Winter Downhill for All Ages

The purpose of this page is to share thoughts on how to use the gear list with various ages of friends and family members that you might be caring for or managing while visiting a downhill resort in winter. For a quick link to the gear list click here.

Newborns – my personal opinion is that if you have a newborn, stay home, hold baby, nap and watch reruns of Downton Abby and enjoy the bliss.

Babies to toddlers– some resorts do have daycare for babies. So check to see what is available and book space with the daycare first before booking airline tickets or lift tickets. We traveled to Grand Targhee in Idaho when our youngest was 2. This was 8 years ago. She loved the daycare. The staff was amazing. I had a great trip and it felt great to ski alone. It was easy and fun to buy the base layers for a baby. I was able to easily find warm jump suits, socks and snow boots. Traveling with the car seat and stroller was no joke and it did push us into moments of wavering sanity, but all in all, we did it and felt triumphant once we got into the swing of the trip and I would do it again if found myself back in time some how.

Pre-k – 1st grade kids – Once kids get to the point that they can attend lessons, attention to appropriate clothing, proper fit, good gloves, warm socks, neck gator, helmet, is important. Keep the lips slathered in balm, give lots of snacks, push fluids, be ready with the hot chocolate breaks. Make it fun. Put hand warmers in their pockets and on their feet. We liked to let our kids sleep in the base layers and then feed them breakfast and zip them up before heading to lessons or lift line. It’s a two parent job to get more than one kid ready for the slopes. (And it’s really hard if you did not grow up skiing and this task list doesn’t come second nature.) Rest time in the afternoons and evenings worked for us. Feeding them early dinner when possible and getting to bed early if possible. Depending on your travel plans, you may have the added challenges of a change in time zone and a change in altitude. Hydration, food and rest are important. In my experience, restaurant service at resorts is usually slow. I have come to expect that and try to avoid a concurrence of hungry kids at peak times. Cafeterias have fast service but tend to be very expensive. The convenience is often worth the price so we usually budget for it. Little kids’ state of mind at a ski resort can fluctuate between extreme happiness to extreme grumpiness from fatigue so be patient and keep a lollipop in your pocket for emergencies. When it’s time for lesson drop off, your kids may cry like crazy or cling to you initially. It’s scary to ski for the first time! So gentle persistence is best. Chances are, they will be super happy at the end of the lesson.

Older elementary kids – Once kids are old enough to dress themselves, insist they take on the responsibility to the limit of each kid’s unique level of maturity, experience and ability. But be patient and offer lots of bump drafts. Keep it fun. Spot check their attention to detail. My kids are notorious for skiing all day in ankle socks and not thinking much about cold toes until the tail end of the day. You want proper clothes, proper fit, good water proof gloves, quality socks, neck gator, helmet and goggles. This phase lasts a while. They learn to manage all the details by having rough experiences. For example, my daughter would routinely wear ankle socks with ski boots (how?!!!). The discomfort of this situation didn’t always register for her. So I began double checking her commitment to ski socks. I originally assumed no one in their right mind would ski in anything but ski socks. But it wasn’t until she had a really uncomfortable time and actually felt the cold and pain over the fun that she started to own that detail. This point of awareness developed a lot earlier for her than for my son (hence manage it to each child’s unique journey to awareness). I try my best to avoid admonishing them for these mistakes. It takes a lot to remember all the details. And it’s so hard to attend to the mundane with the mountains and the snow beckoning! Speaking of the mountains, kids this age should have adult supervision on the slope regardless of ability. They still need a lot of conversations about speed control, awareness, managing cold, and being oriented to mountain map. Besides, at this age, they still deeply crave fun and time with parents. As they gain ability, I feel like you both know when it’s ok, for example, to take two different trails that meet up at the same place. That seems to have been the natural progression of our kids learning to ski independently.

Middle schoolers and Teens – Gradually they acquire their own gear and own bag and their process of keeping up with all their stuff. Gradually they come to like specific products. My son like thinner socks and has his favorite gloves which are different from what his sister likes. They get themselves ready in the morning. Gradually they earn the right to ski independently of parents as they demonstrate ability and maturity. I usually have a verbal conversation before they head out of the door. “Do you have your lift ticket?” Etc. We have conversations about speed, control, awareness of others, importance of polite behavior with adults, what to do if someone gets hurt. Sometimes, they come home with tales of another skier yelling at them. That’s when I know they are doing something wrong. I try to remind them, other people on the slopes are learning or working with little kids and they can get really scared and have sort of like a panic attack if you fly past them. I tell my older children to slow down and give other people, especially older adults and little kids, a lot of clearance. I tell them stay away from the beginner and teaching slopes and don’t act like a jerk on the lifts. I don’t expect perfection. I look at bad experiences and mistakes as an opportunity for us to share our values. Our teens are pretty chill. We’re lowkey proud of them. But, sometimes they have too much attitude. That’s when we tend to take away screens and insist on sleep as a safety precaution more than discipline. Teens have meltdowns for the same reasons toddlers do.

College aged kids – With this age group, I would emphasize safety and caution. Tell them, “With freedom comes responsibility. Make sure they have their health insurance card and talk about how to navigate health emergencies. Have conversations about the dangers of mixing alcohol, gummies, dehydration and extreme cold temperatures. This is especially important for night skiing. The college age range is uncharted territory for our family as of yet. Our oldest heads off to college this fall. We plan to continue conversations about safety and safe choices. I imagine that eventually our kids will be driving themselves to resorts. I imagine we’ll talk out driving routes, weather, managing time and money and responsibilities to stay up with school and work obligations.

Young parents and adults – You guys are my target audience so refer to my website. 😜 Other than that, I find most adults appreciate conversations about maps, parking, budget, gear and anything practical.

Older adults (aka in-laws) – I know Octogenarians that ski. These people are my idols. Probably, anyone who is still skiing at 80 has been skiing their whole lives. I’d say, if you are lucky enough to know someone like this, ask for their advice! Listen to their stories. Ok, but if you want to bring your in-laws along for help with child care, or you just want to share the beauty of the scenery and experience and they have never been in the mountains before, make sure they have proper snow boots, clothing, hat and gloves and think about their safety and comfort based on their unique fitness and agility level. For some ski resorts, just getting there is a trial for older adults. Icy parking lots and walk ways can ruin a trip. Altitude can exacerbate pre-existing health conditions. Sometimes we don’t realize our parents and friends have aged until you are carrying luggage up an icy staircase at 9pm at night and the way life might change if your parent breaks a hip hits your psyche like a load of bricks. By all means, bring your older relatives, but consider their needs when planning.