Here’s a deal that you may not want to miss out on. Sunapee Mountain in New Hampshire offered something along these lines until December 24th, but now it is Vermont’s turn.
Offered by the Vermont Ski Area’s Association, this deal allows you to take one lesson in skiing or snowboarding, get a pair of rental skis and poles or a snowboard (along with the respective boots, of course), and you’ll have a lift ticket valid for the lower beginner mountain. If the lower mountain becomes too easy or boring for you, then you can buy a midday ticket for a semi-low price!
Some of the participating mountains are Mount Snow, Jay Peak, Magic Mountain, Okemo Mountain Resort, Smugglers’ Notch Resort, Stratton, Mad River Glen, and Bromley. I would suggest trying out Mount Snow as a first choice.
If you do not know whether or not you want to learn how to board or ski, I would suggest trying out skiing. Yes, I am a little bit biased because I am a skier, but, as almost every skier/snowboarder will tell you, skiing is easy to learn and hard to master while snowboarding is hard to learn and well “easy” to master. With skiing, you could be flying down the mountain by the end of the day, but with snowboarding, you’ll probably be satisfied with the lower mountain ticket and taking that green circle trail for the 20th time. Both can be frustrating, but I find that snowboarding is much more frustrating to learn, and you get a whole lot wetter. Trust me, you’ll be on your butt a lot.
If you’ve never skied or boarded before, this is your chance to try out, what I think, is the best sport ever! It’s so much fun and it is such a great feeling–that snow rushing below your feet and you just gliding around. Join the rest of us snow bums, and have some fun! Check out Ski Vermont’s website for more information.