Snow Valley, which happens to be the place I learned to ski, is the only resort in Southern California, one of three in the state and among 53 nationwide that are participating in a world record attempt Saturday to host the most beginner ski and snowboard lessons in one day.
The ski area outside Running Springs, which is often overshadowed by the Big Bear resorts father up Highway 18 in the San Bernardino Mountains, joins such better-known slopes as Aspen Snowmass and Ski Copper in Colorado, Mt. Rose and Diamond Peak in Nevada, Oregon’s Mt. Hood and Killington in Vermont in seeking to collectively surpass the current Guinness World Record of 6,002 lessons in one day.
It’s all part of January’s 11th annual Learn to Ski and Snowboard month nationwide.
Snow Valley’s beginner chairlift starts running at 9 a.m. Saturday, with the first lessons given a half hour later.
The resort offers Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month deals for those ages 13 and over. Mondays through Fridays (and non-holiday days only) through Jan. 31, if you buy one Learn to Ski/Snowboard package for $79, you get a second free, so long as both students take their lessons simultaneously. The package includes beginner area lift tickets, two-hour group lessons and complete ski or snowboard equipment rentals for both participants.
With Snow Valley’s “Bring a Friend Challenge” offer, anyone who brings a friend age 13+ to take a beginner ski or snowboard lesson gets a free Monday-through-Friday lift ticket. (Snow Valley season-pass holders can choose a $25 Snow Valley gift card instead.) The so-called “Bringers” can earn the awards multiple times simply by showing up with different newbies getting lessons. But it’s only valid Mondays through Fridays (and non-holiday days) through Jan. 31.
For those paying out of pocket, Snow Valley weekday lift tickets are currently $69 for ages 22-64; $59 for ages 13-21 and 65-69 (with valid I.D.); and $29 for ages 7-12.
Click here for all participating U.S. resorts in the world record challenge.
For more on Snow Valley, go to Snow-Valley.com, Facebook.com/SnowValleyMtnResortCA and Twitter.com/Snow_Valley_CA.
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.