Looking for a holiday destination that all the kids will love, from kindergartners to college students?
Consider a skiing trip. It’s a great way to bridge the age gap.
Most ski areas have lessons for a variety of age levels. Our little boy took his first lesson when he was 4, and he was a natural. He stood in a group at the top of a bunny hill with an instructor, and before the teacher had finished explaining what to do, there was my son, skiing flawlessly down to the bottom. When you’re that small, your center of gravity is so low that the fear and likelihood of falling is reduced. Even our older son, now a teenager, qualified for intermediate lessons after a mere three sessions of downhill skiing.
At large ski resorts and ski villages, where there are lodges, shopping, eateries and other amenities, you may be able to give older kids and teenagers a long leash so they can go off with friends or siblings. Just arrange to rendezvous with the family at a certain time.
Many ski areas also offer snowboarding. But make sure your kids wear waterproof snowsuits if they’re new to snowboarding; they’re likely to fall a lot before they master the technique. The first time my kids went snowboarding, the younger one caught on pretty quickly, but the older one fell so much that his jeans were soaked with melted snow within a half-hour. That’s a miserable feeling, especially when it’s cold outside. Kids may resist the idea of wearing a dorky-looking snowsuit, but all it takes is a few minutes with wet pants in subfreezing temperatures to persuade them otherwise.
Whatever you do, make sure your kids wear helmets. Although not all ski resorts require them, and you may have to pay extra to rent them, there are numerous anecdotes of kids smashing into trees and other obstacles who were unhurt thanks to a helmet. Check out for more information.
Keep in mind that Christmas week, you’ll pay top dollar for lift tickets and lessons. It’s one of the most crowded and popular weeks of the year. Make all your reservations in advance, because lessons, child care and other services do get booked solid at many resorts.
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go. One of our favorite family trips was to Lake Placid, in upstate New York, over Christmas one year. Sure, Whiteface, the area’s best-known mountain, was packed with skiers. And the temperatures were frigid — 5 degrees! But the kids had a terrific time in their classes despite the crowds, and the area offers many other winter activities. We went snowshoeing as a family around an icy gorge in the woods, took a dogsled ride, and ice-skated on frozen Mirror Lake. Best of all, we had terrific food, including s’mores made right at our table in the Lake Placid Pub & Brewery. Our hotel wasn’t fancy, but there was a hot tub where we could warm up each night and soak our muscles after all the outdoor activities.
And while there’s definitely something to be said for heading to a famous ski resort, whether it’s Lake Placid, or Vail or Aspen in Colorado, or Whistler in British Columbia, Canada, or Stowe up in Vermont, a small, local resort can be just as much fun. Bunny hills build confidence in beginning skiers, and a drive-to destination saves airfare.
If you’d rather stay warm and dry while the kids go out and do all the hard work on the slopes, bring your laptop or a good book. Wherever you go, there will be a lodge at the mountaintop, or at least a warming hut, where you can sit and either watch the kids go up and down through a picture window, or do a little reading while they’re out in the snow.
Finally, if you’re a grown-up and you’ve never skied, it’s not going to be easy to learn. My husband and I are bona fide failures at downhill skiing. But there is an alternative: cross-country skiing. You can learn it in a lesson; kids can often pick it up without any lessons. And it’s gentle on the knees. You get an aerobic workout and enjoy the winter weather, but you don’t wake up in pain the next day. As a family outing, it can’t be beat.
The only problem is, while downhill skiing can be done whether or not Mother Nature provides snow, thanks to snowmaking machines, cross-country trails only open when there is enough natural snow to make it worthwhile. So you’ll want to find out, before you plan your trip, whether your destination usually has enough snow for cross-country by late December.
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This week’s advice: Whether you’re expert skiers or beginners, there are lessons and a variety of winter sports at many ski areas, including cross-country and snowshoeing for those who don’t like the idea of downhill. At , there are skiing facilities listed in more than 30 states. Some of the lesser-known ski areas, like Canaan Valley, W. Va., are perfect family destinations, with reasonable prices, a variety of winter activities, good restaurants, and lodging.
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