We finally got our little family out skiing. We tried two years ago for our first ski trip, and our car broke down on the way to the mountains… After that disaster, we finally built up the courage to try again.

We go on Christmas eve day to Loveland, a family tradition before kids. We had to bring two duffle bags of gear to have all that was needed, along with backups for any issues that might come up. For a family of 4 renting everything and getting two passes along with a small shared lunch, it costs about $300 for a single day… Which is pretty expensive but much less than the bigger resorts.

Getting the kids through the lift pass (free for kids 5 and under) line and fitted for rentals was a breeze. Loveland is really well set up for beginner kids, with folks helping size boots, helmets, and goggles, sweetly telling our kids how great they are doing.

It was amazing to see how Theo took to it, with no complaints and learning so quickly. He sometimes carried his skis up the bunny slope so I could carry Sasha. He went from his first time standing in the skis to being able to do “pizza pie” stops, riding the “Magic Carpet” lift, and even finishing off the day with two real lift rides.

Sasha also did amazingly well for a 3-year-old. She did three bunny slope runs before wanting a warmup and snack break. She got comfortable with all the gear and asked to go “again and again.” She got pretty good at skiing down but couldn’t yet master the “pizza pie” stop.

Theo kept going, and I was looking for a break to get some water while he still wanted to ski more. He finally admitted he might need a break as he was “running low on air.”

After all four of us had a break (in shifts so we could sneak in a few bigger runs), we got everyone out for round two, and Sasha did three more runs, including going up the “Magic Carpet” lift once… They did pretty great for a cold day, with snow and a first time on skis.

I also need to mention the help of having grandpa who would watch kiddos when they needed a break for a bit in the lodge. Erin and I both managed to sneak in a few non-bunny slopes runs. I am not sure we could have pulled that off without another adult. 

Overall it was a super exhausting day, and carrying both kids and gear up a hill while on skis is far more exhausting than just going skiing oneself. Still, it seemed like a success and went well enough we will probably rent a cabin for a long weekend sometime.  Feel free to check out the full ski gallery if you like.