Ski & snowboard lessons
for every age and every first run
This is the question we get more than almost any other: what are our options for lessons? Snowshoe Mountain Resort runs its own Ski and Ride School, and it covers everyone from a two-year-old's first time in boots to a private lesson for a rider working on black terrain. Here is every program broken out honestly, what is actually included, and how far ahead to book.
Please read this first
Every lesson on this page is run and sold by Snowshoe Mountain Resort, not by Wander Luxe Lodgings. We do not operate, staff, or take payment for any lesson, and we cannot book one for you. We checked every program listed here against the resort's own booking site in September 2026, and prices are not published; the resort reveals a rate only after you pick a date, since it changes by season and by day. Tell us if anything here is out of date.
Never skied or ridden before
Two versions of the same first-timer curriculum, ages 13 and up, taught in two different spots on the mountain. Both cover everything from your boots and bindings to your first turns.
13 and up · A group time slot of about 1.5 to 3 hours, depending on when you book
The Village-side lesson for first-time riders and never-ever skiers. Covers putting on your gear, getting up, and your first turns and stops.
Meets outside Expedition Station in the Village.
13 and up · 3 hours, 9 am to noon
The same first-timer curriculum, taught on Silver Creek's own beginner-friendly terrain instead of the main Village side.
Meets and stays on Silver Creek, a short shuttle from the Village.
Ages 12 and under who have never been on snow start in the Kids Full Day Group Lesson below, not this one.
Building on some experience
Split by age, so a nine-year-old and a forty-year-old are never grouped together, then sorted again by ability once you check in.
Ages 13 and up · Typically 1 to 2 hours, with rolling starts between 9 am and noon
Skiers and snowboarders sorted by ability into a beginner-to-intermediate group. Book 1, 2, or 3 days if you want a lesson each morning of the trip.
Ages 4 to 12 · A full day, 9 am to 3 pm, check-in 9 to 10 am
Groups are split by age and ability at check-in. Hot chocolate breaks and a nut-free lunch are included.
Waterproof outerwear, gloves, and a helmet are required. Goggles and a face mask on especially cold or windy days.
One-on-one, or your own small group
The pick for a mixed-ability family, a rider ready for blue and black terrain or the terrain park, or anyone who wants the instructor's full attention.
Ages 4 and up
One-on-one coaching, or bring up to four more people of similar ability for a small private group. Book ski or snowboard, and add up to five total participants.
1, 2, 3, or 5 hour sessions, with several start times through the day
Meets outside Expedition Station in the Village. Look for your instructor's orange flag at your start time.
Ages 2 to 4
Not every toddler is ready to strap in on day one, and Snowshoe's own program is built around that.
Ages 2 to 4 · Half day (3 hours, morning or afternoon) or full day (7 hours, 9 am to 4 pm)
Crafts, toys, story time, and supervised on-snow play. If your child is ready, a beginner ski or snowboard introduction can be added to the full-day option.
Rental gear is included with the full-day option.
Read the fine print once
Rentals
Included only with the full-day Pre-Ski Playcare. Every other lesson lets you add discounted rental gear at checkout, but it is not automatic.
Lift ticket
Not included by default. The first-timer lessons offer a discounted beginner lift ticket as an add-on, good only for the Skidder Lift area or the Silver Creek beginner terrain, not the whole mountain.
Food
Snacks, hot chocolate breaks, and a nut-free lunch come with the Kids Full Day Group Lesson. Adult and private lessons do not include food.
Price
Not published as a flat rate. Every lesson on snowshoemtn.com shows its price only once you pick a date, since it moves with the season and the day of the week.
How to book
walk-ups are not a plan
Every lesson books online at snowshoemtn.com. The resort is upfront that lessons can sell out and that a walk-up spot is never guaranteed, so this is one to handle before you drive up, not once you are here.
Book lessons at snowshoemtn.com ↗Christmas week and New Year's
Book ski school the same day you book the home. These are the two weeks most likely to sell out, and a full-day kids' lesson is what makes the week work for parents who want to ski too.
