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Home  >  Blog  >  Mum’s gone to Colorado: Learning to ski at Winter Park

Mum’s gone to Colorado: Learning to ski at Winter Park

Trish Burgess Posted on22/02/201629/01/2019 Colorado, Skiing, United States, Winter Park 34 Comments

A ski lesson in Winter Park, Colorado

 

I suppose Dougie and I could have learned to ski at home. There is a dry ski slope fairly close by at Tallington Lakes and we did visit it, but only to buy some of our gear (check out the environmentally-friendly organic gorgeousness of my Picture jacket). Friends of ours, also learning to ski for the first time in Austria, tried the snow dome at Milton Keynes to get their first taste of the slopes. We decided, however, to hand ourselves over, body and soul, to the ski instructors at Winter Park, to experience the whole shebang from the very beginning.

We knew Winter Park would be a great training ground as a local school here in the UK has organised trips there. Two dads we know have accompanied the children: both of them are experienced, one a boarder and one a skier, and they praised the resort for its suitability for all levels of ability.

With over 3000 acres of skiable terrain, 143 trails, 6 terrain parks, 1 halfpipe, 26 lifts and an average snowfall of 323 inches, you can see why Winter Park is such a draw for skiers and riders. It’s only a 90 minute drive from Denver (slightly longer from the airport) so the resort is a local attraction for residents. Owned by the city of Denver since it opened in 1939, it’s now part-owned by Intrawest, the Canadian company which also runs Steamboat, Tremblant and Blue Mountain.

As a total newbie, the most exhausting part of the whole operation is getting kitted out. Winter Park made this as stress-free as possible, supplying us with skis, boots, poles and helmets and ensuring we were comfortable before we set off for our first lesson. But walking in the boots is an art, likewise carrying the skis: I needed a lie-down before I’d started.

group ski lesson, Winter Park, Colorado

From this point on, things were surprisingly smooth. The Ski & Ride School was, quite simply, superb. We were placed in a group of five for a full day’s lesson. None of us had skied before and we were all adults. In less than an hour after the initial tentative steps on the travelator, our instructor, JT, decided we were ready to tackle the proper slopes.

Winter Park has an excellent area of the mountain which is perfect for beginners. The Discovery Park is reached by a chair lift and there are a number of inter-linked easy green runs to explore, without having the worry of more accomplished skiers flying past you and causing you to wobble. There were no queues, this being mid-week and kids being at school, so we were able to spend huge amounts of time on the runs, perfecting turns and building up our confidence. It didn’t feel as if we were on beginner runs either: some were tree-lined, others had fantastic views over the Rockies. Within a day we had become proper skiers, albeit fairly slow, sensible ones.

Lunch was provided free for all full-day pupils, and my tip here is not to go overboard on the food. On the second day, Dougie ate so much chicken and fries, his ski to tumble ratio was disappointingly high. A soup and sandwich combo was far better at keeping you alert and on your feet.

A note for families here. If you are wondering about your children learning to ski at Winter Park, you couldn’t choose a better resort. All children at the ski school are tagged with a GPS tracking advice which the instructor can set so an alarm is activated if the child moves beyond a set distance away. Of course, we heard about some naughty tricks such as two brothers, in separate groups, swapping tags, and another inventive lad who attached his to a passing snowmobile. But this safety device will reassure parents that their little ones are in good hands. At the end of the day, you can access a website to see where the kids have skied so you can share the experience with them. Parents we spoke to at Winter Park were full of praise for the system and had complete confidence in the instructors, knowing their children were safe and having a fantastic time.

We were interested to discover that Winter Park is the primary location for the National Sports Center for the Disabled. The world’s largest therapeutic recreation agency, whose motto is “Empowering the human spirit through sport”, the NSCD does amazing work at Winter Park, teaching people with a whole spectrum of disabilities to ski/ride in the winter and try out activities such as rock climbing and mountain biking in the summer. We shared the slopes with some of these kids and young adults and it was inspiring to see what they were able to achieve.

After three days of lessons, with JT, Mike and Jerry, all three having many years of teaching experience, Dougie and I felt very assured in our novice skiing ability. I honestly didn’t believe that, at 51, I could learn this new sport but, with expert instruction and a lot of laughs, we were actually looking less like Neil Armstrong taking small steps in heavy boots and more like Franz Klammer swooshing down the mountain with some degree of style.

And just look what I managed to do on the final afternoon:

Recognise the jacket?
Stock photo (Ok, it’s a fair cop!) courtesy of Winter Park

 

Other posts about our trip to Colorado:
Flying high to Denver
Where to eat in Winter Park
Skiing in Steamboat Springs
There’s more to Steamboat than skiing

 






This trip was organised for us by the resorts of Winter Park and Steamboat Springs. Accommodation, ski rental, lessons and lift passes were complimentary as were my flights and some meals. Dougie paid for his own flights.


Travel Monkey

 

Previous Article Mum’s gone to Colorado: Flying high to Denver
Next Article Mum’s gone to Colorado: Where to eat in Winter Park

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34 Comments

  1. MsCaroline Reply
    22/02/2016 at 2:27 pm

    Well done – it sounds like an absolutely perfect ski vacation! No altitude sickness, no broken legs, acrobatic skills developed in a matter of days. What more could you ask for?

