I put on my first pair of skis at age 16 for a whopping 3 hours….and then I proceeded to never ski again.
I remember having fun, but the opportunity really never presented itself again. Sure, sure I went to Snowbird with Oakley Women a few years ago, but it was just weeks before a marathon and my fear of injury kept me from strapping myself to two tiny sticks and doing the splits downhill.
BUT when we moved to Colorado, I decided we would find a winter sport we loved. I already know snowshoeing rocks my world, but I had to give the whole “hitting the slopes” thing another try. 
WINTER PARK
Being in Denver we have our choices of places to ski, but a long time friend LOVES Winter Park and so I wanted to go there first!
I reached out and they were happy to have us come try a Max 4 Adult Snowboard Lesson. In essence this meant we got 3 hours with a snowboard instructor and just 1 other adult because not everyone showed…basically private lessons.
I wanted to request doing the entire lesson on flat ground, but I think that would have defeated the purpose, so up the mountain we went. Look out Winter Park Snowboarding School…I’m loose in the wild.
After a lot of debate I decided that snowboarding made me feel less likely to blow out a knee… yeah it’s true my life revolves around ensuring I can run, I’m not ashamed. I opted to try snowboarding before skiing for a few reasons:
- I felt less likely to inure my knees
- I knew if I tried skiing first I’d probably not snowboard
- It looks really cool
- I have decent balance from things like SUP
- Less gear to haul around if I do like it!
Winter Park teaches on a board called the Burton Method, which Heather from FitAspire swore to me is the best! They could have put a piece of wood on my feet and I wouldn’t have known the difference, but I did like it! And I did enjoy that walking in snowboarding boots is much easier than ski boots.
This is real life! David captured from above one of the many times I fell on my way down the mountain with Instructor Melissa answering the questions I inevitably had once I fell.
I learn by repetition, but also by gathering lots of information.
While our instructor was SUPER nice, we both agreed her instructions were lacking. In all fairness, she was probably the perfect instructor for someone who had skied previously or had some basic knowledge…I however am more like a toddler learning to walk.
In our first few minutes with the board we practiced clipping in one foot and moving, straight line moving down the hill, then a toe turn and a heel turn. I kept asking her to show me how to stop, but she said that would come UP on the mountain…at which point she pointed to the MASSIVE (to a newbie) slope down which people were flying.
Being me I said “nope not doing that“.
Eventually she explained that after riding the lift there is a small slope we would do and no we absolutely wouldn’t be doing that blue ride. This for me was a good example of someone forgetting what it’s like to be a beginner, we know nothing!
After successfully getting on and off the lift, it was basically like ok go down the mountain. To which I again said…”nope not doing that“. I asked that she and David head down, while I watched for a bit. David skied as a kid and felt comfortable pretty quickly, though he agreed he was learning on his own versus getting instruction. 
At that point another instructor was leading a group down and showing them…AH HA how to slow down, how to stop…yes things I was as yet not instructed to do. So watching him, I figured out how to stand up and started making my way down the mountain one ass fall at a time.
And yes I wish someone had taught us how to fall. David’s last run of the day ended in a fall that has him moving around today like he was kicked in the side by a wild donkey.
After one run down the slope sans any broken bones, I once again successfully navigated the ski lift (seriously why is it so darn scary to get off that thing!).
David and our instructor were catching some rays waiting at the top for me and both fully relieved I’d decided to actually down the slope. What can I say we started by snowboarding approximately 1 foot and then I was at the top of a slope…my brain doesn’t connect the dots that fast.
Feel the fear and do it anyways...the motto that got @runtothefinish down a mountain Click To TweetThis time the instructor wanted to snowboard down with me and I managed to do it approximately 10 times faster than the first round now that I had the initial fears of falling out of the way and some of the tips I picked up watching instructors as I moved.
This is where the 1:1 instruction helped as she held my hands to practice the heel stop and then forced me to practice the toe stop (yeah with that one you put your back to the downhill, no me gusta). 
Meanwhile, David was swooshing along and so after a few more runs, we sent him off to another green slope to finish the day…and yes this is where the bruised rib, sore bum fall occurred, while I ended the day mostly with sore arms from white knuckling my way down the slopes all day. (Video of him killing it in the works).
OVERALL we LOVED Winter Park. There are a bazillion slopes for those who have a clue about what to do and it was really easy to get through parking and board rentals. Everyone we met was super friendly and there are a variety of options with the ski school so you could work on just one aspect of your skiing and be placed with people in similar levels.
Mostly I loved watching the kids without fear learning to fly through the trees. Definitely wish I had learned as a kid, I absolutely believe that’s the way to go.
