How we ski as a family of 6
Skiing with small kids doesn’t have to be (too) complicated or expensive
Parenting four boys is an adventure. They’re never tired! We always wanted to be a skiing family, given that we live so close to some of the best skiing in the world, but we never thought it was a reality with the cost and getting them all able to get down the mountain at different ages!
We decided to give it a go as we knew they would love it, but how to do it? Here’s what we did to ski with children:
Lessons
Gear
Passes
Different resort options
Weekend trips and timing
Lessons
Since there’s only two of us parents, we knew we could not give 1:1 skiing lessons to each of our kids, nor could we just throw all four up there to fend for themselves. It’s too dangerous and expensive to have them flailing about for an hour and then hating skiing (and maybe their parents). We tried when our oldest child was very young and it went about as you would expect it (read: he used a plastic safety fence to stop his momentum).
Skiing is a life-long activity so we had to take the long-game approach to teaching our kids not only how to ski, but how to actually enjoy it!
The first thing we did was enroll them in indoor ski lessons. Yes, indoor! We went to Shredders Indoor Ski and Snowboard. The lessons were for six Sunday afternoons for 45 minutes. They teach the kids how to put their skis on, how to carry their skis, how to walk around in their boots, how to get the skis on and then how to stand up and go down. They have a small hill indoors that is like a stiffer soccer turf where they ski down one at a time to get the feel for it. The beauty of indoor is that they can do it without taking 2 hours to get them in ski gear with googles, etc. It helps them get a feel for skis without all the other influences or distractions.
Indoor lessons did not make them instant master skiers, but it took the apprehension out of skiing. It helped them feel comfortable in gear without being in coats and hats and face-masks freezing on the mountain. Because once we got out on the actual ski hill in the elements, they were significantly more comfortable and ready to learn on the snow!
After indoor, we enrolled them in an lesson at the ski resort. Lessons vary in price and timing depending on location. Most are 2-3 hours in the morning or afternoon (some are all day, but kids get so tired!) and can be group lessons or individual lessons. We highly recommend going to a smaller ski resort for lessons. We decided to put them in lessons at Ski Cooper in Leadville. The best benefit of a smaller resort, besides the fact that the cost for lessons is often 1/3rd of the price compared to larger resorts, is that we signed up for group lessons but no one else signed up so each of our kids received 1:1 individual lessons on the mountain. Private lessons for the price of a group lesson! One lesson like that and you don’t need to send them again!
One other benefit of a smaller mountain is that ski or snowboard rentals are often cheaper and easier to access than at a large resort where you have to walk all over. Any wasted movement with kids (walking long distances in boots) makes it harder for them to enjoy the experience!
Once they had a good feel for being on skis from indoor lessons, and then got the feel for being on snow out on the mountain, then we felt comfortable going up on the mountain together as a family. At Ski Cooper, they have the longest magic carpet ride for beginners in Colorado and it works so well for little kids! We slowly graduated from the bunny hill to the pulley-lift to the chair lift and the kids crushed it.
Gear
The biggest pointer, and of course you already know this, is that kids grow out of stuff so fast. Do not buy them skis!
The year we were doing lessons we rented directly from the mountain (indoor lessons come with rentals included but lessons on the mountain do not).
The years where we planned on skiing as often as possible, we rented season-long rentals from a ski and snowboard shop in our town. This is obviously cheaper but having skis all ready to go and kids used to their own equipment is clutch. Plus, at the end of the season they turn them in and then next fall when they’ve grown two shoe sizes you’re not stuck with equipment they won’t use.
There is also options for ski and snowboard swapping with families. These are often Facebook pages where you can trade out the equipment your kids have outgrown with other families so you don’t have to buy new every year. My only issue with that system is that you need to know what size your kids require (it’s not as simple as knowing your kid shoe size) and it’s dependent on finding the right equipment. With four kids, it was too hard to find all the right stuff without driving all over Denver. At a rental shop, they get them the exact right size. Plus, we can trade in during the season if we need (kids grow fast) and they will fix any issues and wax the skis as needed.
As for other gear, we got a lot for cheap online. You don’t need designer ski goggles. We did buy helmets, as we figured that was a wise investment. Gloves and coats we just used from our days playing in the snow. You will of course need ski pants. We prefer ones that are overalls so they stay up easily, and keep them more warm.
One amazing thing we did buy that I highly recommend: ski carrying straps. These have saved us. Nothing makes a kid more whiney and tired than having to carry awkward, heavy skis through a parking lot before they even get to enjoy the snow. Plus, this means they’ll actually carry them and you won’t have to as the parent!
