HOW TO Ski BRECKENRIDGE Colorado WITH KIDS: 10 Tips to Make it Easy
Written By Esther Davy
it’s harder to ski now that we have kids
We WANT to ski Breckenridge with our kids. But I remember the simple days when we would check OpenSnow.com the night before and say, “Hey, it’s going to snow 6” at Breckenridge tonight. You wanna go skiing tomorrow?” We’d wake up at 6 am, get dressed, grab our coffee, skis and boots, and be driving up the mountain by 6:30am to ski by 8:30am. We hear from a lot of parents who used to ski that the traffic is just too bad, or I don’t want to wake up the kids, or there’s no point going up to just ski a half a day… I get it. It’s not as easy as it used to be.
There is a lot to think about like prepping the kids clothes and gear. If that’s you, check out these articles:
How to Get Your Whole Family Ready for Colorado’s Ski Resorts
How to Dress Your Kid for Skiing and Riding This Winter
But this article is about Breckenridge, Colorado.
WHY WE DAY TRIP FROM DENVER, Colorado
But we LOVE to ski and we want to share that passion with our kids. There’s just nothing like the morning light glistening off the snow on the tops of the pine trees or the feeling of a smooth carve on a freshly groomed trail, or your favorite powder stash in the trees that somehow no one else has found. We choose to go skiing. It’s not because it is easy. Staying at home is easy, but what fun is that? This is our 4th ski season as parents and we’ve racked up about 75 days on the mountain with them so far. Every year we’ve gotten better at it and it’s gotten easier.
No we don’t have a mountain condo, and we don’t get a babysitter. I wish! But we have figured out some big strategies and little tips that will hopefully inspire you to hit the slopes together. I hear it’s gonna snow this weekend….
In this article we cover…
- Family Friendly Ski Resorts
- What to Pack for Skiing the Night Before
- Tips for Driving from Denver
- Where to Park in Breckenridge
- How to Carry All Your Stuff to the Lodge
- Lodge Watch: Where to Hang Out All Day
- Tips for Playtime and Naptime in the Lodge
- Taking Turns Skiing and Skiing with Other Families
- Beginner Terrain at Breckenridge
- Deals on Kids Lift Tickets and Passes
FAMILY FRIENDLY SKI RESORTS IN SUMMIT COUNTY, COLORADO
Our favorite mountains to ski with the kids are: Copper Mountain, Keystone, and Breckenridge because they have good parking, good places to hang out at the bottom with the kids, and have a friendly attitude towards families. They also boast world class terrain.
WHAT TO PACK FOR SKIING THE NIGHT BEFORE
It’s really hard to take the family skiing with no notice. Does that stop us? No! That’s why in my article, How to Get Ready for Ski Season, I recommend having a skiing “Go Bag”. It’s just a bag or box that you keep the basics for skiing so you don’t have to search for everything each time you go. Not sure what you need to pack? Check out our article How to Dress Your Kids for Skiing and Riding.
Once you’ve got yours and the kids stuff compiled, you can easily put it in the car the night before (not boots, they’ll get cold). Then you only have to pack a diaper bag with snacks, drinks, and toys. In addition to your Family Ski Gear (download the free printable here) you will want to gather:
- Small toys for imaginative play 2 or 3 kinds (Our kids will play Legos for hours, so we bring those and some tiny animals)
- iPad or tablet with kids videos downloaded
- Small durable books
- Age appropriate cups and water bottles. Milk/hot chocolate in thermos if desired.
- Kid food. What’s easy that they will like and definitely eat? For our youngest, we do baby food pouches. For our 3 year old, we do goldfish and string cheese. Not the healthiest, but the point is just for them to not be hungry while you’re trying to ski.
- Bribes. Sometimes you just need them, we aren’t super human after all.
- Diaper Bag
Pro Tip: If possible, put the kids down a little earlier than usual in pajamas that travel well. We really love PJs from Primary.com
TIPS FOR DRIVING FROM DENVER
Everyone knows traffic from Denver and the front range has gotten way worse in the last few years, so try and leave as early as you can, especially if it’s snowing. The best ski days make the worst driving days.
