One of the most exciting experiences in the winter is going to the top of a huge mountain, throwing on your skis, and sliding down as fast as possible.

Big Boulder is a great place to have such an experience.

With hundreds of anxious skiers crowding in this small resort every day, it seems unbelievable that anyone can get measured and receive their skis in a timely fashion.

At Big Boulder, I was able to get through the huge crowd in less than an hour.

Because it was my first time skiing, I went to the training section of the resort. This part was a little disappointing to me because of how long it took. It took me more than an hour to get through most of the training stations.

After I was fed up with waiting for people in my station to finish, I decided to leave training and begin to learn by actually skiing on my own. With the basic knowledge of how to speed up or slow down, I decided to begin with the “bunny slope.”

Big Boulder has many slopes to appease skiers of all skill levels. It even has a “trick course,” although I did not dare try it. Watching the advanced skiers shoot off of huge ramps was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

The Big Boulder lodge was nothing special, but it was a nice place to relax when I got tired or cold. The main problem with the lodge was the high prices for everything. The food was good, but definitely not worth the price. It cost almost eight dollars for a small snack with a drink.

It was surprising to me how early the slopes closed. Since Big Boulder is located in Pennsylvania , I had to get up early just to make it there for a couple of hours. Also, adding in the time it takes to ride the ski lift to the top of the mountain, I only got to ski for a total of an hour and a half.

Although it was not the best possible skiing experience, I would certainly go back. Big Boulder deserves a B-.

Nico Cvach can be reached for comment at [email protected]