After 25 years of not practicing any winter sports, I finally decided to go skiing along with my husband and sons, who had never been on snow. I booked snowboarding lessons at Stowe Ski Resort, which ended up being a big success. We all had a lot of fun on the slopes. Snowboarding in Vermont was definitely one of the highlights of the year for my family.
Family Skiing and Snowboarding in Vermont – Stowe Ski Resort
Something that you might not know about me is that, back when I lived in the US ,I was semi-pro downhill skier. Another thing you might not know is that it has been over 25 years since I have been on the slopes.
That’s why on our winter trip to Stowe Mountain Lodge in Vermont, I was feeling nervous. It was almost as if I was a beginner. Plus, I was sharing this trip with my sons and husband, who were total newbies. My sons hadn’t even seen snow before. So I took advantage of the situation and jumped on the bang wagon. Despite my history, I join them taking snowboarding lessons, leaving the skis behind.
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My husband and I decided to take the snowboarding lessons at Stowe. This was his first time ever on any snow apparatus and my first time ever on a snowboard. They offer private classes, but I preferred to take mine along with my hubby. It was much more fun for us together.
As fun as the experience was, after being a skier for such a long time, I wanted to try it again. By the time the snowboarding lesson was done, I was ready to hop back on the skis.
Change Your Mind – and Your Equipment
The rental store made it really easy for me to change my mind and my equipment. For a tiny fee, they changed my snowboard for skis. I highly recommend coming here if you plan on trying both sports.
There is also a world class children’s Ski and Ride School within the Adventure Center at Stowe. This building is a new addition with state of the art, latest and greatest equipment for kids for snowboarding and skiing. Every single piece of equipment is new. The staff members that took care of us even had to take off the price tags on some of the equipment.
This is where all the kids’ adventure camps and lessons start as well.
Programs for Kids Offered at Stowe Ski Resort
While we were there, I noticed that the programs for kids are quite different. The snowboarding classes have tiny groups, so the kids get personalized attention. The skiing ones had slightly larger groups. This might be my observation, or simply good luck.
But even the largest groups for the skiing lessons never had more than five kids. I truly loved the personalized service that my boys received.
The Lessons Offered for Kids at Stowe
The Trailblazers Programs
TRAILBLAZERS is their full-day Adventure Program for 5 and 6 year olds. It includes:
- Full-day group lesson
- Lift ticket
- Lunch
- Snacks
Where: Adventure Center at Spruce Peak
When: 9:30 am – 3:30 pm daily
- Adventure Program, rental equipment not included: $230
- Adventure Program with rental equipment, no helmet: $265
- Adventure Program with rental equipment, with helmet: $279
Check-in between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. You can get your kids any time you want. There is a strict identification policy for the safety of the kids, so make sure you have all the documentation with you when you come to get them.
THE BIG EASY FOR TRAILBLAZERS is the beginner level lesson program for first-time skiers and riders only. This two hour semi-private lesson has a maximum student:coach ratio of 3:1, and is a great introduction for children interested in learning to ski or snowboard. This is what my kids took before we did the full day the following day. It includes:
- Semi-private lesson,
- An afternoon beginner lift ticket,
- Rental equipment (ski boots and skis, or snowboard boots and snowboard, and helmets)
- Where: Adventure Center at Spruce Peak
When: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. daily.
Price: $160 Includes lesson, beginner lift ticket, and rental equipment.
The Mountaineers Program
MOUNTAINEERS is the name of their full-day Adventure Program for 7 to 14 year old kids. Here, children are grouped by ability level and progress. This program includes:
- The full-day group lesson
- Lift ticket
- Lunch
- Snacks
- Beginner ski lift – stowe mountain resort
Where: Adventure Center at Spruce Peak
When: 9:30 am – 3:30 pm daily. Check-in between 8:30 am-9:00 am.
- Adventure Program, rental equipment not included: $230
- Adventure Program with rental equipment, no helmet: $265
- Adventure Program with rental equipment, with helmet: $279
THE BIG EASY FOR MOUNTAINEERS – It offers the same as the one above but this one is for all ages.
Family Time
As much as we loved the way our boys were treated in their classes, we took them out early so that we could all enjoy some family time at the slope. We took the beginners slopes and the easy lift for beginners.
Andddd…..
What do you do after a full day of snowboarding?
You definitely need to leave some time for playing in the snow!
But that’s not all. In addition, Stowe has this insanely awesome pool that is outdoors. During our stay the temperatures hit to -20 Fahrenheit – NO JOKE.
But this didn’t stop my kids. You enter the room, which is heated up to 80 degrees, inside and then go through the plastic curtains to enjoy numbing weather while soaking in the pool.
I was too chicken to give it a go, but my kids couldn’t get enough of it.
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