Our kids won’t sleep in the car, so we get everything ready to go and then wake them up to get in the car. We live on the west side of town, in Golden, Colorado, so we try to leave between 6-6:30am to avoid most of the traffic. Honestly, if you wait until 7am to leave, you’re screwed. We would rather get up their early and get setup in the lodge at Breckenridge, than sit for 3 hours on I-70.
WHERE TO PARK IN BRECKENRIDGE: GONDOLA, F LOT, BEAVER RUN
Gondola Lot: Get the exact location
This is the typical lot that most skiers park in. We used to park here and bring the umbrella stroller and the skis and bags and everything up in the Gondola. It’s possible, but difficult with 2 tiny kids. If you have 4 or more people in your vehicle, you get a $5 discount for carpooling.
F Lot: Get the exact location
Last year, we discovered the F Lot. It’s a City of Breckenridge Parking Lot right below the base of Peak 9. It is an easy 5-7 minute walk from the parking lot to The Maggie lodge and restaurant, our favorite lodge, and is cheaper than the Gondola lot. We paid less than $9 to park there from 8am until 5pm. And you can get $3 off using code 80424970. This lot does fill up quick, so you have to get there early to get a spot. But it is so nice to have your car nearby if you need that extra outfit or want to leave your skis there until it’s your turn to ski.
Beaver Run Ski Lot: Get the exact location
This lot is another good option to park right next to Beaver Run Resort, which also has space to hang out during the day, but it is a little more expensive to park (if you have 4 or more in your car you get $5 off). You can walk/ski down to The Maggie and the Quicksilver lift from here as well.
HOW TO CARRY ALL YOUR STUFF TO THE LODGE
Stroller to the rescue! Mr Mountaineer and I get fully dressed in our ski gear at the parking lot. It’s just easier to wear it than carry it all. I then wear our Northface Base Camp Bag filled with the girls snow clothes, boots, toys with our toddlers’ skis strapped to the outside and sling the diaper bag over the stroller handles. I can then push the stroller with one hand and hold the toddlers hand with the other hand. Mr Mountaineer carries our two sets of skis and poles, not easy, but he’s got it figured out. You can also get a strap to keep it all together, which helps a lot!
Pro Tip: I’ve seen other parents use a foldable wagon instead of a stroller. Keystone Ski Resort provides wagons to haul kids and gear for this purpose.
LODGE WATCH: WHERE TO HANG OUT ALL DAY
Many of the bigger resorts have made it harder to camp out in the lodge with kids all day. They’ve turned lodges into highly profitable full service bars and restaurants and restricted outside food, which makes it really hard for a family with beginner skiers and tiny non-skiers. Let’s face it, until our kids are old enough to ski all day, we’re going to be spending a lot of time in the lodge.
We recommend The Maggie at the base of Peak 9 at Breckenridge for this reason. It is a lodge with a bar and cafeteria restaurant, but they never make you feel unwelcome for sitting there all day. We do buy lunches and beers while we are there, so we’re not completely freeloading 😉 and they have high-chairs available. It is usually pretty quiet in the morning, so you can find a good spot out of the way. There are bathrooms, lockers, a gear rental shop, and a waffle and coffee shop in the same building. If your kids are old enough that everyone can ski together, the lockers here would be really useful when everyone is on the slopes. And the food is yummy!
Another option is Ski Hill Grill at the base of Peak 8 in Breckenridge. There is a coffee bar, cafeteria, and restrooms. There are a lot of tables for a family to sit at, but it becomes very crowded around lunchtime and tends to be cold because the doors are always opening and closing. But if your family likes to ski Peaks 6,7 and 8, this might be the best option.
playtime at the maggie
Time for those toys!! For some reason, toys are more fun in a different environment. We try and get two tables next to each other, so the kids can play on the floor without worrying about ski boots on little fingers. We bring a couple kinds of small toys and they usually play nicely between the tables, well as nicely as they do at home anyways. Our girls love Legos, but other ideas include:
- Coloring Books
- Card Games
- Video Games
- Small Puzzles
- Army Men
- Toy Animals/Dolls
- Small Books
Just ask yourself, what’s small, light, and could conceivably keep their attention for more than 10 minutes?
