So you’ve got a friend – or perhaps a significant other –that you’d love to share your passion for the mountains with. You know that if that friend can have as great a time skiing or riding as you do, he or she will be hooked. Having a fun and successful first outing is key to making sure new skiers and riders will keep coming back for more, so SnoCountry.compicked some great destinations for making those learning days just the beginning of many wonderful days on snow.

From making sure you have the right gear to knowing how to celebrate the day, first sessions at Stratton deliver a great initiation into the sport and lifestyle. Pros share the basics of skiing and riding, mountain awareness, how to set and achieve personal performance goals and how to maximize fun and enjoyment. Their Learn to Ski or Learn to Ride lesson packages include a lift ticket for the dedicated beginner areas, where you can learn at your own pace, and introductory rental equipment package — customized to meet the needs of beginners and designed for comfort.

Smooth groomers and views for miles at Bretton Woods. (Bretton Woods)

Bretton Woods is New Hampshire’s biggest resort, and its plethora of easy cruisers and some of the best grooming around make for a beginner’s playground. Add in a comfortable 8-person gondola coming this winter, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for creating a new snowsports lover.

Shawnee Peak makes it easy to fall in love with snow. (Shawnee Peak/Facebook)

Only an hour from Portland, Maine’s Shawnee Peak offers great family-friendly terrain, night skiing, rentals, and a fantastic ski and ride program to get you and your crew on the snow and having fun. They realize everyone learns at their own pace and suggest skiers and riders should be making their way down from the top of the mountain in just three lessons – which is why their three-day package makes great sense, with the third lesson free.

The easy rental process at Windham. (Windham)

If you’ve never been on the snow before, skiing or snowboarding can seem intimidating. But you don’t have to race down the black diamonds or catch big air in the park to have fun. Windham’s terrain based learning area makes it easy to get moving. They’ve reinvented the entire process, from a boot bridge in the rental shop to beginner trails that include flats, a mini pipe, rollers, banked turns, and finally, the perfect slope. It’s all about beginners having fun in a safe, controlled environment and providing instructors with the most innovative terrain.

Camelback’s ski school is full of experts who can help you through your new journey. (Camelback/Facebook)

Camelback Resort, the popular ski destination in the Pocono Mountains is hailed in the industry for converting new skiers and snowboarders in the Northeast to lifetime snowsport enthusiasts. Camelback offers a wide variety of lessons and programs because they believe a new skier or snowboarder’s experience should be about having fun as well as developing a new skill.