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 VACATION TIME WITH KIDS AND TEENS MADE EASY
AT SKI NH RESORTS
NORTH WOODSTOCK, NH, NOVEMBER 2005
- Keeping kids happy, even
on a vacation, can be a real challenge -- but it's easy at any
of Ski NH"s kid-friendly winter resorts. The programs
and activities for winter fun at these resorts have plenty of
options for kids of all ages - from little tykes to teens.
Programs for younger skiers combine personal attention, safety,
and instruction along with the opportunity to make new friends
on the slope. For older kids and teens, there's the exciting
world of halfpipes, terrain parks, snowtoys, night skiing, snowtubing
and any number of wild and crazy fun events to enter or watch.
At Ski NH winter resorts, family members can do their own thing,
depending on age, ability, and interest, while at the same time
building great family memories of being together for winter fun.
To make skiing more affordable for
families, children age 5 and younger ski free at every Ski NH
resort except McIntyre. At Crotched Mountain, children
age 6 and younger ski free. Every resort offers discounted
prices on lift tickets for juniors and teens, as well as when
multiple days are purchased. Here are some other highlights:
ATTITASH:
For more information, call (603) 374-2368 or visit www.attitash.com
The Adventure Center: Located right
at the base area, the Attitash Adventure Center has everything
under one roof for families and kids. All learn-to-ski
and learn-to-ride programs, children's programs, seasonal programs,
day care facilities, rental equipment, and adaptive programs
for disabled skiers originate at the Adventure Center.
Young children: The Buddy Bear Kids
program (age 4-6) and the Adventure Kids and Low Riders program
(age 7-12) include lessons and lift tickets.
Teens: For teens interested in joining
seasonal programs that offer great instruction, exciting competition
and peer camaraderie, there is the Attitash Racing Development
Team, the Bump Busters Freestyle Team and the Snowboard Competition
Team. Almost every weekend there are just-for-fun events
open to all ability levels.
BALSAMS WILDERNESS: For more information, call (603) 255-3400
or visit www.thebalsams.com
Named one of America's Ten Best Family
Resorts in Family Life magazine, The BALSAMS Grand Resort
Hotel knows how to keep kids happy. Registered guests of
the hotel receive free daytime child care at no charge.
At the ski area: There are no lift
lines, no crowds, and no hassles. There is a separate slope
for beginners and a ski play area for youngsters.
At the hotel: There are sleigh rides,
bonfires, ice skating, winter nature hikes, game rooms, movies
and evening entertainment for kids of all ages.
BLACK MOUNTAIN:
For more information, call (603) 383-4490 or visit www.blackmt.com
Black is known for being family friendly.
The ski area is the ideal size for kids to enjoy and remains
uncrowded even at the busiest of times.
Kids' Programs: Black has programs
for all ages of kids. The Tots Snow Flake is for kids ages
3 & 4, Snow Busters is for ages 5-8, and Mountain Action
Gang is for kids 9-12 years old.
BRETTON WOODS:
For more information, call (603) 278-3320 or visit www.brettonwoods.com
Bretton Woods is an award-winning ski
area that has long catered to families. Family Travel
Forum named it one of the "Top Ten Getaways for Tiny
Travelers" and SKI magazine's readers' survey gave
superior ratings to its family programs, grooming, and scenery.
Family Learning Center: The Family
Learning Center offers a variety of child-friendly lifts to help
make learning to ski or snowboard easier, and the Wonder Carpet,
Handle Tow, and the new Crawford Quad Chair are all designed
for easy use by kids. A nursery is available for children
age 2 months-5 years.
Young children: The Hobbit Ski and
Snowboard School (age 4-12) offers all day fun and instructional
programs in skiing or snowboarding and includes two lessons,
equipment rental, lift ticket, and lunch. Children are
matched with others of the same age and ability. Younger
kids (ages 3-5) can enjoy the Hobbit Ski and Snowplay Program.
