USA: WinterTrails Celebrates Free Winter Family Fun - Learn a Snow Sport. Winter Trails offers children and adults who are new to snow sports a chance to try snowshoeing and/or cross-country skiing FREE at venues throughout North America.

 

Here’s the scoop. January is officially Learn to Ski & Board Month but that is not the only thing going on for families. Add to that cross-country skiing and snow shoeing. Basically it is about celebrating winter with snow. I love this idea because it has so many benefits at so many levels and best of all it is pure family fun. (From my words you may conclude I was born in a snow state.) Bonus points: During the month look for Winter Trails Day which involves almost 100 resorts and Nordic Centers nationwide, and gets more than 11,000 kids and adults on the snow each year.

Here's the deal. We at FTF have been announcing this program for more than a decade because it  spans the country and each season offers super deals and maybe even new ways to share the fun with your  kids. There is no charge for the use of equipment and trails; most locations offer snowshoeing and cross-country-skiing.

 

During January all ages and family combinations are invited to enjoy the fun including Alpine skiers and/or snowboarders are always encouraged to try an alternative snow sport. Organizers have made registration easy with an online service that allows participants to sign up for their preferred location before arriving at a selected event. Those who register on-line have the chance to win prizes from sponsors. But really, anyone who participates wins. Bonus points: Nevermind all the free stuff and remember cross-country skiing and snow shoeing burn calories so you can eat all the chocolate or pasta you want.

Winter Trails locations, hours and offerings are posted at WinterTrails.org and venues include popular alpine resorts (Sugar Mountain Resort in Boone, North Carolina for example), Nordic centers, state parks, National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service land. Details accompany each event’s listing on the Winter Trails website.  Registration also is available on-site at each location.

Locations on the planet. As I post this page the snow sports locations for 2012 include Alaska, California,  Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan,  Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Wahington State, West Virginia, and Vermont. Check the website for additions as January nears.

Here’s the family bonus. Look for regional pass port programs which allow kids to ski for free at participating area resorts. 

Winter Trails is part of Learn a Snow Sport Month, set for the entire month of January, 2012. Information about other snow sports learning programs will be listed at www.winterfeelsgood.com and individual programs can be accessed via www.learnasnowsport.org
 
SnowSports Industries America (SIA), a national, non-profit trade association for snow sports suppliers, manages Winter Trails in partnership with the American Hiking Society (AHS) and the Cross Country Ski Areas Association (CCSAA). Comments by Nancy Nelson-Duac , Editor  FtF. Copyright 2011.