Complete Beginners: beware, don't try the group lessons
Written: Dec 27 '02 (Updated Dec 28 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: lots of room for lots of people. nice and cozy lounges.
Cons: hardcore beginners will feel a little alienated
The Bottom Line: The hardcore skiers and snowboarders play here. Make sure you know what you're doing and come with friends.
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| only's Full Review: Bear Mountain |
REVISED note: after reading some comments from fellow epinion members, I just just wish to clarify that this review is primarily targeted for beginners, such as myself. I am afraid I cannot include as many details about the real slopes as I'd like. However, this will give people a general idea about beginner lessons and equipment rental.
I haven't skied since sixth grade. I have never touched a snowboard. After seeing some people my own age snowboard with ease, it looked like a lot of fun. It looked easy to learn. I thought that I'd give it a try.
I went up to Bear Mountain on Christmas Day and registered for their beginner's class. It was $59 (holiday fee) for a two-hour group lesson and an additional $18 for snowboard rental and a beginner's lift ticket. When I went outside for the class, I discovered that they had already started... 15 minutes early?! I tried to catch up to what everyone else was doing but there was only one instructor for two dozen of us and it was difficult to hear over the snowmakers. Before I knew it, they hauled us onto a big truck (they made us make moo sounds) and drove us up to the bunny slope's peak.
From there, one instructor went through the basics with us. She didn't have a very loud voice so I had to look at other beginners and see what they were doing. Then they tried to each us how to stop while having one foot free (like how to get off the lift). This was when I completely crashed... literally. Since there were so many of us, it was difficult to get individual attention. When I finally managed to do this, it was basically the end of the lessons. What I mean is that the rest of the "lessons" were fairly optional and the instructors did not take much care in dealing with individual problems. After going through the falling-leaf obstacle, everyone was pretty much on their own. They said that there would be an instructor at the end to help us board down the rest of the slope but when I finished (along with two other girls), there wasn't one. Thus, we all had to simply wing it on our own. I still had questions unanswered, but was too bruised up to take my lessons too seriously anymore anyway.
Most of the instructors were probably between 18 to 25. Some of them didn't bother to help out much, while others didn't have much patience. I felt that they did not have enough experience with teaching how to snowboard. Of course, all of them knew how to themselves but educating others was another story. They talked to the group as we knew plenty about the basics of boarding and the dynamics of the snow already. Personally, I didn't have a clue what would happen if I put my weight forward or... even HOW to put my weight forward. They did not explain things very well... in a way that was comprehensible to a "non-skater" at least.
Regardless of the lesson, the slope was still fun. Going down was great but the lifts had huge lines and it took forever to get back up. Half of the time, I was resting in the lounge and drinking hot chocolate. I watched the skiers and snowboarders on the more difficult slopes. Even during this holiday rush, there weren't that many people going down. I'd assume that this would be a great time for experienced skiers or boarders to come.
Food costs are moderate; my lunch was probably under $15. Hot chocolate and coffee can be found at $2.50 a cup. The lounge has plenty of seating space, bars, TVs, and pictures to look at. There are both snowboard and ski rental facilities at the resort. Regular board rentals are around $25 if you do not purchase lessons. The beginner boards start with basic K2s - not very fancy at all.
If I could have done things differently, I would have requested a private lesson. Maybe then, I'd know a little more about what exactly I was doing. Also, the board and boot rentals at the resort are more expensive than the one in individual shops below the slopes. They are also not as good in quality. I'd encourage skiers or snowboarders who need to rent the equipment to do so before going to the mountain. You'll get better stuff that way - for cheaper too!
Recommended:
Yes
Level of Experience Needed: Intermediate
Best Time to Visit: December
Best Suited For: Friends
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Epinions.com ID:
only
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Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
carnegie mellon university business administration student
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