Best places to learn for beginners-

Hi! Sadly this winter is close to end, and I'm frantically looking for a 2 or 3 day beginner lesson trip near New York City, later this month. Can you recommend any good place with good snow and good program? Ease to travel to get there there, good lodging/transportation/lift package etc is a big plus too.

I will have Mon off, so I can do Fri - Mon trip. Want to save some energy for Sat riding so hoping to depart Fri evening, with Mon PM return. Right now I have my eyes on Killington, VT, for Learn To Ride program and stable snow conditions. But I am still open for other options, if they sound great!

FYI, I am still very beginner so size/number of slopes etc don't matter much, since I will be mostly lower part of slopes {LOL] . As long as the mountain/business is beginner friendly...hopefully less crowded too but that's something we never know until we get there - right? Ahh, I'm so newbie so don't know anything! Please let me know - thank you!

I don't have any specific info on Killington's beginner areas. I would probably hit up a more local mountain as you will not be able to hit up much terrain at Killington (as you stated). You just need to get some time on the snow and that can be done at a smaller mountain closer to you. I would plan a follow-up trip to someplace like Killington after you have come up to speed a bit.

Yes, I agree that I should be more in local mountains near NY, that is actually what I have been doing for the last 6 times However, I found snow gets softer and softer around NY, and rain started in NY mountains :( So now I have to go further, seems no choice.

But if anybody can recommend good mountains without going as far as VT, I am definitely interested!! Honestly, I want to save the travel hour/energy for riding.

Thank you - where would you recommend other than Killington, closer to NYC, specifically please? I'm mostly going there for better snow, so I would love to know!!

Maybe see if jay peak is closer to tou

I would recommend going to a place close by, if there is one, for a day at a time. If you have never been before you are going to be very sore in all sorts of new locations. Your ass is going to be very sore from falling, its just part of learning. Do a couple weekends a month if you are just learning, then head somewhere better next year or if you are quick learner after a weekend or two.

Belleayre has a three day learn to ride program for about $130 including rentals, group lessons, and lower mountain lift tickets. They still have snow, I think it will be OK for at least a few weeks.

snow is disappearing real fast, but its not too late...near NYC, you vould go to Blue MT or you can hit up Mt Creek. i love creek bacuse south is totally a terrain park, but on the north side there are plenty of beginner trails..

i would recommend getting a triple play card because day passes are expensive at creek..

they also have a promotion for season passes..if you buy a pass for next season you can use it for the rest of this year

If u want to go somewhere closer than killington, go to Windham or Hunter in NY. exit 21 and 22 off the thruway. They are both good mountains. Killington is better but much a further trip. These will take you around 2 hours, Compared to 5 or more

Thank you everybody!

I was willing to do the 5 hr trip (I actually enjoy it if I do it with train - I researched it) to VT but I adimit that it would be easier to do 2 - 3 hr trip within NY state...

The priority for me is, the quality of snow (Killington tops, I guess). For LTR option, Killington and Belleayre sounds great. If the snow/weather seems holding in next three weeks, and if I don't find a better plan as 3-day LTR package, I would go for Belleayre, thank you again for all the info, everybody!!

I will also check with Windham, Hunter (too popular?) and less know mountains mentioned here, such as SHAWNEE, Blue MT, and Mt Creek etc. Even if I don't go any of these, the research should be useful for next winter :)

Whatever is cheapest is probably best since you won't be going on too much of the mountain.  With that being said killington might not be bad because they have such good deals for lodging+lift ticket

I'm not from the area, but I know that our local mountain does a 3-day learn to board pass which includes the "bunny" or beginner hills, rentals, and lessons (usually 1 hour).  Some of them are even guaranteed.  If you don't learn to ride within those three days, you can come back and they'll give you more lessons for free. 

Camelback has great instructors which I believe is more important than having a great hill to prac on.  They had me cutting turns within the hour.  Haven't needed a lesson since(at least for the basics).

i learned by going down a blue at mt creek... i wish i was kidding...

it made a exponential difference in my ability to get down a mountain.

first time i went in HS i was on the bunny and falling all over the greens
second time a year later just falling all over the greens
third time three years later going down greens, didnt so well either, it was a short path too at Toronto...

4 years later i was still breaking my ass down greens
then I hit a blue trail

now i can survive.

if i had any more local mountain passes i would offer to help you out... but right now im out of passes. (im in NYC, i usually go to creek... not that i like it but the drive is short.)

The closest resort near you is a good place lol.

Thank you so much again, everybody!! All information is so useful. I seem I now know more than my coworkers do :)

I was researching all the destinations mentioned here, for my late March Fri - Mon trip, and I'm most likely go for Bellayre with 1 or 2 night lodging for LTR package. Found some reviews (including comments here )that this place tends to hold snow well in March. They have Sat morning departure and Mon PM return bus - perfect! Now I wish for a good weather - at least no rain/storm please!!

I originally almost picked Killington but gave up as there was no good return transportation on Mon. The issue is that I don't drive at all - so bus/train/airplane are only options.

Another issue is that I realized even Killington/other VT locations seem not immune to spring weather/snow. Money and traveling time wasn't no much issue to me (as I so determine to nail down more basics before winter ends!!), but I don't mean to waste it :( I guess I will do it in early/mid winter next year.

Yes I totally agree that the nearest/cheapest is the best, and I went to Thunder Ridge for my first 6 times, that is the nearest and probably tiniest, but did a trick to me to get used to snow/the board/how ski resort works etc, saving my energy with easy train travel so I could ride and fall more... Alas, spring is already here and now I have no choice but wake up early for 3hr+ bus travel...hope it is worth it!

Somewhere cheap.

Go to mountain creek or Camp Gaw and learn

Killington does have an awesome learn to ride program. It's sponsored by Burton. Also, mtn creek i think has good programs too and it only 1.5 hrs from nyc while killington is 5 hrs. I'm a big fan of killington and def recommend it! If you're gonna get 2-3 days of riding in, killington may be a good place to go. (also, if you go with other ppl who know how to board, they prob would be interested in a bigger, more challenging mtn.