Ski Trips, Planned for Real Families
Ski trips have a learning curve most people don’t expect — the right resort makes the difference between “we’re doing this every year” and “never again.” Here are the picks worth knowing about.
Top 3 US Ski Resorts for Families
Steamboat, Colorado
Steamboat consistently earns its reputation as one of the most family-friendly resorts in the country. Wide, forgiving terrain, an excellent ski school, and a genuinely welcoming Western ski-town feel make it an easy recommendation for families at any skill level, especially those with a mix of beginners and more confident skiers.
Deer Valley, Utah
Deer Valley is ski-only (no snowboarders), which keeps the slopes calmer and more predictable — a real plus with young kids learning to ski. It’s on the more polished/luxury end of the spectrum, with strong childcare and lesson programs and immaculate grooming.
Smugglers’ Notch, Vermont
The top-rated family resort in the East, and for good reason — beautiful terrain across all skill levels, a genuinely down-to-earth atmosphere, and family programming built around keeping the whole group together rather than splitting everyone up by ability.
Top 2 International Ski Resorts
Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis, Austria
Regularly ranked among the best family ski resorts in Europe. Wide, gentle beginner terrain, an underground funicular that kids love riding, and an Austrian ski-village culture built around welcoming families rather than tolerating them.
Zermatt, Switzerland
Car-free, framed by the Matterhorn, and reachable by train — Zermatt manages to be both a bucket-list destination and genuinely workable with kids. Strong ski school infrastructure and a village layout that keeps things simple once you’ve arrived.
Underrated Ski Resorts Worth a Look
Loveland,
Colorado
A no-frills, high-value resort with a real “skiing the way it used to be” feel, and one of the most family-friendly reputations in Colorado without the big-resort price tag.
Snowshoe Mountain, West Virginia
A surprisingly strong East Coast pick, with a “reverse mountain” layout that lets you walk from your condo straight to the slopes.
Waterville Valley, New Hampshire
a compact, single-base-area layout that makes it easy to keep track of everyone, popular with families who want a lower-key New England ski trip
La Rosière, France
flies under the radar compared to its famous French neighbors, with wide, welcoming terrain for beginners and intermediates, plus the novelty of skiing across the border into Italy