Lee Canyon, Las Vegas USA
I have never tried to ski before, but suddenly I wanted to go skiing really badly.
We were planning to go to Vancouver last October but it turned out it was too early for the ski season to begin. Then we wanted to go to Aspen around Christmas but it was already fully booked. I was also worried because I was a total beginner I wouldn't be able to fully enjoy the mountain :D
After that I kind of forget about my little ski dream until early January when I was planning for my birthday trip. I decided to go to Vegas for my birthday. I did a little bit research on what else there was to do in Vegas other than gambling, eating like a pig, and partying, (which are still the best parts tho lol) and I found a ski resort called Lee Canyon.
Lee Canyon is about a 50 min drive north from the Las Vegas Strip, which was pretty reasonable. I was surprised and had some doubts at the same time because I've never heard of anyone going skiing in Vegas. This wasn't my first time in Vegas so I wanted to do something special. It had good reviews online, so why not?
The weather was perfect that day and the drive from the Vegas strip up to the mountain was amazing too. At first I wondered if there was going to be any snow, because it was hard to imagine any snow in Las Vegas (which is in the middle of a desert). But it turned out I worried too much. There was fresh snow everywhere.
I almost died by going to the intermediate blue zone without helmet and enough pizza practice. Pizza is one of the first ski moves I learned, where you make the shape of a pizza with your skis in order to stop. I strongly recommend all the beginners to wear a helmet.
(The picture above is the happy and confident me before the Revenant II happened. Seriously. I wept a little. )
Anyways, it was fun and better than what I expected. The mountain is small but it is clean and fresh. They give free beginner lessons and the staff are all nice and friendly. They also provide all the equipment, including outfits for rent. It is a good spot for a short ski weekend getaway. I left the Wynn around 10 am and got back to hotel around 6 pm It may sound short but believe me, it is enough for a day as a beginner. I couldn't feel my legs the next day.
Friendly reminder: If you plan on going make sure you book the ski passes online first. They are a little cheaper online and somedays if they are too busy (weekends, holidays, etc) they will only allow online reservations onto the mountain. They will have police officers at the top of the mountain to check if you have a reservation or not on those days, and if you don't have a reservation you'll be asked to turn back around down the mountain. So always book your ski passes online before heading to the mountain.