Skiing with Kids, Tips and Tricks

If you have never been skiing before, there are some wonderful options available. Even if you have skied before but want to have lessons to help you better your skills, here are some things we did to get discounts and lessons.

Look online for any deals. If you know what area of the country you are visiting, check online for any discounts. If you are just shopping around for options, get a phone number for the different ski areas and start making some calls.

Several times now I have gotten some great deals on lessons, rentals and ski passes just by calling around. Once you get someone on the phone, give them some details about your family and explain your needs and people in general want to help you. They become your friend and will give you tips on where you can get "two for one" coupons, local discount coupons that many places will have at local stores. Just by stopping at a grocery store to get your lift pass you can save up to 50%.

One year I called Park City, Utah and they had a special for rentals and lessons for the day and a lift pass all for $25 with a valid drivers licence. I got my younger four girls rentals and lessons which left me free to enjoy some "alone time" and they had a wonderful time and by the end of the day were soaring down the lower slopes.

On that same deal, I took snow boarding lessons and enjoyed learning that skill until the binding on the rental broke throwing me down hard on the ice. I never fully recovered from that but was really getting the hang of snowboarding. Now, I just stick to skiing which require no contact with the snow as I don't usually fall. Snow boarding required sitting down to bind the boots in and I wasn't all to keen on that aspect either.

Another year we visited Targhee in Wyoming. They had some great specials for first time skiers where I got each girl a rental and lesson and lower run pass over new years week. My middle daughter was the only student in her class and had one on one lessons for the whole morning.

I messed up putting the older girls into the beginners class as they never took a lift or skied other than taking the little "magic carpet" ride up and down the smallest hill there. They got cold and after that I couldn't get them up the mountain as they were cold and quit. They wouldn't go back the rest of the week choosing to stay at the rental cabin instead.

Another fun and cheap way to ski is calling around and asking if they have free slopes or free "after hours" skiing. We have gone several times to different ski areas where they have free "bunny hills" where the girls can practice getting back into the mode after a year or so off. We have also gone in the afternoon on some weekdays when they have some free runs after a certain time.

I keep my eyes open at second hand store for newer equipment. I have acquired all our equipment through those stores or yard sales. I actually have some really nice skis that were probably 10% of the original cost. I bought them for the same price as one or two rentals.

One of my girls was talking this week about when we were going skiing again. I will have to start making some calls and travel plans. Call around and ask friends and family if they know anyone with a cabin. Give them a call and ask if they would like to swap house time for cabin time and give them a list of the fun things to do in your area.

If you are short on money, look in the "for rent" or classified section of the local paper where you want to visit. Put anything you have of value on the website for that paper and say you are wanting to "trade" for cabin time. I traded a family room couch, love seat, and massaging/heated recliner rocker for 4 days at a cabin over new years a few years ago. It was so worth it. We really had a great time at the cabin and skiing. We even got to do a "candle light" run at dusk on New Years Eve using glow sticks. It was fun for all.

Hope you have as much fun in the snow as we have!