Family Skiing Holidays in North America

Skiing in North America – in Canada and the United States – is different to what it is in Europe. The distance is one obvious difference – a flight to Colorado takes around 10 hours. But the outlook is different too: skiing here is a service industry, with the resorts very raison d’être being to provide you with what you want – something that can’t always be said of some places nearer home.

As such, family skiing is a big part of the mix. Ski-schools are there to make sure youngsters have a good time, so there are no shrugging shoulders from indifferent instructors. Hotel rooms and condos are huge by European standards. Many resorts have exceptional slopeside villages, but even if you do need to travel to the slopes (which isn’t regarded as unusual here), that is part of the adventure.

Long-distance flying these days can be part of the adventure too, with seat-back TVs, games and food to keep the children entertained. But should you choose to ski on the East Coast, flights times are as little as six hours and, with short transfers, the journey is less than gruelling. There are few North American resorts where children can’t have a good time – they have, almost without exception, fantastic crèches and childcare, children’s ski (and increasingly snowboard) programmes, and restaurants where kids’ portions are almost as large as adult meals in other countries.

It’s hard to go wrong here. All you really need to remember is that some ski areas are a few minutes from their respective towns; if you want ski-in ski-out accommodation, check before you book. And the extra effort (an expense) it takes to get here pays off with the double bonus of a ski holiday and an American holiday rolled into one – you can explore in your hire-car, visit cities such as Denver and Montreal, spot moose, meet cowboys and so much more.

United States

The Rockies, the great mountains of the Continental Divide, are home to skiing in the states of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. While there’s always something for children, some areas can be very high – Breckenridge in Colorado is almost 3,000m at village level – leaving some youngsters drained.

Colorado is the heart of US skiing, with 26 resorts, a dozen of them attracting international visitors. Aspen, a glitzy mountain getaway, is the most colourful name. The slopes in town aren’t for learners, but Buttermilk, a few kilometres away by free bus, is a whole ski area of easy slopes that is perhaps the best beginner area in the USA. Close behind is Snowmass a few kilometres further – a purpose-built resort with a large ski area great for both adults and children. For the 2008/9 season the base area gets two smartly rustic new lodges, near the big new Treehouse Kids’ Adventure Centre.

Colorado’s other big name is Vail, a big, largely traffic-free resort with plenty to engage families, plus its posh sister resort Beaver Creek. Copper Mountain's Woodward at Copper teaches freestyle tricks to youngsters (with the aid of indoor trampolines and foam landing pits), and Steamboat teaches children to ski from the age of two and a half with its buckaroos programme. In fact, it’s so friendly it even has its own kids’ skiing website.

Other Colorado resorts have their own advantages: Breckenridge, set above an old mining town, is only around a 90-minute drive from Denver airport, as are Winter Park, Keystone and Copper (see above).

The East Coast states are a good alternative: lower, closer and altogether more genteel. At Stowe, a pretty, white clapboard town in Vermont, the Spruce Peak area is a delightful beginners’ mountain, connected to the main area and with the new Stowe Mountain Lodge, a ‘White Christmas’ style giant, at the foot of the slopes. Nearby is Smugglers Notch, North America’s very best family resort, offering a club-like environment at the bottom of the slopes and all manner of activities and care for babies through to teenagers. The state of New Hampshire is fun, too, with a number of small, historic, learner-friendly ski areas – Loon, Cranmore, Wildcat – on the same lift-pass and only a few minutes apart.

Other options are California ( Heavenly on Lake Tahoe, with its paddle-steamer rides), Wyoming ( Jackson Hole, where children love taking a sleigh-ride through the elk refuge) and Utah ( Park City and The Canyons, both great easy slopes), but all involve longer journeys.

Canada

Canada offers some very different options from coast to coast. On the west, there’s Whistler in British Columbia, just north of Vancouver – North America’s biggest ski area, and a big, bustling traffic-free resort. Children love it, from the waterfront drive into the mountains to the friendly ski-school and restaurants. Family specialists Mark Warner have just moved in here, offering a different take on their unique holidays from the comforts of the Hilton, where they have a big new nursery. In British Columbia’s interior, Big White is rated as one of the best resorts anywhere for children. With its Kids’ Centre in the middle of the slopeside village, this is Canada’s biggest totally ski-in ski-out resort, and one geared to family life. Kelowna airport is only 40 minutes away, or it’s possible to drive from Vancouver.

In the middle of the country and the heart of the Rockies is the town of Banff (Alberta), often noted as a ski resort  – it’s not, and it’s not ideal for youngsters. The town, jolly enough, is at the centrepoint of the Big 3 ski areas. Mt Norquay just outside is a small place that’s okay for beginners and experts but has not much for those in-between. Sunshine Village is a great area for everyone, but it’s 15 minutes on the free bus then a long gondola to even get to the skiing. And Lake Louise, one of the best resorts on the continent, is 45 minutes away – the best bet for families is to stay in one of the few hotels near Lake Louise, preferably the castle-like Chateau Lake Louise backing on to the frozen lake, where children can skate and have sleigh rides.

On the east coast, Tremblant in Quebec is a modern, traffic-free resort in the colourful Quebequois style, only 90 minutes from Montreal with its many flights. This is another great place for children, with everything within an easy stroll.

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