January is Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month, and Colorado Ski Country USA resorts are offering great deals and discounts this month to help beginners learn Colorado’s signature snow sports.
New skiers and riders are welcome across Colorado Ski Country, including the learning areas of our member resorts. Between magic carpets, “bunny slopes” and designated green runs, there’s plenty of terrain for beginners to learn to ski and ride in Colorado.
We asked our member resorts: Which run at your ski area is the best for beginners still getting their feet under them?
For beginners at Arapahoe Basin, the best run to learn on is Wrangler. It’s a green run with plenty of twists and turns, but it’s groomed and wide open with a mellow pitch.
For new skiers and riders who set out to learn at Aspen Snowmass, two resorts offer great beginner runs. At Snowmass, beginners can learn to ski and ride in the Meadows Learning Area, while Buttermilk offers Panda Peak for an easy option.
Cooper has the longest public magic carpet in the state beside the learning area, which is called EZ Street. It offers plenty of space for beginners to experiment and learn the basics.
Kokomo Express lift, brand new for the 2017-18 season, provides easy access to an abundance of beginner trails on the green side of the mountain.
Crested Butte Mountain Resort features many different learning zones including surface lifts and chairlifts. Once a beginner has graduated from the Beginner Area and Peachtree Lift, a common next zone to practice on is the Red Lady Lift and Painter Boy Lift. CBMR’s beginner run, Houston, is a long meandering trail that undulates just enough to be adventurous, but not overly challenging for beginners. This run takes off from the top of the Red Lady Express Lift, one of the resort’s primary lifts, and offers 1,000 vertical feet of skiing back to the base area.
Echo Mountain installed a brand new Magic Carpet and learning area this season for beginners. Once a guest has advanced from the Magic Carpet, Elsa’s Way to Breanna’s Passage is a lot of fun for nearly all ages and abilities.
Eldora’s best run for beginners, Bunnyfair, is a wide green trail with room for brand new skiers and riders to learn the ropes without too much challenge.
Granby Ranch offers several great runs for beginners including Zig & Zag, two runs accessed from the Milestone beginner lift that offer plenty of width and pitch for beginners practicing their parallel turns.
Take Off & All Smiles off Lift 7 at Loveland Valley are the best places for early beginners. Fire Bowl off Ptarmigan Lift at Loveland Basin is a nice long groomed run perfect for beginners that are done with the bunny hill. It’s two miles, groomed, with a wide, mellow pitch.
If you’re learning to ski or snowboard at Monarch, the easiest run is Snowflake. It’s a green accessed from the beginner Caterpillar lift that’s sure to have you flourishing into a skiing butterfly in no time.
Stagecoach, which then runs into Peacemaker, is the perfect fun for the skier or rider still getting their feet under them at Powderhorn. These runs are groomed daily and have consistent terrain and snow conditions that are perfect for beginner skiers and riders.
Steamboat’s best run for beginners is Tomahawk, a long, wide-open run with gentle rollers that makes a great place for beginner skiers to take their skills to the next level and tackle their first blue run.
Sunlight’s Midway run is a great place to learn to ski or snowboard. A wide-open trail with a mild pitch, it’s the perfect terrain for beginners. Parents can watch their kids come down the mountain right from the base lodge. And for those ready to tackle freestyle, Sunlight’s Pump Haus Park offers the perfect progression for beginners, where professional instructors are ready to teach the first steps of freestyle.
Telluride’s beginner area, Ute Park, is serviced by a small beginner lift that gives new skiers and riders the opportunity to enjoy Telluride’s stunning panoramic views while still enjoying an easy run for practicing turns. Telluride also offers learning terrain in The Meadows, along with a new 15-acre terrain-based teaching facility and new 300-foot Sun Kids magic carpet.
Winter Park’s primary learning area, Sorensen Park, is a large area at the base of the mountain where both adults and children learn the fundamentals of sliding on skis or snowboards, body control, turning, and stopping. The area features two conveyor lifts and a rope tow, which enables beginners to get the feel of being on snow. After creating a solid foundation in Sorensen Park, students rapidly graduate to chairlifts and more difficult terrain.
Foxy is a new beginner run that debuted this season. Located next to the new Lynx Lift, Foxy serves as a new run for lessons and helps skiers and boarders get their feet under them.
Another great run at Wolf Creek for beginners is Kelly Boyce, located off the Raven Chairlift, which is easy to get to and has gentle rolling hills along with flats to get skiers and boarders familiar with the conditions and build confidence for the day.
