“Remember, Pizza! Pizza!,” I urged my youngest son Ted, reminding him to create an Italian slice-like wedge with his small skis. Fresh from ski school, he was an athletic 5-year-old, eager to catch up with his older ski-savvy brothers. Ski weekends and more extended mountain holidays have been an important part of our annual vacation mix, providing a healthy contrast to our desert lifestyle. 
Today there are myriad ways to introduce your children to the exhilarating world of fresh powder! With offers of free rentals, lift tickets and even airfare, creating memories in the mountains has gotten easier. There are plenty of spots where families will find professional instruction, good value and a high altitude adventure.
Snowmass
Already popular with families, Snowmass kicked it up a notch with last year’s debut of its $17 million Treehouse Kids’ Adventure Center and the mid-mountain Elk Camp Meadows Learning Area. The creatively designed center makes it easy for parents to check in for ski or snowboard school, and take care of rentals or last minute slope-side needs. While the Center offers great access to the entire mountain, kids will be hard-pressed to leave the climbing gym and cleverly themed rooms, brimming with engaging activities. Children from 8 weeks and older are welcome at the Center. Snowmass is nine miles from Aspen. www.aspensnowmass.com
Telluride
Telluride has never been a mountain short on variety. It has long been an ideal destination for families toting skiers and riders of all ages and abilities. With long cruisers, terrain parks, bump runs and the steep chutes of Gold Hill for the more fearless, Telluride offers an incredibly wide variety of terrain. Telluride’s latest addition, its first lift-served expansion since 2001, has put it on the short list of elite destinations for big-mountain skiing. The Revelation Bowl, Telluride’s first lift accessed bowl, brings an entirely new dimension to an already world-class mountain. The 50-acre high-alpine bowl sits on the northeast face of the mountain and is a magnet for snow blown off the adjacent Gold Hill, making Revelation a new priority on powder days.
Skiers can make laps on the Revelation high-speed quad, which rises to a blood-thinning 12,670 feet. With stunning views of the San Juan mountain range that are second to none, I am hard-pressed to think of another mountain on this continent that can match the experience of Telluride’s Revelation Bowl. See for yourself. Tel. 800-778-8581, www.tellurideskiresort.com.
Safety Tip: Encourage your kids to wear helmets! For more information about resorts offering free lodging, rentals, lift tickets and airfare for children traveling with adults, visit www.ski.com.
