Looking to learn to ski or snowboard, sharpen your form, or get the kids up on the hill? Winter Park's Ski + Ride School has a lesson for every age and every ability, and the 2026/2027 season is open for booking now.
Before you book anything, three rules save money and headaches.
1. Book at least 72 hours ahead. Winter Park prices lessons dynamically, and prebooking earns the best rate, with savings of up to 20% on some products. You also get a faster check-in and more time actually on snow. Walk-up bookings are subject to availability and cost more.
2. Lessons include instruction only. This is the one that catches people out. A lesson does not include a lift ticket or equipment. You need a lift ticket or pass and skis or a snowboard to participate. The one exception is the Learn to Ski and Ride first-timer package, which bundles everything. Discounted add-on lift tickets are available for lesson participants, so add them during booking rather than paying window rate.
3. Sold-out dates have no waitlist. Winter Park does not run waitlists for full sessions. If your date is gone, pick another one. Holiday weeks and Presidents Day go first.
Winter Park Lesson Options at a Glance
| Lesson | Ages | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Learn to Ski and Ride | All ages | Absolute first-timers. Includes lift ticket and rentals. |
| Kids Small Group | 4 to 14 | Kids at any level, best value per day |
| Kids Multi-Week | 4 to 14 | Real progression over four weekends, same instructor |
| Adult Group | 15+ | Learning or leveling up alongside peers |
| Private Lessons | All ages | Fastest progression, or keeping a family together |
| 60-Minute Pro Tips | Intermediate to advanced | One specific skill, minimal time commitment |
| FLEX Lesson 5-Pack | Kids or adults | Multiple visits, or sharing across a group |
| Adaptive (NSCD) | All ages | Skiers and riders with disabilities |
The Home of Guest-Centered Teaching
Every guest is unique, which is why Winter Park's Ski + Ride School built its teaching method around the student rather than a script. Instructors work to understand what each person actually needs, then design the lesson around it. It is a real difference, and it is the reason the school has the reputation it does.
Learn to Ski and Ride: The First-Timer Package
If you have never clicked into a binding, start here. This is the only all-inclusive option, and it is the right call for anyone whose first question is "do I need to rent skis too?"
What is included: a half-day group lesson, an all-day lift ticket, and rentals (skis, boots, poles and helmet, or snowboard, boots and helmet). Rentals are yours for the whole day, not just the lesson.
Where it happens: first-timer lessons take place on the magic carpets on the bunny hill. Participants ride a chairlift only if their ability allows, which is exactly the right approach on day one.
The bonus worth knowing: booking the first-timer package unlocks 30% off your next two group lessons. If there is any chance you will catch the bug, that is real money.
The Learn-to-Ski Guarantee
Winter Park backs its beginner teaching with a guarantee: new skiers who cannot manage 10 designated green trails after three lessons get a fourth lesson free. Few resorts put that in writing.
Learn-to-Ski Guarantee details
Kids Lessons at Winter Park
Kids Small Group Lessons (Ages 4 to 14)
Whatever your child's level, a small group lesson delivers a fun, genuinely educational day at the best value per day of any option.
- Full day: meet at 9:00am, lesson runs 9:15am to 3:00pm
- Afternoon half day: meet at 12:45pm, lesson runs 1:00pm to 3:45pm
- Where: all kids lessons meet at Sorenson Park
Lift tickets are required and can be added at a discount for lesson participants. Rentals can be added but must be booked 72 hours in advance.
Kids Multi-Week Lessons (Ages 4 to 14)
This is the one most visitors have never heard of, and it is excellent. Four full days of lessons across four consecutive weekends, with your child keeping the same group and the same instructor the whole way through. Lunch is included.
The difference between four unrelated lessons and four weeks with one instructor who knows your kid is enormous. If you are local, a second homeowner, or here for an extended stay, this is the fastest route from wedge turns to confident skiing.
Cancellation is penalty-free up to 7 days before the session start, or you can rebook for a later session with no rebooking fee.
Every Kid Gets GPS Tracking
Here is a detail parents love. Every child in Ski + Ride School is equipped with a Flaik GPS unit. At the end of the day the instructor hands out a code, and you can go to flaik.com, enter the code and the date, and hit "Relive your day" to see exactly where your child skied and how much vertical they racked up.
It turns "it was good" into an actual map. It is also the single best way to understand what your kid can now handle when you ski together tomorrow.
Kids Ski Free
Kids 14 and under receive a free lift ticket with a Ski + Ride School lesson. Kids 12 and under also get free rentals with an adult three-day rental package. Between the two, a kids lesson day can cost dramatically less than you would expect.
What to Send With Your Child
Dress them for a full day outside, not a quick run:
- Warm base layers and wool socks (one pair, not two)
- Jacket and snow pants
- Gloves or mittens, plus a neck gaiter
- Goggles and a helmet are required. All Winter Park rentals include a helmet.
Instructors build in snack, water and bathroom breaks throughout the day. If your child has food allergies, tell the instructor directly. Instructors can carry medication or an epi-pen in a marked pack with a parent form on file, but they cannot administer medication. If a child cannot self-administer, patrol is called.
