On a warm and sunny Friday afternoon, Buttermilk Mountain was bustling with beginners like Kyle Blumberg.
Blumberg, who lives in New York, has been snowboarding for a few years. But this year, some family and friends convinced him to try skiing, too. After a morning of practice down at the base of the mountain, Blumberg was heading up the Summit Express chairlift for his first-ever ski run from the top.
“It's awesome, I'm excited,” Blumberg said on the lift. “And (it’s) time for the real mountain now.”
Blumberg said it felt good to be a beginner again. The process involved some trial and error, but he was getting plenty of tips and encouragement from his instructor, Paul Britt.
“I think falling is important to learning,” Blumberg said. “And learning the actual basics, and getting taught by someone is super important. … I think it's been pretty easy so far, but I think I'm going to get to really test what I learned on this actual slope.”
Blumberg’s roommate, skier Ari Zebersky, was also on the lift. He seemed eager to witness his friend’s progress — even if it involved some “pizza” and “french fries” skiing technique.
“As long as you're with good company, good people, it's always a great time,” Zebersky said.
