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Family Travel Files Ezine Family Vacations Resource
Advice: Finding the Best Ski Resort for Your Family, Easy or Not? Smuggs Resort Vermont Winter Family SkiingSnow season in North America is underway and there are oodles of spots offering snowy family fun. The list includes Alpine skiing, boarding, snow tubing, cross-country skiing, snow shoeing and ice skating.

When planning a family ski vacation parents and grandparents often solicit suggestions from friends, co workers and extended family.  Not a perfect science but a place to start. In planning any family vacation there plenty of variables to be considered and selecting the resort or destination is only one of them. Location on the planet, drive or fly, school schedules, costs, and family enthusiasm must meld to make it happen. Oh yes, and global warming – for a ski vacation snow is essential, just the right amount but who is making it?

Winter family vacation planning - not to worry. We have a vacation activity folder SnowPlaces dedicated to showcasing winter family vacation ideas, travel advice, vacation planning and destination information for family time in the snow - skiing, boarding, snow tubing, cross-country skiing, snow shoeing, snow mobiling, free-range sledding, ice skating and ice fishing. Is there anything else?Sunday River Maine Kids Ski Free January

Kids ski free or fly free, really? For parents with young children starting with “Kids Ski Free” makes sense. For example Steamboat Springs in Colorado has been offering free skiing benefits for kids since 1982. In North Carolina, Cataloochee ski area near Waynesville and Maggie Valley offers children 17 years of age or younger free lift tickets during weekdays and they make their own snow when needed. And in Maine during Sunday River Children's Festival each January kids stay and ski free.  Crested Butte, Colorado once again is partnering with American Airlines to offer “Kids Fly for Free” which has obvious advantages. Southwest Airlines is offering a free-ski day in Salt lake City and with the same deal  skis and snowboards fly free.  FTF insider tip: If you have a favorite resorts, mountains, or airlines make sure to sign up for their newsletters to be among the first to learn about ski deals for families.

Searching and comparing is evolving as new online resources make better use of technology. Recently Jack Middlebrook from ski-resorts.findthebest.com offered to share his perspective on searching for the best ski resort for a family winter vacation. I have had time to peruse his site and found plenty of facts, ratings, and useful information not just for resorts in North America but in Britain, Europe, Asia, and New Zealand as well.

Here’s the scoop according to Jack. With so many choices, it can be daunting to select the right ski resort for your family. Information is power so here are some things to consider when planning your winter ski vacation.

Ski school or day care. If you have young children, the first factor you will want to consider is whether the ski resort has a ski school for kids and day care available for the very youngest. Depending on the size of your family and age of your kids, day care and ski schools are crucial “must haves” before taking your family to a ski resort. Children’s ski schools offer a great way for your kids to learn and build confidence in their abilities while having fun with their own age group. Additionally, putting your kids in a ski program gives parents or grandparents time to explore the mountain and find runs that will be ideal for skiing as a family. On the other hand, if your kids are too young to hit the slopes, then a good day care program offered by a ski resort will often make or break your trip.

Skiable acres and number of runs.  Aside from programs for kids, other aspects to consider when looking for a family ski resort - skiable acres and number of runs.  First, a resort with plenty of skiable acres is important so that your family has skiing options and the possibility to separate from crowds. During the holiday season, crowds (and long lines) may put a damper on an otherwise great family skiing day. So resorts with greater skiable acres mean more flexibility for family skiing time. Additionally, the higher the number of runs at a resort means more variety and choices for all ski levels. For example if your family needs a mountain with both beginner and expert runs, then looking for a resort with lots of runs is the best idea.

 Looking for the family ski deals. Taking these factors into consideration will help you narrow down your search, but the deciding factor may come down to which resort offers the best deal for your family. During the holiday ski season, many ski resorts offer holiday packages for families where kids’ ski tickets are heavily discounted. During the balance of the season, resorts and ski mountains may offer mid-week “kids ski free days.” Before booking your ski trip, do some quick searches for family ski deals. The offers remain fluid until early April.

Browse and compare ski resorts.
Based on these factors, the following are some suggestions for ski resorts to visit this winter. Choices include not just the best ski resorts in the US and Canada but also the best ski resorts in Austria, France, Italy, Japan, and Switzerland. Browse the site and compare the details. You may find the perfect family vacation match to keep your family energized and entertained and hopefully exhausted from too much fun on the slopes. Use this link to search, compare and  Find the Best Ski Resort


Content provided Jack Middlebrook of Ski-Resorts.FindtheBest.com with comments by Nancy Nelson-Duac, Editor FTF. Images from Smugglers Notch in Vermont and Sunday Mountain in Maine. Copyright 2011.

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