Questions about kids programs? Email [email protected] or call 800-729-7907. For date changes or cancellations, call 970-726-1563.
Adult Lessons (Ages 15+)
Whether it is your first time or you want to get comfortable off the greens, adult group lessons put you with peers at your level and give you individual attention inside a group setting. You get instructor guidance, local knowledge about where the mountain is skiing well that day, and good company.
- Morning half day: meet at 9:00am, lesson runs 9:15am to 12:15pm
- Afternoon half day: meet at 12:45pm, lesson runs 1:00pm to 4:00pm
- Where: adult lessons meet on snow between the Arrow and Gemini lifts at the Winter Park base
Discounted add-on lift tickets are available during booking. Rentals are not included.
Private Lessons
Private lessons for the 2026/2027 season are on sale now.
One-on-one instruction with the right instructor for your goals, and the fastest way to progress at any level. A private lesson also covers up to four friends or family members, which makes it the best answer for a mixed-ability group that wants to stay together rather than splitting into three different lessons. Private lessons for 3 and 4-year-olds are one-on-one.
Private lesson guests get added conveniences including complimentary lockers, boot dryers, and customized boot fitting.
One more thing: a private lesson is the only way to request and guarantee a specific instructor. If your family clicked with someone last season, this is how you get them back.
60-Minute Pro Tips
Hone one skill without giving up a day. This is an hour of one-on-one coaching aimed at whatever you are actually stuck on: deeper carves, skiing trees, handling Mary Jane's bumps. The bonus is early access to the mountain, so you are getting coaching on fresh snow before the crowd arrives.
The best-value session on the hill for a competent skier who has plateaued.
FLEX Lesson 5-Packs
Buy five lessons now, decide the dates later. FLEX 5-Packs come in Kids or Adult versions, covering five half or full-day group lessons depending on age, and you can spread them across the season or run them back to back.
The genuinely useful part: 5-Packs are transferable. More than one person can use them, and multiple people can use them on the same date. A family of four can burn four lessons in one morning. Kids Ski Free applies, so a free kids lift ticket is available to add during redemption for all five lessons, and adult lessons get discounted add-on lift tickets.
The fine print: valid on group lessons only, rentals not included, and unused lessons are not refunded or carried into the following season. Buy the number you will realistically use.
Adaptive Lessons with the NSCD
The National Sports Center for the Disabled is based right here at Winter Park and runs one of the longest-standing adaptive programs in the country. They provide individualized instruction for skiers and riders with a wide range of physical and cognitive disabilities. For many families, it is the specific reason they choose Winter Park over anywhere else in Colorado.
Practical Notes Before You Go
Bundle your rentals. Booking rentals alongside your lesson streamlines arrival considerably, and remember kids rentals need to be booked 72 hours ahead. Check our ski rental deals before you pay full price, and see resort rentals for slopeside pickup.
New for this season: an extra hour on weekends. Lifts now open at 8:00am on Saturdays and Sundays from December 5, 2026 through April 4, 2027. Lessons still meet at 9:00am, which means you can get a warm-up run in before drop-off, or ski while your kids are in their lesson from the very first chair.
Cancellation policies vary by product. The first-timer package is penalty-free up to 8 days before arrival and non-refundable inside 7 days, with rebooking available until 9am MT the day before. Multi-week is penalty-free up to 7 days before the session start. Check the specific terms on whatever you book.
Tipping. Instructors can be tipped directly in cash or by Venmo, or you can leave cash or a card tip with guest services.
Childcare is separate. Ski school is instruction, not daycare, and Winter Park Resort does not offer guest childcare. If you have a child under 4 or one who is not ready for a full day on snow, see our guide to childcare and babysitting in Winter Park and book a sitter when you book lodging.
Why Winter Park Is the Right Place to Learn
Established in 1940 and just 70 miles from Denver, Winter Park is the closest major mountain destination to Colorado's capital, with more than 3,000 acres of terrain. Crucially for a beginner, a large share of that is approachable green and blue skiing, so you are not confined to one bunny hill while everyone else has fun elsewhere.
Then, when you are ready, Mary Jane is waiting with the bumps and trees that made her famous. Plenty of people learn here and never feel the need to go anywhere else.
Stay Close to Ski School
Lesson mornings are much easier when drop-off is a short walk instead of a drive and a parking hunt. Our ski-in ski-out rentals and Winter Park Resort area properties put you minutes from Sorenson Park and the base area, with room to spread out gear and a kitchen for the early breakfast that a 9:00am meeting time requires.
Traveling as a family or a group? Look at our private homes, condos, and homes with a private hot tub, which is exactly what tired legs want after a first day on snow.
Check current lodging deals, review lift ticket and pass options, and read our Winter Park tips before you arrive.
Browse all Winter Park vacation rentals or call our local team at 970-722-0707. We can tell you which of our properties has the easiest walk to ski school, because on a lesson morning that is the detail that matters.
More Winter Park reading:
- 1-Day Ski Itinerary at Winter Park
- Easy Packing List for Winter Park, CO
- Top Restaurants in Winter Park, CO
Lesson formats, meeting times, pricing, inclusions and cancellation policies are current as of publication and subject to change. Confirm details with Winter Park Resort's Ski + Ride School before booking.