Learning to ski and ride and doing it for FREE in Pennsylvania
Do you have kids that are in 4th or 5th Grade and are looking for a way to keep them busy this winter How about skiing or boarding for FREE in Pennsylvania?
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Learning a snow sport — more than just fun in the snow
Snow sports can be more than about fun in the snow. They’re about persistence and courage, trying something new (just ask the cold-hating Los Angeles boy who was with us) and empathy for those who may be struggling more than you might be.
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Take the Kids Skating at The Rink at Bryant Park
this time of year also means winter fun and what better way to ring in the season than to go ice skating in Bryant Park in the heart of Manhattan.
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To Keystone CO – one of the most kid-centric ski areas in the country
Keystone is Vail Resort’s most kid-centric resort, with kids-ski free (as long as you book a two-night stay), night skiing tweens and teens love and daily “Kidtopia” activities. There’s a parade through the village on Saturdays with kids being twirled around in tires, free cookies and hot cider in the ice-skating rink, the chance to meet and greet the avalanche dogs and ski patrollers, free kids sundaes and more.
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In Aspen, kids playing with their food is encouraged!
Never were two boys more unlike one another than mine when it comes to cooking. My elder son, Tanner, age 8, abhors anything remotely culinary, while my younger, Brady, age 5, was all but born with an apron wrapped around his waist, a wooden stirring spoon in his hand. The consummate chef and critic.
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A ski area in Vermont owned by skiers who grew up on there
It’s easy to see why families are attracted to Bolton Valley—the low-key atmosphere reminiscent of when parents learned to ski in Vermont and the fact that lift tickets are about 20-30 per cent less than at neighboring Stowe.
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First destination skivacation — blue skies in Park City
It was our first destination ski vacation. My partner Dan Foldes and I had skied in Colorado throughout our college years, but we had only gone on day trips up to the mountains. This was the first time that we would be flying to a ski town, staying in a hotel, and skiing for three days straight, just the two of us.
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Ski country is beautiful, but beware altitude sickness
It is no fun getting sick on vacation and altitude sickness is the worst. But when you are above 9,986 feet as we are in Breckenridge, CO, it isn’t that uncommon, the staff at the St. Anthony Breckenridge Community Clinic Emergency Center tells us.
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A family reunion on the snow in Colorado
There were round-robin emails in the weeks before the trip in which we discussed the menus and shopping lists. My husband, raised in Texas, brought his “famous” chili, frozen from home, and my British sister-in-law the ingredients for Shepherd’s Pie.
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At Keystone Resort, kids having fun and eating healthy are a top priority
Keystone is Vail Resort’s most kidcentric resort, with kids-ski free (as long as you book a two night stay, night skiing tweens and teens love, daily “Kidtopia” activities. Think a parade through the village on Saturdays, with kids being twirled around in tires, free cookies and hot cider in the ice skating rink, the chance to meet and greet the avalanche dogs and ski patrollers, free kids sundaes and more.
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Snowshoeing into history at the Breckenridge Nordic Center
We stop at one of the three historic miner cabins that contains a letter that a woman named Josie wrote to her husband, telling him she wouldn’t move to the miner district of Breckenridge “the most fiendish place…the red light district is visible to all…” until he built them a proper home.
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No matter how old, Breck brings out the kid in you
At 31 years young, I found myself completely gassed on the slopes trying to keep up with my 22-year-old cousin Melanie Yemma (a senior at Colorado College). I’m a fan of breaks – even naps – but apparently when you’re 22 and you live in Colorado, you don’t take breaks on the mountain.
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Dining in the mountains — eating out or in on family ski vacation?
When you are staying in a roomy condo, like The Montaneros at Vail or where we have just checked in at Blue Sky at Breckenridge, with fully equipped kitchens, it is nice to cook with the family, put your feet up and enjoy a glass of wine, a martini or two.
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A new hotel in Vail where no request is too difficult
No request is too difficult for guests staying at the ultra luxe Solaris in Vail Village. The 79-unit Solaris Residences–the six bedroom unit facing the slopes is to die for—is the kind of place where no guest request is too outrageous. The reindeer? They were brought from a ranch in northern Colorado, said General Manager Bill Marshall.
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In Vail, a condo offers all the comforts of home for our family ski vacation
Condo or hotel? When kids—even grown ones—are part of the equation, I’ll opt for a condo every time. None of us want to eat out every meal or pay high mark-ups for every drink. I like the space to spread out too. That’s why I’m so glad for the Montaneros, a Wyndham Vacation Rentals condo at Lionshead in Vail.
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All over ski country, kids are eating healthier on vacation
Forget mac and cheese, unless it is homemade with local cheese. Forget chili, unless it’s vegetarian or made with local grass-fed beef. The kids — and you — have your choice of free-range chicken, homemade soups, pizza baked in a wood-fired oven and quinoa salad, not to mention artisanal beers and spirits.
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A Pow-Pow Day through the eyes of an 11-year-old!
Snowbasin is more than just a mountain to me, it’s my home. I have many sweet memories of my life on skis here. Like when I first got onto a pair of skis at the age of three.
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Destinations | Families & Groups | Food and Dining | Lodging | Parks & Outdoors | Snow Vacations | Weekly Column
A high-country ranch families enjoy all year round
In the summer this working ranch, which has welcomed guests since 1919, is famous for its family riding programs and kids’ programs that guarantee families a memorable vacation. There is a herd of 175 horses, but no more than 100 or so guests, and families return year after year.
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A blue-bird day and starlit night at Solitude Mountain in Utah
My kids would have loved the chance to hike along the ridge and drop into the resort’s famous Honeycomb Canyon, so named because 19th century mining trails are honeycombed under the snow covered mountains. The view from the summit—10,035 feet is spectacular—the Wasatch Mountain Range in all its glory without a condo or mega mansion in site.
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Sampling the healthy and delicious meals in Deer Valley Utah
No, we’re not in Paris or a big city patisserie. We’re in Park City, Utah at Deer Valley Ski Resort, one of Utah’s 14 ski resorts. At Snow Park Lodge, besides the freshly baked French pastries and muffins, the breakfast offerings include eggs benedict, home-made granola, house-smoked salmon omelets and challah French Toast.
