Level 2 Full Day Snowboarding Class at Copper Mountain

During dinner with Sean and Kendra the previous night at Carne RiNo, I pondered how long it would take me to get to Copper Mountain from Limelight Denver. Kendra stated that even though Copper was technically an hour and a half away from Denver - I might hit unexpected traffic on I-25, getting to the 6 and then I-70. As I didn’t want to risk getting there late, I rationalized that it would be better to leave Denver earlier than expected in order to get breakfast along the way.

So, on a beautiful winter morning, I woke up at Limelight Denver, made a chai cappuccino from the lobby coffee machine and made my way into the Rockies. Within an hour and a half, I’d arrived.

Parking

As I arrived over an hour before the lesson was supposed to start, parking was easier than I expected. Driving around the mountain base, I noticed that certain parking lots were $40. A quick call to the information line gave me the information I needed: the free lot – Alpine Lot – was a short drive down the road. So, within a short drive, I’d parked, gotten my snow bag and was off.

I didn’t care that I looked like a dork with all my gear inside my travel bag. It held all my things.

Lockers

I took the bus to Center Village and made my way to the locker area. The large lockers in front of the bathroom were $25. And – I’m happy to say – everything (even my roller bag) fit. Also, I really enjoyed putting everything in my bag once I was done with the day.

How I screwed up: Timing The Bus to west village

Since arriving at Copper Mountain, I thought I’d set everything up well. Parking? Check. Changed into my snow gear? Check. I even found myself in a nice conversation with another snowboarder who was from Vermont. Again, I thought I was good on time. I even grabbed an impromptu breakfast of an almond croissant at Camp Hale Coffee and walked to the shuttle circle.

However, there is one – very important – way that I screwed up. I assumed the bus schedule was extremely regular.

Now, I thought the bus that I’d need was the same regular bus that I got off on. Nope. I specifically needed the West Village bus. And when I arrived – it had just pulled off and left.

I immediately assessed the situation and time. I called the main snow school line to have them inform whoever needed to know that I was on site – at Center Village – and waiting for the bus.

So, I ate my croissant – and waited. I ended up waiting 15 minutes before a bus arrived. Again, this was on me. But, I got on the bus confident that it would all work out.

Check In for Class

Once I got off the bus at the right stop, I ran into the rental area to check in for the class. I quickly got my check in ticket and promptly began wandering around, trying to figure out where I needed to go.

Before long, Jeff – the program supervisor – saw me and introduced himself. He informed me that I was 20 minute late. He had been informed that I would be late. But, he told me that I may or may not be allowed in class. But, a few kind words and earnest apologies later, and he led me up to the training area to meet Mike Van Duyne – the day’s snowboard instructor – along with two other students in the class.

Apparently, my charming personality persuaded him to let me in. I was VERY grateful.

Morning Session: Level 2 Full Day Snowboarding Class

The main lesson I learned during the morning session is that I know and remember more than I thought I did. Even though I’d done a recent refresh lesson at Virtual Snow indoor snowboarding practice session in Woodland Hills a few days prior, nothing gave me the same feeling as being on the snow.

Mike led us through various drills to gain our strengths, including Heel Side Edge and Toe Side Edge riding. As I’d solidified about myself during my Adult Group Snowboarding Lesson at Breckenridge Resort, I’m much better at heel side boarding. I’d practiced toe edging during my Adult Group Snowboarding Lesson at Mountain High Resort. But, I had anxiety about feeling so off balanced.

But that’s why I booked snowboarding lessons: I don’t want to waste time with sitting in my fears. I want to go to my edge of comfort in a contained environment and push beyond my limitations. So, with Mike and Owen’s help, I began getting my body used to the extreme lean forward that the skill demanded.

I can honestly say that I tried. However, it was during active practice that I bit it – hard. I over corrected, thinking that I was going to go into the orange barrier and my body reacted. So, within quick order, I found my body smack down in the snow. That knocked my confidence down.

And, it knocked the BOA dial off my left boot.

Humorously, Owen – another instructor that was helping Mike –  said that he’d never seen a boot do that. As I looked, stunned – I was afraid that the boot would have to go back to the Burton store in Santa Monica as a quality issue. But in the moment, there I was: on the ground with a boot that needed help to work. Thankfully, Mike used careful but firm pressure and popped it into place. He fixed it and looked easy while fixing the issue. It was much appreciated.

Lunch

Lunch was a quick $36 of a delicious SCHOOL HOUSE SINGLE (Grilled ground chuck, no cheese for me, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, toasted brioche bun – with thick cut bacon) with fries; a Poppi soda and a bottle of water.

Lunch with the group was rather fun. Conversations bubbled as we enjoyed our food and the group. After he made a comment about the self as concept and idea, existing in the body, I asked Mike where he thought dominion truly lies – between the mind, the personality, and the soul. We then made small talk about what the body actually is, whether the soul exists beyond it, and if it has a life of its own after death. Later, Mike said that my question to him provoked one of the most intellectually curious conversations he’s ever had over lunch.

