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What makes a great family ski
vacation? Different families have different needs and varying
speeds, ever changing as the kids grow from small to tall. Here
are ten very different resorts (in alphabetical order), each capable of
serving up a fabulous family ski trip. Flip through to find one
that sounds best for you and your crew this winter.
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Bretton Woods, New
Hampshire
You can't go wrong staying
at the elegant Hotel Mount Washington for a winter getaway.
Skiing at
Bretton Woods, NH’s largest ski area, is a treat for the
skis and the eyes, featuring well-groomed snow, a good variety
of glades, and dramatic views of the highest peak on the Eastern
Seaboard, Mount Washington at 6,288’. There isn’t anything
particularly precipitous, but there is plenty of terrain served
by swift lifts.
Bretton Woods’ Family Center offers care and lessons
for every age form reliable Babes in the
Woods daycare to the Hobbit ski and snowboard programs. If you like to skinny ski, The Nordic Center and
extensive groomed cross country trails are just awesome. Days are filled with outdoor adventure,
followed up with supervised kids’ parties into the evening, Mom and
Dad might actually find time for adult après and nightlife in their
ski trip.
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Sunday River, Maine
It doesn’t get much more convenient than staying at the
Grand Summit Hotel at Sunday River. Walk to restaurants and the
outdoor heated pool, ski down to the lifts for first chair, and
slide over to the Tubing Hill and White Cap Fun Center for
evening entertainment. There is even a free Mountain Explorer
shuttle to take you into the bustling (by Maine standards) town
of Bethel. Sunday River also has an abundance of slopeside
condos, Cascade being particularly convenient for young families
with kids in ski school. Sunday River’s Perfect Turns program
will have your munchkins making pizza wedges and French fries in
no time. While Sunday River Resort doesn’t ooze New England
charm, it does pump out talcum powder snow in tremendous
quantity, and sports an impressive lift and trail network,
making The River a reliable resort from November into April.
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Killington/Pico, Vermont
Despite
Killington’s reputation as a sprawling beast of a resort,
the recent improvement of Ram’s Head and Snowshed Family
Adventure Center make the Big-K more amiable for families. Obviously with
six mountains of terrain, Killington has something for everyone
in your pack. Bear Mountain is devoted to freeskiers and riders
with all the parks and pipes your teens could want.
With a vast array of intersecting trails and separate base
areas, Killington can be confusing for those not in the know. A
side trip to sister resort Pico is ideal for families looking
for one single panoramic peak with un-crowded trails funneling
to a friendly base. Pico has a Vermont-syrupy flavor - the
antithesis of big-brother Killington.
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Okemo, Vermont
Maybe it takes a husband and wife team to understand what
families need on a ski trip. Diane and Tim Mueller have created
the culminating family ski resort in Vermont.
Okemo
has mega-mountainside lodging, a friendly staff, superb
on-mountain cuisine and all the lesson programs your family
should require. Okemo’s mountain scene will captivate you with
lovely pastoral views of the Vermont river valley, and the
exceptional snowmaking and grooming will keep you coming back,
like the SUV-loads of families who have already discovered their
so-coined “Okemo-difference.”
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Smugglers’ Notch, Vermont
If you are looking for the ski program du jour,
Smugglers’ Notch Resort is the leader in the family
programming. Whether its learning to turn with your child in
their unique ‘Mom & Me’ lesson, or teaching your ‘Little
Rascal,’ to start skiing at age two, Smuggs’ has thought up the
most innovative instruction in snow country. This northern
Vermont resort continues to re-invent the family ski experience,
and hoard the family awards because of it.
Slopes upon slopes of condominiums, and tons to do in the
Village after the lifts close, make The Smugglers’ vacation
complete. Smugglers’ is also home to treasures of tricky terrain
on Madonna Mountain for expert parents who want to drop in after
they drop off their kids at ski camp. Just be prepared for long
chairlift ride chats on the dawdling double chairs.
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Stowe, Vermont
Stowe
is best saved as a destination once your kids get bigger, and
everyone can do justice to this vertical venue. The legendary
Front Four on Mansfield will humble even the most boastful of
teens. Your kids can night-ski while you dine at the
European-style Cliff House via gondola. Non-skiers in the family
can exercise the credit cards at boutiques up and down the
Mountain Road in Stowe. Stowe Mountain Resort is now home to
spectacular slope side lodging at the
Stowe Mountain Lodge at Spruce Base Camp.
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Sugarloaf, Maine
Sugarloaf is one big mountain, with one strong allegiance.
Families appreciate loyalty and the folks at the Loaf are as
legion as they come. The warm welcome you receive here separates
this Maine mountain oasis from the others both spiritually and
geographically. The terrain here is hearty, and so is the social
life so far north – drawing skiers to its snowy pulpit.
Sugarloaf throws weekly themed parties for families in the
rustic but real base village, and a cast of woodsy characters
like Amos the Moose, Blueberry Bear, and Pierre the Logger, are
on hand to keep your kids smiling, making up for the long “are
we there yet?” drive.
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Suicide Six, Vermont
The name sounds daunting for a family ski trip, but if you want to
educate your kids on skiing from decades back, this original ski
slope is just the classroom. The base lodge is a veritable ski
museum, and lunch is like Grandma used to make. Combine your
pleasant day of cruising Suicide’s dozen runs with a stay at
parent company’s luxurious Woodstock Inn. Your ski trip becomes
a complete history lesson as you walk in the Rockefeller
family’s footsteps around this classic Vermont town.
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Jiminy Peak, Massachusetts
For folks from the south (southern New England that is), you
can’t beat for proximity. With a beautiful new Village Center,
all-suite Inn lodging, and well-groomed terrain served by a
six-pack chair, Jiminy Peak is a top spot for young families
from south of the Vermont border.
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