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Skiers and snowboarders head to Chair 1 at Whitefish Mountain Resort on opening day. (Matt Baldwin / Daily Inter Lake)
Even if you aren’t Olympic skiing material, that doesn’t mean you can’t be a part of a world record.
Beginner and intermediate skiers and snowboarders are invited to join Whitefish Mountain Resort’s attempt to break the Guinness World Record for ski lessons held in one day, in coordination with ski resorts around the U.S. and Canada.
“It’s exciting just to be a part of it,” resort spokesperson Riley Polumbus said. “It’s a cool thing to say you were a part of the world’s largest record if we do indeed break that record.”
The event is set for Jan. 6 at 11 a.m., where all resort instructors will be on deck to take on 50 skiers and 50 snowboarders for a monumental ski lesson. Polumbus said the mountain has been coordinating with the National Ski Areas Association to schedule as many lessons across the country as possible at one time. The event will take place simultaneously across seven time zones.
In order to legitimize the event, Polumbus said an official Guinness World Records witness will be on site to document the number of people participating.
Last January, approximately 6,000 people took a beginner lesson at resorts across the U.S. While the reported numbers reached world-record level, lack of documentation kept the event from posting with the Guinness World Records organization.
This year, Canadian resorts will join the event through the Canadian Ski Council.
The current world record for largest ski lesson with the Guinness World Records is 594 skiers at a Switzerland resort in February of 2008. According to the Guinness World Records website, the lesson was 1,300 meters long and took just 16 minutes. The event took place in once place, at the Swiss-Snowport School at Sarn-Heinzenberg, Switzerland. One man led the lesson, although the school provided additional instructors for every 20-30 people to ensure the lesson was being followed correctly.
Polumbus said early January is the perfect time of year for a ski lesson.
“You have plenty of time to practice for the rest of the season,” she said.
Signing up for the event gets skiers and snowboarders a two-day package, which features two half-day lessons, two front-side day passes and two days of rentals. Lessons are open to skiers age 7 and older.
Registration for the event ends Jan. 4. To sign up or get more information, call 862-2909.