Family holidays: North American Ski Holidays on a Budget

Skiing in the USA and Canada is almost always going to be more expensive than skiing in Europe. Flight costs see to that – although if your package company has, or uses, a charter airline, there’s more chance of a special deal. But remember that while an apartment on the slopes in France might be easier and cheaper, it’s simply a ski holiday, whereas in North America you (and, more to the point, the kids) get much more out of your trip as you travel through cowboy country, the great American West, the picturesque East Coast countryside and more. See also our page on Family Skiing Holidays in North America.

Whereas in Europe half-board accommodation is common, in North America it’s rare to find a hotel offering anything other than B&B, and in some smart hotels even breakfast is extra. The good news for families is that most modern ski-resort hotels have rooms you don’t mind spending time in. When we were in Whistler, our children’s favourite evenings involved picking up a takeaway pizza the size of a wagon wheel (around £10) and slumping on the sofa with a movie. Add a £4 bottle of wine and you’ve got a bargain evening. Many hotel rooms and almost all apartments have first-rate kitchen areas so you can easily prepare all your meals – North American restaurants can be cheap, but it all mounts up over a week.

At the time of writing the US dollar has picked up somewhat and the Canadian dollar is still not bad, so prices in-resort can be competitive. Lift passes tend to be more expensive than in Europe, but this season there are lots of deals – Crystal and Thomson offer a free child’s lift pass (up to age 12) with each adult pass booked, as well as free children’s ski equipment for each adult set booked.

COOL CANADA
Tremblant in Quebec is a colourful, traffic-free centre built in the style of an historic French town. It’s very convenient – flights to Montreal from London take around 7hrs, then there’s a transfer of less than 2 hours and, on your doorstep, low mountains that won’t give youngsters any altitude problems. The ski school now provides GPS armbands so you know exactly where they are, with their daily movements charted on a website. Look out for special offers at the luxury Fairmont Tremblant with its indoor and outdoor pools. 

Whistler in British Columbia is a massive resort but one of the best organised for families, with its traffic-free village and easy (and spectacular) seafront transfer from Vancouver. It also has an exceptional ski school (our children rated it the best anywhere) with great teaching slopes. And youngsters will be thrilled to see the site of the Winter Olympics (Feb 14-28).

SPARKLING STATES
New Hampshire is one of the easiest areas of the USA to get to – it’s a 7hr hop over to Boston, Massachusetts, on the family-friendly airline Virgin Atlantic, with its films, games and free whatnots, then a two-hour drive. The resorts are small, low and child-friendly (cute Cranmore in particular); five of them situated less than 30 minutes apart share a lift pass. Virgin Ski offers seven nights B&B, including car, from £669, children £399.

Copper Mountain in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado is great for families – the traffic-free village with its luxurious condos is only two hours from Denver. Woodward at Copper offers year-round skiing and boarding accompanied by indoor lessons, along with skateboarding and trampolining sessions. Thomson has a week in a one-bedroom condo for £677, children (2-11) £613, including transfers or car. There’s a free children’s lift pass for each adult pass booked, which also covers nearby Winter Park.