This past weekend, Charles and I went skiing! I attempted snowboarding back in high school on a school trip, and I broke my wrist, so I was a bit nervous going into it, but it was so fun! I learned that you fall a lot less when skiing, but getting up when you do fall is a lot harder. Here’s how it went learning to ski at Eldora as an adult! But first, enjoy Bethany (right) circa 2007 in Winter Park, CO!
Eldora
Eldora is a Mountain Ski Resort that is about 45 minutes outside of Boulder. It’s the closest ski resort to the Denver/Boulder area so it’s popular for it’s proximity. It’s a bit smaller than some other ski resorts in the area, but it was perfect for us. It was such a “bluebird” (sunny, blue skies) day and not too crowded either! Not all the slopes are open yet, so I’d imagine it’s only going to get busier as the season progresses.
Lessons
This ski resort is known as “the place to learn to ski” and had the best bang for your buck when it comes to lessons. Charles and I both signed up for the Adult Group Lessons which included 4 hours of lessons, and the basic gear (skis/boots, poles, and helmet). That meant I got to go shopping and of course, bought the pink pants and goggles! I kept the same jacket from 2007 though – still fits! We only had one other person in our group and she had basic knowledge of skiing, so it was a pretty personalized lesson! We also had a great instructor.
I had never touched a ski before, so I definitely started from the beginning. I was expecting to use poles, but we didn’t use any poles in our lesson. The instructor said that for beginners, the poles tend to over-complicate skiing. We started on the cutest little bump going down and shuffling back up then learning to makes turns. After that, we then progressed to a very mini ski slope and the to the “magic carpet” Tenderfoot (bunny slope).
Making Progress
Since we were all doing so well, the instructor allowed us to go up the ski lift! Charles thought this was an important part of the lesson because it can be difficult. Apparently most group lessons don’t progress that far, so it was awesome that the other person in our group had skiied before. I am SUPER glad Charles pushed for the ski lift, because I definitely ate it coming off the first lift… Having the instructor there was helpful because he was able to help me identify where I went wrong. I’m proud to say I successfully stayed on my skis coming off the lift the rest of the time.
When the lesson was over, we had about an hour to enjoy the slopes on our own. Charles and I did a few more rounds on the Green slopes. Then, Charles ventured out to conquer some Blue slopes! He picked skiing back up pretty quickly and it was fun to watch him.
Thoughts on Skiing
Overall, it was a great day of skiing! I was worried that I wouldn’t enjoy skiing or that Charles would be too advanced for the lessons, but it all worked out perfect. I did better than I thought and would definitely go again!
When we aren’t hitting the slopes, we’re trying to take in all the Christmas-y things we can! Our Christmas tree is up and I’m obviously watching all the Christmas movies and trying all the holiday drinks! Cheers!
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