Laying groundwork

Lessons in skiing, boarding fundamentals help beginners avoid injury, have more fun

By Grace Hood, Special to the Rocky

Published November 11, 2008 at 3 p.m.

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Photo by Steve Peterson © Special to The Rocky

Instructor Cathy Spierling gives her group a bump lesson during Betty Fest, a weekend women's ski clinic at Keystone.

Photo by Larry Pierce © Steamboat/2005

Snowboarding and skiing lessons at Steamboat Springs are offered for adults and children ages 2 1/2 and up.

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When asked about the importance of lessons for beginners, snowboard instructor Gregg Davis recalls an all-too-familiar scene from the slopes: An unhappy, inexperienced boarder tromps down the side of a hill, lumbering under the weight of his snowboard.

"I know what happened," said Davis, a national team member of the American Association of Snowboard Instructors and a Breckenridge Ski School instructor. "They went up with their friends, and, after a couple of falls, their friends bailed. It's just a bummer, and it wastes a day," he said.

In order for beginners to improve quickly, lessons are key, said Davis. Not only do they teach skiers and boarders how to slow down and avoid injuries, they also push students to form better habits, which pay off in the long run.

Thanks to a large selection of teaching techniques and schools, Colorado's resorts are a veritable bounty for beginning boarders and skiers. Stir in a dizzying array of beginner-specific equipment and you have the perfect recipe for ramping up your technique faster than ever before.

"It's an ideal time to learn to ski or board because of the combination of the equipment with the instruction," said Bobby Murphy, director of the Keystone Ski and Ride School.

"People make the jump to the intermediate realm quicker, and with more success."

For beginning boarders, the Burton Learn to Ride program provides an optimal equipment and instruction combination. The program uses shorter and softer boards that have a concave tip and tail, which make turning and controlling the board easier than the average snowboard. Smaller class sizes and targeted teaching techniques enable students to perfect their technique fast.

"It makes learning how to change edges and control the board very easy," Davis said.

A beginner group lesson is also a good alternative. In Davis's classes, instruction begins before students even hit the slopes. Students need proper clothing for snow conditions, and that doesn't mean denim jeans, he said. Goggles, a helmet, hydration and sunscreen are also key.

Perhaps the single most important part of suiting up is making sure the boots are tight enough, said Davis. If the boots are too loose, a simple turn requires too much power from the legs and upper body.

"You develop a spiral of riding where you use large body movements," he said. "You need large body movements, but if you're not precise in your snowboarding it can hurt you when you do tight trees and steeper slopes."

Both ski and board instructors work with students on adopting the correct stance. Murphy said that his instructors place an emphasis on "stacking" the joints, or ensuring that the body is aligned.

"We train our staff to look for inefficiencies in stance," he said. "Ultimately, if we can fix the imbalance issues, our clients will have an awesome day on the snow if they're efficient. If they're inefficient, they can't make it through lunchtime."

For boarders, the alignment concept also applies, but with an added emphasis on a loose, low and fluid stance.

"Lean your shins on your boots, bend at your knees and hips, and keep your back upright," said Davis. "Distribute your weight evenly."

Unfortunately, lessons won't provide beginners with immunity from falling or catching an edge, which causes snowboarders to stop and suddenly tumble to the ground. However, they do force students to slow down and master techniques before they accelerate to faster speeds, at which falling could cause significant injury to the inexperienced skier or boarder.

For Davis, lessons always will offer one definite advantage to the novice.

"Snowboarding is all about having fun," he said. "Spend a few days taking a lesson as a beginner, and you'll get to the point where you're having so much fun you don't want to stop."

Ski and board schools

From half-day group to all-day private lessons, these ski and board schools will get you started on the slopes.

Arapahoe Basin

* A-basin rounds out its ski and board school with telemark instruction. Basin Racin' Kids is a multiweek program that teaches children ages 8-14 the basics of ski racing; $55-$460; 1-888-272-7246; arapahoebasin.com.

Breckenridge

* Check out Breckenridge for its specialized programs in the fields of adaptive skiing, telemark and women's specific instruction; $80-$640; 1-888-576-2754;

breckenridge.com.

Copper Mountain Resort

* Ski Copper for its multiweek camps focused on children ages 3-18. Intermediate skiers and boarders will want to check out the NASTAR downhill ski-racing clinics and Copper Posse, a freestyle ski or board program for kids; $68-$580; 1-800-458-8386; coppercolorado.com.

Eldora

* Specialty courses include multiweek programs for kids, and woman-specific workshops. The resort's nearby Nordic center offers introductory skate, cross-country and telemark ski packages; call for prices; 303-440-8700; eldora.com.

Keystone

* Visit this resort for multiweek programs for kids ages 3-15, as well as more advanced weekend workshops for women only. The Keystone Adaptive Center provides one-on-one instruction for people with disabilities; $79-$640; 1-877-753-9786; keystone.snow.com.

Loveland

* Beginners and intermediates love the 3 Class Pass program, in which adults and children sign up for three classes and receive a free Loveland Ski Resort pass; $46-$395; 1-800-225-5683; skiloveland.com.

SolVista at Granby Ranch

* Tap into the Accelerated Learning Center, designed to teach beginning kids and adults; call for prices; 1-888-850-4615; solvista.com.

Steamboat Springs

* This large resort promises miles of mild terrain and beginning instruction for adults and kids ages 2 1/2 and up; call for prices; 1-970-879-6111; steamboat.com.

Vail

* If you're searching for a specific teaching method, chances are Vail has it, from video analysis to women's instruction to the Focused Learning Adult Ski program; call for prices; 1-970-476-5601; vail.snow.com.

Winter Park

* Day and multiweek programs for adults and kids ages 3 1/2 and up. Ski weekends and clinics are a bonus for the more advanced; $69-$529; 303-892-0961; skiwinterpark.com.

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