Anonymous wrote:Lots of good advice above!

A couple of new ideas: You could do a long weekend in the Poconos. They usually have pretty good snow and the larger sites are well staffed and not super crowded. Maybe look at Camelback, Blue Mountain, Elk Mountain.

Skiing is EXHAUSTING. So, to me, a fun weekend would be half-day ski with lessons on a Saturday morning; half-day ski with lessons on a Sunday evening (evening sessions are usually 4 to 9); then as much as you want on Monday, then back home.

I also approve of the idea of pulling the kids out of school to take advantage of midweek emptiness and lower prices.

It's a great activity ... I highly recommend!

Agreed on exhausting, and also need to be prepared for the extreme soreness for days afterwards. Skiiing hits muscle groups you just don't normally get a lot of work on, especially your core (lot of effort to turn and stabilize your body), and your thighs, especially the side to side motions. If you aren't someone who does exercises for those areas a lot, definitely try to do some initial simple workouts for a few weeks beforehand. Situps, crunches, leg lifts, and things like this.

https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/how-to-train-for-skiing.html

Anonymous wrote:Are you a military family? The epic pass (Vail Resorts) is an insane deal if you are. It has to be purchased pre-season but our season pass is less then one day skiing at Vail.

THIS! If you can do this, definitely wait till next year.

Anonymous wrote:I have to agree with the posters expressing caution about doing a whole week or out west trip for beginners. I personally think that would be too overwhelming, and expensive if you find out by day 2 or 3 that skiing just isn’t a good fit for a member of your family. We ski a few times a year but are definitely a 1-2 day and done type of family. A few hours of morning skiing followed by lunch and maybe some time at the hot tub is great, but we wouldn’t want to do it a full week.

I am that PP - 4 (3 kids and 1 adult) of 7 of us learned to ski out west. The kids progressed very rapidly, and even I got better quickly (though slower than them). It is a much more enjoyable experience than any skiing in driving distance from here. The kids take plenty of breaks in ski school, and there's no reason you have to go all day if you don't want to.

It's a big financial commitment, but if you can swing it, you'll be astonished at how good they are when you get home.

Are you a military family? The epic pass (Vail Resorts) is an insane deal if you are. It has to be purchased pre-season but our season pass is less then one day skiing at Vail.

You can definitely do it! I also recommend going somewhere for longer than a day because the whole experience of Liberty/Whitetail etc (the drive there, the crowds, getting all the rental stuff, lots of people on the mountain, terrible icy or slushy snow, etc - all costing about $1000 in total) is pretty off-putting and I don't think gives you a sense of how fun it really is, and doesn't give you long enough to learn much.
If budget and time allows, go out west or even to Europe (maybe combine with visiting another place too) picking a place that has enough to do other than skiing so that you can take breaks or do something else if someone doesn't enjoy it as much as you hoped.

Definitely do it. How great that you want to expose your kids to something you did not do. It will be great fun to learn together.

Try to go when there is new snow (vs icy conditions). Definitely start on VERY easy slopes (after your lessons). Avoid slopes with hot-dogging teens (on snow boards). So, see if you can opt for family-billed times/places.
The lifts themselves take some getting used to.

You will LOVE the experience of going into the lodge when you are tired and cold. Sitting by the fire, having hot chocolate. Enjoy!!

Anonymous wrote:The worst part is absolutely getting everyone equipped and dressed, especially when kids and moody teens are involved. Anything you can do to do that ahead of time, whether renting for the season at a local store or going in at 3-4 pm the day before like a PP said, will cut your stress level down dramatically.

This. You should rent equipment, but the whole process takes forever and sucks royally. If you can do that sometime when you are also NOT excited and nervous to get on the hill to ski, that'd be better. Do it the day before, then have a morning lesson the next day. I'd aim for a 3 day/2 night trip. Don't anticipate that you will ski for hours, it may only be a few runs and you will be beat. That's ok! It's hard and takes getting used to.

