Ragged Mountain Launches Free Learn to Ski and Snowboard Program

They say things that seem too good to be true usually are, but that is apparently not the case at Ragged Mountain Resort this year. As of December 10, 2016 Ragged Mountain will be the only ski area in New England offering a free learn to ski and ride program which runs for the whole season.

Named after one of Ragged Mountain’s first ski instructors, the Bebe Wood Free Learn to Ski & Ride Program is designed for first time skiers and snowboarders who are looking to get into the sport with no risk to their wallet. Each participant can take three free beginner group lessons at any time during the season, and the lessons include free lower mountain lift tickets and free equipment rentals. The three lessons are designed to teach skills progressively, moving from one station to the next as a participant develops their skills and confidence.

“We wanted to give people a true introduction to skiing and snowboarding, and we named it after Bebe to honor someone who has been such an enduring and endearing member of our resort team for so long,” noted Terry Gregg, Ragged Mountain’s Learning Center Director. “Bebe has been here since day one encouraging folks to give this wonderful sport a try.” Now at the age of 90 and still one of the resort’s mountain hosts, Bebe says she is proud and honored to have the program named for her.

The Bebe Wood Program will provide participants with three lessons, lower mountain lift tickets, and brand new rental gear from Rossignol – all for free. Lessons are available seven days a week, including holiday weeks, from 9 AM to 1 PM. Each lesson will take approximately two hours. A team of experienced instructors, dedicated just to the Free Learn to Ski Program, will ensure the participants’ first visit to a ski resort is the best experience possible.

“I learned how to ski at the age of four because my parents wanted to get the whole family involved in a winter activity, and downhill skiing was an affordable sport the entire family could enjoy,” explained Benjamin Hall, Marketing Manager at Ragged Mountain. “Now that I have my own family, it was hard to imagine trying to get us all into skiing or snowboarding because it has become pretty expensive in the years since I was a kid. That’s what Ragged Mountain has committed to change with our Mission: Affordable initiative. It’s the passion we have for winter sports that is helping to drive this. We want to get people up off their couches and outside enjoying winter.”

Renowned ski journalist Moira McCarthy has been writing about skiing for more than a decade, and in her opinion the comprehensive nature of the Bebe Wood Program is both unprecedented and represents an exciting opportunity. “This is the best thing to happen to skiing in forever,” declared McCarthy when the program was announced. “I’m busy telling everyone I know who ever even considered skiing or riding about this program. It’s not only free, but convenient. Now is the time to learn!”

Participants must register in advance online at LearntoSkiFree.com. They can choose to register for just their first lesson, or all three at the same time. They can register all three lessons for three consecutive days, or spread them out throughout the season.

After each lesson, anyone who wants to keep skiing or riding can purchase a Lower Mountain lift ticket and use of the Rossignol rental gear for only $20 for the rest of that day. To make it especially easy to stick with the sport, after graduating from the program, participants can purchase a season pass for only $69, good for the rest of the 2016 -2017 season.

Graduates of the three lesson program can also choose to purchase a brand new ski or snowboard package from Rossignol including skis, boots, bindings, and poles, or snowboard, boots, and bindings for only $299 for adults or $199 for juniors. These packages normally retail for $700. to $1000. Rossignol, one of the leading ski equipment manufacturers in the world, has partnered with Ragged Mountain to help make this kind of pricing possible because new skiers and snowboarders are the future of the sport.

“The question we keep getting now that the program has been launched and people are starting to catch wind of it is, ‘Is this too good to be true?’” stated Ryan Schramm, General Manager at Ragged Mountain. “I am so happy to tell folks there really isn’t a catch. It really is free and it really is a comprehensive program. We truly wanted to introduce new people to the sport, and we understand in order to do so, we need to remove the hurdles which tend to be the cost of professional instruction and access to good equipment. Our goal is to turn participants into real skiers and riders for a lifetime, and we obviously hope they have a great experience here and choose to make Ragged Mountain their go-to ski area.”

Located in Danbury, New Hampshire just 98 miles from downtown Boston, Ragged Mountain Resort is situated on 2,100 acres on beautiful Ragged Mountain in the Lake’s Region. Ragged Mountain has 57 named ski trails, miles of hiking trails on-site, and plans for further expansion.

Ragged Mountain’s Mission: Affordable program offers three initiatives to help make skiing and snowboarding affordable for everyone from families to college students: 1) season passes for unlimited skiing and snowboarding range from $249. to $449. depending on the time of year they are purchased, 2) a comprehensive and free 3-lesson learn to ski or ride program that includes lessons, lift tickets, and equipment rental, and 3) a $25. credit towards next year’s season pass for anyone who refers a new participant to the Bebe Wood Free Learn to Ski & Ride Program once they complete the three lessons.

To make it easy for graduates of the program to continue with their new found sport, Mission: Affordable provides a season pass for the rest of the first year for only $69 and a season pass for the following year for only $199. Graduates of the 3-lesson program are also offered the opportunity to purchase a brand new Rossignol ski equipment package of skis, bindings, boots, and poles or a Rossignol snowboard equipment package of a snowboard, bindings, and boots for $299. for adults and $199. for kids. The equipment package is made possible by a partnership between Ragged Mountain and Rossignol, one of the world’s leading snow sports equipment manufacturers.

In addition to introducing Mission: Affordable for the 2016-2017 season, Ragged Mountain increased the capacity of their snowmaking reservoir from approximately 4 million gallons to approximately 20 million gallons. In the past decade, Ragged Mountain has also invested in hundreds of new high efficiency snow guns, added a high speed quad chair, and added slope-side and nearby lodging options.

For more information on Ragged Mountain, please visit   raggedmountainresort.com