FIRST TRACKS
Midwest Areas Ideal for Learning to Ski, Snowboard

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Ski instructor Mike Nesheim has learned at least one thing in 20 years at Great Bear ski area in South Dakota: Friends don't let friends teach friends how to ski or snowboard.  "If you take a lesson from an instructor, you're going to have success and continue with the sport," he says. "But a friend will take you right up the chairlift, abandon you, and you'll have a miserable day and you'll never come back." Great Bear and other Midwest ski areas are ideal for first-timers. They are close to home, have trained instructors and offer affordable learn-to-ski and learn-to-snowboard programs that will start children and adults on a lifetime of adventure and fun.

When it comes to learning how to ski or snowboard, smaller is better, and not just the length of your skis or board. "People like learning on a smaller hill where they can see the bottom," says instructor Kevin Dement, who has helped teach more than 10,000 novices at Sundown ski area near Dubuque, Iowa. "When you're out West, you can't see the bottom of the hill and that puts a lot of fear in peoples' heads. In the Midwest, you don't have to worry about that."

Technology advances in equipment, apparel and lifts have also made skiing and snowboarding more enjoyable for novices. "The new shaped skis have been fantastic," says Tony LoBianco, ski school director at Sundown. "You ski on a shorter length than the older, traditional skis, but they're more stable and also easier to turn. Skiers are jumping from a beginner lesson to intermediate lessons more quickly than they ever have." Rollie Westman from Wisconsin's Trollhaugen Ski Area has been teaching skiing for more than 50 years and remembers the days of "wool sweaters and stretch pants." He says, "People stay warmer and drier now because the clothing is waterproof and breathable. It's a much more enjoyable experience for them now."

Surface lifts, which resemble a moving walkway, have replaced rope tows at many Midwest areas, including Sundown, and have proved very popular. "It's been tremendous, especially with the smaller kids," says LoBianco. "There's more learning going on instead of worrying about getting up the hill."

Every Midwest area offers affordable learn-to-ski and learn-to-snowboard packages that combine rental equipment, lift ticket and lesson. You can go with a standard group lesson with up to eight people or upgrade to a semi-private or private lesson. Instructors who have been certified by the Professional Ski Instructors of America organization or the American Association of Snowboard Instructors help give first-timers a positive experience.

Many Midwest areas offer lessons in series of three, because industry research has shown that three times is the magic number in getting people hooked on the sport. "The first time they go, they kind of get it," says Great Bear's Nesheim. "The second time, they are able to fine tune and get more comfortable. By the third time, they're pretty proficient and ready to take off on their own." At Afton Alps, Minnesota, its "Ski & Ride Simplified" program for teens and adults includes three lift tickets, rentals and lessons-all for only $89.95.

Westman, from Trollhaugen, started teaching people to ski because "gliding down a ski slope made me feel like a bird flying and I wanted other people to have that feeling." Tens of thousands of ski lessons and more than 50 years later, Westman is just as passionate. His official title is Director of Skiing Services, but his nametag says it all: "Director of Fun."

 "It's better to take a lesson to begin with and get the right start and not develop bad habits," says Westman. "If you learn from a friend, you get bad habits and then people come to us and we have to fix the bad habits."

Kathy Scholfield, of Michigan's Apple Mountain, agrees. "If you learn how to ski or snowboard right, you're going to enjoy it so much more because you have that good foundation. We are a hometown hill with a nice, controlled learning environment."

The enthusiasm of thousands of Midwest ski and snowboard instructors, including Great Bear's Nesheim, Trollhaugen's Westman and Sundown's Dement, is contagious. "I love sharing the joy I have for the sport," says Dement. "We don't want people to leave the hill frustrated. We want them to get it and be excited. I think we have great instructors in the Midwest, who are smiling and making it fun." As Westman says, "The Midwest is a great training ground for both skiers and for instructors. If you go to a Western ski area, at least a third of the instructors learned how to ski and teach in the Midwest."

More than ever, children are learning how to ski at a young age. At Apple Mountain, the "Apple Seeds" program for 4- to 6-year-olds was created a decade ago because of demand from parents. And at Hyland Ski & Snowboard Area in Minnesota, its popular "Hot Cocoa Club" for 3- and 4-year-olds sells out immediately, despite adding extra sessions to keep up with the demand.

School-age children are also introduced to skiing and snowboarding in large numbers at Midwest areas. More than 250,000 elementary and middle school students in 10 states learn how to ski or snowboard each year in special school programs at most Midwest areas.

Midwest areas are also catering to adults with special instructional programs. For example, at Hyland in Minnesota, adult classes start a few minutes after the children's classes so that parents can take their child to a lesson and then enjoy a lesson themselves. Paoli Peaks Ski Area in Indiana accommodates the schedules of its busy guests by offering late-night lessons. At Great Bear in South Dakota, parents can ski free on Saturday mornings (and the rest of the day half-price) if their children are in a lesson.

In general, the types of ski and snowboard lessons reflect visits across the Midwest, which is about 60 percent for skiers and 40 percent for snowboarders. "We still have more ski lessons than snowboard," says LoBianco, "but snowboard is increasing. It's much easier to learn with an instructor. People think they can learn to snowboard on their own or have a friend teach them. Then they fall every three feet. Ultimately, they come to us, looking for help."

Taking a lesson is crucial to enjoying your first day skiing or snowboarding.  So is wearing the right clothing, and here are some basic tips:

--Dress in layers so that layers can be added or removed, depending on the weather and activity.

--The first layer, worn next to the skin, is usually long underwear. Look for a synthetic fiber, usually polyester, that can "wick" or move perspiration away from your skin. The middle layer is your insulation layer and includes turtlenecks, sweatshirts and sweaters. The outer layer is usually waterproof pants and a jacket, which should block the wind and repel snow and sleet.

--Don't forget a hat or headband, goggles, sunglasses, waterproof gloves or mittens, and a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30.

For more information on Midwest ski areas and to find a ski area near you, visit snowplaces.com.

For more information on learning to ski and snowboard, visit http://www.winterfeelsgood.com