Learning the basics During the 2013-14 season, the National Ski Areas Association reported 56.5 million skier visits at U.S. ski areas. Some of those were obviously brand-new skiers and riders.

Ski lessons, on trend with the rest of the sport, can be extremely expensive. At Taos, a half-day lesson with up to four people costs $550 total.

Aspen offers lessons across all four of its mountains, but the Max 5 Group Ski or Snowboard Lessons offered at Snowmass and Buttermilk are the perfect opportunity to dip your toes into winter sports.

Get the best of the Magazine’s award-winning stories and features right in your e-mail inbox every Sunday. Sign up here. Fred Rumford learned to ski in 1970, as a 5-year-old at the ski school in ...