WINTERGREEN, VA—Named the “Best Ski Resort” by the readers of WashingtonPost.com, Wintergreen Resort not only boasts the region’s best combination of natural snow and automated snowmaking equipment, but it also makes good on its promise that anyone, at any age, can learn to ski or snowboard.
Equipped this season with a brand-new learning area featuring a beginner-friendly pitch and 150-foot conveyor lift, Wintergreen offers guests from the age of two to 82 the opportunity to learn to ski or snowboard with its unique “Guaranteed Learn to Ski & Ride” program, featuring a free beginner lesson with each equipment rental. Guests will be turning, stopping and riding a lift during their first lesson. If not, they can repeat the lesson at no charge.
“Within a typical hour-and-a-half lesson, at least 98 percent of our never-before-skiing guests are able to link turns and ski in control,” said Brian Coon, Snowsports School Director for Wintergreen Resort. “With our world-class instructors, new beginner area and conveyor lift, this winter everyone should leave Wintergreen Resort with the ability to ski or snowboard.”
After the guest’s first lesson, Wintergreen issues a “Guaranteed Learn to Ski & Ride” card that that allows them to return two more times at a discounted rate that includes a beginner lift ticket and advanced beginner lessons. Once they complete these visits, they are eligible to use their card to purchase a discounted Ski & Ride Season Pass and a complete HEAD® equipment package from Freestyle ski and snowboard shop.
Wintergreen’s instructors, certified by the Professional Ski Instructors of America and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors, are adept at teaching all skill levels on the slopes – from beginners to experts.
For more experienced skiers and riders who want to advance to the next level while improving technique, intermediate and advanced lessons are available. This season, Wintergreen is also offering special two-day women’s ski clinics and adult beginner snowboard clinics.
Parents can engage their children in quality snowsports instruction and fun activities at the resort’s award-winning Treehouse, where VCRs and video games take a back seat to skiing, snowboarding and winter recreation. The Treehouse offers kids their own ski area and 90-foot conveyor lift, allowing them have fun while learning.
“The Wintergreen Snowsports School offers private lessons to kids from the age of six and up, as well as group programs,” said Coon. “But the Treehouse takes the little ones en masse for all-day programs and offers many indoor activities as well. And, because the Treehouse has its own ski area and lift, the little guys don’t get tired so fast, ensuring they’ll spend more time learning in addition to having fun in the snow.”
For guests who need special assistance or equipment on the slopes, Wintergreen Resort is home to Wintergreen Adaptive Skiing, a non-profit organization that offers daily ski and snowboarding lessons to children and adults with disabilities. Each year, more than 75 volunteer instructors and 15 pieces of sit-down ski equipment provide more than 300 all-day lessons.
Wintergreen Resort is considered to have one of the Mid-Atlantic’s top snowsports schools. “Combined with breathtaking mountain views, stellar snow surfaces, state-of-the-art grooming and the most enticing beginner-to-expert terrain, Wintergreen is the best place to learn to ski or snowboard – with added assurance that guests will leave with skills in either of these fantastic sports,” Coon concludes.
The slopes are scheduled to open for the 2006-2007 winter season on Saturday, November 25, 2006, weather permitting. For more information on the Wintergreen Snowsports School, guests can call 434-325-2100 or visit www.wintergreenresort.com.
About Wintergreen Resort:
Wintergreen Resort is an 11,000-acre, four-season resort located in the Blue Ridge Mountains southwest of Charlottesville, Virginia. This beautiful hideaway is the ultimate vacation and conference spot, with more than 300 condominium-style accommodations; 45 holes of championship golf; snow skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing; an award-winning tennis program; a full-service, destination spa; 40,000 square feet of meeting and event space; and savory dining options. The resort is located adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway in beautiful Central Virginia near Charlottesville, just 90 minutes from Richmond, Va., approximately three hours from Washington, D.C. and Raleigh, N.C., five and a half hours from Philadelphia, Pa. and eight hours from Atlanta, Ga. For more information, guests can call (434) 325-2200 or visit the resort’s web site at www.wintergreenresort.com .