Poll Where did you start skiing?

[Philpug]

@Core2's thread about "where you prefer to ski, mega resort or ski area", made me think. Where did you start skiing, was it at a destination resort or a local ski area/feeder hill? I will add "other" to the options for the people who learned in their back yard or even a ski deck.

Example but not limited to:
Ski Area/Feeder Hill: Usually "local" or within day tripping range. Little or no accomidations on the hill. Smaller vertical
Destination Resort: Larger, tend to travel to for multiple days. This also could be your "local" mountain.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

Snow Summit, Big Bear Lake, California.

 

[SShore]

Monarch, Salida CO

 

[at_nyc]

I'd be curious to know how many actually starts on destination resorts.

 

[Jully]

Nashoba Valley, Westford MA. 230 ft of vertical. Restaurant at the base though, so it's basically the Vail of New England.

 

[Don in Morrison]

I started at Ski Idlewild, a now-defunct beginner hill near Winter Park. Then I had a lesson on a plastic-covered wooden ramp. Another day at Idlewild, followed by a few trips to Meadow Mountain (also defunct). I made it to Breck around my 7th or 8th day of skiing, followed by a couple more at Meadow Mountain. The first day on my own brand-new gear was at Loveland Valley in the spring of that first season. After that I finally began checking out other front-range areas.

 

[pais alto]

SoCal ski areas and Mammoth/June Lake during high school. We lived in a SoCal beach town and my folks didn't ski so I'd hop in with amigos or on school trips. Didn't get real serious about it until college in NorCal - Tahoe and Mt. Shasta.

 

[coskigirl]

Bogus Basin Idaho. I'm thinking I might do a trip there this year as it's my racing club's 50th anniversary and will try to get my dad to meet me there as he was the head coach for 10 years.

 

[KingGrump]

Started at Scotch Valley in upstate NY. Skied there for about 3 times before journeying to the larger areas in southern VT.
Settle down at Stratton after couple seasons.

 

[jmeb]

Holiday Valley NY. Haven't been back in 15 years. When I last skied there I had never skied a bigger place, let alone many world-class resorts in the West.

Can only imagine how different my memories are from what it would be like to ski there today.

 

[Philpug]

Feeder Hill here too. First time, Camelback with a school trip.

 

[Posaune]

Stevens Pass, WA

 

[Mike Thomas]

McIntyre Ski Area, Manchester NH.

138 vertical feet of awesome. Also my first industry job.

 

[mdf]

Greek Peak in upstate NY.

 

[pais alto]

McIntyre Ski Area, Manchester NH.

138 vertical feet of awesome. Also my first industry job.

 

[Jilly]

Snow Valley - Barrie Ontario. Weekend trip with the family. Then on to the local bump called Oak Hills. Closed in the 70's. Went to Mount Kirby, now called Brimacombe after that. Then on to the big stuff when I joined a travelling ski club.

 

[dj61]

Pertisau, Austria

 

[avantskier]

another nashoba valley pupil here...started @ 5yo...have my son there now @ 4yo, daughter is next in a year or so...great place to learn near boston

 

[Core2]

Ski Apache in S. NM. Probably more Texans have learned to ski at that place than anywhere else. I would consider it a feeder mountain for the larger ski areas and resorts to the north like Taos, Wolf Creek, and Purgatory.

 

[Kneale Brownson]

Two families used to drive to a snowy meadow beside a hilly road in Northern Michigan and take turns hauling the sliders back to the top of the hill. High school girls used to take neighborhood kids to the golf course, where there was a deep ravine. They'd pull toboggans loaded with sleds, skis, etc., to the golf course (half a mile or so) and we'd all share the equipment. Organized skiing in the town didn't start until several years later.