Powder Alert: Top Family Ski Resorts for 2014
San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) January 28, 2014 -- With snow falling and ski season in full swing, Ciao Bambino, the award-winning family travel planning site, has collaborated with top family travel bloggers to recommend the top ski resorts across North America for vacationing families this year.
Ski resorts are offering services and amenities that cater to everyone’s idea of the perfect vacation, whether that is relaxing by a crackling wood fire, or soaring through fresh white powder down the mountain. Family members of all ages are able to share in the excitement of a ski trip, and create memories that will last a lifetime.
Ski enthusiast family travel experts from around the country have joined forces to recommend the best family ski resorts for the 2014 season:
Aspen/Snowmass
Aspen/Snowmass is fab for families because they can ski or board four distinctly different mountains with one lift ticket. Teens might head to the steep powder at Aspen Highlands, while 10-year-old snowboarders hit the terrain parks at Snowmass. Novices of all ages will appreciate gentle Panda Hill at Buttermilk. If the entire family is experienced on the slopes, head for in-town, intermediate Aspen Mountain. New for the 2013/2014 season: gladed terrain in the hike-to Highland Bowl for extreme-skiing families; Slopeside Lanes bowling alley in Snowmass; a design-your-own salad bar at Buttermilk; and M&M Catering & Cooking School with fun classes for kids. Visit AspenSnowmass.com for more information. -- Kara Williams, TheVacationGals.com
Beaver Creek
Beaver Creek Resort in Colorado pampers all ages. Their new Ski School Ambassadors ensure there’s zero struggle to figure out mountain and lesson logistics. Families love the Buckaroo Gondola and The Ranch, a state-of-the-art ski and snowboard school designed just for little learners. The plethora of upscale accommodations from The Osprey to The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch paired with guest-centric services and activities including daily Cookie Time at 3 p.m. in Beaver Creek Village to the Family FunFest Carnival on Saturdays, create a dream ski destination for luxury-loving families. Visit BeaverCreek.com for more information. -- Amie O’Shaughnessy, CiaoBambino.com
Big White
Big White, located deep in the Okanagan of British Columbia, is one of the best-kept secrets of family skiing. With a pedestrian-only village and 100 percent ski-in, ski-out lodging, kids rule at Big White. The resort offers more family-friendly activities than an average cruise ship, including weekly carnivals, hockey nights, bonfires, and tubing. Their adventure center features ice climbing, dog sledding, and snowmobiling, and their slopes have terrain to keep everyone happy. Visit BigWhite.com for more information. -- Amy Whitley, PitStopsForKids.com
Breckenridge
As if snow enthusiasts needed another reason to book a family trip to Breckenridge Ski Resort this season, Peak 6 — the biggest terrain expansion worldwide in the past decade — opened on Christmas day. This project has been years in the making, and includes two new lifts, 540 new acres, and high-alpine, intermediate bowl skiing — which is unusual in North America. Besides family-friendly terrain, the resort has a world-class ski school, four terrain parks, and an authentic, hip mountain town with over 200 restaurants, bars, and shops just two hours from Denver. Visit Breckenridge.com for more information. -- Jamie Pearson, TravelSavvyMom.com
June Mountain
After closing for the 2012-13 ski season, June Mountain reopened with a family focus. Kids 12 and under ski and ride free without blackout dates or restrictions, and lift tickets from nearby Mammoth Mountain are honored at June's lifts, making this small, community ski resort a great deal for vacationers. June Mountain offers some of the best off-piste terrain in the west, but nearly half of its trails are intermediate terrain for learners and cruisers. June's iconic Meadow Chalet reminds skiers of a bygone age, and the views from the wrap-around deck include the not-so-distant boundary of Yosemite National Park. Visit JuneMountain.com for more information. -- Amy Whitley, PitStopsForKids.com
Keystone
Keystone Resort, an easy shuttle ride from the Denver International Airport, caters to families with an array of condominium options; many of which are just steps away from the gondola. Camp Keystone is a colorful, upbeat “home base” for young children in the excellent ski school program. Kids 12 and under ski free if families book Keystone Resort lodging for a minimum of just two nights, with no blackout dates. Family fun includes a steep tubing hill, two outdoor ice skating rinks, and a giant snow fort. New for 2013-14: a learning family ski trail on green cruiser Schoolmarm, dubbed the Schoolyard; it has gentle Rockin’ Rollers that mimic the natural hills that occur on the slopes, as well as banks in Tornado Alley that help kids develop their turn shape. Visit KeystoneResort.com for more information. -- Kara Williams, TheVacationGals.com
Mount Bachelor
Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort has long been a family favorite for winter skiing. With its bluebird skies and powdery snow, Mt. Bachelor makes it worth the drive over the pass from Portland, Oregon. The mountain has ample runs for every level and great restaurants to warm up and enjoy local microbrews. At Mt. Bachelor, kids 12 and under ski free with the purchase of an adult lift ticket of three days or more. Nearby Sunriver Resort is the ultimate family destination with accommodations to fit every family, including the luxurious Sunriver Lodge and various homes and condos. Visit MtBachelor.com for more information. -- Anne Taylor Hartzell, HipTravelMama.com
