Tips For You

Expectations

Everyone learns at different paces. It is important to keep your expectations reasonable. This way both you and your children will have a successful and rewarding on the snow experience. Some factors that can affect learning to ski or snowboard include your temperament (how open you are to new things), age, and physical ability. Both skiing and snowboarding take specialized skills that improve with practice over time. Ultimately, your expectation's for you or your kids should focus on the fun and excitement of the overall experience.

Things to Bring

Well, no surprise here, but clothes that will keep you warm and dry. And that's really important if you end up falling a couple of times. We do not recommend cotton clothing (jeans and a sweatshirt) it becomes wet, then cold. What's great is that you probably have most of what you need. If you don't, the Paoli Pro Shop, located inside the ski lodge, rents ski and snowboard clothing at a very reasonable rate!

Layer Up

The best way to dress for winter is to wear layers. This gives you more flexibility to add or remove layers, depending on the weather and your activity. Turtleneck shirts, sweaters, long underwear and footless tights work well as under-layers. Avoid wearing cotton next to your skin, it will absorb sweat and snow and make you shiver. For that same reason, wool or acrylic socks are better than cotton athletic socks. Wear one, thin pair. Ski and snowboard boots are designed to be warm. Thick socks, or multiple layers of socks, will only give you blisters. If you buy anything, it should be a pair of waterproof shell pants and warm long underwear. You probably have a winter sports jacket already.

But, Not too Much

You may not need as many layers of clothing as you think. On a sunny day, you may only need two layers - the waterproof outer layer and the turtleneck/long underwear first layer. But bring a middle layer (fleece or wool sweater) just in case. You can always take off clothes as you get warmer. Interested in more info, check this out: In general, the three main layers are wicking (worn next to your skin), insulating (middle layer that keeps the cold out) and weather protection (exterior layer or guard against the elements).

What do beginners forget to bring the first day?

Sunglasses, goggles and sunscreen. The sun is very strong at high altitudes and against a snow-white background. Also remember to bring water-resistant gloves or mittens and a hat. Future snowboarders, wear wrist guards if you have them. If you already have knee pads, they will help cushion snowboard falls.

Lost and Found

There are many personal items lost on the slopes each day. The most common items lost are: call phones, wallets, and keys (in that order). It's never good to loose a personal possession and by doing so, a great day immediately turns into a horrible day.... especially if your keys are missing. We recommend putting all items in a locker and only accessing them when you need them. Paoli Peaks has many lockers available on all levels of the lodge (more info below). If you're worried about carrying around cash or credit cards, we recommend getting a Pocket Change Debit Card. A Pocket Change Debit Card is a reloadable gift card valid at Paoli Peaks. Should you happen to misplace this debit card, we can immediately cancel it and issue you a new one. It sure beats the hassle of canceling a credit card and the disappointment of losing cash. Pocket Change cards can be purchased prior to or upon your arrival. If by chance, you do happen to lose something, we recommend immediately reporting it to the Front Office, where you will fill out a "lost" report. Should your item turn up, we will be able to return it!

Lockers for Rent

Paoli Peaks provides lockers for rent to store your belongings while out on the slopes. We have the traditional lockers that cost $0.75 each time (quarters only) they are accessed...or...NEW for the 11/12 season, are electronic lockers that come in 3 different sizes: Small $3 (12Wx14Hx21D), Medium $5 (15Wx18Hx21D), Large $10 (17Wx24Hx30D). The digital lockers are accessed via a numerical 4 digit code that you create. Payment can be made with cash or credit card at one of the 4 kiosks and is a one-time fee. Once rented, you can access the electronic locker as many times as you want without additional fees.

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