This post was made possible by Windham Mountain Resort, who provided ski lessons, rentals, and lift tickets to make this article possible for our Learn to Ski series. All opinions are my own.
Windham Mountain Skiing
Last winter we embarked on a new series of adventures for the Jersey Family Fun team and for our readers. Since my boys were eager to learn to ski and all of you were interested in where you could take your kids to ski, we started the Best Places for Kids to Learn to Ski series. Both Melanie and I have been thrilled to start sharing our experiences having our kids learn to ski in our region. Our kids had a blast last year… they loved learning to ski so much there was no doubt we would be back at it this year. For my boys, this winter we visited Windham Mountain in the Catskills of New York. Take a look at how boys continued learning to ski at Windham Mountain Resort.
![Learning to Ski At Windham Mountain](https://www.jerseyfamilyfun.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_4090-580x435.jpg)
Off and up the Windham Mountain they go.
Checking in for a day of skiing at Windham Mountain Resort
Windham Mountain Resort makes checking in for a day of skiing easy and efficient. Rather than have everyone wait in lines to pay and then get their gear, they’ve organized the process into steps and stations. Skiers, like us, can easily move from one station to the next and get on the Windham mountain to ski.
- Step 1 Sign In – Your first stop in the Windham Mountain Ski area is to check in for your lessons, rentals, and lift tickets. Skiers can register in advance and complete the process when they arrive at Windham. There are computer stations to enter your information and print out your sales slip. In order to be fitted correctly for ski equipment you will need to know each skier’s weight and height. But no worries. If your kids grow as fast as my boys there is a scale nearby to get an accurate height and weight for each child. You can have each skier complete different forms or have everyone on the same form.
- Step 2 Cashier – Take your printed slips to the cashier. They’ll handle payment and send you off to step 3.
- Step 3 Boots – Windham staff were on hand to provide ski boots. Cubbies and lockers are available for storing your regular shoes and bags while you ski or snowboard. I decided on a locker as a safer option. I appreciated the option to pay once for a 2 day locker rental which allowed us to keep some ski gear in the locker overnight instead of bringing it back and forth to our room.
![Learning to ski at Windham Mountain getting ski boots](https://www.jerseyfamilyfun.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_3951-e1491782078661-450x600.jpg)
My husband helps my tween get his ski boots on at Windham.
- Step 4 Skis & Snowboards – At the fourth station, my boys and husband were set up for skis. I was impressed with how the Windham ski staff took the time to talk to each of my boys about their ski experience before selecting a set of skis for them. Their skis were adjusted based on their height, weight, and experience level.
- Step 5 Helmet & Poles – The last station before heading over to check in with our lessons is station 5. Windham Ski has a variety of colorful helmets and ski poles available. Since my boys are still new to skiing they didn’t use ski poles, but we certainly took advantage of those helmets.
Learning to Ski At Windham Mountain with Windham Ski School Ski Lessons
Learning to ski at Windham Mountain Ski Lesson Packages
Windham Mountain Ski School offers ski lessons for kids and adults of all abilities. Snowboarding lessons are also available. Group lessons are offered as well as private lessons. A private lesson can be booked for 1 person, 2 people, or 3 people. Windham Mountain ski lessons for children begin at age 3. The Great Northern Castkills arranged for my boys to have a private lesson. The 3 boys were matched up with instructor Odette and my oldest is sharing his experience below. You can learn more about the Windham Mountain Ski School packages at their site, just click here.
![Learning to ski at Windham Mountain ski school](https://www.jerseyfamilyfun.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_3961-580x435.jpg)
Check in for your Windham ski lessons at the ski school desk located within the Windham Ski building.
Learning to ski at Windham Mountain Our Experience
My boys were so pleased learning to ski at Windham Mountain Resort with Odette. At first, Odette and I weren’t sure how it would work with my 8 year old, 11 year old, and 12 year old all in a group/private ski lesson together. Early on, my 12 year old was showing he had some talent and readiness to get back to the lifts. While my 8 year old was still struggling to weave in and out of cones on the bunny hill. Nevermind, my concern that the sibling rivalry would make it more difficult. I was worried, but with Odette’s patience and my 8 year old’s desire to catch up to his brothers, it wasn’t long before he too was eager to try out the lifts. By the end of their second day of lessons all three of my boys were comfortable riding lifts and skiing down the slopes. It was exciting to see how much they progressed in a short period of time with her instruction.
![Ski at Windham Mountain Resort](https://www.jerseyfamilyfun.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_4012-e1491234433766-450x600.jpg)
Taking a break from skiing at Windham Mountain Resort.
What did my tween have to say about learning to ski at Windham Mountain
My 12 year old son wrote this about what it was like to learn to ski at Windham Mountain Resort
“Our ski trip to Windham Mountain was spectacular. Skiing on the mountain was so fun. It felt awesome.”
![Learning to ski at Windham Mountain ski school](https://www.jerseyfamilyfun.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_3962-580x435.jpg)
Suited up and ready for their Windham skiing lessons.
“On the first beautiful sunny day we got our skis from the rentals. We first used a machine to find out what size our skis, helmets and boots would be. After that we took ski lessons with our teacher, Odette. My brothers and I started on a small hill that we rode a conveyor belt called “the magic carpet” to the top of the hill. We learned how to stop and slow down. We even went through cones to practice balance and control.”
![Learning to ski at Windham Mountain ski school](https://www.jerseyfamilyfun.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_4113-580x326.jpg)
Skiing down the slopes at Windham Mountain
“When my brothers and I got good enough, we took the ski lifts halfway up the mountain and rode trails such as Why Not and What’s Next multiple times. After a couple hours of that we went stopped to eat lunch.”
“After lunch my dad and I did trails like Wanderer and Winging It. Then after a while we went back to the hotel to eat dinner and sleep for the night. On the 2nd day we took the ski lifts to the top of the mountain to ski. Did I mention how peaceful the top is? We did a trail such as the Turn-a-about and Wrap-a-around. We practiced a lot and got really good. I was really focused and pumped up. After lunch my dad took a break so Odette was kind enough to ski with us longer. It soon got late and we had to say goodbye to her.”
Then we went back to the hotel and packed up to go home. On the ride home we saw an incredible view. And then it started to snow! I would definitely want to come again. This is why skiing at Windham Mountain was so fun, and why you should go!
Windham Mountain ski school offers ski lessons for ages 3 and up. A variety of group and private lessons are available. Snowboarding is also available. Visit their ski school for more information.
See our Facebook album for more photos from our experience learning to ski at Windham Mountain. Here’s a preview.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154414035865745.1073742521.71658875744&type=1&l=f26bded194
Click over to see the rest of our Family Travel to the Catskills series.
To arrange a feature on your location contact Jennifer Auer, Jersey Family Fun publisher.
Click over to learn more about the Best Places for Kids to Learn to Ski.
This post was made possible by Windham Mountain, who provided ski lessons, rentals, and lift tickets to make this article possible for our Learn to Ski series. All opinions are my own.