Passes
If you’re coming from out of town, this may not apply. Though, if you know in advance where you want to go, it could still help. Buying passes for skiing is an easy way to save money, as long as you know you’ll go more than 3 or 4 times.
Smaller Mountain
We decided to buy passes at Ski Cooper in Leadville, which is Colorado’s best kept secret (shhh..don’t tell anyone). Rarely any lines, great lessons and rentals, easy parking, and it’s one of two resorts in Colorado that do not make their own fake snow! Powder for days.
Passes for kids ages 5 and under are $10. If you buy your passes in July instead of December, prices are 1/3rd less. A season pass for adults in 2024 is $429 and kids 6-14 are $159. Prices go up the closer you get to the season so plan ahead! The smaller mountains are still a steal at full price. If you know anything about Colorado skiing, one day at some of those other larger mountains is in the $300 range at the door. Epic season passes, which is for the big name brand mountains, is more than $1,000 for adults and $500 for kids.
This pass also gets you 3 days each at partner mountains, such as Monarch, Loveland and Sunlight in Colorado and lots others in California, Alaska, Canada, Idaho and more.
Prices for passes vary for each resort.
Other Pass Options for Kids
Epic Schoolkids: The Epic SchoolKids Colorado Pack is a free program for Kindergarten through 5th graders that provides four days of skiing and riding at each of the state's top-ranked resorts: Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, and Crested Butte. You’ll need an adult ticket or Epic pass ($1,000 for adults) for whichever mountain you choose, but it’s still a great deal. The only caveat is that you have to get the pass in-person and prove your child’s age at locations throughout Denver.
Kids Ski Passport: The CSCUSA Ski Passport gives skiers and snowboarders in grades 3–6 the opportunity to explore 20 Colorado Ski Country USA member resorts. And, at just $67, it gives parents an easy way to hit the slopes with the family and without breaking the bank. These sell out fast - look for sales to open in August.
Gems Teen Pass: Gems Teen Pass holders get 2 full-day tickets to 11 different Colorado resorts.
Different Resort Options
If you’re reading this, you likely know of the favorites in Colorado: Vail, Aspen, Breckenridge. Those places are magical and romantic, and they are also very expensive and crowded. If you’re planning on going with kids, I highly recommend you consider smaller mountains.
When I say smaller mountain, I don’t mean lamer. Is that a word? A smaller mountain simply means less people and less runs where kids can get lost. Most smaller mountains have fewer lifts and often the runs end in the same location. Unless you want to take kids to do massive back-country powder runs in moguls, you will want to have the runs end in a familiar spot so families can stick together (and get lunch at the same time).
**A good resource for smaller mountain skiing is www.coloradoski.com
Some larger mountains that aren’t quite as large, expensive and crowded
Trips and Timing
We are fortunate enough to have a house in Buena Vista (a mountain town 2 hours from Denver and in between Salida, which has Monarch Ski, and Leadville, which has Ski Cooper). So my experience has been based on having a place to stay near a ski resort.
Rent (or buy!) a home or condo near a ski resort. This could be in the ski village or a nearby house, but having a place to stay nearby allows for you to ski longer and get tired kids home sooner!
Some weekends we go up on a Friday night, ski on Saturday then back on Sunday. I know some families that ski on Saturday AND Sunday and then drive home early morning on Monday directly to school drop off! My kids need more sleep/routine than that…
We plan on going for holiday weekends so we can ski more days. We ski three days over President’s Day. Kids are tired but multiple days means you don’t have to rush and can call it early if you need as you’ll get plenty of runs in for the weekend.
If you’re coming in from out of town, plan on some down time. Get a hotel with a pool or rent a house with plenty of space to relax. Skiing in chunks of time, as opposed to trying to squeeze in 8 hours of skiing in a day, is far recommended.
We highly recommend a long lunch with lots of food. Pack a lunch or buy at the resort, but don’t skimp. Kids need lots of calories, plus eating is a great relaxing activity (and it’s warm inside the resort).
Have Fun!
Skiing should be fun. Take your time. If you get 4 runs in or 14, it’s all supposed to be a positive experience for kids and adults. If kids are cold, go get hot chocolate. Have some skittles in your pocket for when they do an epic run. Quit a little early and go get a treat in town after. Do what you need to and enjoy it! We’ve created such great memories while doing something without a screen - a win win!
