I spent a good part of my teenage and college winters going skiing and had always wanted to share that with our kids. But here’s the thing: skiing (or snowboarding) is now REALLY expensive. Rentals, helmets, tickets, clothing—it adds up to more than $1,000 for a family of four. All for an outing that our unimpressed kids might hate. Not exactly a low-risk bet.
Fast forward to late winter 2024, when my friend Aleks shared Belleayre’s Local Days promo: $10 lift tickets, $10 rentals, $10 lessons. Thirty bucks a person. Sold. We pulled the kids out of school early on a March afternoon, and suddenly we were trying something that had felt out of reach for years.
Originally, I was going to ski while the kids tried snowboarding. But then Jennifer joined in, and she wanted to snowboard too. Suddenly it turned into a whole family thing—and I switched to snowboarding as well, despite my previous disastrous attempt years ago (tailbone bruises, whiplash, and me swearing never again). But hey, $10 for a lesson? Why not.
Getting Started
It was a perfect early spring day—sunny, warm, and no lines. The kids were thrilled to ditch school early, until they were wrangling boots and bindings in the rental shop, which wiped the smiles off their faces pretty quick. Parents with kids know: just getting everyone geared up is half the battle.
As we waited for our instructor, a familiar figure slid over on skis. Took me a minute to recognize Kevin, the dad of one of our son’s friends. Turns out he’s a ski instructor at Belleayre. Unfortunately, he only taught skiing, not snowboarding—but this connection would matter later.
Our snowboard instructor showed up—a kind, patient older gentleman with a European accent I’ll call Claude (probably not his real name, but it fits). Claude’s mission: teach four stubborn beginners how to snowboard in 90 minutes. Brave man.
Lessons in Falling Gracefully
Here’s the thing they don’t tell you about learning to snowboard: before you even try turning, you spend half your energy hopping one-footed up the bunny hill like a very uncoordinated penguin. You unstrap one foot, kick, slide backward, fall, swear, repeat. Ski kids get a magic carpet. Snowboard kids get shin splints.
Our youngest picked it up the fastest—kids bounce. Jennifer did surprisingly well too. I, however, kept fighting Claude’s #1 rule: lean downhill, commit to the edge, and let your front foot guide the turn.
My skier brain said: Lean uphill. Lean back. Stay safe. Which, in snowboarding, is the fastest way to slam your face into the snow. Claude kept reminding me: hips over the board, shins forward on toe-side, toes up on heel-side. When I listened, it actually worked. When I didn’t—yard sale.
After countless falls and uphill shuffles, our lesson time ended and we hadn’t even tried the lift. Part of me wanted to quit while I was (sort of) intact. But Jennifer, ever braver, said we should try the chair and do a real run. Claude even offered to ride up with us, and Kevin reappeared to tag along. So, why not? (Our oldest had had enough and returned his gear to wait for us at the bottom—classic move.)
The Chairlift and the Crash
The lift ride was easier than I expected, though getting off was, let’s say, “gracefully chaotic.” At the top, we somehow ended up with three instructors for three riders—one actual snowboard instructor (Claude), one ski instructor (Kevin), and one random staffer who joined in. A private entourage for our wobbling descent.
Sliding down on my back edge, I actually started to feel okay—until I got cocky, tried a turn, and promptly caught an edge. Jennifer, meanwhile, was looking pretty smooth. Until she wasn’t. I heard her cry out, looked uphill, and saw her crumpled in the snow. Her arm looked… wrong.
Claude and the others rushed over. Jennifer was in a lot of pain, mostly wrist and elbow. Walking down wasn’t realistic, so they radioed for ski patrol. Jennifer got a mortifying but necessary sled ride down the mountain. I, meanwhile, still had to get myself down without adding to the patient list. So I inched downhill in survival mode, cramping legs, sliding, praying not to join Jennifer in the sled.
At the bottom, Kevin had kindly reunited our kids, and together we returned our gear. Jennifer went straight to urgent care, where x-rays confirmed: broken wrist and elbow. Six weeks in a cast—right before our Belize trip. Because of course.
The Domino Effect
Getting hurt on the slopes was only the start of the adventure. We raced to urgent care in Kingston, only to arrive right as they closed, forcing us to drive to Poughkeepsie. Meanwhile, we had to swing by home to let the dog out and drop the kids off. In my haste, I pulled into the driveway at a weird angle, then promptly backed into the brand-new basketball hoop on the way out. Thankfully it wasn’t bolted down, so I just nudged it with the truck—though not without leaving a dent in both the hoop and my ego.
By the time we finally got Jennifer x-rayed, the verdict was in: broken wrist and elbow. They slapped on a fast cast and sling, then scheduled us with the orthopedist the next day. A full arm cast, six weeks. No swimming. No ziplining. Basically the ultimate “vacation cramp.”
Except—I remembered seeing a kid at the beach the summer before with some kind of cast cover. A little Amazon magic later, and we had waterproof protectors that worked shockingly well. Jennifer could swim in Belize after all. (Pro tip: cast cover one and cast cover two. Lifesavers.)
Aftermath
So, did we save money by doing the $10 snowboard day? Not really. Between x-rays, orthopedist visits, and the U.S. healthcare system, that “cheap” experiment ended up costing more than a weekend ski trip would have. At least we didn’t pay both bills. And hey, we got a story that none of us will forget—and a reminder that in our family, adventure tends to come with bloopers.
Takeaways
- Snowboarding is humbling. If you’re a skier, your instincts are wrong. Lean downhill, trust the edge, front foot leads. Listen to Claude.
- If you go as a family, prepare for comedy, chaos, and possibly injuries.
- Belleayre’s Local Days deal was incredible—if they run it again, jump on it. Just maybe pack bubble wrap.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003DZAKS6?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_5
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007UONNDK?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_3&th=1
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