I have been a nanny off and on for the past twelve years. Fortunately, I work for a rad family of skiers and have enjoyed many epic family ski resort vacations. In recent years I have skied with various families in Switzerland, British Columbia, New Hampshire, Utah, and Colorado. This means that we stay at resorts, eat resort food, frequent hot tubs, participate in the ski school and child care programs, and generally avail ourselves of most amenities.

It also means that I have experienced most of the hiccups that exist in the planning and execution of family time at ski hills. Even on the best days I usually wind up with tired kids in wet clothes who are ready for something beyond snow sports. On the worst days, freak-outs and tantrums dominate beleaguered adults who are trying to wrangle several children into “having fun!”

How can a resort help families such as these? I spoke with several of my “mom friends” who take annual ski vacations and they had a few suggestions to make their trips more successful, or at the very least, less hectic and daunting.


BEFORE THEY ARRIVE
Women are the family planners, and they are looking for good intel. 32 Degrees, the publication for the Professional Ski Instructors Association (PSIA), recently featured a series of articles about keeping women on the slopes instead of the beach. The magazine cited statistics that claim women make anywhere from 65 to 90 percent of the decisions regarding family vacations. Author Kevin Jordan noted that women typically make 80 percent of the purchase choices in a family.

The search for a suitable destination commences long before any family arrives at the resort. First up is a well-organized and accessible website. Fam­ily planners need to be able to navigate the amenities and look at all their options from one central site. A parent of three says, “Besides terrain and powder, the aspects of a resort that I look for include: housing (condos to houses), tickets, lessons, resort transportation, maps and details.” The list goes on. This parent also seeks promotional material and sustainability information from the website visit. For someone researching a trip from afar, an easily navigable website makes trip planning easier.

Other increasingly popular online resources that family planners are using are blogs written by ski moms. Two such sites that offer tips, considerations, and accounts of family ski vacations can be found at allmountainmamas.skivermont.com and parkcitymountain.com/site/snowmamas. Both these blogs gather mothers to contribute content about sliding with kids—from gear recommendations to finding the perfect kid-friendly resort—and help planners make decisions.


GETTING AROUND
Once the family books the vacation and arrives, the resort features become the focus. Of course, good childcare, rentals, and lesson programs are a must for many families. Having these centrally located and easy to access is paramount. Many families who will be skiing for the week want rentals that can be stored at the base area.

No matter how organized a family is, asking kids to carry their own gear becomes a lesson in patience. While juggling the poles and skis, the goggles are often popping off their helmets while a mitten gets dropped in the nearest puddle. Throw in a flight of stairs and all of a sudden it seems impossible to get the kids, their gear, and their sanity to the snow.

Northstar, Calif., offers overnight storage where parents can opt to store equipment for the next day—allowing for easier arrival and departure. Valet services, which often accompany hotel stays, are also appreciated. Many resorts, like Steamboat, Colo., Keystone, Colo., and Northstar, offer complimentary pull-wagons for families to haul kids and gear from the parking lot or bus stop to the lodges and lifts. These little touches go a long way in making life easier.

My friend Lisen, a mother of four, says, “The biggest plus that comes to mind when vacationing with kids at ski resorts in the winter is frequent shuttle buses.” Kids hate to wait in the cold, and long walks from distant parking lots can discourage children and parents before they even get to the lodge. Kate, a mother of three, agrees that accessibility is the number-one ingredient in executing a smooth family adventure. It goes beyond just easy access to the lodge. “Fancy is nice, but functional is crucial,” says Kate. Kids and parents alike need to be able to get to the lodge, parking, and good food choices easily.


ART OF THE DEAL
Every parent I spoke with mentioned deals on tickets as being a key component to vacation choices. Kate said she frequented websites like Liftopia to find family deals. Often, kids, especially younger children, just can’t ski all day, so moms want to get their money’s worth and will scour the Internet for good family packages. Lisen put it bluntly, “Cheap kid tickets are huge.” Keystone has solved the problem with a deal whereby kids 12 and under ski for free when their families stay for two nights or more.

Beyond lift tickets, off-mountain afternoon and evening activities for kids were also cited by moms as being important...and that “free is good” in this regard.

For kids who can’t spend a whole day sliding, alternative on-site activities are a must. As an example, Keystone has a “Western Village Play Area” that kids are free to enjoy. The resort also has a program called “Kidtopia” that offers an array of activities, such as skating, sledding, tennis, face painting, etc.

Moving further west, The Village at Northstar offers tubing, bungee trampolines, arts and crafts, a movie theater, an ice rink, and live music. Throw in complimentary s’mores every day at 3, and you’ve got a recipe for a successful family vacation.

At Bretton Woods, N.H., the resort can accommodate children two months old and up in programs ranging from childcare to lessons. Outside of the slopes, Bretton Woods offers indoor and outdoor pools, hot tubs, snowmobiling, sleigh rides, tubing, dog sledding, and a game room.

And even if amenities are not available at the resort, there are ways to keep families happy. Mt. Bachelor, Ore., offers great family value through packages and discounts, and the resort has good terrain progression for all ages, as well as many lesson program options. In addition, the area offers free lift tickets to the Carousel Lift for all ages to get beginners on snow. However, the resort does not have on-mountain lodging and attendant amenities. So, Bachelor’s packages incorporate the community resources of the Bend and Sun River areas. Bachelor promotes these options through programs like “Community Perks” and by working with local businesses. With a shuttle bus to the mountain from town, Bachelor is able to streamline the transition between the snow and the in-town offerings.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Beyond accessibility and loads of entertainment options, feeding a family ranks high on the lists of mothers, who are looking for healthy and convenient options. At Northstar, a special “Fit Menu” appears at all mountain restaurants offering 500-calorie (or less) meal options to help keep kids and parents happy and healthy.

Other dietary issues for many families are picky eaters and food allergies. One family I worked for had a gluten-free child. The fact that their gluten-sensitive nine-year-old could have a bowl of chili halfway up Steamboat made the family’s days on the hill easier. Ideally, the resort website should include food allergy info and options on mountain. Dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free alternatives are a must for modern families. Get used to it if you aren’t already.

Finally, access to easy, healthy, grab-and-go food is a plus. Moms are often stuffing some type of bar into each kid’s jacket pocket for between-meal snacking.

ODDS AND ENDS
Rounding out the wishlists of the moms I spoke with were a few small but important items. First, don’t underestimate the value of a smiling, helpful, friendly staff. On a family ski trip to Steamboat last year, a parent noted that the “hosts were obvious and friendly.” This provides an extra reassurance for families, especially those with children old enough to ski on their own or with friends. Good signage and plentiful, clear maps also help in navigation and comfort for both parents and children.

And when we talk about the importance of catering to all ages, let’s not forget grandparents. Steamboat offers free ski groups for different abilities including an “Over the Hill Gang.”

Catering to families, and moms in particular, is one of the hardest, yet most rewarding efforts a mountain resort can make. A successful family vacation or a great day trip will lead to many more down the road...and you can bet that fellow moms back home will hear all about it.