Dear family travelers:
Are you ready? Snow is falling in New England, the Rockies and the Sierras.
Humans were never meant to hibernate in winter.
Besides, there's too much fun to be had in the snow, whether you want to ski, snowboard, snowshoe, XC ski, sled, build snowmen or snow forts or make snow angels. Check out our FUN IN THE SNOW section that tells you where to take your kids all winter long. And www.snowmamas.com and www.epicmoms.comcan give you tips on making trips to the snow less work and more fun for moms!
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| My ski-loving daughter Mel tries out snowboarding |
January is Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month (LSSM), with special deals and programs at snow resorts across the country for beginners. Special Features offers a quick overview with all of the places where you can get discounted-or possibly even free lessons and rentals. You can also follow the deals on Twitter and Facebook.
Maybe you (or one of your kids) has a friend they want to introduce to snowsports this season. Take the Bring a Friend Challenge, a new element of is open to all current skiers and snowboarders including members of the industry. The Challenge offers incentives for current skiers and snowboarders who introduce newcomers to lessons from professional instructors this winter. The Challenge starts December 17 and ends March 17.
You can win prizes and even a free trip to a snow resort. There are lots of opportunities for moms and grandmas to hone their skills at women's clinics around the country. Here's what I wrote about my experience at The Canyons in Utah.
Also look for new opportunities to explore new mountains- like the Mountain Collective- an unprecedented collaboration between the four top independent resorts: Alta, Aspen/Snowmass, Jackson Hole and Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows that offers 50 per cent off on lift tickets and 25 per cent on lodging.
Find packages and deals. Portals like Hotwire.com let you shop for flights, cars and lodging all in one spot. Instead of flying or driving, why not take the bus? Instead of a hotel or condo, consider a renting a house - Wyndham Vacation Rentals offers many choices for every size group. Get discount lift tickets from
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| My daughters Mel and Reg snowshoeing at Old Faithful |
You can snowshoe in national parks like Yellowstone and Grand Teton. See what I wrote about snowshoeing with kids and what I wrote about visiting Yellowstone in Winter.
You can also experience winter at a dude ranch like the C Lazy U and Vista Verde Ranch in Colorado where you can snowshoe, horseback ride in the snow, XC ski and even back country ski with a snow cat taking you up the hills so you can ski or snowboard down on private land. And you won't need to cook a single meal either! See what I wrote about visiting Vista Verde
in winter.
Look for deals from companies like www.ski.com that can package lifts, lessons, lodging and air and can tell you where and when your kids can hit the slopes with free lift tickets.
Check out companies like Black Tie Rentals that will deliver gear right to where you are staying and adjust it on the spot. (I loved the convenience at Aspen last year) Many locations offer a kids rent free package throughout the season for kids 12 and under. Ski Butlers has deal in Steamboat and Telluride where kids rent free with an adult rental for five or more days.
Check what snow sports resorts near your home are offering for families this season:
In New Hampshire, check: http://www.skinh.com/ski-central/kids-and-families.aspx;
In Vermont: www.skivermont.com;
In Maine: www.skimaine.com;
In Colorado: www.skicolorado.com
In Utah: www.skiutah.com
In California: www.californiaskiresorts.com.
Several states also offer "passports" for kids of certain ages allowing them to ski free-once you have filled out the paperwork and paid a small processing fee- all season. They include: Fourth graders in New York; Fifth graders in Vermont; Fourth and fifth graders in New Hampshire; Fifth and sixth graders in Colorado and Utah.
There are also many adaptive programs around the country for those with physical and mental challenges including the National Sports Center for the Disabled in Winter Park, CO; the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center also in CO; the National Ability Center in Park City, Utah, and Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports.
Ready to make a snow angel?
