Virtually all ski resorts these days welcome families with kids' programs and ski and 'board schools; many also have child-care centers, even for babies; cool programs for teens are appearing too.
See a selection of family-friendly ski resorts, below. Keep in mind:
- sometimes non-celebrity places can be star-quality. They may not have the glitz, but you get less crowds, lower prices, manageable size, friendly ambiance.
- if timing's tight, be wary of places that need connector flights into small airports. (Such flights add $ too.)
- at some ski resorts, altitude may cause temporary symptoms such as headache.
See also: Family Ski Resort Choices - by Region
Top Family Ski Resort Suggestions (alphabetical)
Alta Ski Resort, UT
Skiers-only Alta Mountain is one of seven ski resorts within 40 miles of the SLC airport (--read more about Salt Lake City skiing - great snow, and easy to get to.) Stay at the Alta Lodge: an old-style kind of place where guests meet over meals.Aspen, CO
Famous ski resort Aspen (now part of Aspen/Snowmass) has been synonymous with "cool" for decades. It's also got beautiful Victorian buildings, top shops and eats, kids programs; one lift ticket buys access to four different mountains (Snowmass, Aspen, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk).Big Bear Lake, CA
Guest article about this mid-sized ski resort, two hours from LA and four from Las Vegas, with family-friendly atmosphere.Breckenridge, CO
Multiple peaks, charming historic town, and plenty of fun for kids, including terrain parks and pipes-- and Snow Sculpture Championships (in January.)Bretton Woods, NH
This good-for-beginners ski resort jazzed up its image with new areas with black-diamond trails. Lodging includes the classic (and family-friendly) Mountain Washington Hotel. 100 km of cross-country trails, too. Kids programs and nursery.Copper Mountain, CO Ski Resort
Four mountains, tubing hill, sleigh ride with dining in the woods, snowmobiling; snow-skate park, and beginner terrain park; special map for kids shows easiest trails.Crested Butte, CO
230 miles SW of Denver, nearest airport is Gunnison; great snow, uncrowded slopes, and a quaint former mining town restored into shops and restaurants.Deer Valley, UT
One of several ski resorts within an hour of Salt Lake City, Deer Valley (Near Park City) is skiers-only, a foodie's paradise, and has top-of-the-line services, and much-o real estate on the slopes. Sign up early for kids programs.Lake Placid, NY In the Adirondacks, Lake Placid has an Olympic Center (-try the bobsled), and old-fashioned town toboggan run; nearby Whiteface Mountain has 3430 vertical feet, kids program, Teen Experience.
Northstar-at-Tahoe, CA
Nice-priced ski resort with kids programs and child care; tubing park; Adventure Parks for kids, lots more.Okemo VT
Okemo earns the name "family ski resort", with excellent kids' programs, lots of intermediate runs, many different types of lodging; kids six and under ski free.Salt Lake City Skiing
Seven very different ski resorts, all within an hour's drive of a major airport: Park City, Deer Valley, The Canyons, Soliltude, Brighton, Alta, and Snowbird. Utah's motto is "The Greatest Snow on Earth."--Continue to more Ski Resorts: Smugglers' Notch, Steamboat, Snowmass, Whistler, and more
*photo © Teresa Plowright
