Gift That Keeps on Giving — Learning to Ski, Snowboard

Looking for some last-minute holiday shopping tips?

How about giving the gift of skiing and/or snowboarding?

For a very low price, you can introduce a never-ever to the sport during January, which has become semi-officially Learn to Ski or Snowboard Month.

Many resorts across the United States participate in this campaign to reach a wider audience and help newbies gain their mountain legs. And most packages — which include boots and boards, beginner area lift ticket and half-day instruction — range from $30 to just over a C-note, which is generally less than the price of a lift ticket at their respective resorts.

The following is a quick look at where you can find some participating resorts.

Lake Tahoe area

If learning a new outdoor activity at a discounted price isn’t enough to entice a newcomer to skiing or snowboarding, how about killer views of Big Blue? More than a half-dozen resorts in the North Tahoe area — including Diamond Peak, Homewood, Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows, Northstar and Mt. Rose — are included in the GoTahoeNorth package, which can be found here.

Utah

Known as the home of some of the steepest and deepest powder terrain on the planet, Utah also has some very good learning hills, such as Deer Valley, Eagle Point, Powder Mountain and  Solitude. And those resorts are among a large group that participate in Ski Utah’s learn to ski/snowboard program; details can be found here.

Michigan

The Yoopers love to celebrate winter by playing in the snow, and many Upper Peninsula resorts have incentives to help new-comers to get in on the fun. Ski hills such as Big Powderhorn, Mount Ripley and Big Snow are among the two dozen resorts participating in Discover Michigan Skiing, details of which can be found here.

Pennsylvania

The Keystone State has a bunch of fun little hills — among them Camelback, Blue Mountain, Roundtop, Mt. Pleasant and Shawnee Mountain — which makes them the perfect spot to learn to ski or snowboard. A full list of SkiPA resorts participating in the learn to ski/snowboard program can be found here.

New York

iskyny.com has designated January 16 as Discover NY Ski day, and nearly two dozen resorts — including Whiteface, Gore, Greek Peak and Plattekill Mountain — will have some sort of learn to ski package on that day. Details can be found here.

Vermont

Perhaps ground zero for the development of modern-day skiing (and let’s not forget that snowboard innovator Jake Burton Carpenter was a long-time habitué of the Green Mountain State), Vermont has a wealth of resorts that will get a newbie going, including Burke Mountain, Jay Peak, Killington, Smuggler’s Notch and Stratton. Details of Ski Vermont’s learn to ski options can be found here.

New Hampshire

Such iconic New Hampshire resorts as Bretton Woods, Cannon Mountain, Loon and Waterville Valley well beginners with open arms and you can found what learn to ski packages can be found at participating SkiNH resorts here.