December 24, 2008 E-MAIL PRINT

Enrollment, popularity surges at Smuggs’ Night School

by Matt Boxler/

An instructor at Smugglers' Notch gives a snowboard lesson to a pair of adult learners. (photo: Smugglers' Notch)

An instructor at Smugglers' Notch gives a snowboard lesson to a pair of adult learners. (photo: Smugglers' Notch)

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How do you teach old dogs new tricks? Send them to Night School, of course.

That’s the philosophy families are subscribing to at Smugglers’ Notch in Vermont, where evening enrollment in two snowboarding courses is surging. The resort’s Snow Sport University is offering midweek classes in "Night School for Boarding" and, new this semester, "Night School for Jibbing."

The two courses are not only popular among young riders interested in improving their skills, they’re proving to be a most comfortable learning environment for moms and dads, too. Yes, it seems that under the cover of darkness, skiing majors are more willing to pick up a new minor in snowboarding.

"We found that skiers were very interested in learning to ride, but they didn’t want to give up a day of skiing to do it," said Harley Johnson, operations director for Smugglers’ Snow Sport University, which runs both Night Schools. "Our goal was to meet those needs and create an affordable package for our guests to try snowboarding."

After this first taste of the sport in Night School, the resort is finding that participants usually sign up for lessons on subsequent days.

"The guests appreciate being able to learn how to snowboard in our night program because they can spend the day skiing on the hill, then learn their snowboarding skills in a setting that is not crowded," Johnson said. "There is plenty of room to maneuver and few distractions. They get individual attention when they need it and can practice on their own."

Night School for Boarding has been offered for about a decade now at Smuggs. Because the session is open to ages 6 and older, it has been a favorite of families that want to learn how to snowboard together.

"We feel there’s a great learning progression, where beginners can start off with Night School for Boarding, sharpen their skills with further daytime instruction, and when they’re feeling confident and ready to move on, can sign up for Night School for Jibbing to prepare to hit the terrain parks," Johnson said.

Night School for Jibbing teaches snowboarders to slide on entry-level features such as rails and a box to prepare them for more challenging full-feature terrain parks. The program, also open to riders ages 6 and older, gives beginning boarders the opportunity to learn and practice new skills in a non-threatening learning area with features built just for their ability level.

"The session is designed for people who already have some snowboarding skills," Johnson said. "A class size of 10 allows for good interaction between students and one or two instructors."

Both Night Schools run on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4:30 to 7 p.m. on Sir Henry’s, Smugglers’ five-acre, gentle learning slope. Smugglers’ also has three terrain parks: Log Jam at Morse Highland for beginners, Birch Run on Sterling for intermediates, and the Zone, also on Sterling, for experts.

The cost for a Night School session is $49 per person, which includes a one-hour lesson and equipment. The 90-minute segment following instruction is open for participants to practice skills learned in the lesson on their own, with instructors stationed on the hill for assistance and support.

"I think what makes Night School such a great opportunity is that families are able to do it together," Johnson said. "It’s a stress-free session for moms and dads who might want to try riding for the first time. We do see lots of families learning together in this program. It’s a great chance for them to all try something new."

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