Snowboarding has been a winter activity that I have been wanting to try for years. I am not sure why I did not start this when I lived in Nebraska when the convenience of getting to Colorado was a bit easier than Florida, but as the saying goes, “better late than never.”
I compared snowboarding classes at three of the following ski resorts before deciding on Breckenridge. Comparatively, Breckenridge and Keystone provide a better value for your money than Park City. The cost of a one-day lesson is almost the same price as a three-day lesson at either Keystone or Breckenridge.
My comparative breakdown below:
| Park City Mountain Resort | Keystone Ski Resort | Breckenridge Ski Resort | |
| On Season Price | $289/1 Day | $310/3 Days | $315/3 Days |
| Approximate Class Duration | 5 hours | 4.5 hours | 4.5 hours |
| Class Start Time | 9:30 AM | 10 AM | 9 AM or 10 AM |
| Green Run Difficulty | Great for a beginner snowboarder | Difficult for a beginner/longer runs | Great for a novice snowboarder |
Having experienced snowboarding at all three resorts now, I am glad I went with my choice of Breckenridge. The green run (Silverthorne) where the lesson was provided was great for a novice snowboarder. I was not intimidated by anyone around and there was plenty of signage warning skiers/snowboarders that it was a learning area. Additionally, it was a great resort to learn about mountain safety as the run was pretty straightforward and downhill without worrying too much about merging runs.
Important Class Details:
- Lunch is not included
- Snowboard gear not included
- Gratuity not included, 15-20% gratuity recommended
- Lift pass required for class/not included
- Flexible class schedule with multi-day lessons
Essentials/Recommended Gear:
- Goggles
- Helmet**
- Waterproof snowpants, jacket, mittens or gloves
- Snowboarding socks
- Balaclava
- Fleece
My Lesson Experience
My first snowboarding trip was the week of Thanksgiving! I had arrived in Colorado pretty late with my significant other in the evening into the next morning. It was snowing and the driving conditions were not optimal. The shuttle was sliding on the road on our way from the airport to the car rental pickup. The first car that was given to us did not fit our snowboard bag and could not get out of the parking lot, so we had a whole fiasco of needing to switch cars. Despite our bad luck, we were finally off to Breckenridge, which is normally a 2 hour drive, but became a 3-4 hour drive given the icy road conditions.
We finally arrived to The Village of Breckenridge Hotel around 5 AM. Lucky us, we were able to check in right away because I needed to sleep before my class start time of 9 AM. I ended up not being able to make it to class, but thanks to the flexibility of the multi-lesson days, I was able to start a day late. The multi-lesson days allow you to rest in between class days as well if you are too sore for consecutive days of snowboarding and in need of recuperation.
Day 1 Snowboarding:
It was convenient to stay at The Village of Breckenridge Hotel as it was in the exact same plaza as the Adult Ski and Sales Office where I needed to pick up my multi-day lesson tickets. I was provided with all three tickets for the three days of snowboarding lessons. Each ticket was to be provided to the snowboarding instructor at the beginning of the class.
The first day I was placed into a group of about 5 people including one person under the age of 15, but it was not a big deal; we were all novice snowboarders with zero experience. I honestly was a bit turned off when we started the class with learning how to strap into a snowboard and learning whether you rode goofy or regular. I had already figured out my goofiness before the class by testing my footing on a skateboard.
But not to fret, we moved on from level 1 to level 3 fairly quickly. We spent about an hour on the magic carpet lift, which is like a conveyor belt that carries one up a small slope before moving onto the Quicksilver Super Chair Lift! I was a bit nervous about getting off the chair lift and rightfully so. I was at the end of the chair lift when my all 4 people next to me fell knocking me over. Second time off the lift was a better experience and I was pleasantly surprised I did not fall. Win!
We spent the remainder of the day learning to S turn from heel side to toe side and then from toe side to heel side as well as linking these turns. I think the only con was I was the only goofy rider, so I had to do the opposite of what the instructor was showing part of the time. Overall, he was pretty good at showing how to ride regular and goofy.
The first day we lost track of time during class, so we were finished with class early. Remember to eat breakfast! I also did not receive my report card from my instructor at the end of the day and my progress was not updated in the EpicMix app, so I had no idea where I was in regards to my snowboarding progress.
Day 2 Snowboarding:
I was paired with the same instructor for the second day of lessons. This time the number of people in the class was 3, so there was more time for one on one instruction. We were able to ride the beginner chair lift up a few more times than the first day working on linking S turns. I was struggling to keep my balance and kept falling. If there is anything I recommend, it would be pads for your buttocks and knees. I ended up quitting one run early this day after multiple falls. Again, I did not receive my progress report at the end of the day.
Day 3 Snowboarding:
Last day of snowboarding lessons and I was determined to be able to link my S turns consistently to get down the mountain. Here is where it would have been helpful to have received my progress reports at the end of Day 2. I was paired with a different snowboard instructor and had no idea what level of progress I was at, but I ended up being able to sort of explain what I was working on in order to be placed in a class.
We had a group of three this day, which turned into two after one person injured themselves after falling. Wear a helmet.** I was initially a bit bummed I had a different snowboard instructor, but it helped to get a second opinion. After the first run, I was finally able to successfully link my S turns consistently without falling. Our group of two did a couple additional green runs before breaking for lunch.
After lunch and onto the final run, we took to the Quicksilver Super Chair Lift up and snowboarded down to the Beaver Run Resort where we got onboard the Beaver Run Super Chair Lift for our first intermediate run. We went down Bonanza, which eventually merged with the Silverthorne green run. I think I fell once on the intermediate and this time my instructor filled out my progress report! I ended up surpassing level 3 and level 4 on the last lesson day.
Overall, I was happy with the snowboarding lessons even though there were a few minor annoyances. I would highly recommend having more than one instructor for multiple opinions. One difference in opinion made all the difference for me in being able to link my S turns successfully without incidence of falling.
The snowboarding classes truly helped me. The next day, I was able to successfully navigate down the mountain on my own and with my significant other.