| Author | Message | ||
     Twig |
Sorry to deviate from taxes but now that he feels he has conquered Flood's Hill, my 8 year old has asked me to take him to try snowboarding and we are looking for a good place to do that. The problem is that I haven't skiied in 3-4 years (St. Barnabas, get my room ready!) and I've lost touch with what the various nearby slopes offer in terms of snowboard teaching programs. Since he may decide after two runs that it isn't for him, I'd rather not drive all the way to Vermont or upstate New York for our first try at this. So we are thinking about Pennsylvania (Camelback? Shawnee? Alpine? Montage?) or even just going up to Mountain Creek here in NJ. (How is Mountain Creek, anyway?) Has anyone done this and do you have any tips or advice on places with decent and affordable programs? Thanks, I appreciate it. | ||
| Njjoseph |
I've not been to Mountain Creek, but hear it's greatly improved in the last years. It's about an hour and a half from Maplewood. The Poconos are also about an hour and a half. For quickie weekend trips, I tend to go to the Catskills, which are 2 and 1/4 hours from Maplewood. The mountains are bigger, and for me, the extra 30 to 45 minutes driving is worth it. However, I suggest you look at Shawnee, as they have a mountain easy enough for a beginner, or Mountain Creek. They have websites, too, and may have 4-hour slots if you want to do a day trip just to try it out. www.mountaincreek.com and www.shawneemt.com are the names of the websites. Enjoy! | ||
| Ffof |
Twig- If you're serious about giving snowboarding a try, i suggest actually staying away from Mt. Creek and Shawnee (on the weekends) because there are really alot of irresponsible (inexperienced?) skiiers and snowboarders. This combination can be frightening! There is a small hill called Mt. Peter in NY that may be the place for your 8 yr old (and you?)to learn to snowboard. The Baird Comm ctr runs a trip to Mt. Peter for older kids, anyway, they would be able to give you directions, i'm sure. Mt. Creek offers night skiing which would also be less crowded. | ||
| Njjoseph |
I think just about any resort will be crowded on weekends, but I've not been to Mt. Peter, so I can't comment on that. However, I must say that I don't think night skiing is a viable option for a beginner, especially a child. There are not as many visible clues (i.e. ice, bumps, crud, dips, etc.), so night skiing is definitely more dangerous. It's amazing how 'flat' snow looks at night! In addition, it's much colder, and any snowboarder will tell you that the first day is spent more on your butt than on the board, and it's much colder at night. (Which reminds me, make sure he dresses in warm waterproof or water-repellant clothing). | ||
| Argon_Smythe |
Friends and I were at Alpine Mountain in the Poconos this weekend. We had the whole place almost exclusively to ourselves for the Saturday night session (4:30-9:30). It struck me as a particularly nice place for someone to learn, especially since there is a good variety of slopes to graduate to once the bunny slope has been mastered. This is a nice, small, non-intimidating place. http://www.alpinemountain.com Camelback has a wide, gentle beginner's slope with two double-seat lifts serving it. One of the advantages here is that you get to practice getting on and off a lift as well as going down the hill (I should mention Alpine Mountain's bunny slope also has one double lift serving it). I learned at Camelback. It is a larger and more imposing kind of place. One of the downsides to learning at Camelback is the crowds. It is not as fun to learn with a bunch of inconsiderate human obstacles in the way, or when hot dogs are whizzing around you on all sides. However, if you go at the right time -- the bunny slopes at night and early in the morning are usually very empty -- this is a great place to learn. To Njjoseph's point above, morning is probably better for a child to learn than at night. http://www.skicamelback.com Both of these places are within 1-1/2 to 2 hours from here. Another good resource for comparative info is http://www.skipoconos.com Also, the point about a new snowboarder spending the first day on their butt is a good one. Stay Warm and Dry! | ||
| Njjoseph |
Shall we organize a ski club in Maplewood? | ||
| Chris |
Actually, there is a very good ski club right over in Watchung. Watchung Ski Club. They meet in the building next to the Spanish Tavern (Watchung Tennis Club?) on Route 22 on Thursday nights. I just went on a trip they ran to Windham. Nice folks. Very well run trip. E-mail club president Ted Nevins at tednevins@home.com for information. I am going on a trip with them on February 11 to Jay Peak in the Poconos. My understanding is that you need to do thre trips and take a basic skills test to join. Dues are $25 per year and they run about two trips per month during the season. Mostly day trips and they run a western trip and a long weekend east coast trip. |
