With Aiden’s and my United Airlines miles about to expire (we needed to fly before February), I thought, “Let’s go snowboarding!” Now the hard part… where to go? There are so many great resorts to go skiing/snowboarding in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, California, Washington, that it was hard to pick the “right” resort for our first trip on the slopes. I knew I wanted to go somewhere in Colorado since Denver is only a 2 hour flight from Houston and we could make the most of our time there. After looking at the usual suspects: Breckenridge, Vail, Aspen, my coworker suggested Winter Park to me. My coworker is an avid skier so I trusted his opinion, plus he mentioned that Winter Park is super kid friendly which was a huge selling point for me because of Aiden.
Winter Park Resort is the closest resort to Denver which makes it popular for locals and tourists alike. From Denver International Airport (which is out in the middle of nowhere), it is about a 2 hour drive. I rented a car for the long weekend and got lucky with weather. All the roads were clear and the only time it snowed while we were in Colorado was the next morning when we were already in Winter Park.
The resort is beautiful with all the snow on the ground and mountains in the background… it looked exactly how I pictured a ski resort would look like. While it is smaller than, say Breckenridge, it still has everything you need. The Village has cute shops and restaurants, my favorite being Goodys Mountain Creperie. I had their Hawaii 5-0 crepe and it was awesome! There is also an outdoor ice skating rink and tubing hill all at the resort. For our first time at a resort, it was great! We never felt overwhelmed even though we were there over a holiday weekend.
Since this was Aiden’s and my first time going down anything on snow, we wanted to take a lesson to start out the day so I booked a half day private lesson through their Ski + Ride School. Let me just say that everyone at the resort was super nice! Our snowboarding instructor (Erin) was awesome and everyone that helped out with the equipment rental was really helpful and quick. Our first time ever snowboarding was fun and painless due to all the workers at the resort.
Not everything was painless though… let’s just say I fell… a lot. Snowboarding for the first time in your 30’s is only better than snowboarding for the first time in your 40’s and 50’s. Aiden picked it up in about half an hour, granted he knows how to skateboard and ride a RipStik. And then there was me. I could make it down the mountain but it involved a lot of sitting on my butt, my go-to stopping method since stopping with my heels took an act of God. 4 year olds were passing me down the mountain, but I have no shame in my game. We all made it back to Houston in one piece and that’s a success in my book!
Since Aiden picked it up so quickly and had a blast, I will definitely make this a yearly vacation for him!
Stay tuned for my post about our snowmobile tour up to the Continental Divide!
Where is your favorite place to go skiing/snowboarding in the United States?
Good for you for attempting snowboarding!!! It's super hard! Skiing in Colorado is amazing..that's our ski state of choice 🙂 But Lake Tahoe is so gorgeous as well….hard to decide!!
Three days later and my shoulders and quads are still sore! The next time we go, I want to give snowboarding one last try before switching over to skiing… I feel like I need some redemption! ha Can't wait to read up on your Germany skiing trip 🙂
Glad you made it back to Houston in one piece. If it were me, I wouldn't have been able to stand upright the next day.
Skiing is hard work!
Love it when other bloggers add video to their posts. :o)
V
Life+1
I want to go snow boarding too! Never been. That looks like a good place to do it. My inlaws live in Longmont so it's not that far. Maybe we'll go there when we visit!
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Snowboarding is fun… hard, but fun! lol I'm cutting myself some slack since it was my first time but I definitely want to try it again before switching over to skiing! Longmont isn't far… definitely give it a try the next time you're in Colorado! 🙂
Thanks! I was sore for a few days after… but the trip was so much fun, it was worth it lol. I'm such a visual person, I love posting (lots of) pictures and videos!
Amazing photos! This looks like so much fun!
I've never been skiing or snowboarding before but it's on my bucket list! Like you I'll probably spend a lot of time on the ground! 😉
It's a great workout, that's for sure! I think I'm going to give snowboarding one more go before switching over to skiing!
Thanks! It was a lot of fun… and a great workout! ha
Looks like so much fun! I've always wanted to try snowboarding!
This looks like so much fun! The snow looks beautiful!! The last time I went skiing, it was on the east coast (just a few hours from where I live), and it wasn't real snow. It was pretty, but nothing like real snow! I'm so glad you enjoyed your trip!
Thanks for linking up for the coffee date! I'm so happy I found your blog. 🙂
It was a great time! I'm determined to get better at snowboarding! lol
I've seen snow before (husband is from Philly) but this was my first time actually "playing" in it! It was a lot of fun! Definitely want to do it again! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
I've never been skiing in the US – but it looks like a lot of fun. Great sunny snow days! My favourite slopes are in France and Japan.
Claire xx
Jealous… would love to visit the Alps! It snowed for a few hours when we were there but I'm glad we got sunny days! Was hoping to get some color on my skin but kind of hard when it's completely covered, head to toe ha
Ahhh I LOVE snowboarding and we did quite a lot of it in the beautiful state of Colorado! So beautiful! We will be spending a week in Hakuba in Japan very soon so can't wait to get the boards out again! xo Carly