Then, inexplicably, on a beautiful Sunday in March, I somehow found myself driving into New Hampshire with Sam, my boyfriend and favorite snowboarding companion, on our way to go skiing at Waterville Valley Resort . I was a little nervous at the thought of putting on skis again, but knew I couldn’t be more nervous than Sam, who was going to try skiing for the first time ever.

My anticipation grew as we wound our way alongside the Mad River into the vast White Mountain National Forest, and up to Waterville Valley. The parking area was abuzz, a testament to the mountain’s popularity, but we had no problem finding a parking space and making our way to the Sport Thoma ski shop where we met Bobby Foster, the mountain’s director of operations, who told us a little about the mountain and resort area.

At the top of the High Country Double Lift, we gazed in awe at the White Mountain National Forest spread out around us. (Caroline McDonald photo)

The mountain was first opened in 1966 by Olympic skier Tom Corcoran, and has changed ownership a couple times since. Throughout the years, it’s hosted World Cup alpine races and, apparently, was a favorite destination of the Kennedy clan. Another political family, the Sununus, purchased the resort before the 2010/11 season began and are investing some local TLC into the mountain’s operation. But it’s not just the 25 new snowmaking guns or renovated bathrooms that show how much love is being invested. Where it’s really evident is in the people.

Bobby introduced us to our instructors, Lisa and Clarence, who took us around to get our rentals. Sam and I were impressed by the genuinely friendly folks we met on the way—from Mike in rentals who told us about the variety of equipment available to Joe, the tall Austrian man who helped us properly fit our boots. (“No pant cuffs in the boot. Make sure your heel is all the way to the back.”) Everyone was helpful and made the rental process as simple as possible. Before we knew it, we were headed to the bunny slope with skis tossed (very carefully!) over our shoulders.

Snowboarder rehab: Clarence teaches Sam how to click in to skis for the very first time! (Caroline McDonald photo)

These weren’t the long, straight skis I remembered  from my early years, but shaped skis, no taller than my shoulders. Now, I know Sam and I look youthful, but surely they realized we are full-grown adults! Lisa and Clarence explained the rationale behind the 124cm skis I was using. Ski technology and the way skiing is taught nowadays has changed for the better. With a shorter, shapelier ski, beginners can make easier turns and become comfortable with equipment that might otherwise feel pretty awkward.

Furthermore, we weren’t just given the skis and pushed off the top of a bunny slope. Lisa and Clarence introduced us to the most fundamental techniques before we even put the skis on. We learned that good skiers rotate their legs in their hip sockets and minimize upper body movement, and that weight is evenly distributed in the middle of the foot to use the whole edge of the ski. After practicing this for a bit, we were finally ready put our skis on.

Clarence and Lisa are both snowboarders as well as skiers, so they adjusted our ski lesson to use snowboarding concepts we already understood. Lisa, who is the assistant snowsports director and head of the ski school, explained that all lessons are customized this way whenever possible. Instructors adjust to the students’ comfort levels, so whether you’re just starting like Sam, or want to brush up on techniques like me, the ski school at Waterville can accommodate you.

For me, clicking into skis again felt  comfortable, like coming home. It seemed like I’d never “gone over to the dark side.”But the best part of my day wasn’t going on to nail the half-pipe or conquer one of the bumped-up black diamonds (although that would have been very cool!). The best  of my day was discovering what a joy it is to be with someone else as they learn to ski. The excitement someone else feels when they connect those first two turns and burst into a proud grin is infectious. Clarence and Lisa seemed to feel the same way I did as we watched Sam weave back and forth across the bunny slope, proving himself to be a natural skier.

Us with our fabulous instructors, Lisa and Clarence. (Caroline McDonald photo)

We spent another half hour on some tougher green slopes (lessons typically last an hour and 45 minutes) before we said goodbye to Clarence and Lisa, and took a well-deserved break. There are two restaurants at the base and another lodge halfway up the mountain. We opted for Buckets, Bones and Brews at the base, where we sat on the deck to enjoy the perfect weather and watch skiers and riders come down the mountain.

