Late to this thread but keep in mind there is a big difference between a first timer & a beginner. There is also a difference between a couch potato & someone like your friend who has experience on skates & other motion activities.
Flat/low angle falline terrain is paramount for the first-timers success but beyond that some variety of easy green runs that aren’t crowded with yahoos & allow you to get out of the base area make the next steps magical & interesting.
This Is what I would be looking for if I was introducing a friend to skiing & It’s also something you might have some control over.
Most resorts will have some kind of introduction program & some good instructors but the perfect match can be the luck of the draw unless you were doing private lessons & could interview instructors ahead of time.
BTW, unless there are extenuating circumstances, group lessons are often just fine for first timers. Having some peers around can take some pressure off, learn from our mistakes & share successes.
I have often glanced over at the beginner terrain off the top of the tram at Palisades & thought “what a cool place to learn”. It seems so private from the rest of the mountain yet you get the experience of being up in the mountains & not relegated to the base area as many beginner areas are or mixed in with a bunch of advanced skiers zooming by. I am not sure if there is terrain for first timers up there but I would guess they are there by the 2nd day. I am not familiar enough to comment further but the perfect progression program that
@Tricia mentions sounds great!
Subway at Alpine is pretty cool too but a bit of a sidehill IIRC & maybe a bit too much pitch for a true first timer although machine molded terrain (TBL) can sometimes solve that. The drawback I see there is it is only one lift & then you are mixed in with the general population on Weasel & even that doesn’t offer much variety.
Chair 9 at Kirkwood is spectacular beginner terrain & separate from the masses with chair 7 right next to it as she advances. The 2 lifts even have their own base area.
Sierra-at-Tahoe has good first timer terrain & then the 2 mile long Sugar & Spice run from the top of the mountain often by the 2nd day but I don’t know if I’d want to do it as a beginner on a busy Saturday.
Heavenly has a beginner area at the top of their gondola.
l think it was Steamboat that was putting a lot of resources into contouring a new beginner area this year.
Seems to me Jackson Hole had some Snowsports School Only terrain that looked really fun.
Sun Valley has Dollar Mountain.
Aspen has Buttermilk.
Powder Mountain has some amazing beginner & low intermediate terrain but not very good options for the first time. Snowbasin has a series of magic carpets & a great first timer lift/terrain but not very much for advancing beginners or low intermediates.
Then there are often advantages to the small unknown and under the radar areas. How about a place like Diamond Peak/Ski Incline? Or even Sky Tavern or Mount Rose?
Just some thoughts from someone who has taught a
shitload bunch of first timers!
