** This is an update from my article on GearJunkie. If you are seeking more tips on teaching your kiddo to ski on a shoe string budget, definitely check it out!
As a family of four living at the base of one of the best resorts in the Pacific Northwest, we’ve come to love downhill skiing as a way to bond and create lifelong memories. But we also know how expensive this amazing sport can be! Over the years, we’ve learned to maximize the fun while minimizing the financial strain.
Whether you’re just beginning your family skiing adventures or are seasoned on the slopes, here are some tried-and-true tips to make skiing more affordable for families.
1. Start Small and Get Creative: Hill Repeats with Your Kids
When teaching our kids, Max and Revel, we skipped costly lessons and made the process fun and active. We started by hiking up a small, unused hill at our local resort, Mt. Bachelor. On the way up, I’d set flat cones (or anything safe to ski over like sticks) for them to weave around, making it a game.
The kids learned essential skills like stopping, turning, and even falling safely—all while having fun. Once they got the basics, we introduced them to the free lifts. I used the the lift rides as a carrot to stay focused on “passing” their skills test. This also helped my comfort level, as when you are heading down busy ski runs with your kids where other people are learning as well, it is crucial for them to understand the basics of stopping and falling. I personally really dislike the little backpacks with leashes. While they are helpful for stopping your kiddo, they tend to teach them bad skiing habits. If you can, stay clear of them and take your time teaching them on smaller less crowded hills.
If lessons aren’t in your budget, this DIY approach is not only cost-effective but is also a great workout for you!
2. Combine Cross-Country and Downhill Skiing
We began incorporating skiing into family life when the kids were babies by towing them in a Thule Chariot during cross-country adventures. Once they were old enough, we put them on their own skis, using a tow rope to help them along.
Now, both boys ski independently on their own tow rope that is attached to us. All we do is use a tow rope from kids ride shotgun or a retractable dog leash with a bungee on the end and clip it to a waist belt that is around them via a carabiner. This system has simplified our life so much and has made backcountry terrain accessible to the whole family! We tow them up on scaled skis, then ski down together which is a thrilling, free and exploratory way to enjoy the slopes as a family.
Safety Tip: Always prioritize safety when venturing into backcountry skiing. Ensure you’re well-prepared and experienced before including your kids in these adventures.
3. Take Advantage of Free or Discounted Kids’ Programs
Most resorts offer free or discounted passes for younger children. For example, our youngest still skis for free at Mt Bachelor, and us parents took advantage of a discounted beginner pass to teach both boys the basics.
If your goal is to help your kids build skills, consider investing in a limited pass that only covers beginner lifts. A focused season of practice can lead to confident “big lift” skiers next year!
Last year, when Max was really starting to be able to ski on any type of terrain we invested in a mid week pass for Jason and a beginner lift for me. While he took Max on the “big boy” lifts, Revel and I stayed on the beginner lifts where we could hone in on his skills. By mid season, Jason would take both boys on the bigger lifts while I backcountry skied or took advantage of a discounted day pass. There are usually always ways to get creative, even at an expensive resort. My advice is to look at all your options and sit down with your partner to see what your family flow and commitment level is!
4. Explore Smaller, Cheaper Resorts
This year, we branched out from Mt. Bachelor and discovered smaller ski hills like Willamette Pass. The difference has been incredible:
- Affordable Tickets: Advance purchase tickets are as low as $15, and $10 of that can be used for food in the lodge.
- Free Kids’ Passes: Children under 12 ski free.
- Fewer Crowds: With less traffic and fewer people, the experience is safer and more relaxing for everyone.
These smaller resorts have become hidden gems that we now love exploring together. If you are near a smaller resort or are thinking of taking a family ski vacation, check out ALL of the resorts in that area. I grew up near one, and most of my childhood memories are from there. Now looking back, I know my parents chose it because it was cheap, not as crowded and had all the terrain I needed as a budding skier!
5. Learn from the Pros
If you’re teaching your kids, observe how professional instructors handle lessons. Watch their methods on the beginner lifts, or chat with friends who are experienced instructors. You can even invite them for a run with your family. We have done this with our friends, and their tips and insights have been super helpful.
6. Bring your own snacks.. and lots of them!
When going skiing, I break out the good stuff. On the chair lift we have gummies or chocolate and I always have a thermos of hot cocoa or apple cider. These little treats make it special, fun and it gives them energy. Their little bodies and brains are working so hard, so having some special treats are so worth it. About half way through our session, we head into the lodge, which they love because it’s a warm reprieve full of people and food. We bring our own lunches to save money because the prices are often insane, and our kids don’t know the difference because it has never been an option to eat at their restaurants (except at Willamette, but that’s a very special place)! Our family favorites are hot dogs (in a hydroflask with hot water), a hydoflask full of tomato soup, sandwiches and easy burritos.
7. Sleep In and Go in the Afternoons, After the Rush
When you are spending your time on the bunny hills and greens, first chair is not necessary. Also, first thing in the morning is usually both cold and icy, especially if it didn’t snow the night before. Not to mention, when you get a late start, you usually miss the morning traffic.
Every time we have aimed for an afternoon arrival, we always find a killer parking spot. And if you are buying passes for the family, afternoon passes are usually half off, which is great for smaller kids because they are usually spent after 2 or 3 hours of skiing anyway!
Gear: New skis, poles and boots are expensive, while it is often worth it for adults to buy new, for kids I don’t see the point as they are growing and changing so fast. Below are two options we love for kids.
