<blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“skirick”><blockquote class=“Quote” rel=“rickbolger”>Most of the stuff listed above is novice terrain. Low end novice, but novice just the same. You really want beginners negotiating Sunway, Tuckerbrook, Hunter One, etc?
I think the j-bar at Burke is an excellent beginner area. Bear Cub at Gore. The Beginners Slope at Elk, with its isolated super slow short chairlift is also terrific for beginners
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Ok, define what a beginner area is?</blockquote>
The OP was asking about an “Interesting” beginner area, not the best, so I would think everyone has their own idea what they would find interesting for a beginner.
As far as an ideal beginner area, I would go along with Joshua’s definition with a long, wide dedicated area with a consistent pitch, tucked in a section away from the masses and speeding skiers. I would also say that ideally it would have a magic carpet lift, since it requires little to no learning to use. That way the beginner skier could concentrate on learning how to ski, and not have the fear of riding an intimidating lift in the back of their minds. While J-bars and T-bars are fun lifts to ride, they are fewer and far between, so the new skier shouldn’t be wasting too much time learning how to ride a lift that can be difficult to use, and get turned off by the whole experience. Also, if it is a chairlift serving the beginner area, it should be a detachable quad. This is not just for the reasons mentioned above, but a double chair does not work well for an instructor/parent who has two kids with them.