Other Activities: Five trails and two
lifts stay open on Friday and Saturday nights for those kids
with plenty of energy. At the Bretton Arms and The Mount
Washington Hotel, there are indoor pools, as well as game rooms
with billiards, pinball and electronic games.
CANNON MOUNTAIN: For more information, call (603) 823-8800 or
visit www.cannonmt.com
Young Children: Cannon offers a wide
range of programs for kids. Mountain Explorers are half
day sessions for children ages 8-12. The Cannon Kids program
is for kids ages 4-7.
The Brookside Learning Center: This
newly renovated learning center has everything families need
with regards to day care facilities and learn-to-ski programs.
Beginner slopes are located right outside the door, and intermediate
skiers can enjoy the view from the top with easy access to top-to-bottom
intermediate trails.
Teens: A terrain park with bumps, banks
and jumps, along with two professionally designed halfpipes,
keeps the older kids challenged.
CRANMORE MOUNTAIN RESORT: For more information, call (603) 356-5543 or
visit www.cranmore.com
Cranmore offers a variety of family-friendly
programs either by day or for an entire season.
Young children: The Snowsports School
has daily programs for young children, including a variety of
Value Deals that package lift tickets with rentals, equipment,
and lunch. Also offered are seasonal programs such as the
Adventure Camp for ages 8-14, and the Penguin camp for ages 4-7.
Teens: Cranmore has become a
major scene of activity for snowplay of all sorts - from traditional
skiing and snowboarding, to activities like snowtubing or downhill
gliding on snowscoots, snowfoxes, snowbikes, and skiboards.
There's plenty of terrain park and halfpipe activity; even beginner
and intermediate sliders can have fun on banked corners, rolls,
and jumps. For those who still have energy, night skiing
is offered on Saturdays.
CROTCHED MOUNTAIN: For more information, call (603) 588-3668 or
visit www.crotchedmountain.com
Kids Snow Camp: The camp is offered
on weekends and holidays for kids ages 3-12, and includes lessons,
lunch and a snack.
GUNSTOCK: For
more information, call (603) 293-4341 or visit www.gunstock.com
The Children's Center: The Cubs Program
for 3-year-olds introduces skiing skills through the use of games
and activities. It includes a lift ticket, lesson, lunch,
and day care. The Polar Bears is geared for children ages
4-5, putting them on snow in the morning hours and enjoying the
day care atmosphere in the afternoon. The Belknap Bears,
for ages 4-8, is a full or half day program focusing on fun and
includes breaks, lunch, crafts, and games. The Belknap
Rangers, for ages 8-13, is offered as both half and full day
programs.
Teens: A terrain park and snowtubing
provide plenty of options to traditional skiing and snowboarding,
with night skiing Tuesday through Saturday for those who want
to keep on going.
KING PINE:
For more information, call (603) 367-8896 or visit www.kingpine.com.
Youth Ski Camp: For nearly 60 years,
King Pine has hosted a youth ski camp designed for kids ages
8-17. The all-inclusive price covers ski or snowboard instruction,
meals, and lodging. Campers are grouped according to their
ability from novice to expert. Instruction is provided
twice a day in a small group setting with plenty of time allotted
for campers to ski or ride on their own.
Daily programs: The Knee-Hi Program
for ages 4-7 offers three levels (Carpet, Rope Tow and Mountain)
to provide varied programs for all abilities. Also available
is a terrain park, snowtubing, ice skating, cross country skiing,
an indoor pool and fitness complex; on weekends and during holiday
periods, there is also night skiing, and snowtubing. A
nursery is available for infants-age 6.
LOON MOUNTAIN: For more information, call (603) 745-8111 or
visit www.loonmtn.com.
Young children: The Loon Snowsports
School offers a wide variety of daily and seasonal kids programs.
There's P.K. Boo Bear for 3 year olds and Kinder Bear for kids
ages 4-6. Day care is available for kids 6 weeks-8 years.
Teens: There's plenty of halfpipe and
terrain park action at Loon including an inground superpipe designed
by Chris Gunnarson, as well as sliding fun on a variety of rental
snowtoys, such as snowscoots, snowfoxes, snowbikes, or skiboards.