After refueling, we headed up the White Peak Express Quad to see the rest of the mountain. Although we stuck to the blue trails, the mountain offers a variety of terrain. There are plenty of wide, sweeping slopes, but also enough narrow, tree-lined trails to keep diehard New England skiers happy. Every trail felt different. There are also plenty of tougher blues interspersed with black diamonds, particularly at the top of the mountain , which Sam and I decided to leave for another day.

The snow quality was consistent and held up well despite the sun, with only minimal icy patches. A few trails were left  ungroomed, but most of what we skied was groomed. The bottom of the mountain really softened up as the sun continued shining in the afternoon, and made turning easy. Wearing only a shell, I was reminded of how pleasant spring skiing is.

Waterville has 12 lifts and more than 50 trails. We didn’t come close to skiing the entire mountain. Ideally, we would have stay in Waterville for a week or so, not just a day. Spring lift tickets are only $25 Monday through Friday, and they are currently offering one of the best lesson packages I’ve ever heard of—only $35 for their Learn to Ski & Ride Special!. To snag a good deal on Tuesdays, keep up with Waterville’s Twitter page, as they base the day’s ticket price on the predicted temperature posted there. Friday, April 1 will be the best day, though. Tickets will only be one dollar. (That’s $1. No joking!)

Should visitors somehow tire of skiing, the White Mountains also offer cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and hiking. The town center close to the mountain’s base has a variety of lodging accommodations, restaurants, shops, a spa and even a hockey rink!

If we can’t make it back before the ski season ends, Sam and I definitely plan to make a trip up this summer. There’s camping, mountain biking and all sorts of activities for families. In fact, Waterville is the perfect place for my family from Tennessee to visit to see what the Northeast is all about. New Hampshire’s White Mountains would provide a wonderful break from Tennessee’s notoriously humid summers. It’s also an easy, quick getaway for Boston-area residents like Sam and me. At just under three hours, the drive lands you in a different world. Winter at Waterville (on skis!) was wonderful; and summer fun, here we come!

Here are two ways to save during vacation weeks (and all season long!)

Ticket Packs

Many areas sell blocks of three, six, or more anytime tickets.  Yes you pay more up front than you would for one day, but the tickets are good for a whole season, they are often transferable, and buying in blocks offers significant savings.

They seem particularly popular in New Hampshire and here are some examples:

Gunstock in Gilford, N.H. is a good example: with their 6-packs you get 6 tickets for the price of 5 and  their Baker’s Dozens get 13 tickets for less than the price of 10! These are anytime, fully  transferable tickets. An adult 6-pack is  $340, Baker’s Dozen is $675

Cannon Mountain in Franconia, N.H.has the 10 any-day, adult, transferable tickets good all season for  $569, which saves over $100 off the regular window price of $67/day.

Crotched Mountain in Bennington, N.H. offers a 10 pack of tickets for $449.  They are transferable and valid all season long.

Mount Sunapee in Newbury, N.H. has 6 – Packs which can be pre-purchased for the price of 5. Only two tickets can be used per day Dec. 25  through March 6. All six can be used in one day before or after those dates

Pats Peak in Henniker, N.H. has PIC-A-PAC anytime transferable Tickets, a 6 Pac ($336) saves $42,  a 12 Pac ($672) saves  $120, and an 18 Pac ($1,008) saves $216.

Waterville Valley in Waterville Valley, N.H. sells 5 Packs of any-day, non-transferable tickets which $10 a day off the regular ticket price.

Whaleback Mountain in Enfield, N.H. has a 4 pack ($120) for the price of 3, saving $40. (Yes, Whaleback’s weekend/Holiday all day lift tickets are $40 . . . )

There are more deals like this in other states, but you get the idea. If you want to ski several days or with several people over the holiday, this might be your best way to save.