It's also very expensive!

Lots of good advice above!

A couple of new ideas: You could do a long weekend in the Poconos. They usually have pretty good snow and the larger sites are well staffed and not super crowded. Maybe look at Camelback, Blue Mountain, Elk Mountain.

Skiing is EXHAUSTING. So, to me, a fun weekend would be half-day ski with lessons on a Saturday morning; half-day ski with lessons on a Sunday evening (evening sessions are usually 4 to 9); then as much as you want on Monday, then back home.

I also approve of the idea of pulling the kids out of school to take advantage of midweek emptiness and lower prices.

It's a great activity ... I highly recommend!

I have to agree with the posters expressing caution about doing a whole week or out west trip for beginners. I personally think that would be too overwhelming, and expensive if you find out by day 2 or 3 that skiing just isn’t a good fit for a member of your family. We ski a few times a year but are definitely a 1-2 day and done type of family. A few hours of morning skiing followed by lunch and maybe some time at the hot tub is great, but we wouldn’t want to do it a full week.

Anonymous wrote:Another option is to try cross-country skiing, OP. Much easier to learn and enjoy (and much cheaper!) You can try backcountry at first, then if it seems fun move on to classic on groomed trails, then skating for more of a workout/challenge.

Knowing skating technique definitely helps to move around on downhill ski resorts

Another option is to try cross-country skiing, OP. Much easier to learn and enjoy (and much cheaper!) You can try backcountry at first, then if it seems fun move on to classic on groomed trails, then skating for more of a workout/challenge.

While I agree with PP re skiing west, I think is a bit too much for first-time skiers. Logistics of traveling, renting gear, getting everyone ready and skiing itself is overwhelming and exhausting tbh. Usually by day 3 even my very skilled and eager to ski teenagers want to take a break.
So I suggest 2-3 days trip to nearby resort (maybe Timberline?), ski-in/ski-out accomodations, beginners packages if offered, it renting skis from nearby discounted place the day before. Smaller resorts are usually easier to navigate.
As for the winter clothes - no to jeans, yes to layers. Surprisingly, Costco usually have good selection of affordable gloves, thermals, socks, ski pants and jackets, though it might be too late for it now, I bet they selling swimsuits already. I also do like Columbia outlets when I don't want to spent a fortune on something.
Good luck, OP!

It's so damn expensive these days. Even at a smaller, no-name ski hill it's going to cost at least $600-700/day for lift tickets, gear rental, and lessons for a family of 4. At a place like Snowshoe, you're looking at $1K/day. At a famous resort, easily $2K/day.

And that's after you outfit everyone with ski pants, jacket, gloves, goggles, helmet, base layer, etc.

The person who recommended going for 5 days to a place like Solitude in UT has the right idea. You can't just do it for one day, as you need repetitive practice to develop muscle memory.

There's a new Club Med in Quebec at Charlevoix that just opened this winter. It's all inclusive - meals, drinks, lift tickets, gear rental, and lessons (for kids & adults) are all included in the total price. I think it would be a good solution for any family willing to learn. Plus, skiing is just simply cheaper in Canada. If you're willing to do the drive, it would be a good spring break.

Plus they are having a really good sale right now because Americans don't want to travel:
https://www.clubmed.us/l/quebec-charlevoix

Don’t try and save money by renting your gear off-mountain the first time out. If something doesn’t fit, or doesn’t seem to be working right, or you lose a pole along the way, you’re SOL if you have outside gear.

Later on, definitely consider other options for renting. But for your first time out, it doesn’t make any sense. Same with a ski-in, ski-out place — save that for your next trip, when you’re all comfortable on a run other than the bunny hill.

We love snowshoe for their ski school. It's a small little village so you park your car and forget it for the whole time you are there. The ski rental is next to the ski school so you do it all at once. Lots and lots of beginners go there. The kids school lasts from 9am-3pm and kids love it.