learn as a bubble: Half the fun of skiing and riding ing is dos doing it with friends. With resorts offering deals for “bubbles,” why not get everyone out to learn? At Cranmore, for instance, you can book a 90-minute private, learn to ski or snowboard lessons for adults (13 and up) and kids (6-12) with an option of adding up to three friends or family members of similar ability for a “friends and family” small group lesson. Lessons are $175 for the first person and then $75 for each additional person.
Planning ahead will be key: All resorts are requiring advanced reservations for lessons this season. Best advice? Check your chosen resort’s website for details. If you’re confused, call. Resorts want to help you learn this season, and the more prepared all are, the better that will go. Like all years in skiing, mid midweek week is going to be more open, but if you plan now and book ahead, you should be able to get in on weekends most times as well.
It’s a good winter to add another asset to your ski/ride quiver: We will talk more about this as the season progresses, but back-country, a trend before all this, is going to be hot. So too could be telemarking. Pat’s Peak offers telemark lessons regularly (along with equipment rentals) and more than a few resorts, including Bolton Valley, are offering backcountry ski lessons that both help you learn to ski the ungroomed terrain, ski in the trees and perhaps most importantly, the vital safety rules that are a must with back-country skiing.
It’s cold. It’s going to be a long winter. ter. As a skier, this is good news for me. Those who plan now for lessons this winter will agree. A pandemic may just be the perfect tim time to embrace the ski life – for the rest o of your life.