I didn’t have a clue about anything ski-related when I was a beginner skier. I enjoyed the process of discovering the trails and learning about waxing, etc, but I remember tackling some trails that I shouldn’t have been on(luckily I was going up suicide hill that day, and not descending!).
This comment from Grace is telling me that beginner skiers are needing more guidance:
“I skied on the Kananaskis Village side of Ribbon Creek recently and noticed a lot of skiers struggling on downhills that were in near perfect condition. I’m assuming they were newbies who didn’t know the trail system, and I was curious to see why they selected the trails they did. Turns out that the trail maps don’t indicate difficulty (the two trail signs I checked didn’t have small paper winter maps underneath). I think it would be great if Parks could make official, securely attached winter maps with this information to help newbie skiers choose trails that fit their abilities.”
Until Parks comes up with maps, we can help. I’ve created a page Beginner Skiers – Ask Before You Go where you can ask about trail difficulty or any other question that’s on your mind. This blog’s readers will be more than willing to offer their advice.
I’ve also created a page specifically for raw beginners that discusses the absolute easiest trails on which to find your ski legs. Beginner Trails 101: where are the easy trails for beginners?
On the sidebar, there is a banner where you can click to go to the questions page.
Wait, did I read that right?
“An expert is a beginner who has done anything once.”
Thanks so much for this! It’s also a great list for pregnant ladies like myself 🙂 Up to now I’ve been using Confed golf course, which is another great start for beginners!
Outstanding! Very good selection, in my opinion.
Thank you thank you thank you for the info to beginners. I really want to experience skiing in the . mountains, but have been Uber reluctant to head out and end up on a track beyond my limited ability. This blog was sooooo timely. Thanks!
I hope this guide includes “things not to do”, like that first bit from the Goat Creek parking lot on the Canmore side down the hill to the start of the trail! I went down it Saturday, and the same couple of rocks were there from when I did it ~3 years ago, the path was just as narrow right beside the [running] creek. and it is still all around sketchy! I’ve skied all my life, and was again amazed I didn’t mangle and/or soak myself before even getting started!
Happy trails,
H.