MLK weekend and Presidents' Day weekend
Both are described by the resort as some of its busiest days on snow. Book lessons as soon as your dates are set, not the week you arrive.
A normal winter Saturday
A week or two ahead is usually enough, but the resort is clear that walk-up lessons are not guaranteed, so do not plan on booking at the counter.
A quiet midweek stay
The most flexible window. Same-week booking is realistic outside of school holidays.
Where lessons meet
Nearly everything meets outside Expedition Station in the Village, on Skidder Slope. Kids and adult group check-in runs 9 to 10 am (kids) and 9 am to noon (adults), with the ski school sorting start times as guests arrive. Private lessons meet at their scheduled time behind an instructor's orange flag. The Learn to Ski/Ride, Silver Creek lesson is the one exception; it meets and stays on Silver Creek.
Closest to ski school
Where you sleep decides how early morning drop-off actually feels.
Keep exploring
The first-timers guide covers the whole mountain layout, lift tickets and gear rental is the other thing to sort before you arrive, and the mountain report shows what is actually open on your dates.
Booking Christmas week or New Year's and want the home and the lesson dates to line up? the dates and we will tell you what we would book first.
Questions
The six we hear most. For anything specific to your dates or your kids' ages, and we will point you to the right program, or call the resort with you on the line.
Yes. Learn to Ski/Ride is a group lesson built for first-time riders and never-ever skiers, ages 13 and up, offered either in the Village or on Silver Creek's own beginner-friendly terrain.
Both run through Snowshoe's own Ski and Ride School and cover everything from putting on your gear to your first turns and stops.
As young as 2. Pre-Ski School, the resort's "Playcare," takes ages 2 to 4 for crafts, toys, and supervised on-snow play, with a beginner ski or snowboard introduction added in if a child is ready.
Kids World group lessons start at age 4. The Kids Full Day Group Lesson runs 9 am to 3 pm for ages 4 to 12, with hot chocolate breaks and a nut-free lunch included.
The resort does not publish a flat price. Every lesson on snowshoemtn.com shows a rate only after you select a date, since it moves with the season and the day of the week.
We checked every lesson listing in September 2026 and none carried a public price. Pick your date on the resort's own booking site to see the current rate, or call before you go.
Not by default. Rentals come included only with the full-day Pre-Ski Playcare. Every other lesson lets you add a discounted lift ticket and discounted rental gear at checkout, but neither is bundled in automatically.
The discounted beginner lift ticket that pairs with the first-timer lessons is restricted to the Skidder Lift area or the Silver Creek beginner terrain, not the whole mountain.
As soon as your dates are set, and especially early for Christmas week, New Year's, MLK weekend, and Presidents' Day weekend.
The resort is upfront that lessons can sell out and that a walk-up spot is never guaranteed. A family booking one of our holiday weeks should book ski school the same day they book the home.
Nearly everything meets outside Expedition Station in the Village, on Skidder Slope. The one exception is the Learn to Ski/Ride, Silver Creek lesson, which meets and stays on Silver Creek's own terrain.
Kids check-in runs 9 to 10 am and adult group check-in runs 9 am to noon. Private lessons meet at their scheduled start time behind an instructor's orange flag, and groups return to the same spot at pickup.
Keep exploring
Where to stay
Walk to the Village for drop-off from the Summit condos, or start right on Silver Creek's own beginner terrain. Seven homes, all on the mountain.
5-MIN WALK TO VILLAGESleeps 9 · Walk to the slopes
3 bed · 2 bath · 1,100 sq ft
North Mountain
4.84
142 reviews
SKI-IN/OUT TO NIGHT SKIINGSleeps 6 · Ski-in / ski-out · hot tub & pool
2 bed · 2 bath · 918 sq ft
Silver Creek
4.92
111 reviews
5-MIN WALK TO VILLAGESleeps 10 · Walk to the slopes
3 bed · 2 bath · 1,100 sq ft
North Mountain
4.91
90 reviews