Snowtubing is available day or night, and at the Adventure Center
there is a variety of other activities available.
Freeride Seasonal Camp: This program
is designed for kids ages 7-17 years old who are intermediate
skiers and riders and want to improve their freestyle skiing
and riding.
MOUNT SUNAPEE: For more information, call (603) 763-2356 or
visit www.mtsunapee.com.
Young children: Mount Sunapee offers
comprehensive programs for youngsters for both skiing and snowboarding.
The Snowstars (age 4-7) and Mountain Explorers (age 8-12) learn
with others of similar age and ability, and Mother Goose Day
Care is available for the youngest children. A recently-built
Learning Center enhances all children's programs. The layout
of the mountain is family-friendly with all trails ending at
the base lodge, and a separate beginner area (South Peak) has
been enhanced with new beginner-friendly lifts and trails.
Teens: The state's newest superpipe
and an extensive terrain park make this a great location for
teenagers.
Families First: Kids (age 8+) and their
parents can learn to ski or snowboard together with the same
instructor on weekend and holiday periods.
PATS PEAK: For
more information, call (888) PATS PEAK or visit www.patspeak.com.
Kids' programs: Pats Peak has lessons
available for all age and ability levels in skiing and snowboarding.
Snowtubing, a quarterpipe, and a terrain park provide plenty
of thrills for older kids; night skiing and snowboarding are
also available.
Cub's Club: This program includes a
full day of nursery care with outdoor play and an introduction
to skiing for children ages 3-5 years old.
Bear's Club: This full day program
for ages 6 and older offers group lessons for self-sufficient
skiers and riders. It is held on weekends and holidays.
WATERVILLE VALLEY: For more information, call (603) 236-8311 or
visit www.waterville.com.
Waterville Valley is consistently ranked
among the top of SKI Magazine's reader survey for providing
families with high quality, affordable kids' programs.
Young children: Mogul Mites is for
3 year olds who have never skied. The program includes
two hours of lessons, lunch and snacks. Explorers is for
skiers ages 4-6 and Scouts caters to skiers and snowboarders
ages 7-12. Child care is available for kids age 6 months-4
years. At the end of the day, kids can log onto Waterville
Valley's web page on Snowmonsters.com and give feedback or talk
to their instructors.
Older kids and teens: A superpipe,
Exhibition Park, and Little Slammer Terrain Park provide jumps
and halfpipes for skiers and snowboarders, and there are plenty
of snowtoys, short skis and snowtubes to try for added fun.
For other diversions, a free shuttle bus can deliver guests to
Waterville Valley's Town Square where there are specialty shops,
a variety of restaurants, horse-drawn sleigh rides, and indoor
recreational facilities including an ice skating rink, swimming
pool, tennis courts, and a fitness center.
WILDCAT MOUNTAIN: For more information, call (603) 466-3326 or
visit www.skiwildcat.com
Wildcat Tracks Training Center Children's
Programs: The ten week children's programs at Wildcat Mountain
are arranged by ability level. For kids ages 4-6 years
old, there is the Kiddy Cats program which is an introduction
to snowsports; 4-6 year olds with some experience on snow can
enjoy Tiger Tykes. For kids ages 6-9, the Snowcats program
emphasizes skill improvement. Kids ages 9-12 participate
in Coolcats, with 13-16 year olds participating in Mountain Masters.
The Kitten's Cub Nursery is open for children age 2 months-5
years.
Ski NH is the statewide association
representing 37 alpine and cross country resorts and more than
200 lodging properties throughout New Hampshire. For daily
snow reports or information on winter activities and events at
Ski NH resorts, call Ski NH at (800) 88-SKI-NH (800-887-5464)
or visit the Ski NH website at www.SkiNH.com.
For statewide media relations assistance, visit the New Hampshire
Division of Travel and Tourism's media room at www.visitnh.gov
under Travel Industry.
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