Looking at taking the family skiing for spring break. We have a 5 year old and a 16 month old. Will be taking (paying for) the in-laws to watch our youngest. Will need to get a condo as it's always easier to cook then go out every meal with my crew.

I have looked at places like Park City and Steamboat primarily due to their ease of getting to. Prefer a place with good ski instruction for young kids and not crazy crowded.

Any thoughts or recommendations are appreciated.

We went to Steamboat with our then 4- and 3-year olds last March. We intentionally went two weeks before Spring Break to avoid the crowds and this worked out perfect. I got a cheap condo and the town/mountain was pretty quiet (although things did pick up a lot on the Friday and Saturday before we left). Didn't have to rent a car as we paid for a shuttle from Hayden airport, and used the free shuttle from the condo to restaurants and grocery store. I highly recommend staying within walking distance of the main square/gondola area. With all the stuff you have to haul around, it's nice being close to the condo if you want to go back for an hour or two - plus kids get worn out fast. Our kids did 2 days of ski school then they just hit a wall. The instructors were awesome, and Steamboat ski school is one of the best in the country. The next 3 days they had fun just building snowmen and sledding down hills. Fortunately my wife likes just chilling and drinking hot chocolate, so I had a lot of solo time on the mountain. The town was quiet but it was just what we wanted with little kids - found a nice pizza place and some other good pub-type restaurants.

I just started trying to plan this year's trip, and we are most likely going back to Steamboat again. The direct flight from Houston is nice, and it's really nice not having to rent a car and drive an hour or two (ie. Denver to Vail/Breck/Copper). Plus this year we have kid #3, who will be 4 months old when we go in March. Same plan as last year - stay in a condo within walking distance of the main gondola square. The wife will just chill with the baby, and I'm hoping my two older kids (now 5 and 4) go a little farther in ski school - maybe even get them on the mountain at the end of the week.

Good luck and maybe I'll see you on the mountain!

I'd second Steamboat. There is nothing wrong with PC, but I do prefer the more rustic feel of Steamboat. It's just a really neat little town that has a lot of Western character. Not to mention, the snow is usually a little better there, in my opinion.

Beaver Creek is fantastic for kids, but a little (sometimes a lot) more expensive that Steamboat. You can fly into EGE and avoid Denver, as well, but again expensive sometimes.

Best lodging there is on VRBO and we always find a good blend of convenience and price at Ridgepoint Townhomes.
Steamboat is fine, but once your kids are good enough to ski/board a little it is a more difficult mountain to keep up with people on because several lifts that take you up don't pick back up where the run originating from it ends. So you end up zig-zagging all over the place. Steamboat is also a bit "3-star" in my opinion, but I don't mind that, especially since kids don't care either. But some people do - just making that note.

Went to PC last year with my kids and it was very family friendly. Agree on the altitude benefits, as that's the main reason we went.

jake2011 said:

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Going to Park City with our little ones. Easy drive from SLC and very low child to student ratios in ski school. Also much lower base elevation of 6900 feet which means easier with altitude (better sleep, less headaches and don't have to drink water every second) and not as cold. Staying a mile from the mountain on the bus route and paying $200 per night for a nice 2 bedroom condo. Just pointing this out as many always say Park City is crazy expensive. Just depends on where you stay.

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Agree about the Utah resorts. I have been taking my son for years to Deer Valley, Park City, Snowbird, etc. Easy to fly into, (Delta hub), very well-maintained roads to get to the resorts, clean, and extremely family-friendly. Plus, being the first range of the Rockies that the moisture hits after it goes across Nevada and the Great Salt Lake, the snow is dry and fluffy, and almost always more plentiful than California, Colorado, New Mexico, etc. I can't say enough about the service industry folks out there as well, maybe it has something to do with Utah being a religious, conservative state vs. a marijuana mecca. When it's purely a boys' trip, I book at the Holiday Inn Express in Park City, right off of the highway, and shuttle to the resort every day if I don't rent a car. If you ski at Deer Valley, you pay a bit more for lift tickets, but they store your skis overnight for free so you don't have to schlep them back and forth every day, and the turkey chili is superb. Great shopping and dining in Park City as well.

I was a big fan of steamboat. Got my 4.5 y.o. skiing on the mountain after two days in class. Good progression of bunny slopes and lifts at the base.

Keystone is good for kids as well but altitude there might be an issue.

Bringing this thread back with new questions if you don't mind

I haven't skied in many years but would like to go somewhere. My wife will definitely not ski and my youngest (8yo) will probably not either. 2 out of 4 of us will ski.

The kids have been wanting to see snow. What other activities do these resorts/villages offer other than ski, tubing, shopping for non-skiers? Looking for a place to go where we can all enjoy it.

Mainly looking for a place (near skiing) or something that the kids can enjoy with the snow in Colorado. Kids are 8 and 9 years old.

I see the recommendations on where to go, but what did those places have that the others didn't as far as kid friendly?

Breck has a pretty big ice sculpture deal every year, might look into that.
Never done it personally, but snowmobiling in the rabbit ears is supposed to be pretty awesome, driving through the pass I can see why though. Also, Steamboat has their street rodeo thing and hot springs as well. I'm pretty partial to Steamboat myself as it is by far my favorite ski town, folks there are just so damn nice compared to other towns in my opinion.

I think a couple days at Breck and couple at Keystone could be a winner if you've got a wife and kid who won't be skiing. Lots to do between those two resorts.

There is ice skating, sledding, sleigh rides, tubing.

I have a place available in Breck for 3 nights, Jan 14,15,16 if you're interested. Check the travel or classified boards.

Thanks for the responses.

62strat, we are planning sometime during the first week in January. But thank you for the info.