Final thoughts: I was still terrified most of the time. I loved being in the mountains. I will definitely try again. I did not calculate how much harder it is to go slow on a snowboard than skis. I will absolutely be taking ski lessons soon too!
Read more>> 10 Tips for First Time Snowboarders (What I Learned the Hard Way)
Are you a snowboarder or skier?
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karen
So funny you posted this.. I'm trying snowboarding for the first time next weekend. I too hate skiing after a horrid experience at age 15.. And as a runner i'm so unwilling to screw up my knees on two tiny sticks. :)
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Courteney
I am terrified of both!! I went skiing when I was 10 (30 years ago) and refused to go up the chair lift…so I'd take my skiis off…walk up the bunny hill a little bit and ski down. I ran the hills his summer in OCR races….and they are super steep…I couldn't imagine skiing them!! You are a brave sole!!!
Darlene Cardillo
Neither. I don't like the cold. I have different time with balance and am uncoordinated.
Kathy McElhaney
I tried skiing once. Lots of falling, white knuckles. My husband has skied for years, so it wasn't the best combo. Yep, he forgot how it was to be a beginner.
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Mary
I used to! I skied for a while and then was a super cool snowboarder… But when I broke my back (not related to skiing or snowboarding) I was nervous to do either anymore. My niece LOVES it though! She's a skier and was beyond thrilled with the snow we got yesterday.
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Heather
I took my third snowboarding lesson on Wednesday. Love it, had so much fun, but broke my elbow. Learn how to fall correctly!! Can't run for the next two months
RunToTheFinish
oh no!!! Did anyone you took lessons from ever talk to you about falling? I felt like that was something I needed to know!
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Jilliann
I went skiing once when I lived in Utah! I was definitely worried about my knees and being taken out of the running game as well. My friend and I spent a lot of time on the little kid practice area before we were ready to head to the bunny slope. As we were going up the chair lift we were both freaking out "this isn't a bunny slope, this is a freakin mountain!" I was terrified of going to fast and flying off the mountain. I wish I had learned to ski or snowboard when I was younger and more fearless!
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RunToTheFinish
YES!!!! I swear learning as a kid is the key…at least if you are kind of a weenie like me. We didn't spend nearly enough time on the little slope before the big one for my brain!
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aladygoeswest
It makes me feel good to read this, Amanda. I tried snowboarding for the first time a couple of years ago in Tahoe. My husband grew up skiing in Maine, but I had hardly ever even scene snow. So after a two-hour lesson, he was ready to hit the greens on the board, but I was NOT. I could hardly make it down. Hit my head. Felt like I was scared of how fast I would start going. And I did NOT know how to fall. Overall, I walked away feeling defeated and haven't gone back. But this year, I'm going to try skiing and am hoping to get a longer lesson. Glad you're soaking up the new surroundings! :)
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RunToTheFinish
Honestly thank you for sharing!! I knew David would be better and I knew I had fear…but yeah I didn't realize how unprepared I would feel even with an instructor. I am definitely willing to do it again, mostly because I didn't hurt myself on any of the many falls ah!
good luck with skiing!
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Whine Less
I tried snow skiing once in college. No thank you. The only thing I liked about it was the hot drinks in the lodge. I've never tried snowboarding.
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Kole Obasa
Oh boy, this is one thing I wish I knew how to do.
Christine
This post made me laugh! You have a great commentary on the learning process. I learned to ski as a little kid and have zero interest in learning to snowboard because, well I already know one way to get down a snowy hill and that's enough! :) Hope you are able to get back out there and become a master on the slopes. And your photos made me really antsy to go skiing!
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Style Domination
Great post and pictures! Snowboarding really scares me! LOL!
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thisrunnersrecipes
I skiied a lot in high school, but that was in the tiny hills of Wisconsin. Now that I live in Washington, it's so tempting to try downhill skiing or snowboarding but the idea of either scares me! Your post though made me want to at least give it a try. I really want to try snowshoeing or cross-country skiing – it's a start at least for a runner who's used to being grounded and in control during exercise.
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RunToTheFinish
You nailed it!! I kept saying, i'm used to being in control and the instructor kept saying let go…oh lady! :) I do LOVE snowshoeing, it's basically like a hard hike!
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50by25laura
Let me know when you go for lessons again, and we can head up together :) Sorry the instructor wasn't helping you out as much as he should!
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Sonia
I really don’t like Cold and never gotten the chance to ski. Part of my bucket list. Great post.
cherylann
I love winter park-it was the first place I ever mountain biked.
Like cross country skiing best over downhill…less chance for injury!