First time skiing advice - NA

[RogerT]

But he did give many of us a big a$$ which slides downhill pretty well.

Haha. Which is exactly how I'd be going down if I tried it.

 

[AdamZ]

Troy good move shopping it around, especially the Bibs. If the coats on overstock are good go for it. Beaware lots of places sell stuff that looks like primo ski clothing that is just crap.

Again the underwear and socks are key. I can't stress that enough. FWIW REI is a co-op if you join they give you a percent of you purchases back every year in a dividend refund whcih you can cash in or use for merchandise. Also REI guarantees all of its store brand merchandise for life.

You and your family are going to have a blast!

 

[p8cleared2land]

I am an avid skiier and there is not much to add to what everyone else has said, but I will re-iterate a few things.

1. Keep the first day short.
2. Wear layers, leave them at the condo if needed. (Sometimes at smaller resorts you can leave a liner with the lift operators if you smile.) The bummer thing is that you get very hot skiing, then have a possibly cold and windy chairlift ride. So stay away from cotton.
3. Boarding is the cool thing for kids right now. Centrifugally speaking, a helmet is a good idea.
4. I am somewhere in the NE right now, but on the back of my itenerary passes, there were coupons for Copper Mountain...watch for the deals. Skiing doesnèt have to be outrageously expensive.

Have fun!

 

[flyersfan31]

If you fly into Denver, and rent a car, then stop in a local supermarket on your way out of town and visit their customer service counter. Often there will be discount lift tix available for the benefit of locals (I mean Denver locals -- I don't know how far out you can go, but I would bet much past Golden the deals won't exist.) I glommed onto this scam years ago visiting my sister in Colorado Springs. I got something like half-price lift tickets for Breckenridge and Keystone doing that. Maybe a call to a few supermarkets in the area might be in order to scope out any deals.

CO residents, please set me straight if these deals are no longer available.

Something to think about...

 

[TangoWhiskey]

If we changed our mind and decided to go to Washington State (family there says "if you're gonna ski, come see us and ski here!"), which is best for beginners? Snoqualmie? Stevens Pass? Something else?

 

[gismo]

If we changed our mind and decided to go to Washington State (family there says "if you're gonna ski, come see us and ski here!"), which is best for beginners? Snoqualmie? Stevens Pass? Something else?

Dunno. I've skied at Mt Hood in Oregon and it was OK but IIRC a lot smaller than most of the Colorado front range resorts. Can you rent a ski in-out condo at the Washington ski areas? Commuting to the area from the vicinity of your family's home might take away some of the fun. Then again if they provide lodging, food, and transportation it could cut the cost of your adventure considerably. One thing for sure, unless your family has certified ski/snowboard instructors in it, go with the professionals for your half day lessons. The family might make good mountain guides, but they could be lousy instructors for beginners.

 

[TangoWhiskey]

Dunno. I've skied at Mt Hood in Oregon and it was OK but IIRC a lot smaller than most of the Colorado front range resorts. Can you rent a ski in-out condo at the Washington ski areas? Commuting to the area from the vicinity of your family's home might take away some of the fun. Then again if they provide lodging, food, and transportation it could cut the cost of your adventure considerably. One thing for sure, unless your family has certified ski/snowboard instructors in it, go with the professionals for your half day lessons. The family might make good mountain guides, but they could be lousy instructors for beginners.

My cousin's husband was a ski bum/instructor at Copper for years! So we'd get some 1-on-1 lessons... I don't think we'd stay 'up at the mountain' if we went to Washington. It's only about an hour's drive to the summits.

 

[Ed Guthrie]

If we changed our mind and decided to go to Washington State (family there says "if you're gonna ski, come see us and ski here!"), which is best for beginners? Snoqualmie? Stevens Pass? Something else?

Oh, wow. I'm an ex-eastern Washington skier. I learned at North/South, Schweitzer, Jackass (now Silver Mountain), Mt. Spokane, Stevens Pass, White Pass, and Snoqualmie Summit. None of those comes close in comparison to either Breckenridge, Cooper, or Park City. Run away.

Seriously, I'd say Snoqualmie Summit versus Stevens Pass, but that's an ages old memory item--in the past 25 years one or two things might have changed.