Northstar
It's no secret that Northstar Resort is Shaun White's home mountain. Even if kids aren't quite ready to try the massive half pipe, they'll love the Burton Progression Park where elements start at just inches off the ground and get tougher from there. Other perks include the large number of blue trails and some of the best glades skiing west of the Rockies, plus the chill California atmosphere in the ski-in, ski-out village where the kids can skate or bungee jump while adults lounge in cabanas and soak up the sun. Northstar is an easy drive from the Reno-Tahoe Airport and is close to both Lake Tahoe and the vibrant town of Truckee where the first Friday of every month sees participating downtown shops and restaurants offer complimentary art, food, drinks, and music. Visit NorthstarCalifornia.com for more information. -- Mara Gorman, MotherofAllTrips.com
Park City Mountain Resort
A trip to Park City, Utah, is a powder hound’s dream come true. This year all three ski resorts, Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort, and The Canyons, were voted top 10 ski resorts by Ski Magazine. Families can wear long johns on the plane since it's only a 30-minute drive from Salt Lake City to the slopes. Park City Mountain Resort guarantees a maximum of five students per ski school class, making it a favorite among moms and tots. After ski school take a thrill ride on the Alpine Coaster or a sky high ride on the Flying Eagle ZipLine, which is safe and fun for even little ones. Visit ParkCityMountain.com for more information. -- Kim-Marie Evans, LuxuryTravelMom.com
Smuggler’s Notch
Ski areas just don’t come more family-friendly than Smuggs. From the Treasures slopeside daycare center with its own tiny carpet lift to the Burton Riglet Park, the youngest children can learn to ski or board here. The ski school programs are second to none, with experienced instructors and an entire area of the mountain dedicated to kid-friendly fun (elements here include a schoolhouse that kids can ski through and ring the bell). The FunZone is a huge indoor play area with a giant slide, obstacle course, and more. And keep your eye out for Rockin’ Ron the friendly pirate, who serenades guests with his fun songs daily. Visit Smuggs.com for more information. -- Mara Gorman, MotherofAllTrips.com
Stratton Mountain
Stratton Mountain is one of Vermont’s most family-friendly resorts with a range of accommodations including condominiums and the newly remodeled Black Bear Lodge where guests enjoy a complimentary continental breakfast, a short shuttle to the slopes. Stratton has childcare for ages 6 weeks and older, full-day ski and snowboard programs for ages 4 to 14, and even options for teens to join seasonal programs for camaraderie and coaching. New for 2013-14 is the Firetower Restaurant and Tavern where families can order take-away from the chairlift on a smartphone, pay with PayPal, and pick it all up on the way back to their mountain home. Visit Stratton.com for more information. -- Dana Freeman, FindandGoSeek.net
Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl Resort gets more white fluffy goodness than any other resort in the Lake Tahoe basin and its prime location before Donner Summit on Highway 80 means families can save themselves hours in the car when driving conditions are poor. It’s one of the best family ski resorts in the country with a variety of terrain for all abilities, an outstanding ski school program that offers a 3:1 ratio for all levels, and an old-school "no attitude" atmosphere. They’ve invested millions in the resort this year, including the addition of the new Crow’s Peak chairlift to what was previously hike-only expert terrain. Visit SugarBowl.com for more information. -- Amie O’Shaughnessy, CiaoBambino.com
Sun Valley
Families that have skied at Sun Valley Resort are hooked for life. The resorts’ dedicated learn-to-ski mountain, Dollar Mountain, has pint-sized everything for kids, including a gorgeous day lodge. The addition of North America’s biggest super pipe this season — 620 feet long with 22-foot walls — is bringing Olympic fever to Sun Valley. And the resort’s signature mountain, Baldy, never disappoints, as it offers 2,900 acres and over 3,100 feet of vertical bliss paired with notoriously non-existent lift lines. Visit SunValley.com for more information. -- Amie O’Shaughnessy, CiaoBambino.com
Whistler
Whistler may be known worldwide for hosting the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, but for those living in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia, it’s an easy ski destination for the whole family no matter what your skill level is. Since the resort is just an hour north of the Vancouver Airport and about a four-hour drive from Seattle, it's convenient to come for the weekend or spend a week downhill skiing, snowboarding, and Nordic skiing Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains’ 200 trails with 37 lifts. Fifteen on-mountain restaurants allow guests to fuel up and warm up between runs, but it's the village restaurants that really shine. As always, children six and under ski free with a paying adult. Visit Whistler.com for more information. -- Keryn Means, WalkingOnTravels.com
This release was organized by Amie O'Shaughnessy, the Managing Editor of Ciao Bambino! Inc., a leading family travel brand and global family travel planning website. Their award-winning guide features curated family-friendly hotel reviews and a comprehensive family travel blog offering tips, news, and narratives related to traveling with kids of all ages.
Amie OShaughnessy, Ciao Bambino!, http://www.ciaobambino.com, +1 5102277063, [email protected]
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