Family vacations are a great way to bond during the winter vacation season, and most ski resorts say they welcome families. However, not all ski resorts are created equal when it comes to family ski vacations. With these tips comparing our picks for resorts in Quebec, Alberta, and British Columbia, you’ll know exactly where to go, making this your best winter vacation yet.
Mont Tremblant It’s an East Coast family favorite, 45 minutes from Montreal. The charming village is pedestrian only, making it a great and safe place for families to stroll.
Children are welcome at the nursery from the age of eighteen months, while the ski school offers fun and educational day or week programs. Youth (ages 5-12) and kids (ages 3-4) can enjoy full day ski lessons (youth can snowboard too) including lunch for around $100 or four full days of lessons , lunch and photos for $300 (call for exact information). rates). There’s also a ski or snowboard terrain park for older kids with 20 rails, 15 jumps, and a 15-foot-tall half-pipe.
There are also an amazing number of off-piste family activities, including kid-friendly snowmobiling and snowtraining, skating, sleigh rides, and more. La Source Aquatic Center is a family après ski with indoor pool, jacuzzi and “Tarzan” rope.
Tremblant hotels also impress with their family-friendly rates: at almost all properties kids stay free! Tremblant hotels also remain significantly cheaper than many other Canadian resorts, family-priced or not. Dining options range from traditional pizzerias to more ‘adult’ properties, so all ages and palates are well-accommodated.
The stats: 94 trails on 625 acres, with an elevation of 2,871 feet and an annual snowfall of 150″.
town of the sun Earn points with young children from the moment they arrive at the resort. Cars are banned in town, so skiers ride up the mountain in a six-passenger gondola.
Once on the slopes, their parents of young children are earned, since children under 5 years old ski for free. Sunshine Village also offers a guaranteed lesson – if you’re not happy with your child’s lesson, get another lesson for free! During Tiny Tigers Daycare, children, ages 19 months to 6 years, enjoy indoor and outdoor playtime, as well as lunch and snacks. If young children (ages 3-6) are eager to learn to ski, the Tiny Tigers Ski & Play program is the way to go. Groups have a maximum size of 3 and Tiny Tiger professionals are experts in teaching children. Participants will enjoy one hour of ski & play with their instructors in the morning and another in the afternoon, as well as all the fun at the Tiny Tiger nursery. Kids Kampus offers the same learning fun for children from 6 to 12 years old.
Sunshine Village offers the only ski-in/ski-out lodging in Banff National Park, as well as ski-in/ski-out access to Mount Norquay and Lake Louise, giving parents of fickle children the opportunity to make every adventure day be a little different. The town of Banff is nearby and offers a greater variety of accommodations for families, most hotels allow children under 16 to stay free.
The stats: 107 runs on 3,358 acres, with an elevation of 3,514 feet and an annual snowfall of 396″.
Whistler’s Black Comb it is the biggest and, some say, the best. This beautiful mega-resort definitely goes above and beyond when it comes to family-friendly facilities. Children as young as 3 months are welcome at the nursery (parents get pagers), while lessons can start at age 3 (for skiing) or 6 (for snowboarding). If the kids are afraid of skiing, Whistler’s Family Mountain Zone is a great place to start. This specially designated area has a slower pace, better for families who want to stay together. Whistler has all the usual ski schools – one-day lessons are about $115 and five-day lessons about $550 – and it also features the popular alternative of a two- or five-day Ride Tribe camp, where kids from 12 to 18 year olds can learn tricks and new terrain with a modern instructor and other teenagers. Then they can show off their new skills at one of the resort’s five terrain parks. Children under 6 years old ski for free.
Ski-free snow fun can include exploring the kids’ adventure park (there’s one on every mountain!) where kids can put their skis aside and climb around a castle or treehouse, or do tubing in a family snow tubing park.
A popular lodging option for families in Whistler is ski-in/ski-out condo rentals, which offer a little taste of home while away. Most resorts and hotels also allow children under 18 to stay in their parents’ room for free.
With the weather off the slopes, the village is especially exciting for older kids and teens to explore, with movie theaters, rock-climbing walls, a youth center, and swimming pool all easy to explore independently on foot. .
The stats: 200 runs on 8,171 acres, with an elevation of 5,280 feet and an annual snowfall of 360″.