January 1, 2019 kicked off the annual celebration of snow sports and the 11th season for Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month. The number 11 is especially significant this year because Friday, January 11 is National Learn to Ski or Snowboard DAY when participating resorts will try to set an industry record for the most beginner lessons provided by professional instructors in a single day. Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month runs from January 1 – 31, 2019.

Resorts participating on January 11 and also offering special deals throughout the month of January are listed at learntoskiandsnowboard.org.

“Newcomers also have a chance to win some awesome prizes by participating in our ‘First Day Faces’ social media campaign,” said Mary Jo Tarallo, Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month/Bring a Friend Executive Director.

“All they need to do is take photos of themselves or with friends and/or family members and post them on their favorite social media platform using#firstdayfaces”, she added.

According to Tarallo, industry research indicates that most people want to learn to ski or snowboard to spend more time with friends and family members. “So we thought this would be a good way to encourage taking lessons from professional instructors”, she added.

First Day Faces Prizes include $250 gift vouchers from Liftopia.com, GetSkiTickets.com, ski.com/snowboards.com and seasonpasssales.com plus a chance to win a Ski-Ring from ski-ring.com. The first four web sites make it more affordable for newcomers to purchase lift tickets. Ski-Ring is a new tool that looks like a steering wheel and helps newcomers learn to ski with the right technique.

Those who help introduce beginners to lessons from professional instructors also can win by taking the Bring a Friend Challenge. Prizes are offered from Head Wintersports, Rossignol, Seirus, Zeal Optics, Kinderlift, Transpack, EuroSock, Elan and Burton.