Resort Skiing

Utah has some of the best skiing in the world.  There isn't a better place to teach your kids how to learn how to ski.  Skiing is a perfect family activity.  You get to get outdoors, and you get to slide on snow, how cool is that!  As long as you have planned ahead for cold finger and toes, and make it something fun to remember you will have an amazing time skiing.  If you are teaching your kids for the first time to ski.  Plan to only make a few runs.  Skiing can be hard to learn, along with the cold and wet, kids can become really resistant to wanting ski.  We have been skiing with my children for over five years and here are some of my tricks:

• Plan to arrive early, it will take double what you expect to get yourself and the kids ready. 
• Layering your clothing.  On cold days plan on having multiple layers; base or termal, turtle neck, sweater/sweat shirt, coat.  If you get too warm take something off. 
• Even on sunny days, it can be extremly cold.  
• Bring goggles, face masks, and scarfs.  The warmer you keep your children, the better time they will have. 
• Use a ski edgie weggie for kids.  Best investment you can get for a beginner skiier.  http://www.amazon.com/Ski-Teaching-Products-LLC-Wedgie/dp/B001N0Y7ZU
• Would not suggest SkiTies to helps kids learn to ski.  If your child crashes, you can easily ski over your child, and injure them.  This is from experience!  
• Take a backpack!  Helps carry all your gear, including hand warmers.
• Take an extra pair of gloves for kids. They always seem to get them wet.
• Bring a water bottle full of warm water to drink.
• Always have a back up! If you are skiing with kid always have one adult stay behind everyone.  Normally we have one person with the pack and one person always behind the group. 
• Take a two way radio.  Sometimes, in certain areas you phone will not work, and you want to be able to get in touch with your group.
• If you think your child is injured, call the ski patrol and have them take your child down the mountain.  Don't be afraid to ask for help! At age 4 my child had a sprial tibia fracture. We knew he was hurt, but didn't know how bad until the xray.  Don't assume your child can still ski after a crash.
• If your kids get cold, don't push to go another run.  Go inside and warm up!  It's no fun to ski cold.  Kids bodies are much more suitable to the cold, and honestly their equiptment is not the same as adults.  You may not be cold, but if they are, make it a fun experience by warming up.
• A lot of times when it is snowing hard Little Cottonwood closes the canyon.   You might not get up.  If you are in the Canyon you might get stuck up there for hours!
• Bring treats and hot water in a thermas.  Make hot drinks and eat a snack after skiing.   If you are skiing at Alta, hanging out after skiing is really nice.  The lower ski resort, Snowbird, ends skiing at the same time, and you can be stuck in traffic for over an hour. 

Best Resort Skiing:

• Alta Ski Resort: Best Beginner skiing.  The slop of the beginner trails is the best for kids to learn on.  They are not too steep.  They have a green hill right next to a trees trail.  The older, or more advanced riders can ski the trees, while the less adventurous kids can still ski the groomed routes.  Good for kids. If you choose to skip ski school and teach your children yourself Alta Ski Resort is my top pick.  Alta has a Ski after 3 program.  The cost is $10 for the after 3 card, every day after that is $5.  You can also purchase a season pass for $25.  It runs from 3pm-4:30pm.  It is an easy way to take your kids skiing.  http://www.alta.com/pages/skifreeafter3.php 
• Solitude: Perfect for both beginner and advanced.  They have multiple runs that have both extreme runs, and advanced.  Their beginner runs are great, a little steep for the first years of skiing.  Good for children who are good at skiing.
•  Brighton: Best snowboarding resort.  They have rails, stairs, and a huge half pipe.  This resort is not a good resort to learn to ski at.  Your kids need to know how to ski before you ski here.  Not good for kids that are learning, there are too many out of control snowboarders!  I love snowboarding, Brighton has great snowboarders.  They are just not really careful around kids that are learning.  If you are teaching your child to snowboard, this would be a great resort.  They have long trails with easy runs.   Brighton has the BEST night skiing! 
• Snowbird: Best adventure resort.  This resort is steep! If you like steep runs, then this is the resort for you.  The tram is really nice to ride to the summit.  Kids need to be good skiers, or at least really like skiing.
• Canyons Resort: Great for both skiing and snowboarding.  Big wide runs make this resort excellent for both skiier and snowboarder.  Great for beginners.  Good for kids.  Canyons would be my top pick for teaching snowboarders.  
• Deer Valley:  Best skiing ever!  This resort has it all.  Most senic of all resorts.  Best variety of easy and advanced runs.  Quick loading on every lift.  Best variety of places to eat.   Good for kids, but is pricey if they only want to do a few funs! 
• Sundance: Basic resort, not a lot of ski runs.  Has some very senic overlooks.  You can infact see Robert Redford skiing here!!!  (a lot!)  Good for kids.
• Snowbasin: STEEP, Lots of variety of runs.  Wide open runs, lots of space!

HAVE FUN!