Last week, we asked "Where's the best place to ski with kids?" Many bunny hills and one diaper lounge later, we have our useful recommendations. You can read them below, but first take a moment to ponder next week's less family-minded question: Do you really need all those fancy ski clothes?
Mail from the Trail Archive
Get into Dodge
As a former Forest Service "Snow Ranger" I had occasion to work at or visit a
number of Sierra Nevada ski areas. Dodge Ridge, near Pinecrest on Hwy. 108 in
Tuolumne County (Stanislaus National Forest), has my vote for one of the best
places to teach and take kids skiing. At Dodge Ridge, the slopes are open,
generally confined to a smaller area of operations, and easily accessed from the San Francisco Bay Area and Valley communities via a less congested highway than some of the more popular Sierra ski areas. Other areas are more suitable for the adult lifestyle or are too large or challenging. Some are especially risky due to too many "tree-skiing" conditions tempting inexperienced skiers off the prepared slopes.
Ed Stewart
ed_stew@ix.netcom.com
Who could miss Crackers the Bear?
We take our children to Boreal Ski Area. They have a great program for teaching children and, on the first Sunday of the month, they hold a free Kids Karnival: Obstacle course, family fun race, balloon parade, pix with Crackers the Bear and lots more! Easy slopes, safe lifts and good parking. They ensure that adults and teens (snowboarders) keep a safe distance from the children. Boreal gets lots of great snow and the staff is nearly the best that we've seen throughout the Sierras. Our 6 and 10-year-old children love it! Parents are allowed to be with their children while skiing unlike other ski areas. Boreal Ski Area is on I-80 near the Donner Summit in Northern California.
Ski ya there.
Aaron Holley
Hail, Vail
My daughters, 11 and 8, were introduced to skiing at the age of 3. The oldest
daughter had her initial skiing experience at Breckenridge, with less than
acceptable results. The ski school at Breckenridge was more than disappointing. The following year we went to Vail (my all-time favorite). The ski school at Vail, in my opinion, can not be surpassed. The school at the base of Lion's Head enables kids to turn and stop. Once that is accomplished, they are taken to the top of Eagle's Nest. There, they have their own ski lift and semi-private area. Simply excellent instruction....
SNOWMAN
W. M. SNOW
wmsnow@essex1.com
Lo, Laurentians
Year after year, my son and I have gone to the Laurentians in Canada. Not only
are the prices reasonable compared to the U.S., but they actively welcome and
cater to children. Since he was three, my son has been attending their well-organized ski school while I ski on my own during that time. I have never been able to find a U.S. resort that can offer the same package at (less than) twice the price we have been paying in Canada.
John Basaman
johnjcpa@injersey.com
Shasta la vista
Beautiful, majestic California's Mount Shasta is a great place for children. My six-year-old
son had his first ski day last month on the slopes. The atmosphere of "love" for him as a child was great among adults, children and teens alike. Mt. Shasta is not a big ski park, but it is growing. There is a lot of good energy up there -- something very unique. Even the teenagers offered smiles of empathy and encouragement to this mother and child team. A great low-key beginner's paradise. Even though I did not have skis myself, I was able to walk up and down with my son. We were not ready for the rope tow the first day. Aside from the small community spirit, and the good feelings I recieved from everyone on the slopes, the majestic view of Mt. Shasta (especially at sunset) is totally awesome, and worth the visit in and of itself....There is also a rich history of folklore about Mt. Shasta. Look into the book 'The Magic Presence' written in the '30s in the local book stores.
HOLLY
Holly Ann Hansard
message E-mail= nugraf@snowcrest.net
The Kingdom of Vermont
Burke Mountain in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont!! My daughter and I signed
up for reasonably-priced group lessons and got a user-friendly instructor just
for the two of us. We were at the top of the mountain by the second day.
Plenty of beginner level trails (as well as black diamond trails for the more
suicidal), including a wide bunny slope with J-bar and gentle trail from the top. No lines at the lifts during the week and not bad on weekends. The staff is friendly and helpful and hot chocolate in the lodges makes for a great rest.
We're in South Carolina, but we'll be at Burke on the 16th. See you there.
John Showalter
showaltr@erskine.edu
Dogs and jeans
The Big Mountain, Montana gets my vote. It's a "kid-friendly" resort with lots
of things for the kiddies. Dog sledding, Snow tubing, and an excellent ski
school. The area is very secure; as only one road leads in and out of the
mountain. The atmosphere there is very "laid-back-Montana style." Jeans is the
dress of the day. The restaurants are casual with great kid menus.
Martin Kramer
mkrame@worldnet.att.net
Hot chocolate to boot
We have taken ski vacations at both Kirkwood and Northstar in Northern
California. Both have excellent ski school programs for children. The classes
start mid-morning and continue until mid-afternoon. Lunch and hot chocolate
breaks are included. Kirkwood is more remote and thus is often not crowded.
Northstar draws a larger crowd, with many families included.
Mark Selby
mjs@chiron.com
That's bunny, not Benny
One of the best mountains for children is Butternut Basin in Western Massachusetts.
They have a "bunny hill" with its own kid-scale chairlift. Combined with the Butternut ski school, my daughter (then 4) was zipping up and down that hill all day long.