I appreciated Mike, as he was incredibly witty, deeply personable, and philosophically inclined in a way that made the conversation both expansive and delightful. Watching him genuinely engage with the question – and allow himself to sit inside its uncertainty – was fascinating.

Evening Session: Round Two

After lunch with where I hit my wall. All of a sudden – I was TIRED. It fully hit me that the day before, I was at sea level in Los Angeles. And in that moment, walking back to the snowboard class area – I was over 9,712 feet. Whew!

It was like my body only had enough energy for one thing – and snowboarding was no longer it. But, judging our skills and our need for a challenge, Mike suggested that we move from the beginning area to the Green Acres lift area.

Taking the bus was a welcome respite. But walking toward the Green Acres’ lift, I felt challenged. At first, I was confident with skills my body remembered from earlier in the day. However, the difference between my non altitude adjusted body and the others – who lived in Denver and Frisco – were clear. I was struggling in walking. In retrospection, I should have prepared my body a bit more that morning by stopping in Frisco and eating a proper meal. But, beyond fumbling over the toe side edge riding, there was one more skill that I’d come determined to master: getting of the ski lift properly.

And there I was –  staring at the ski lift, determined to hit my goal of conquering my anxiety about the ski lift disembark process.

Now, I will say – getting on the lift, I felt centered and aware of my body.

However – getting off? My anxiety spiked and I panicked. Instead of continuing with the proper movement with holding my board straight and riding forward, my body overrode my mind, adjusted into another stance in a split second and I – fell.

I didn’t just fall – I fell in the pathway of the lift chairs. As such, one of the incoming empty chairs hit the back of my head.

This is why it is imperative to always wear a helmet when snowboarding or doing any impact sport.

I was stunned, on high alert and scared as I scooted myself away from the lift. Weirdly enough – I felt a pang of shame that I’d visualized and mentally practiced the disembark – but seemingly failed.

The lift operator was kind enough to stop the lift, check on me and tell me that she saw that my form had actually been correct initially. However, in my fear, I’d adjusted at the last second – which led to me falling.

Mike came over, checked in on me and encouraged me to feel a bit better. But still, I was shocked, scared and stunned. Also, embarrassed. Not from a pick me need of wanting to impress anyone. But, because I had a goal that I didn’t reach. No one made fun of me. In fact, as Mike led the other two students down the hill, he made sure to check on me to make sure that I was okay. However, I had to come to terms with my own self talk regarding how to learn to get off the lift properly. I had to change I fucked that up to I’m still learning; a lot of people still fall when getting off the lift; and I’m getting better.

Staying at the top of the incline, I was able to gather myself, ground and recover a bit. I watched other snowboarders get off the lift and mimicked their movements – mentally and visually. I also struck up a conversation with a friendly snowboarder from Salt Lake City who talked about how he often compares himself to his girlfriend, a former professional snowboarder.

I ended up doing two runs and felt much more comfortable getting off the ski lift the second time around. Throughout it all, Mike was incredibly patient and personable – outstanding qualities in an instructor that I truly appreciated.

Once we wrapped up, we caught a ride back to Center Village. I grabbed my gear, checked out of my locker, and before long was back in my rental car and on my way to Denver.

Overall

Overall, my time at Copper Mountain was shaped by the genuinely friendly people I met, the thoughtful conversations shared over lunch, and the exceptional care Mike and other instructors showed throughout the day.

By the end of the lesson, I genuinely felt the value of what I paid for. There’s something special about a teacher with a comforting and confident voice who encourages you to lean into a sport that’s both scary and addictive. Mike has the qualities of a truly outstanding instructor – and he looks good doing it.

There are some beautiful moments that really stuck with me during class. Mike’s tips were clear, poetic and meaningful. A few statements of his that I carried with me from class and applied during my next snowboarding activity – Snowboarding Mammoth Mountain: Canyon Lodge:

1. Snowboarding demands sacrifice: I will fall. I may hurt myself and feel a bit of pain. I will face my anxiety and do shit I’m at first uncomfortable with. But – I will get better.  But, the process demands your time and body.
2. Instead of “Falling Leaf”, think of it as “Flowing Leaf”: In this, I began to focus less on the word falling and more on the word flowing. It shifted my mental mindset and allowed me to get more into a flow state with my board and body.
3. Snowboarding & Speed: Gaining speed in snowboarding is like earning money: you build it up as potential, then spend it to move faster, build confidence, and do cool things on your board.

Mike is one of a kind. I hope that every student who crosses his path leave more confident, more skilled, and a little better for having met and learned from him.

With this, Copper stands out as one of the best mountains I’ve experienced. It’s more focused on the resort itself than a traditional village like Breckenridge (Adult Group Snowboarding Lesson at Breckenridge Resort) and just as friendly as Keystone (Scenic Gondola Ride at Keystone Ski Resort).

Truly, it was a wonderful day in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

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