New to skiing - where do we go?

[kbkids]

DH wants to go snow skiing. We're in Florida, so obviously, this is foreign to us. Where's the best place to go for newbies? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[chi_girl]

There is a lot of good skiing in the Catskills (New York State). I have heard Royal mountain has a pretty good beginner slopes. I personally like the Lake Placid area, although it mainly has blue and red slopes. California has a number of good skiing areas. I personally like Squaw Valley (again very few green slopes). When I was growing up we'd go to Bear Valley alot. It has quite a few green slopes. Outside of the US, Canada, and France/Switzerland has a lot of nice ski resorts.

Check out this website http://www.skitown.com/resortguide/usamap.cfm and click on a state. It'll tell you all you need to know.

As a beginner skier, almost any location with a few green slopes will work. I'd strongly recomend a ski instructor, as teaching yourself is really hard, and you can hurt yourself pretty easily.

 

[monarchsfan16]

NH
Our mountains range from really small to much bigger, but even the biggest aren't nearly as intimidating as the mountains out west. Plus it's a great place to visit. You probably won't want to spend every day on the slopes; we have sales tax free shopping, and great scenery

Check out skinh.com for information on different ski areas

 

[officer tigger]

Years ago I learned to ski at Stratton in Vermont. I really liked the ski school, and have been back numerous times over the years.

 

[diznygirl]

DH and I learned at Lake Arrowhead - Snow Valley Ski Resort. I haven't been to very many, but I think this one was very basic. Lake Arrowhead is also a very pretty area with some outlet shopping, and Disneyland is nearby. (sort of)

We got a package with a ski lesson - which I highly recommend wherever you go - it included a one hour lesson and skiing all day.

The hardest part about skiing for me - walking!

Good luck!

 

[mtblujeans]

Awwww...com' on and brave it out in Montana!

Check out the big mountains in Whitefish.... Big Mountain Ski Resort

There's also big skies in Big Sky.... Big Sky Ski Resort

And then there's Bozeman.... Bridger Bowl Ski Resort

Or do some comparing...... Winter In Montana

If nothing else, the pictures are pretty!

 

[froglady]

I can tell you to AVOID Snowbird (Utah) and Winter Park (CO). The former has limited greens which would be blues at other resorts. There is also a lot of traversing to get to the lifts, and EVERYONE uses the bunny slope to get from the hotel to the lift/tram. Alta, which is just down the road, has much better green slopes. (I speak from the experience of someone who went to Snowbird her second time skiing, and spent an evening crying after a terrible, frustrating day.)

Winter Park does have nice green slopes, but again, EVERYONE uses the same slope at the end of the day, and people are careless. There are lots of day trippers from Denver, so it gets quite crowded near the train departure time on the weekend.

I think Steamboat Springs had the best variety of terrain, and because of the tram and many advanced side runs, you weren't dealing with as many experts among the beginners. The ski school was excellent, and has wonderful child care.

 

[Jen_in_NH]

I'll agree with NH. Loon Mountain and Bretton Woods have a lot of beginner trails, and then decent intermediate level trails once you get the hang of it. There's also some really nice places to stay around each one, as well as plenty of other stuff to do.

Have fun - you'll love it!

Jen