I guess after nine years of hitting the slopes with my family, you can officially call us a ski family. I always talk about how starting them young was critical to growing their love of the snow. Their confidence on the mountain, so we continue to carve out (pun!) a few ski trips per season. With each ski session, with every lesson, I’m always impressed by their improvement. A few winters ago, we checked the weather forecast and saw it was perfect weather for one of those long weekends trips. We clocked in fifteen days on the slopes, and we are on track to top that number this season for endless family fun.

Heading Out to Stratton

Jason was away for work, but I didn’t want to let a weekend with perfect snow forecast go to waste! So I headed up to Stratton Vermont solo with the kiddies, for the Momtrends Fourth annual family ski weekend. Each year is a different destination and this year I just fell in love with Stratton Mountain Resort. It’s about a four hour drive from New York City, and I have to say I left at 1pm on a Friday and made it up there with just enough time to tons of things. This included check in, go snow tubing with the kids, and have a fun dinner in town. This was perfect timing, if anything it’s a great thu morning through sun night trip!

The Mountain 

It was a winter wonderland when we arrived to the scenic lift rides! Stratton Mountain, Vermont’s ski and snowboard resort offers 99 trails, 160+ acres of glades, 670+ acres of terrain, top-ranked terrain parks, the fastest fleet of lifts in the East, convenient lodging, slope side Village, Training & Fitness Center, Spa and a full slate of winter and summer events, activities and so much more for the whole family! They even have Stratton Mountain School for the kids to get some ski tips! This is something all ski resorts should offer!

Black Bear Lodge

The kids and I enjoyed the comfort and convenience of Black Bear lodge. We had two adjoining rooms which was perfect for my family. Our lodge was just a quick shuttle ride to the slopes, tubing, and all of the Stratton Mountain activities. We never waited more than ten minutes for a shuttle bus, which was super important for this mama carrying more than just her own gear to and from the mountains each day. There was an indoor hot tub and sauna available to hotel guests as well, and I so wish we took advantage aprés ski, but we were so busy on the slopes each day and didn’t carve enough time, which was totally fine by me.

Tubing

Located in Stratton’s Sun Bowl, the Coca Cola Tube Park offers four lanes of lift-serviced snow tubing, along with a warming hut with light refreshments and fire pit. It’s open until 7pm Monday through Saturday, and 3pm on Sunday, so kids can get a little extra fun in after a day on the mountain, before heading back to the room.

Ski Rentals 

Furthermore, if you are looking for ski rentals of any kind, Stratton Mountain Resort has you completely covered. From the advanced skier to the first-timers, they have latest from Rossignol and Burton in over 20 different ski/snowboard models to choose from. Huge TIP! If you think you and your family will hit the mountains more than one to two times this year, I highly suggest doing seasonal rentals. This is the second year our family will be renting, and I have to say its a huge time saver each and every time we head to the mountains.

Ski and Snow Board Lessons

Not going to lie, I was a bit nervous taking all three by myself on the slopes, but the following day, I had all three in a full day of ski school, and that gave me a full day on my own to hit the slopes. It was the perfect combination. I skied all day really getting a feel for the  mountain and different trails. I saw each of the kids a few times whether it was on the chair lifts or down the mountains. They would wave, or I would take the chair lift up with them and do a few runs with their groups. I loved that Stratton Mountain wasn’t an overwhelmingly large mountain, yet wasn’t a super small mountain either. It was just right and had a very family friend vibe, which made me super comfortable.

End of the Day

When 3pm rolled around, I was eager to pick the kids up from school, hear how their day was and take them back up on the lifts till closing. I almost fell on the floor when I heard all three of their teachers tell me they not only moved up a level, but they all went on black diamonds that day. I mean, I certainly didn’t and was so proud to hear my kids did. What an accomplishment. All three had incredible days and couldn’t wait to show me what they learned on the slopes that day.

The Best Trip Ever

In fact, they had such an incredible day Ryder came over and gave me a big hug and kiss to tell me thank you for an amazing weekend he was having. That you guys, never happens and truly means I think we found something that he’s not only good at but passionate about. I felt like such a proud mama during this moment.

Dining:

From family-friendly to fine dining, celebrated Vermont beers to creative cocktails and worldly wine lists, Stratton Village is the place to eat, drink and be merry. There were plenty of places to choose from. Our first evening, we dined at Mulligans. Offering a large selection of American fare, including ribs, steaks, sandwiches, salads, fajitas and more. And with a mini game room, you know my kids loved it!

That evening we had a lovely dinner at the Black Bear Lodge with delicious food and company. The kids sat at tables with their friends laughing and playing, as us grown up chatted and enjoyed an adult beverage or two.

Heading Out

Sunday morning, we hit the hill a few more times before heading back to New York City. The kids haven’t stopped talking about our time at Stratton, and are begging to go back again before the end of the season! What an incredible weekend. Jason was super bummed he missed out, but at least now I know that I am capable of taking them up to the slopes myself, if we are itching for a snow fix. We are all looking forward to many more ski weekends to come.

A big thanks goes to Nicole at Momtrends and Stratton Mountain for organizing this trip. Nicole – your love of skiing has encouraged me to keep at it and push through my own fear on skis. I can finally say that I thoroughly enjoy my snow time, and look forward to the annual ski trip that she organizes each year. My kids have made friends on these trips, their skills on the slopes have improved, and hopefully it will pave the way to a future of them planning their own skiing and snowboarding journeys.

This post was originally published January 19th, 2020*

For more travel content, visit here!