Loyalty Cards:

At this time of year, if you don’t ski enough to justify a season pass but still want to save money, your best deal at many areas is a skier loyalty card. You buy a card up front (some come with a lift ticket) and it gets you a significant discount every time you ski. Some include discounts on lodging, meals, and resort services. Usually they pay for themselves in two or three visits. After that, it’s all savings all the time. Last week we looked at multi-mountain cards. Here are some examples of savings at individual resorts:

Ski Sundown in Canton Center, Connecticut has an $89 Savings Card that gets discounts up to 50% on lift tickets.

Jiminy Peak in Hancock, Mass has a $45 Value Card that saves you $15 off  every ticket and 7th visit free.

At Gunstock in Gilford, N.H. the Take 50 card ($130) cuts the price of a weekend/holiday adult lift ticket to $34.

Hunter Mountain in Hunter, New York offers the  $45 Big Lift Cards which saves 25% on Weekend & Holiday Tickets, 50% on Mid-week Tickets and four free Sunday lift tickets!

Bromley Mountain in Peru, Vermont has the $69 Sun Mountain Card which gets a free lift ticket and $10 off every lift ticket for the season.

Jay Peak in Jay, Vermont has the $99 581 card (named for their average annual snowfall in inches) which gets one free lift ticket and $50 adult tickets for the rest of the season

Killington in Killington, Vermont has the $79 Express card which saves 25-50% on tickets all season.

Mount Snow in Dover, Vermont has the $79 Fan Fare Card that gets 50% off midweek tickets, 10% off weekend/holidays.

Smugglers Notch in Jeffersonville, Vermont has the $89 Bash Badge which gets $25 lift ticket or $15 afternoon tickets all season.

The $79 Stowe Points Card at Stowe Mountain Resort in Stowe, Vermont earns points for each dollar spent at the resort, redeemable for lift tickets.

Stratton Mountain Resort, in Stratton, Vermont offers the $79 X2 direct-to lifts card that pays for itself with the first use, gets $30 off weekday tickets, $20 off Weekend tickets and $10 off holiday tickets.

Thanks to the New England ski industry and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Hampshire, Brendan got his wish . . . (Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Hampshire photo)

If you are reading this, you are probably wishing for more snow. Be patient, it’s coming.

But if you are really into seeing wishes come true, check out the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants the wishes of children with life threatening medical conditions. The stated goal of Make-A-Wish is “to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.” Most of these kids need all the joy, strength and hope they can get to help them though unimaginable times.

The ties between the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the New England ski industry are deep and profound. Did you know, for example, that every current  “Wisher”

So did Rosie . . . (Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Hampshire photo)

from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts receives a VIP pass which entitles them and an accompanying adult to a full day on the slopes with lift tickets, rental equipment and lessons at one of 32 different resorts across New England. That’s offered with the cooperation of Ski NH, Ski Vermont, Ski Maine, and the New England Ski Areas Council.

Ski NH adopted the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Hampshire as its official charity four seasons ago. They donate $5 from every $20 Ski NH Fifth Grade Snowsports Passport directly to Make-A-Wish.  On November 19, 2009 at the Ski NH Boston Media reception, Ski NH presented the Make-A-Wish

And "wisher," Michael (Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Hampshire photo)

Foundation of New Hampshire with a check for more than $10,000 from the winter 2008-09 passport sales.  Over the past three seasons, Ski NH and families of fifth graders have donated more than $20,000 in total. That kind of money makes a lot of wishes come true—and some of those wishes are for time on the slopes.

Here’s a list of the participating ski resorts. Wish them a prosperous New Year the next time you visit:

Massachusetts : Ski Blandford ,
Ski Butternut, Catamount, Jiminy Peak, Nashoba Valley, Wachusett.

Maine : Black Mountain of Maine, Lost Valley, Mt. Abram, Saddleback, Shawnee Peak.
New Hampshire: Attitash, The Balsams, Black Mountain, Cannon Mountain, Cranmore Mountain Resort, Crotched Mountain, Dartmouth Skiway, Gunstock Mountain Resort, King Pine, Loon Mountain, Mount Sunapee, Pats Peak, Ragged Mountain, Waterville Valley, Wildcat Mountain.

Vermont: Bolton Valley, Burke Mountain, Jay Peak, Magic Mountain, Mount Snow, Okemo.