Skiing is one of the best activities during the holiday season. It is also a good activity to try with the whole family. However, it takes skills as well as money especially when your family is new to the slopes. But don’t worry because there are ski resorts that offer trails and programs for beginners, especially for children. In this article, we’ve gathered some of the best child-friendly ski destinations that the whole family can enjoy. But before moving to the list, here are some things that you need to consider beforehand in order to choose the right destination:
Location and Distance from Airports
When traveling to a destination far from your home, you need to make sure that whatever destination you choose is convenient for you and your family to visit. Consider the amount of time and money it will take to travel there. Larger airports might offer a lot of exciting offers and flights, but a local airport situated near the ski destination can save hours of driving, and money as well. For instance, if you are planning to visit Aspen, Beaver Creek, Steamboat, or any other resort, then flying into Eagle County Airport is much better than flying into large Denver Airport that can subject to delays.
The more convenient your traveling experience, the better your family will feel and enjoy.
Terrain and Mountain Size
If your family and kids are experienced in skiing then you can go for diamond or even double diamond runs but we suggest that if you are just introducing your kids to skiing, you should look for resorts that have plenty of green and blue runs such as Vail, Park City, etc.
For beginners, even a smaller and inexpensive ski resort would also work great for their abilities and budget. However, the higher the elevation, the better your skiing experience will be because snow at lower elevations tends to melt down and get slushy.
Ski School
Having younger tadpoles means getting them ready for skiing beforehand, and it is possible with the help of ski lessons. You can also ask a ski school for recommendations on family ski resorts. Most ski schools offer lessons starting at age 3 and even 2.
Family Friendliness
Skiing with family means deciding to visit a destination where the environment is family-friendly. How can you tell if a resort/mountain is family friendly? The answer is quite simple! If they offer fun kid programming and activities (on and off-mountain), on-site daycare, tubbing, ice-skating, sledding, dress-up parties etc., then it can help make your and your family’s vacation much more fun and easier.
One of the best and family-friendly resorts is Northstar in North Lake Tahoe that offers plenty of fun activities for your little champs.
Here are some of the best ski destinations for families with children:
Steamboat Springs
Steamboat Springs is a ski resort located in Colorado, USA. Children between the ages 12 and below can ski for free here if their parents purchase the five-day lift tickets. They also offer ski lessons for children as young as 4 years old on the resort’s kids-only terrain. Aside from skiing, they offer snowboarding, snowmobile rides, gondola tours, hot springs, and spas. There are lots of restaurants as well here to choose from.
Smugglers’ Notch
Smugglers’ Notch is located in Jeffersonville, Vermont. It is one of the dream destinations of skiing families because it offers different incentives such as Kids’ Night Out which is a childcare service accompanied with dinner and activities, and as well as the Family Fest package that includes lodging, lift tickets, and lots of different activities. They can teach children as young as two and a half to ski. They also have a Teen Alley where teenagers can chill by playing video games, music, and movies.
Keystone
This ski resort is located in Colorado. The children will surely enjoy the resort’s facilities as well as the kid-centric activities they offer. Some of these activities are mini shredders from snow forts and playgrounds to scavenger hunts. They also give complimentary freshly baked cookies.
Greek Peak Mountain Resort
This resort is located in Cortland, New York. It has a Junior Ride and Ski School for children as young as three years old. The children, as well as the whole family, can enjoy sledding, snowshoeing, snow tubing, and ride a fat bike here. If you have younger children along with you, they also offer babysitting services. Aside from skiing, you can also enjoy floating in their Indoor Water Park.
Beaver Creek Resort
If you’re not tight on budget, the Beaver Creek Resort in Colorado is a good skiing place to visit. This exclusive resort offers activities for children and teens via their programs called “Beaver Creek Loves Kids” and “Beaver Creek Loves Teens”. Part of these activities is pizza parties, arts and crafts, skating, snowshoeing, visits to the children’s museum, and excursions on the mountain. They also have themed events during their Winter Fest. Lodging is also not a problem here because they offer lots of choices from vacation rentals to luxury hotels.
Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort
This resort is located in the Northern Berkshires of Massachusetts. It is a must-visit resort for families with learning skiers. They offer ski and snowboard lessons for children ages three to fourteen. These lessons include lunch and hot chocolate breaks as well. There are also restaurants and Inns on the mountain for the whole family. And, if you want to experience the outdoors fun, you can relax by the fire pit and enjoy some S’mores.
Camelback Mountain Resort
This ski resort in Tannersville, Pennsylvania, offers lots of activities for the whole family such as ski and snowboard lessons, tubing, two terrain parks, and a mountain coaster. What’s fun about their rides is they are self-controlled, which means that you can go as fast or as slow as you want. They also offer several choices for dining and accommodations.
Stratton Mountain Ski Resort
This resort is located at the highest peak in Southern Vermont. They offer private and group lessons for beginners, and there are also seasonal programs depending on age groups. After skiing, the whole family can enjoy the resort’s pool or the postcard-perfect Village of Stratton where they can take a sip of hot chocolate.
Northstar California Resort
This resort has 100 trails, and 27 percent of them are advanced. This is an ideal place for families who love to ski. And even if it’s your family or your children’s first time to visit a ski resort, you will still enjoy this place because they have a progression park which is specially designed for children. They also have a snow play area where the whole family can play games, listen to music, and more.
Park City Mountain Resort
When you’re traveling with children who have a short attention span and little patience, this resort is best for you because it’s near the airport. This resort is only 35 minutes away from Salt Lake City International. It has 7,300 acres of terrain and a large base area where the whole family, especially the children can enjoy a variety of activities. They also offer multiple ski school, child care, and preschool on the mountain.
These are just some of the best ones from the list of best ski resorts in the world you can discover. So, where would your next ski adventure take you?