Plan Ahead for a Family Ski Vacation

The week before February school vacation is not the time to begin thinking about where to spend it, especially if you’re planning a family ski trip. The time is before snow flies and the rest of the world gets excited about skiing.

Choose a ski town or resort and lock into a suite or a condo while there’s still plenty of choice —  and a few early-bird bargains. If the whole family skis, look especially for packages that include lodging and lift tickets for everyone. Many full-service ski resorts offer these, and they can be a real money-saver.

What kind of skiers are in your family? Many families are widely split on skiing skills, from beginner kids to expert teens and parents. If this is your family, be sure to choose a resort with something for everybody. If there non-skiers or fair-weather skiers in the family, choose one with a lot of off-slope activities nearby. Towns like Park City, Utah, are a good choice, with multiple mountains to ski and a whole town full of shopping, spas and off-slope activities.

Snow Tubing © Stillman Rogers

Here are a few places our family loves to spend a ski week:

Smugglers’ Notch Resort, Vermont

Good for families with mixed-age kids or teens because it has activities designed for all ages, including teens. Ages 13–18 can head for the supervised teen center for après-ski snacks, music, ping-pong, TV and Xbox 360. Tournaments, jam-band performances and other special events happen on weekends and during vacation weeks, and there are plenty of outdoor activities, too, like ice skating and airboard slalom — mountain sledding on an inflated raft. Of course, there’s an indoor pool.

Deer Valley Resort, Utah

This is the luxury option in Park City, and another place great for teens and families with kids of different age levels. Lots of teen-specific activities are available, plus outdoor sports: snow tubing, dog sledding, skating and snowmobiling. Indoors, they’ll find arcades, billiards and bowling. Younger kids will like the sleigh rides and family snowshoe hikes to a bonfire with s’mores in the evening. Parents of very young children will appreciate the Children’s Center where children as young as two months are welcome to spend the day. For young skiers there’s an award-winning lesson programs, even a special kids’ trail map. An average of 300 inches of snow a year covers six mountains; grooming is superb and Deer Valley is always rated No. 1 for guest services.

North Conway, New Hampshire

Cranmore Mountain overlooks the lively little town of North Conway, with more than 200 acres of skiing accessed by nine lifts. It’s tiny compared to the big western mountains, but within a few miles are five other ski mountains — a week’s worth of new slopes and trails. The town is small enough to be laid-back and friendly, and for non-skiers or dedicated bargain shoppers, just out of its cozy center is one of New England’s biggest selection of brand-name outlet stores. Shopping isn’t the only bargain. Along with larger, family-friendly hotels and resorts (one even has its own indoor water park for kids) are dozens of smaller inns and well-run motels. Reasonable lift tickets, lots of family dining and lodging choices, and outdoor activities like tubing, a Mountain Coaster and free ice skating, make North Conway and the Mt Washington Valley a good budget choice for families.