I liked the fact that the bunny hill was completely separate from the rest of the mountain. The children didn't have to ride halfway up the mountain to begin instruction -- until they were ready.
Thomas
thomasol@microsoft.com
See you back at the base
Silvercreek Ski Resort, located near Granby, Colorado, is a wonderful area for kids. They have reasonably easy slopes and a good beginners' ski school. One very big benefit is that all slopes return to the same base area. There is no way that anyone is going to get lost. Parents can monitor the action from the deck or the lunchroom of the base building. Silvercreek has the best facilities that I have seen for beginners and children's skiing.
Terry Ready
TWReady@rkymtnhi.com
...or in Michigan
In Michigan, we have enjoyed the Schuss Mountain facility because of its easy trail access and friendly kids' instructors. For more varied terrain and longer runs, Boyne Highlands is great. They have a "kids land," enough beginning slopes to satisfy novices, and plenty of room with trails of all levels for family fun.
Dan Buckley
Buckleys2@aol.com
Living in Michigan, I can tell you that the skiing is not as remarkable as it
would be in other, more mountainous areas of the country. But there are still alot of people in Michigan who ski, and we have available to us a host
of decent/excellent resorts in the northern portion of the lower peninsula. Most notable are the Boyne's Mt. and Highlands in Boyne Falls and Harbor Springs, respectively. I strongly suggest the Highlands for any family from the Midwest. This resort really establishes itself as a hallmark of excellence in both service and accommodations for families. The slopes are also among the best kept in the country. They really pay special attention to the details, making it easy for a family to enjoy the weekend vacation without worries of daycare, safety and terrain for the kids.
Jon A. Ebright
jaebrig$@am.pnu.com
Keeping up with the diaper set
As a skier for more than 40 years and a parent for 17 years, [I believe] there is a definite lack of areas catering to kids. For the Western region and the Rockies, Winter Park, Colorado, is the best I've seen when it comes to facilities that accommodate children. Sure, many areas have ski school for the youngsters, but Winter Park has a whole lodge area just for them. They are the only ones that have a program for the diaper set....
Terri Switzer
terry@summit.tminet.com
A young child in Killington
For the past two years, we have vacationed at Killington, Vermont with a young child. The program is an excellent introduction to skiing. From our experience, the staff was selected because they care about children. [They] did everything possible to keep each child happy and make skiing fun.
Paul Hensley
phensley@voicenet.com
North of Kansas City
I take my four kids to a little ski area called Snow Ridge located about 20 miles north of Kansas City. They're very accommodating to beginning and kid skiers.
Findlay
findlay@smartnet.net
Send him your suggestions
I'm a father of two boys 8 and 9 years old, live in Jakarta, Indonesia and am planning to bring my kids for a skiing holiday most probably next February in Europe. Can somebody give some advice on where, when, how & how much ???
Thanks so much and Happy New Year !!!!!
STEFAN LOOHO
looho01@ibm.net
Take the kids to Purgatory
I enjoy going to Durango, Colorado to ski with my family. Purgatory is a great place and the costs are not that high.
Scott Randall
srandall@slinknet.com
All about Brighton
Brighton, Utah -- One child free with one paid adult, easy chairlift on 'bunny hill,' one other double chairlift leads to easy, friendly slopes. There's even a quad to the top that offers a fairly gentle way down (Crest lift)....New facilities and a "bring your own" lunchroom are nice touches for the family skier. Only downside if you have a concern is lots of snow boarders. But Brighton is not generally crowded and has lots of open, lightly used trails, even on busy days. Intermediate youthful skiers can ski virtually the whole mountain. We have four boys -- two aggressive intermediates (12 and 14) who ski everything, a 16-year-old good intermediate who skis the blacks and a 10-year-old beginner who has no problem with the greens and easy blues. Even our 6-year-old female beginner skis the mid-mountain greens from the Majestic Lift.
Marv Woolard
marvw@flash.net
Crucial 'Mass
The friendliest family resort in the West would have to be Snowmass Village,
Colorado, neighboring city to Aspen, Colorado. Snowmass is a HUGE resort with
trails for all abilities, professional classes for all ages, on-slope day care
center, and some of the best family restaurants anywhere.
Scott Hankinson
sehank@snowtech.com
Freeboat
Definitely, Steamboat Springs, Colorado. They have a free equipment rental for
kids, a great ski school, and an evening program. It's easy to access via
Hayden airport and the skiing is great.
cliffg
bashorbowl@aol
A small and friendly mountain
I recommend Watchusett Mountain in Central Massachusetts. It is a small friendly mountain with good snow making and grooming. They also have ski lessons for people of all abilities. They have night skiing so you can ski under the lights from 4: p.m. to 10 p.m.The only problem is they can get very crowded on popular weekends.
Roger Jones
rjones@ultranet.com
Did somebody say 'cross-country'?
I usually cross-country ski in the Gatineau Hills, which are a 20-minute drive from Ottawa. There are 200 kms of groomed trails, which have a variety of flat, hilly and challenging terrain. There are even overnight facilities
in Gatineau Park, which is a national park. But my son now has a snow board, so he may try to persuade me to visit a number of the downhill sites, which are also nearby. Not the Alps or the Rockies, but a quiet ambiance with nearby towns which have some friendly restaurants....
Dr. Michael Pilon
pilon@travel-net.com
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