This winter countless kids and adults will enroll in an instructor led lesson, and others will head straight to the bunny hill with a parent or friend. But a new, more efficient method of learning to ski and snowboard is revolutionizing the way people are learning: Terrain Based Learning.
Camelback Resort in the Pocono Mountain’s opened on Friday, Nov. 28 and focused the snowguns not only on the summit to base slopes, but also on its experiential Terrain Based Learning shaped-snow features for opening weekend. It is the country’s leader in Terrain Based Learning and the only resort in eastern PA to offer the cutting-edge program. Now in their third year with Terrain Based Learning, Camelback delivered over 30,000 terrain based lessons during the 2013/14 winter season and over 100,000 since its inception. Notably, in 2013 Camelback was named the #1 place in America to learn to ski and snowboard by the Huffington Post and was awarded the National Ski Area Association Conversion Cup, which is awarded to one resort nationally for their excellence in beginner programs, in particular, their Terrain Based Learning program.
What is Terrain Based Learning?
Camelback Resort’s Terrain Based Learning program breaks away from the traditional approach of sending beginner ski or snowboarders down the bunny hill, and instead help students (ages six and up) progress quickly and safely on custom shaped-snow. Mini-Pipes, Rollers, Banked Turns and a Perfect Pitch slope are designed to assist the novice to naturally control their speed. By reducing the effects of gravity (speed), the student can focus on connecting with the movements, sensations and body positions needed to steer and control their equipment. In short, Terrain Based Learning removes the traditional anxieties from learning and shifts the students’ focus to moving, playing and having fun without fear of losing control.
The instructor-led lessons are taught in a fun and non-intimidating environment. Students are taught balance and control, equipment basics, and several fundamental movements throughout the course. Instructors provide personalized feedback and outline a training plan that details the students’ skills most needing practice to further improve upon technique. Terrain Based Learning is also an equally great refresher course for those who have not been on the slopes in a while.
“Terrain Based Learning is a revolutionary new shift in how we teach our beginner ski and snowboard lessons,” said Brian Czarnecki, VP of Marketing for Camelback Resort. “We believe a student’s first lessons should be about having fun, as well as developing a new life-long skill. Terrain Based Learning takes the fear out of learning to slide”
Camelback Resort’s Explorer Card offers the most cost effective way to learn to ski or snowboard. The card includes three group terrain based learning program lessons, three all-day, lower mountain, beginner terrain lift tickets, and three all-day ski or snowboard equipment rental packages. The package is on sale through February 1, 2015 for only $169, a savings of $128 from purchasing three packages individually. Explorer Cards can be purchased online at SkiCamelback.com.
