With winter just around the corner, it’s time to start planning that family getaway to ski country. Whether you’re headed to the east or west coast, you and the kids can enjoy plenty of skiing and hot chocolate at one of these family-friendly ski resorts. (And here are some tips on how to do a ski trip on the cheap!)
Deer Valley Resort, Utah
The entire family will enjoy a ski weekend at Deer Valley Resort, where the kids can learn to ski at the youth or teen ski schools. Mom and Dad can enjoy alone time on the slopes thanks to the resort’s children’s center, and the entire family will enjoy spending an afternoon on a sleigh ride or snowshoeing through back country.
Kid-friendly ski and snowboard classes, daily activities at the on-site Minors’ Camp and a family-friendly tubing hill are just a few of the perks that make Northstar a family-friendly pick. The condos offer plenty of space for the family to stretch out, and the surrounding Village at Northstar offers a year-round skating rink, movie screenings, a bungie trampoline and plenty of restaurants.
Family-friendly trails, a special Family Zone with slow-moving traffic and two outdoor adventure play lands make British Colombia’s Whistler Blackcomb a great choice for snowbound families. The kids can also get their Wii on at the Nintendo Gaming Lounges, join a ski camp or watch in awe as athletes soar through rings of fire during the Sunday Fire and Ice shows.
Park City Mountain Resort
This family-friendly resort in Utah offers everything you need for the ultimate family ski vacation: small-group children’s classes, freestyle youth camps, a treasure hunt for kids, ziplining and a thrilling Alpine Coaster that sends you flying down the mountain. The resort even maintains a Snowmamas website, where snow-loving parents offer all sorts of insider tips for a great Park City vacation.
Children ages 6 and under ski for free at Vermont’s Okemo Mountain Resort, a handy perk for budget-minded families. Kids 12 and younger stay free in the slope-side condos, and three of the beginner lifts are free to use at all times. Ski lessons are available for children as young as 2, and the weekly Kids’ Night Out program will take the tots off your hands on Saturday nights so you can enjoy this mountain resort.
(Main image: Squaw Valley used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license)
