Part III: 4-Year-Old Maris Takes Her First Snowboarding Lesson

Killing it

A few days before Christmas, we snuck up to Northstar California Resort in North Lake Tahoe to give the girls their first snowboard lessons and take our new equipment for a whirl. I was a little apprehensive about how just-turned-4 Maris would do in a lesson. We’ve spent the last month or so getting her familiar with her Burton Riglet snowboard, mostly in our living room and on the beach. But this was her first time trying her tiny snowboard on the slopes and only maybe her fourth time ever seeing snow. So, who knows?

We got to the resort early to get Maris acclimated. Ten-year-old Anaya was also taking a lesson. The instructors assured us they’d be in the same area, so Anaya could give Maris moral support if needed. And off they went.

I’m just learning how to snowboard too, so after a few runs I was ready to head over to the “Big Easy” and watch the girls. When I found Maris, she was using a snowboard with metal rails, not her Burton Riglet. What gives? It turns out that, although the Riglet works on snow and is great for getting the hang of things at home and in the Riglet parks, Maris needed a more traditional snowboard with metal rails to learn how to turn on the slopes. Something more like the Burton Chicklet snowboard. Which means we need more gear. . . Ouch.

The good news is, when I first checked-in, Maris was laughing and rolling around in the snow between short runs on almost-flat ground. By mid-morning, she already knew how to take her snowboard off and on and could slide down the hill by herself with an instructor nearby to catch her before she fell. Up on the bigger hill above, I watched Anaya learning how to get down the hill without falling and try a few turns. Pretty soon, Maris was riding the magic carpet to mid-mountain and sliding back down, almost by herself. In-between runs, she and a little boy chased each other and tumbled in the snow.

At the end of the day, which ran from 9 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. with a lunch break, Maris’s instructor Shannon reported that she was the youngest one out there today and did “great.” She was a little cautious on the steeper part of the slope and wanted the instructor by her side for security, but she basically got it, making her way down the hill and even learning how to steer a little bit. “How was it?” I asked. “It was so fun, Mom. I know how to snowboard now!” Next up, shredding. Or at least a turn or two.

This is Part III in a series chronicling our preschooler Maris’s snowboarding journey. For Part I, click here. For Part II, click here.

To visit Happy Cabin during your trip to North Lake Tahoe / Tahoe Vista / Kings Beach, click here.

Shannon helps Maris into her snowboard before a quick slide down the bunny hill