Those who have skied in Utah...one more question...

[StantonHyde]

oh well, I cart small people and ski gear to different resorts all the time. You get it down pretty quickly! You drop off everybody and the skis etc. up front. One person parks the car and walks/shuttles back to the day lodge. Everybody else goes inside and gets dressed. Store your stuff (just boots for walking) in a bag. I don't even use lockers. At the end of the day, someone goes to get the car and picks up everybody in front of the lodge. Change into the walking boots, put the boots, gloves, gaiter, helmet/goggles in the bag. Throw the skis in or on the rack. Go. I have done this starting with 2 kids ages 2.5 and 4.

I do agree with not switching around the ski schools. But you can also put your kids in ski school for 2 days and then ski with them the rest of the time. Or something like that. My kids only have ever done half day ski school. Some kids do great in all day school--gets them good and tired. But I like to ski with my kids.

Canyons is really low but good gads it is expensive. Like beyond expensive. But it does have lots of runs for various abilities and they are long runs. So it is nice that way.

As for timing--I don't remember from your OP--but January is cold, really cold. February is my favorite month to ski. And I would not come near SLC during the film festival--lodging will be hard to find etc. We don't notice it that much in town--except for eating at good restaurants.

[jerseygirl07067]

One thing we have really liked about Park City is that you are sleeping low (unless you stay on the mountain at DV). It really is a much easier adjustment than when we have skied CO and slept at higher altitudes. We haven't had any altitude issues in PC. Canyons is really low. Not sure how the Cottonwood Canyons spots compare.

I personally would not want to spend time driving up and back from a mountain every day with your aged children. With little kids and equipment that is a lot of moving around. Older kids (like everyone 9+) who can all easily manage their own gear, sure. But with little people I think ski vacations are so much more enjoyable with keeping it simple. One mountain, leave all your gear on the mountain and just drive or shuttle yourselves back and forth to your condo/house. I can't imagine having to switch resorts daily and check into new ski schools, track every piece of gear in and out daily etc. I'd lose my mind. And everyone is so tired after a full day on the slopes. I loved just popping onto the shuttle bus home with only what we were wearing. We left everything, even boots, at the mountain, checked overnight. We have done trips where we skied two mountains during a week and that was okay but honestly it still takes a toll - kids liked ski school A better, kids had met friends or loved instructors, getting to know a new mountain/trails/eating/logistics. And as long as you have a car, if you take a day off from the slopes you can get to anything - no issue driving a bit on a non-ski day. PC has the Olympic park and tubing facility that are both fun for a visit and of course town is fun just to explore too. But even if you were over in the Cottonwood area, you could make it a day trip to PC easily.

I agree totally....I was really thinking about everything last night and decided that convenience is most important to make it an enjoyable trip. Even if we did have a car and stayed further out, I'd at least want to ski at the same resort for at least a few days.

[jerseygirl07067]

oh well, I cart small people and ski gear to different resorts all the time. You get it down pretty quickly! You drop off everybody and the skis etc. up front. One person parks the car and walks/shuttles back to the day lodge. Everybody else goes inside and gets dressed. Store your stuff (just boots for walking) in a bag. I don't even use lockers. At the end of the day, someone goes to get the car and picks up everybody in front of the lodge. Change into the walking boots, put the boots, gloves, gaiter, helmet/goggles in the bag. Throw the skis in or on the rack. Go. I have done this starting with 2 kids ages 2.5 and 4.

I do agree with not switching around the ski schools. But you can also put your kids in ski school for 2 days and then ski with them the rest of the time. Or something like that. My kids only have ever done half day ski school. Some kids do great in all day school--gets them good and tired. But I like to ski with my kids.

Canyons is really low but good gads it is expensive. Like beyond expensive. But it does have lots of runs for various abilities and they are long runs. So it is nice that way.

As for timing--I don't remember from your OP--but January is cold, really cold. February is my favorite month to ski. And I would not come near SLC during the film festival--lodging will be hard to find etc. We don't notice it that much in town--except for eating at good restaurants.

Those are good tips to know, sounds like you have done this a lot!! I will have to keep those tips in mind. I think for our first trip though, I will try and keep it simple.

[jerseygirl07067]

oh well, I cart small people and ski gear to different resorts all the time. You get it down pretty quickly! You drop off everybody and the skis etc. up front. One person parks the car and walks/shuttles back to the day lodge. Everybody else goes inside and gets dressed. Store your stuff (just boots for walking) in a bag. I don't even use lockers. At the end of the day, someone goes to get the car and picks up everybody in front of the lodge. Change into the walking boots, put the boots, gloves, gaiter, helmet/goggles in the bag. Throw the skis in or on the rack. Go. I have done this starting with 2 kids ages 2.5 and 4.

