Family’s First Ski Trip Learning Curve
Living in Austin, Texas, one does not get to see snow very often. Being a native Texan, and having been born and raised in South Texas, “cold” has a different definition. So, this spring break we decided to bring our kids (ages 8 and 5) to winter, since snow is elusive here. We spent 2 days skiing and a third day tubing, sledding, building snowmen and romping in the snow in Winter Park, Colorado. I learned several valuable lessons on the trip (not counting the actual skiing instruction); and wanted to share them with those contemplating an excursion to the slopes with children for the first time.
Lesson 1: Plan to ski at least 3 days
My husband and children hit the snow…plowing. Winter Park Resort, nestled 67 miles away from Denver, Colorado, has a wonderful green trail called Discovery Hill (for those that don’t know, ski trails are typically color-coded to indicate level of skill required. Green is the easiest). The ski school students spend a great deal of time on this wide, gradual slope. The school runs from 9:30-3pm daily. The lifts stop running at 4pm. We registered our daughters for 2 days of lessons with a ski instructor. After a full day of class, the kids were tired and ready to kick off those bulky ski boots and frolic in the snow. A third day, unencumbered by instruction, would have been beneficial to allow the kids to practice their newfound skills in our care.
Lesson 2: Pack Light
We used 1/10th of the clothes in the 200-pounds worth of luggage that we hauled around. Plus, our sleeping accommodations had a washer and dryer that we could use. A month before our ski trip to Winter Park, I started gathering all the apparel needed to make the trip a success. My dear friends and family let me borrow snow bibs, gloves, goggles, boots, and thermal layers while I bought the items we were lacking, including another extra-large suitcase. The weather report showed that the highs would be in the 40’s the week we were visiting Winter Park. I packed tons of heavy fleece items, scarves, and 24 sets of hand warmers. We checked 4 suitcases, two of which barely eked by the 50-pound limit. In addition to the suitcases, we each had a backpack and carried our coats and a booster seat for our 5-year-old. The kids also brought their “pillow pets.” Our children were responsible for gathering their books and entertainment for the trip and packing the items in their backpack. Translation: Parents ended up carrying backpacks and coats because they were carrying their bookcase and neighborhood Best Buy store on their backs. The first day all 4 of us went to ski school for lessons. Since we had no experience in these conditions, I put the kids and I in 3 layers of clothes. The kids were shedding layers by the end of the day. The following day, the kids wore one thick, warm layer while tubing and sledding. We were all too warm that day, as well. On the second day of skiing they wore a thin shirt and leggings under their coat and snow bib and seemed more comfortable. However, my older daughter kept her jacket unzipped all day.
Lesson 3: Pack at least 2 sets of waterproof gloves for the kids
The kids loved playing in the snow. Each day after skiing, the kids would climb to the top of the hill located on the property. They threw snowballs at one another, slid down the hill, and painstakingly climbed back up the hill over and over. Their snow bibs and gloves were saturated at the end of each day. I had packed 2 sets of gloves for my older daughter, but only one pair for the younger child. The gloves had a cotton cuff over the wrist that absorbed the water from the ice and snow they were playing in. Every night I spent hours running the dryer, but the lining took forever to dry. Even after setting them in front of the fireplace overnight, the insides were still damp. I could not turn them inside out to access the lining better and just hoped that they would dry out enough for the following day.
Lesson 4: Wear your ski boots into the resort and leave the snow boots in your room
Our condo was 0.6 miles from Winter Park Resort. We rode the Old Town Bus into the resort daily. The buses were efficient and we never had to wait more than 5 minutes for one to pick us up. Our first day on the slopes, we wore our snow boots and carried our skis, poles and ski boots. Our kids are not old enough or strong enough to carry everything on their own. The skis are awkward to carry and the ski boots weighed more than I had assumed. The resort had 3 sizes of rental lockers: large, medium and small. The large ones, that could accommodate skis and boots, were reserved for the guests staying at the resort. The medium sizes were sold out. We had to resort to renting 2 small lockers and we could barely fit our bulky snow boots and backpack inside. The second day of skiing, we decided to wear our ski boots there and just carry the skis and poles. It was so much easier to load our things on the bus and help navigate our children and their equipment through the crowds that day.
These were the few lessons my family learned on our first ski trip to Winter Park, Colorado. Each ski resort is different and provides separate challenges and benefits. I recommend taking your children skiing at least once in their lifetime. The trip to this winter wonderland was the perfect escape for our family of 4. My children will cherish the memories for years to come. Remember to make extra time to play in the snow, have snowball fights and create snow angels. If you decide to make it a trip you want to repeat over the years, rest assured that your veteran status will ensure a pleasurable time.
