Helping Families Explore Outdoors
My fam visited Grand Targhee resort as part of our summer vacation road trip this year and now Mountain Dad is ready to move there. We had so much fun!
We had a great visit back in January where we got to powder ski for days, so we wanted to come back in summer and try their mountain biking trails. It did not disappoint.
Continue reading “Mountain Biking Grand Targhee Resort – Big Mountain Fun, Small Town Feel”
My Mountain Fam’s summer vacation this year included a road trip to America’s first destination ski resort – Sun Valley Resort in Idaho. We loved it!
Continue reading “Summer Vacation at Sun Valley Resort, Idaho on any budget”
Planning your next family ski vacation? Here are 10 Things to Look for to make it great.
I’m gonna let you in on a secret. Although I live full-time at Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah, it would NOT be my choice for a family ski vacation destination.
Why? Because it doesn’t check off all of these 10 things. Continue reading “10 Things to Look for in a Family Ski Vacation Destination”
What makes a ski resort family-friendly? A few items to look for include easily-accessible beginner terrain, a family lodge and low prices. A good family ski resort may also offer after-school or night skiing, lesson programs, a local feel and other snow sport activities like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and fat-biking.
Does such a place exist? Yes! Kelly Canyon Ski Resort near Ririe, Idaho has it all.
PSST: Ski Idaho invited my fam to visit this winter and set us up with free lift tickets for Kelly Canyon. I can’t say thank you enough, it was a fun trip.
Skiing with kids means spending a lot of time on the bunny hill. If you’re looking for a truly family ski resort, that bunny hill will offer easy-to-access gentle terrain, a rope tow or magic carpet surface lift and a chair lift that serves only green runs.
As young skiers and boarders progress, it’s important that they can ride on terrain that matches their ability. A good family ski resort will have a variety of beginner terrain that’s easy to get to from the base of the mountain.
A lift that only offers access to beginner runs is also important. Nothing’s worse than taking a wrong turn with your six-year-old and ending up on a steep black diamond expert run. I know from experience – Little G, age 6, ended up on a steep run with me by accident and had to take off her skis and hike down.
Family-friendly ski resorts should have a lodge or warming hut close to the beginner area. Kids are more likely than adults to fall, roll and play in the snow when learning to ski and snowboard. That means they’re also more likely to get cold and wet.
A nearby lodge where they can warm up is an essential feature for a family ski resort. Not only do kids get cold, they also can’t ski as long as adults. When skiing with kids, especially kids age 5 and under, expect to spend more time drinking hot cocoa and making snow men than actually skiing.
That’s okay. You’re raising a life-long skier, so if your four-year-old only wants to put skis on for an hour be okay with it and plan to come back another day.
The final checklist item to look for in a family ski resort is discounted lift tickets for beginners. Many ski resorts in the US let kids five and under ski free with a paying adult. Others offer discounted tickets for access to beginner-only areas.
Family ski resorts often offer programs that involve lessons, gear rental and lift ticket packages at a discounted rate. Take advantage of those offers, especially at smaller, local resorts.
Local resorts are my FAVORITE for families. Why? Because they are a great training ground for beginners, they focus on community, and they are often the most cost-effective option for ski families.
One of the best family-friendly resorts I’ve been to is Kelly Canyon Ski Resort in Ririe, Idaho. This local scene resort checks off all the boxes and more.
Easily Accessible Beginner Area – The tow rope and lift 3 at Kelly Canyon are perfect for ski newbies. I loved how close the beginner area was to the lodge and how the beginner runs off of lift three offered a wide variety of terrain – groomed, powder, access to tree skiing, even a small terrain park with beginner boxes. Lots of new skills to learn from that one lift.
Family-Friendly Lodge – Kelly Canyon Lodge is the hang out place for families. Whether it’s locals sharing a picnic lunch or out-of-towners like us enjoying their famous Kelly fries, the Kelly Canyon Lodge offers a great place to get warm right next to the beginner area.
Low Prices – At Kelly Canyon kids five and under ski free with a paying adult, and a regular all day ticket for kids is $33 ($27 for half day). In addition to that they offer Monday night discounts for families ($22 lift ticket and meal voucher for adults, $17 for kids), College student discounts ($18 lift ticket Wednesdays and Saturday Night) and Ladies Day discounts on Fridays ($27 ticket and meal voucher plus $10 lessons for groups of 3 or more).
In addition to that, Kelly Canyon may be the only ski resort in the US to offer lift accessible fat biking in winter. I really wanted to try that out, but it’s only open on Fridays and Saturdays (we were there on a Monday). Another truly unique aspect of Kelly Canyon is that all major runs on the mountain are lit for night skiing six days a week. Impressive.
The only drawback to family skiing at Kelly Canyon for me were the lifts. The two-seater, old-school chair lifts didn’t have room for me and multiple kids.
My two and six-year-olds can’t load and unload a chairlift on their own and with only two seats we couldn’t all go up together. Also the chair lift seats don’t have a safety bar, which made me very nervous when my toddler kept wiggling on the seat.
Despite that, Kelly Canyon is a fun family ski resort and a great place for beginners. I highly recommend it.
NOTE: Smoking and alcohol are not allowed on site and the resort is closed on Sunday.
We finished our visit to Kelly Canyon with a dip in Heise Hot Springs (Mountain Dad is obsessed with hot springs) just down the road. It was a great way to end a ski day.