Best skiing with children

[towacodaddy]

Hi, I'm new to this site so I apologize if this is an overasked question.

 

I taught my children (10 and 7) how to ski last year at a very small mountain in NJ, and this year they're finally ready to tackle a "real" mountain! I took them to Camelback and they loved it. It was perfect for them because they were afraid to do the intermediate slopes (although I think they can do them), and there are enough beginner hills there that we were able to fill up the whole day.

 

So now I want to try another mountain with them next Tuesday & I've been looking at some that are in PA but not too far from NJ. But I'm having trouble finding a mountain that has as many beginner slopes as Camelback. Even some of the smaller ones look like they're predominantly blues. I know these rankings are relative, so for example at a Shawnee or Jack Frost are the intermediate slopes really not much harder than beginner slopes?

 

I guess the general question is given the above description what's a good place to take my kids? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks,

Andy

[Kyle]

Hi, I'm new to this site so I apologize if this is an overasked question.

 

I taught my children (10 and 7) how to ski last year at a very small mountain in NJ, and this year they're finally ready to tackle a "real" mountain! I took them to Camelback and they loved it. It was perfect for them because they were afraid to do the intermediate slopes (although I think they can do them), and there are enough beginner hills there that we were able to fill up the whole day.

 

So now I want to try another mountain with them next Tuesday & I've been looking at some that are in PA but not too far from NJ. But I'm having trouble finding a mountain that has as many beginner slopes as Camelback. Even some of the smaller ones look like they're predominantly blues. I know these rankings are relative, so for example at a Shawnee or Jack Frost are the intermediate slopes really not much harder than beginner slopes?

 

I guess the general question is given the above description what's a good place to take my kids? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks,

Andy

 

jack frost is an excellent place to go to teach kids to ski more progressed terrain, yes they have alot of "blue" slopes but some are not much steeper then the bunny slopes. i learned to ski at jack frost and i thought it was an awesome place to learn. the way jf is set up is learner friendly as most of the more expert trails and intermediate trails are on East Mt and the beginner and less andvanced intermediate trails are on West Mt. overall it is an excellent place to take your kids to, good atmosphere, excellent skiing, helpful employees, etc.

[ColoradoHigh]

Blue Mountain has a good amount of trails for kids, like Paradise, Burma Road, and even Lazy Mile.

[AtomicSkier]

I'd stay clear of Blue Mountain, simply because of the crowds. Jack Frost is probably the best place to take kids so they're not scared/intimidated by the out of control goobers and insane crowds at Blue.

[ColoradoHigh]

I'd stay clear of Blue Mountain, simply because of the crowds. Jack Frost is probably the best place to take kids so they're not scared/intimidated by the out of control goobers and insane crowds at Blue.

 

Well hes going on Tuesday. I wouldn't worry about crowds..

[Glenn]

My thoughts are Shawnee or Jack Frost. They are similar in that both have lots of mellow terrain and far less crowds than Camelback or Blue. Shawnee and Jack frost are however smaller both in vertical drop and total acreage. Sno would be another option with the whole upper mountain having great beginner terrain. It will be a bigger drive though.

[Justo8484]

blue's gonna be an ice rink on tuesday with the weather that's forecasted. 50

[towacodaddy]

Hey, thanks guys for the quick replies and great ideas! I need to think it all through & figure out where we're going, but most importantly I can feel comfortable that none of these should be out of the question because they have too many blues.

[Barb]

Another vote for Jack Frost. On a Tuesday you will have the whole place to yourself. The blues on the west side of the mountain are pretty tame. Lukoil has coupons for jack frost also. If you really want to see them progress, put them in the race program next season. They take the 5 year olds down east mountain. They don't have great form but its awesome that they are doing it.

[sibhusky]

Is Alpine still around? Other than that, I'd vote for Shawnee.

[trackbiker]

Is Alpine still around? Other than that, I'd vote for Shawnee.

 

Alpine is still around and is a great place for beginners. They can ski almost all of the trails. It's uncrowded and prices are great. Not a lot of vertical but the trails are relatively long. The top to bottom lifts are quads so you can all ride together. Definitely worth checking out. The lodge is dated but it sure beats waiting in lift lines to ski one or two mobbed trails at a bigger ski area.

[RidgeRacer]

I'm sorta biased because I teach there, but Jack Frost's terrain is perfect for learning as well as progressing and the layout separates the beginners from the tougher stuff on the east side. I honestly don't think you can go wrong.

[jordan]

If you really want to see them progress, put them in the race program next season.

this..

 

I grew up in the JF race program, and i give it complete credit for making me the skier I am today. it is a wonderful program (provided it hasn't changed much)

[sibhusky]

I agree with the race program comments. Siblet runs rings around me and she started racing sort of late, 12 years old. One of the fellow race coaches here told the kids she (Siblet) is the best skier of all the coaches. She owes her smooth, powerful, style to race instruction.