StartNOW: Best beginner deal on the planet

Park City Mountain Resort blew the doors off learner packages when it created StartNow, a beginner package that’s incredibly enjoyable and affordable. For $199 a beginner gets five lessons, five days of rental equipment and five days of lift passes. That’s less than $40 a day for the whole works. The only catch: You must be a Utah resident.

“People often don’t participate because of price, fear, or both,” said Tom Pettigrew, PCMR’s ski and snowboard school director. “The fear often comes from the price. They think to themselves: ‘I have spent a lot of money. What if I don’t like it?’” The StartNOW price was designed to overcome sticker shock and to attract beginners in spite of the down economy, he said.

Here’s how it works. Beginners register by phone. They call 1-800-545-8112 and schedule five days during the season – a day when they want to take their first lesson and four additional days when they want to return to the mountain. Pre-registration benefits both the student and the resort. The student can mark the days on the calendar, and the resort can schedule instructors, rental equipment and other services to enhance the beginner’s experience. It eliminates bottlenecks.

I watched the program in action last year. The students arrived and moved through the rental shop where staff helped adults and kids learn how to gear up. That equipment can be confusing for beginners. Then they went out the door to the learning area, and along the way Mountain Hosts answered questions and reduced first time jitters.

Classes begin promptly at 1 p.m., so allow ample time to park, get your gear and make a bathroom stop.

The idea to get local beginners onto the slopes had been simmering for a long time. Before the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, PCMR conducted learn to ski and ride programs using the Olympic momentum to get beginners off the couch and out to try something new. PCMR used that experience to design this large scale learner program.

PCMR works hard to be sure that each student has a positive experience. Unfortunately, said Pettigrew, some learn to ski programs elsewhere are compromises. They might have huge classes, inexperienced instructors, or set students up with older equipment. We strive to prevent those issues because we want to make happy skiers and snowboarders. We do all we can to help them enjoy the sport. PCMR’s StartNOW program is designed to create happy skiers and riders.