Looking to book your family vacation at Winter Park Resort? Good choice! Winter Park has been named one of the Top 15 Ski Resorts in the US For Families by Today’s Parent!Focus on the fun your family can have this winter with our Parent Planning Guide! We have some tips to make the planning easier and ensure you check the major pieces off your list while you can still plan ahead and save money! Here are our tips for making sure your family is ready to go:

Prebook Lift Tickets and/or Ski School

Get the kiddos into Ski School and see how much fun they have (oh, and how much they learn!) as part of our on-mountain programs. Get a 5 or 10 pack and use them for the whole family, as they are good for multiple kids. You can also just book single, full day lessons as an option. What do your kids get out of a lesson? Check out on this blog post from Walking on Travels for details on why they choose Winter Park Resort Ski and Ride School.

If your little ones already know how to rip, than book a guide and spend the day cruising the slopes as a family! The kids will thank you, and you’ll relieve yourself of map duties so you can enjoy the slopes too.

To elevate your super parent status, save time and money and book early!

Rental Gear

Booking ahead is also a great idea for rentals! Not only does rental gear mean one less thing to pack in your bags, but it means you don’t have to pull all the kids’ stuff out of storage and make sure it still fits before your trip. Protips for renting like a super parent include:

• Save 20% by booking 7 days in advanced
• Get a Kids’ Rental FREE with each pre-booked adult rental, when you book for 3 days or more
• Skip the lines and pre-book Custom Fit Services. You can get your gear fit for you right at your condo and then have it waiting for you slope side. Read more about this service.

 

Plan More Adventures

Spending time on the slopes will probably take the most of your Winter Park trip, but don’t overlook the other fun you can plan!

Book an hour of evening tubing ahead of time to reserve your spot at the Coca-Cola Tubing Hill. Or have the kids pick between a Sleigh Ride or Dog Sledding as other family activities! Don’t overlook the basics either, some fun playing in the snow is also a great way to fill an evening.

You can also secure an evening for adults only! Book a Thursday Kids’ Night Out and when you spend $25 in the Winter Park Village, you’ll get a night off for free. Read more about it here.

And, don’t forget to check out the offerings at YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch or the Winter Park Rec Center for some indoor activities in case the temps are too cold for the youngsters.

Pump up the Excitement Level 

Seeing your kids get excited about their mountain adventure will help keep your excitement going and will help to offer some instant gratification for your planning efforts.  Share the planning experience with them or show them some of the Winter Park Videos! Or, build a countdown to the trip to keep the anticipation growing until you set off for your winter vacation.

Get Packing

There are always the essentials to pack – winter clothes, base layers (we highly recommend staying away from cotton), ski socks (synthetic or wool), etc. But, we want to make sure you can achieve super parent status, without the superhero effort. Here are some of the most missed items we think you’ll want to have on hand!

• Chapstick – Clip on ones are great for jackets
• Sunscreen – Sticks are great for the kids to keep in their pocket and apply with mittened hands
• Water Bottles – Denver International Airport has numerous hydration stations, and staying hydrated helps fight jet lag AND altitude sickness
• Tissues – This and other first aid (cough drops, aspirin, etc) are great to keep in pockets for all parts of your travel

• 

  Car Activities – Make the drive FUN with some of our activities. Print them out for a full booklet of entertainment.

• Pocket Snacks – Altitude can take its toll on the old and the young, keep something on hand to avoid hanger
• Lots of Layers – Avoid cotton, and instead pack a fleece, a wool sweater, and some synthetics
• Extra Socks – Again, avoid cotton or overly bulky and aim for synthetic or wool for those little toes
• Hand and Feet Warmers – Don’t underestimate the power of the instant warmers in mittens and boots
• Head Phone Splitters – Easy piece of tech that makes sharing much easier

 

There is so much to do to get ready for vacation! Make sure that you have time to enjoy the family time you plan, and look for more of our family guides to make your trip a little more relaxing.