Buy and look for used
For skis, poles and boots, we almost exclusively shop at used gear stores or on line. Luckily we live in a mountain town, so our used gear shops are over flowing. However if you are not finding this option in your town, Facebook Marketplace has been another amazing resource. And of course there is Craigslist and Ebay as well! We love this option because we can sell our gear when our kids are done and because they are so small, the skis and boots hardly get any wear or tear.
Get a season rental
Our neighbors have found great luck with getting seasonal rentals from the resort. This is super great for kids that are having growth spurts, because they have been able to go in and exchange boots and skis when needed.
Gear to spend money on: Sometimes it’s best to buy some stuff new, or it’s just plain hard to find it used!
Kids Ride ShotGun Tow Rope: While we use our homemade ones (a dog leash with an elastic loop at the end of it) from our adventure racing pile, for kids we love the feeling of this one the best. It’s made by Kids Ride Shot Gun, and is a mountain biking tow as well. The bungee feeling is super comfortable for both our kiddos and us (the workers). And if you mountain bike, it works for both seasons!
It goes without saying that you will need to find a good helmet for your kid. We love the Smith helmets for both ourselves and our kids.
They are comfortable, warm, equipped with MIPS, and have a goggle clip. Our favorite is this Prospect Jr Smith helmet ($130) because it has the “Grow With Me” dual-stage liner, allowing it to last for many seasons and many kids.
Shady Rays Drift Kids Goggles
Good goggles are a must for kids. It protects their eyes from both the sun and snow. It also makes them feel more legit. Our son loves his Drift goggles ($58) from Shady Rays because they are comfortable and never fog. The mountain art strap is also super cute, but the anti scratch and fog lens material is what really impresses me. While he is a pretty careful kid, he can be hard on his gear and these have held up so well. Us parents were so impressed that we got ourselves the Denali goggles. They are magnetic which makes switching out lens easy and they are both anti fog and anti scratch as well!
We did try to look for used goggles, but all the ones we found were either scratched or fogged up instantly. After a few duds, we finally just decided to get them brand new.
Gordini Gloves
Toasty hands not only keep your kid happier, but they also keep them skiing for longer. These mittens ($24) from Gordini are the warmest and easiest mittens to take on and off.
CHECK PRICE AT AMAZONCHECK PRICE AT GORDINI
Roces Adjustable Size Boots
These adjustable Roces boots ($109) have saved us hundreds of dollars and a ton of time. The IDEA boots are the first-ever adjustable ski boot that, thanks to its patented 6-in-1 system, grows with your child’s foot, up to six sizes for each model!
One pair of boots can fit both our 2-year-old and our 5-year-old. At $109, these have been hands down our greatest investment.
CHECK PRICE AT AMAZONCHECK PRICE AT LEVEL NINE SPORTS
Gear for the Parents:
As the primary ski buddies/motivators/ muscles/ cuddlers/ teachers – we need some good gear too! Below are a few musts that I have found are essential for taking my kids out and about on the ski hill and into the backcountry.
For XC ski and mild backcountry missions where we are towing the boys, these scaled skis have been so amazing. They let me tow my oldest son who is now almost half my weight, because they are just fat enough and have scales in the perfect places. For heading out on low grade hills at our local snow park, they are perfect. And when I don’t have kids, these also work as my long exploratory ski missions. I can put skins on them super easily if I get to some steep terrain, or I can go up for as long as I can on the scales and just turn around and ski down. They are super versatile and are my favorite for towing the kids out to the many huts or to some cool features like a near by frozen waterfall.
These ski’s are my go to for lift skiing with my kids. They are scaled and are fat, so they let me go down any terrain with them at a good speed. And when they fall and are above me, which they often are, I can easily just skin up to them because they are scaled. If I could only have one ski, the Alta’s would be my pick because they can work as XC skis, backcountry skis and as resort skis! For skinning up on steeper terrain with the kids behind me these are super nice because they are both fat and have the scales in the perfect places for friction. I also go with out the kids into the backcountry, and love the fact that I can get most of the way up with out needing to attach skins. It makes the whole transition process fast and easy!
** Note I talk about both of the above skis in this winter gift guide if you want more info on them – and more winter gear to check out that I love as both a ski Mama and lover of winter!
Parents need good helmets too! Just like the kiddos, Smith Helmets make the best and most comfortable ski helmets out there. I love mine and have had it for almost 8 years.
While we also sometimes use Rockie Talkies, we recently switched to this system because we can talk hands free and listen to whatever is going on with the other parent. These easily mount to your helmet and the ear pieces can get tucked right into the ear pads of your helmet. With a simple connection button, we can talk to each other easily, even if we are a few kilometers away. We tested the range, and I can talk to Jason at the bottom of a lift, while he is at the top. Also, if we are skiing alone we can use it to connect to our phone to listen to music and or call someone all while being hands free. The battery life is also pretty good but it does not last a whole ski day. Instead, we have found that we can get a consistent 4 hours out of one charge. Luckily for us, this is usually all we need. And if we need more, we just charge them in the lodge while we are eating lunch and they go for the rest of our time! For a hands free communication option that can also play music, it’s a great piece of gear that makes it fun and safe for skiing with your kids and or buddies!
The Joy of Skiing Together
All in all – Downhill skiing doesn’t have to break the bank. With some creativity and planning, you can enjoy this fantastic family sport while staying within your budget. Here’s to making amazing memories on the slopes! Let me know if have any questions!