Now that you have decided to take a trip to visit your local mountains, or even better, opted for a more luxurious vacation to one of the many destination ski resorts scattered throughout the country, or around the globe. Those of you who have never been to the mountains during the winter, you are the ones that I am targeting with this fun blog. Expanding your comfort zone, changing your latitude and attitude towards winter fun, this is my primary goal for writing this blog.
I do not intend to elaborate on the numerous reasons why so many people have never learned to ski or snowboard, or taken a winter vacation to a ski resort, instead focus on the why and how you should expand your horizons. Of all the reasons why not, the one that in my 50 years of skiing experience surfaces the most is fear! Wait a minute, I am not that old! My dad taught me how to ski for the first time when I was about 5 years old on a pair of plastic strapped in skis on a sledding hill. You do the math. For me, skiing became part of my life, my identity, and my profession for most of my adult life.
One of the best ways to overcome any anxiety is to become comfortable with your surroundings. Any new experience we encounter, especially the older we become, the more significant this becomes. So back to my original point, go visit the mountains during the summer! No snow, warm temperatures, and you have the opportunity to walk around the same resort in the summer that you will visit during the winter. Many of these resorts offer chairlift rides, gondola rides, where 6-8 people sit in an enclosed carrier, and some offer tram rides. A tram can carry up to 60 passengers at one time; you can have all your closest friends together for a 10 minute party in the sky. OK, not for you, then begin with a gondola ride first, and then a chairlift ride second. You can view all the exciting summer activities at Heavenly Mountain Resort located on the south shore of Lake Tahoe, CA, click here. To view the summer activities at Park City Mountain Resort in Utah, click here.
Taking a ride on a chairlift in the summer is the best way to overcome any fear of the unknowns. The attendants will provide you with the simple directions to load and unload from the chairlift. Better still, prior to riding one; watch a few videos of skiing, snowboarding and riding chairlifts before your trip to make you more comfortable increasing your summer fun, to have fun in the winter!
Many ski resorts offer a variety of activities during the summer months, mountain biking, zip-lines, rope courses, alpine slides and alpine–coasters, and hiking. Many resorts will continue to expand their attractions in an attempt to lure you into the mountains, by having fun during the summer, hopefully will entice you to return during the winter. Click here to watch a ride on the alpine coaster at Park City Mountain Resort, Utah. Start making plans today to head up to the mountains; Go to the Mountains!
If you would like to share any thoughts please leave a comment in the section below.
Until next time.
Happy Trails,
David
Winter Fun! 