Winter Flights

Occasionally we take “big” trips. We fly out West to ski in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming or Idaho.

This is the list I use when I am thinking through all the details and making reservations. But I also review this list as we are driving to the airport so that I can mentally think through how to get through the airport with gear and kids.

Most trips will include an airline flight and then a rental car drive to the resort. Sometimes you might find a shuttle service from airport to resort.
If you plan to travel with your own skis or board, you should borrow or rent gear specific bags. Also consider purchasing or borrowing a ski specific back pack for clothing, boots, helmet and goggles.
Arrive at the terminal extra early.
Drink plenty of water leading up to the trip, during and after.
Pack plenty of snacks in your carry on bag and empty water bottles that you can fill after you go through security so that you can keep the whole family fueled through the travel phase.
Valet if you can afford it
If you do not valet, you can drop off at least one responsible person and all the luggage and gear (and all the kids if possible) at the airport terminal enterance and then go park the car and walk back to meet everyone at the entrance.
Rental car should be big enough for gear, luggage and family and appropriate for mountain conditions. There have been times when we pick up a rental in Colorado and the vehicle is too small and practically frozen solid and it’s the absolute last one on the lot. So if you are arriving late at night, be prepared for challenges.
Rent car seats if necessary.
Book pet care while away. I usually board our pets a day early so that can give them appropriate attention for a hand off to the boarder. Also, this gives me time and space to pack and deal with all the suitcases and gear. I also tend to plan to pick them up a day after we return home in case we have any flight delays.
Consider arriving a day early and sleeping in a local hotel before taking the drive into the mountains. For example, when we go to Colorado, we find that arriving in Denver and sleeping at hotel on the outskirts of Denver for the first night is helpful. This stair step approach allows us to acclimate to very high altitudes. Also, it is safest and most enjoyable where there is a long congested drive into the mountains with a big gain in elevation and possibly poor driving conditions.
Plan for all gear rental pick up and ticket pick up upon arrival at resort when possible so that you can hit the slopes asap. Affix lift tickets to respective coats asap so that you don’t lose the tickets. Time gets away from you on these ski trips so you have to prioritize getting into the rental lines otherwise, you could potentially lose half of a day of skiing or snowboarding that you’ve paid for. The rental lines can be long especially on holidays.
When our kids were younger and full of energy, we booked their camps and lessons for the first full day of the trip. It would be a little challenging to get them up and dressed and out of the door early on the first day, but once they were off, it gave us space to get unpacked and organized and make a grocery run on the first day. And my husband could have a day to transition. Now that our kids are older, we use camps and lessons less. But when we do, we tend to book in the afternoon of the first day so that we can sleep in. We operate on a slower pace more now than we used to. Basically, you have to do what makes the most sense for your family. Some kids are bouncing off the wall at 5am and some are still snoozing a 10am.
When adding travel and higher altitude to your ski vacation, plan to be intentional about alcohol consumption. Altitude, dehydration and fatigue can wallop you good and too much alcohol might put you over the threshold.

For the return flight home

Plan for all gear rental return and packing on the day before the flight home.
Swing by a local grocery store in the resort town to buy snacks for the trip home.
Leave early to get to return flight on time.