NW Kids: Hometown ski resorts for kids
By Amy Whitley
Photo at right: A pint-sized skier masters the rope tow at Leavenworth’s ski hill. Photo coutesy Ski Leavenworth
I grew up learning to downhill ski at a tiny ski bowl in the rural California Sierras.
Our “lodge” consisted of a single room hut with a communal fireplace and cubbies for gear, and our lift system was comprised of rope tows and Poma bars, and volunteers took turns shoveling snow and repairing the lifts.
It may have been small, but it was also affordable and accessable: my family and I could commute to the slopes easily every Saturday, where we learned to ski to an expert level.
My own kids don’t have it quite so “rustic,” though they, too, are learning to ski and snowboard at a hometown ski resort. Our local Mt. Ashland Ski Area is minutes from our southern Oregon front door. Season passes for kids are under $100, and the mountain is small enough that my school-aged kids can zip around it with their friends with confidence and pride of “ownership.”
Without breaking the bank, families receive the benefit of a local ski community and crowd-free slopes at the following homegrown picks I’ve put together below. All of them offer daily adult lift tickets for under $50, heavily discounted or free tickets for kids, full-scale learning programs, and on-site ski lodges.
Photo courtesy of Hoodoo
Hoodoo Mountain Resort
Photo courtesy of Hoodoo
www.hoodoo.com
Sisters, Ore.
Known for its beautiful scenery and heartening “old school” love of the sport, Hoodoo is less than one hour from Bend. Adults will enjoy the many festivals held throughout the season, and kids will love the adjacent Autobahn Tubing Park.
Mt. Ashland. Photo by Amy Whitley
Mt. Ashland Ski Area
Mt. Ashland. Photo by Amy Whitley
www.mtashland.com
Ashland Ore.
Mt. Ashland’s reputation for being “steep and deep” is well-founded; after learning to ski here, my kids can now ski anywhere. Kids’ confidence can transition from steeper-than-average intermediate groomers to Ashland’s cornice-topped bowl. Adventurous kids will love the backcountry trails that follow the boundary line.
Hurricane Ridge Ski and Snowboard Area
hurricaneridge.com
Port Angeles, Wash.
Families can get from “sea level to ski level” in 17 miles from Port Angeles to Hurricane Ridge. Located in Olympic National Park, there are no marked runs or marked obstacles at Hurricane Ridge, which consists of bowls and faces, accessed by poma. This is the real deal! Plus, fifth graders ski for free.
Leavenworth Winter Sports Club
www.skileavenworth.com
Leavenworth, Wash.
Leavenworth’s ski hill is the best of both worlds for alpine and Nordic hybrid families. For one price of $25 (or an incredible $15 per adult for downhill only), parents can introduce kids to the joys of both skiing disciplines. On the downhill side, there are only two runs: the Big Hill and the Little Hill for back-to-basics, no frills and all fun skiing.
While the Northwest certainly boasts major world-class ski resorts, hometown “mom and pop” resorts remain my preferred place to instill a life-long love of the sport in kids.
Amy Whitley is a freelance travel writer, lover of the outdoors, and editor of family travel website Pit Stops for Kids. She makes her home with her husband and three kids in Southern Oregon.