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      23/02/2016 at 12:32 pm

      It was the perfect ski vacation. I surprise myself sometimes…

  2. Expat mum Reply
    22/02/2016 at 2:51 pm

    Well done cuz. Next stop – dropped out of a helicopter………

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      23/02/2016 at 12:33 pm

      Thought I might try that in the summer.

    • Actually Mummy... Reply
      24/02/2016 at 2:24 pm

      I have one of those in my family, he sets his alarm for early starts so he can jump onto the top of a mountain. Needless to stay I take the lie-in option on those days 😉

  3. Sarah Reply
    22/02/2016 at 8:41 pm

    Well done! What a fab first experience of skiing too.

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      23/02/2016 at 12:33 pm

      It was the perfect way to learn. I'm so delighted the opportunity came about as I think we would have put off trying for so long, we would never have gone.

  4. CHIARA Reply
    23/02/2016 at 9:47 am

    GREAT POST!
    CHIARA

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      23/02/2016 at 12:34 pm

      Thanks Chiara.

  5. Funky Wellies Reply
    24/02/2016 at 2:11 pm

    Happy for you you had such a great experience.
    It certainly looks like a fantastic skiing domain. xx
    PS: I know what you mean, walking in those ski boots gets a bit of getting used to! ;o)

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      03/03/2016 at 3:33 pm

      So much space, no queues and fabulous scenery: I couldn't have wished for a better place to learn.
      And yes, there's a knack to the walking, especially down stairs!

  6. Actually Mummy... Reply
    24/02/2016 at 2:23 pm

    Hahah, I can only dream of stunts like that (in my nightmares)! Love the tracking device idea – we struggled to keep eyes on our kids last week in the fog we experienced and were considering walkie talkie's for next time in case they got lost, but this would be such good peace of mind. Great advice on the lunch stops too – add a small carafe of wine to a steak and chips and I'm the best skier in the world! (Again, this may be in my dreams).
    Glad you had a good time – we love the States and Canada for skiing, not been with the kids yet, but it's on our bucket list after all our pre-family holidays there.

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      03/03/2016 at 3:35 pm

      A carafe of wine and steak and chips!! – I would have been hopeless after that.
      I thought the GPS system was excellent. I wonder if you could buy something similar if your kids weren't at the ski school?
      I can understand why you would want to bring the children: you must have some fabulous memories of previous trips.

  7. Elizabeth Reply
    29/02/2016 at 7:43 am

    Oh my goodness WOW! It's been such a long time since I've been skiing. Since I was a child in Canada, to be honest, and to go skiing again is on my 40 things I'd like to do before I turn 40 list. I've got until December 2016!

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      03/03/2016 at 3:36 pm

      Ooh not long to go then, Elizabeth!
      I wish I had tried it years ago – I will have to go more frequently to make up for lost time.

  8. Nell@PigeonPairandMe.com Reply
    29/02/2016 at 12:23 pm

    Wow, they really did work wonders with you, judging by that final shot 😉 Fascinating post – it's amazing how different resorts are to each other in their approach. I love the fact that Winter Park has a focus on supporting disabled people to ski, and tags the kids (and I love the pranks those kids pulled even more!)

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      03/03/2016 at 3:38 pm

      Quite incredible, I know!
      I did giggle when I heard the stories about the children: thankfully it can't happen very often and the instructors find out pretty quickly.

  9. Grey World Nomads Reply
    29/02/2016 at 1:14 pm

    Never to late to learn … well done!

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      03/03/2016 at 3:38 pm

      What else can I try? I have a much more positive outlook now: I'm not too old after all.

  10. Megan - Truly Madly Kids Reply
    29/02/2016 at 1:57 pm

    Looks amazing! We took our first ski trip to North America this year too (Whistler) and similarly, the kids had GPS tracking which is such a fab tool, for parents to see where they had skied! It looks really great and glad you enjoyed it #mondayescapes

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      03/03/2016 at 3:40 pm

      What a coincidence! I think Whistler was part of the Intrawest group which owns Winter Park so that would explain their use of GPS too.

  11. Sarah Christie Reply
    29/02/2016 at 9:44 pm

    Oh that GPS is a fantastic idea, we so want to learn to ski and this sounds perfect

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      03/03/2016 at 3:41 pm

      If I had a little one learning to ski this would be such a great way to feel reassured.

  12. ADITI SHUKLA Reply
    03/03/2016 at 9:23 am

    B'ful and refreshing pics & post.. I really wanna go skiing next year 🙂 #MondayEscapes

    • Trish Burgess Reply
      03/03/2016 at 3:42 pm

      Hope you do go skiing next year. I will definitely go again: being up a mountain, looking at the scenery, is so invigorating and that's before you even start to ski.

  13. Corey Cook Reply
    04/03/2016 at 12:55 am

    We love CO and Winter Park has always sounded so amazing. That is too funny about the GPS devices and the switcharoos..hysterical! #mondayescapes

  14. Ting Dalton Reply
    07/03/2016 at 3:17 pm

    Oh the last photo really made me chuckle! It just goes to show you can do anything, at any age! I haven't skied for about 18 years so I am practically a beginner. We really would like to do it one year and get Monkey into it – the younger the better I'm told. Winter Park looks like a wonderful family ski resort. Thanks for linking up with #MondayEscapes

  15. Swapna (The Practical Mom) Reply
    07/03/2016 at 5:49 pm

    Santiago is surrounded by ski resorts on the Andies, and I think we must give skiing a try! Very Interesting! Would love to see your posts in the Practical Mondays Link Up:)

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