January is Learn to Ski & Snowboard Month

Group of kids and instructors making silly faces

January is Learn to Ski & Snowboard Month

December 10, 2018

January 1, 2019 signals the start of the 11th annual Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month in the U.S. New Hampshire is one of the key states leading the charge to deliver some of the 42,000 beginner lessons during January that are needed to surpass the one million mark since the initiative began in 2009.

New Hampshire resorts participating so far include: Bretton Woods, Cranmore Mountain Resort, Great Glen Trails XC, King Pine, Pat's Peak and Ragged Mountain. These areas are offering special deals during January on beginner lesson programs and some have enticements if you "bring a friend."

Cranmore and Great Glen Trails also have signed up to celebrate national Learn to Ski or Snowboard DAY on January 11, 2019 when resorts will try to set a new industry record for the most beginner lessons taught in a single day.

According to snow sports industry research, most people want to learn the sports because they want to spend more time with friends or family members. Trying to learn from a friend, family member or one's self are probably not the best options. Taking beginner lessons from professional instructors, regardless of age, is the most effective and quickest way to learn Alpine skiing, snowboarding or cross country skiing.

Organizers of the national Learn to Ski and Snowboard/Bring a Friend effort are offering additional incentives for those who help newcomers take beginner lessons from pros and also the beginners themselves.

The "Bring a Friend" Challenge offers prizes like skis, snowboards, goggles, gloves and other accessories plus a free one-year subscription to Mountain Sports Club to anyone who registers for the Challenge and helps a beginner sign up for lessons. Full details are posted here.

Beginners can win gift vouchers from a variety of sponsors by posting photos of themselves or friends (and themselves) on social media of their "first day" learning the sports and using the hash tag #firstdayfaces.

Both programs run from January 1 - 31. Photos will be posted on the www.learntoskiandsnowboard.org web site as they are received.

Information on all related programs, including useful tips for newcomers is posted at www.learntoskiandsnowboard.org.

About the author

Mary Jo Tarallo has been a skier since she was in high school. She was the ski editor for the Baltimore Sun for 12 years and also the southeast correspondent for The Snow Industry Letter for which she still is a contributor. Mary Jo served in several capacities at Snow Sports Industries America including PR Director. She has headed up the Learn to Ski and Snowboard (Month)/Bring a Friend initiative since its inception in 2009. She lives in Washington, DC and loves to travel.

Written By
Mary Jo Tarallo