Naptime at the lodge
Some kids love sleeping and when they are tired, they just lay down and nap. Man! That must be nice. Mine don’t do that. So we try and have the baby nap in the stroller. After waking her up early to drive up, she is usually really tired by her morning naptime.
We buckle her in and lay the stroller back til it’s almost flat and cover it with a light blanket, so she can’t get distracted and keep herself awake making faces at the neighbors. Sometimes it works right away, but sometimes she fusses for half an hour before she falls asleep. We skip naps for our toddler, that’s just not going to happen on the mountain. So this week driving home from skiing, she said, “Mommy, I’m really tired. Can I take a nap?” Music to a Mama’s ears. Poor girl slept the whole way home.
TAKING TURNS SKIING AND SKIING WITH OTHER FAMILIES
2 hour shifts or the morning/afternoon method? Mr Mountaineer and I take turns watching the kids in the lodge and skiing. Sometimes, one of us skis the morning, the other the afternoon or sometimes we switch off with two hour shifts. The key is to camp out at a lodge close to the skiing you want to do, so you aren’t spending a lot of time traveling to your runs.
I’m a massive extrovert, so learning to like skiing by myself has been a struggle. So, my favorite way to do it is to ski with another family. Even better if they have kids of similar ages to keep each other entertained. Best case scenario, one of the parents watches the kids at a time and the rest get to ski. But even if you’re still splitting time 50/50 between skiing and lodge watch, at least you have another adult to keep you company or watch the kiddos while you get a beer.
Pro Tip: Be friendly to other families on the mountain. You never know if they’ll be your new best friends.
BEGINNER TERRAIN AT BRECKENRIDGE SKI RESORT: SKIING WITH KIDS
Another reason we like to make camp at the Maggie, is because of its access to beginner lifts and terrain. You can easily walk to the magic carpet, the Camelback Platter lift, and the Quicksilver lift which offers long, easy green runs. When teaching kids to ski or ride it is so important to take it slow and take breaks as needed in order to keep it fun, so having The Maggie at the base of it all is excellent.See Trail Map Here.
Another area that is great for beginners is the base of Peak 8. Rips Ride will take you up to a short easy green, Dyersville. Trygve’s Platter lift is right there too. But the lodge options at Peak 8 aren’t as conducive to hanging out all day.
DEALS ON KIDS LIFT TICKETS AT BRECKENRIDGE ski resort
Children 4 and under Ski for Free at Breckenridge. Visit any ticket office to get a lift ticket or season pass.
Epic SchoolKids Pass https://www.epicpass.com/info/epic-schoolkids/colorado.aspx
The Epic SchoolKids Colorado Pack is a free program for Kindergarten through 5th graders that provides four days of skiing and riding at each of the state’s top-ranked resorts: Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, and Crested Butte! The program also includes one free first-timer ski or ride lesson with equipment rental.
Children 5-12 Tickets are around $110 per day.
Children Ages 13-18 Tickets are around $160 per day.
You can purchase tickets in advance for a small savings at https://www.breckenridge.com/plan-your-trip/lift-access/tickets.aspx
Season passes and mutil-day passes are available before the season begins at https://www.epicpass.com/
Got a suggestion?
Whether you’re a day-tripper like us, or headed to Breckenridge for a family ski vacation, we hope these tips inspire you to get a few more turns in this season. Questions? Comments? Tips? We’d love to hear from you. Drop us a note in the form below.
More of a hiker? Checkout our winter hike suggestions here.
If you like this post, please share on social media it helps other families find us.
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