Weekend Escape: Mammoth Mountain : Snowboard Summit : Legends of the falls abound, but with lessons and a hot meal, it’s a fine day on the slopes

“You’re out of your mind,” my husband, Paul, snorted when I told him I wanted to take a beginner’s lesson and try snowboarding.

True, less than a week had passed since my last ski trip to Mammoth Mountain, when I’d hit a rock on a run called Wall Street, taken a nose dive, ground my sunglasses into my forehead, dislocated my shoulder and slid 75 yards downhill. But it wasn’t as bad as it sounds. Paul--my live-in, ski-along orthopedic surgeon--had put my chronically tricky shoulder back in its socket and the cuts in my forehead only required a few stitches. Besides, that was my first accident in 20-odd years of skiing.

Out of deference to downhillers and concern for safety on narrow runs, some prime resorts--including Alta, Park City and Deer Valley in Utah and Keystone in Colorado--prohibit snowboarding. But most other areas mix the two sports and welcome increasing numbers of snowboarders. At Mammoth, 10% of skiers were snowboarders last season, and officials say this season’s figure will be higher.

You can’t beat the kids who call themselves “rad shredders,” clamp both feet to wildly decorated boards and tear down the mountains, I reasoned, so why not join them?

“We’re not teenagers,” Paul said, in the tone he generally reserves for nut cases.

I needed reinforcements, so I phoned the friendly folks at Mammoth’s ski school and asked if there was an age limit for snowboarding lessons.

“Eight or older.”

“How much older?”

“Young people in their 50s, 60s and 70s take lessons here every day.”

Finding myself at the low end of that scale, I asked more questions and learned that we could purchase a one-day, first-time beginners snowboarding package--including rental equipment, instruction and lift privileges (when accompanied by a teacher) for $71. Classes, which run from 10 a.m. to noon and 1:30-3:30 p.m., are available every day. No reservations are taken, but students should arrive at least an hour early to enroll and rent equipment.

Sensing the inevitable, Paul enlisted his best friend Jim to join us, visited our local ski shop and called the ski school with more questions. Within a few days he was offering advice: We should wear wrist guards, duck butts (padded fanny protectors) and waterproof clothing because beginners fall frequently. And we shouldn’t give up because the learning curve for snowboarding is shorter than that for downhill skiing.

*

We took off early on a Friday afternoon to avoid rush hour traffic. Upon arrival in Mammoth Lakes, we checked in at the Travelodge--a standard motel where convenience makes up for a lack of charm and double rooms are reasonably priced at $90 plus tax on weekend nights. In the mood for pampering after the long drive, we went to Alpenrose, a cozy, Swiss chalet-style restaurant whose proprietors call their guests “darlings.”

The next morning we grabbed breakfast in our rooms--motel coffee, plus fruit from home and fresh croissants from Schat’s Bakery in Mammoth--and walked across the street to board a free shuttle bus to the ski resort. Entering the rental shop in the Main Lodge, we stepped up to a counter of keyboards and tapped out answers to commands: name, address, age, height, weight. Then we proceeded to the contract desk and asked for beginners snowboard packages.

Next came the gear. We shed our shoes and donned high-top, lace-up boots, then walked down a corridor where attendants doled out boards and sent us off to have our bindings adjusted, with the dominant foot forward.

Ready for action, we trudged through the snow to a flat area identified by a First Time Beginners sign. We were 15 minutes early, but a group of would-be snowboarders, ranging in age from 13 to 60-ish, had already gathered. A couple of cool instructors were explaining a few basics: Keep your weight over your forward foot, point and move your body in the direction you want to turn, and never, absolutely never look at your feet.

It sounded simple, but we nervously awaited the moment of truth. It arrived soon enough, after the students were divided into two groups of 10. We ended up with Cabot, a charming guy who exudes confidence and is said to be extraordinarily good at teaching clumsy beginners.

He showed us how to buckle the forward boot on the board, then began a few exercises to help us with balance. We were told to step on the rubber “stomp pad” in the center of the board with our free foot, extend our arms and try slipping back and forth.

So far so good--for maybe five seconds. Then I took my first a spill and felt the familiar pain of a dislocated shoulder. Paul came to the rescue and popped my arm back, but my snowboarding was over.

“You might want to see a doctor,” Cabot said, after I stopped screaming.

A supervisor suggested that I get a refund, so I returned my equipment, got my money back and came back to watch from the sidelines. It was an amazing sight. Under Cabot’s tutelage, nine people spent most of the morning with only one foot attached to their boards. I saw 180-degree and 360-degree windmills, forward splats, backward sprawls and sideways pitches. But in a surprisingly short time, everyone improved quite dramatically. Just before lunch, Cabot coaxed his brood up a gentle slope, showed them how to strap on the second boot and helped them side-slip down to the flats.

During the afternoon session--and after a tasty lunch at the Yodler, just across the parking lot from the Main Lodge--the group moved to an area near Chair 11, which is reserved for ski school classes. Paul, Jim and their fellow students practiced traversing, turning and stopping, then tried riding a lift--which is done with the back foot detached from the board. Although the chair operator slows the lift for beginners, nearly everyone fell while getting off the chair.

At the end of the first day Paul and Jim were both stiff and sore, but quite pleased with themselves.Naturally, they deserved another good dinner, so we went to Nevados, our favorite restaurant in Mammoth, for great fresh fish and vegetables.

At the end of the second day, Jim said that he had fulfilled his lifetime quotient of snowboarding. Paul, who actually made a few runs without falling, is willing to try again. I learned something too. I have to get my shoulder repaired before next ski season.

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Budget for Two

Lodging, 2 nights: $198

Gas: $40

1-day snowboard package: $142

Breakfast, 2 days: $10

Lunch, Yodler: $18

Lunch, Mammoth Mountain Inn: $14

Dinner, Alpenrose: $55

Dinner, Nevados: $60

FINAL TAB: $537

Travelodge, Mammoth Lakes,; tel. (619) 934-8576.