A proclamation declaring January as “Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month” has been signed by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, and the heavy snows make it a great opportunity to do just that, according to Lisa Ratliff at Canaan Valley Resort State Park.
“We are expecting another six to eight inches of snow between noon Friday and 7 p.m. Saturday. Skiing, boarding and tubing should be awesome this weekend and into next week,” Ratliff said.
As part of Learn to Ski month, Canaan Valley Resort, in conjunction with the grand opening of the new Canaan Valley Tube Park and the new ski school area, hosted a Community Day on January 12. “It’s a way to give back to the local community and to get kids interested in getting outdoors for winter activity,” said Ratliff.
More than 100 children participated in the one-day event, which gave children, third grade through eighth grade, the opportunity to learn to ski, learn to snowboard or snow tube. “Our instructors were amazing and had the kids up on the slopes in no time,” Ratliff said.
Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month encourages children and adults to learn by taking lessons from professional instructors. It also challenges current skiers and snowboarders to improve their skills through lessons.
Ski and snowboard areas throughout the U.S. offer free and reasonably priced lesson programs during January as part of this initiative. The national program began in 2009. The partners of Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month’s favorite saying is “Humans were never meant to hibernate.”
“Promoting skiing and snowboarding and other winter sports gets people outdoors for some exercise at a time of year when we tend to stay inside,” Ratliff said.
The West Virginia’s state park system is an Active WV partner, a program providing a strategic direction to increase and maintain healthy physical activities levels in West Virginians. Hiking, sledding, skiing, tubing, or even making a snowman are some winter activities that residents and state visitors may enjoy at state parks. For more information, visit www.canaanresort.com or call 304-866-4121.