.

Rebecca, I am curious, since it sounds like you have skied a lot....how long did it take for your kids to pick up on skiing? We were trying to figure out how many days of ski school to put them in. I was hoping to try some greens with my 10 and 8 year old by the end of our trip. My 8 y/o is fairly athletic, my 10 year old (she will be 10 right before we go) takes a longer time to catch on but is very independent and determined. She already told me it is her goal to eventually ski blues and blacks, lol....and she hasn't even gone yet!

[jerseygirl07067]

And of course I have been having my kids watching youtube videos of kids in ski school.
Then we came across this one....just makes me want to go skiing NOW!!! It's so cute, the girl is 5 and is doing awesome on the slopes!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-6O79YRus0

[geochick]

Your 10 and 8 year olds will be able to ski the "Easy" slopes after a few lessons. I think you should put them in 2 half day semi-private lessons (mornings when they are fresh), and chill with them in the afternoon so they don't get over-ski'ed on their first few days. Group lessons are good, but semi-privates are a REALLY good bang for your buck lessons. My kids still laugh about the "Pizza" and "French Fries" lessons they had when they were learning...Pizza (triangle) shape to slow down, parallel french fries to speed up. I've heard Brighton doesn't use these anymore since they aren't healthy food choices. HA.

FYI - I don't know if Leslie is still a ski instructor at Brighton, but if she is, she was the best EVER! You can request her for private lessons...I just found her name in my stuff.

[geochick]

Other stuff to do in the area if your kids get bored from skiing 24/7 on your Utah vacation:

• Univ of Utah Natural History Museum
• Thanksgiving Point (Lehi) Dinosaur Museum
• Boondocks Fun Center (Draper)
• Tubing - Gorgoza Park (near Park City)
• Clark Planetarium
• Living Planet Aquarium (small)
• The Leonardo Museum
• Cross Country Skiing

[StantonHyde]

ITA with geochicks info on lessons etc. I still call out "pizza" when they are going too fast down hill!! My kids ski anywhere from 6-10 times a season. (so really not that much compared to lots of folks here in Utah) They have been skiing since they were 3. Didn't have lessons till 4 or so. And then usually 3-5 half day groups. And they can do blues well. All this is to say the basics are pretty simple for kids the OPs age.

I am a big proponent of semi/private lessons if you want to see rapid improvement. (at least that's what worked for my kids with swimming)

And if you're really lucky there will be a giant powder day that makes the black diamond runs just a powder pillow and your kids will be able to ski one run like that!! (otherwise, the steepness and the ginormous mogles will scare the crap out of everybody!!)

Our favorite instructor at Brighton was John--young kid who works construction during the summer. DD adored him. And he really did well with a bunch of 4 yo girls!!

[mom2beofboy/girltwins]

I took my twins skiing for the first time this past spring in Utah. Extended family has an amazing vacation home just outside of Park City. We drove to Brighton each day. The kids were turning 4 y.o. two weeks after our trip so they "technically" weren't able to do the 4-7 yr old class. I ended up putting them in a semi private lesson (just the two of them) for 2 mornings. By the second afternoon they were riding the lifts up with us and skiing down. I was so blown away at how awesome they were doing and how fast they picked it.up. They had such a blast and still keep asking me when we can go back. Also, just FYI, the other thing they had a total blast with was tubing and playing at Gorgoza Park (www.gorgoza.com), so I'd recommend that too!

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[jerseygirl07067]

Your 10 and 8 year olds will be able to ski the "Easy" slopes after a few lessons. I think you should put them in 2 half day semi-private lessons (mornings when they are fresh), and chill with them in the afternoon so they don't get over-ski'ed on their first few days. Group lessons are good, but semi-privates are a REALLY good bang for your buck lessons. My kids still laugh about the "Pizza" and "French Fries" lessons they had when they were learning...Pizza (triangle) shape to slow down, parallel french fries to speed up. I've heard Brighton doesn't use these anymore since they aren't healthy food choices. HA.

FYI - I don't know if Leslie is still a ski instructor at Brighton, but if she is, she was the best EVER! You can request her for private lessons...I just found her name in my stuff.

Hmmm, I looked at private, it was super pricey, but didn't think of semi-private. So you think putting all 3 of them together in a semi-private would be the way to go? Or just the 8 and 10 year old, and keep the 4 y/o in ski school? If I recall correctly, ski school for 4 y/o involves a lot of play time too, which I am fine with. I have to go back and check. I'm getting all of the resorts mixed up!