Every January, Ski Aspen offers family packages. I’m going to give you an idea of what your children will experience on a typical day in Aspen.
But first let me introduce myself. My name is Jane Myers and I am the supervisor of the Kids Programs on our Family Packages. I have been involved with Ski Aspen since 2005. I am a qualified ski instructor (with Australian & Canadian qualifications) and spend our Australian winters instructing at Mt Hotham. This will be my 9th season instructing at Mt Hotham. Previous to this I was a secondary school maths teacher for 20 years, so I have a lot of experience with children!
Prepare for fun on our family packages!
Our day starts around 8.00am, when we meet at a central location, close to your accommodation. Parents have the opportunity to talk to me about anything before we set off and then you’re free for the day. You can enjoy your ski day, knowing that your children will be in the best of care. I will contact you during the day if I need to but over the years this has rarely been necessary. I have a qualified team of helpers with me so that the supervision and safety of the children will always be paramount. The number of helpers is dependent on the number of children in the group.
As a group, we walk to the nearby bus stop and take the bus to either Buttermilk or Snowmass – the locations of the ski schools for children. Throughout the duration of your holiday, we divide the kids time between these two ski schools; both have terrific instructors and terrain. Each child is taken to their ski school class and introduced to their instructor. It is very important to me that every child has a really good time in ski school and is always placed in a class suited to their ability. I remain at the mountain where the children are in ski school so that I am immediately on hand if needed. All the children’s instructors are given my number so they can easily contact me throughout the day.
As part of their day in ski school, the children are given morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. They can take money for extra snacks but they get given plenty to eat! Apart from meal/snack breaks, they ski, ski, ski. They will work on skills suitable to their level and spend lots of time exploring the vast terrain. Particularly popular with the children are the terrain parks and there are plenty of them! Each week there is a ski school Race Day which they can participate in.
Over the years, I have always been impressed with how well the instructors relate to the children. They have great techniques for teaching children and making the learning fun.
At the end of the day (approximately 3pm) we (myself and my helpers) collect the children from ski school. We talk to each instructor and make notes on each child’s day, including what skills they worked on and what level they are now.
All the skis are either stored at the mountain we are at, if the children are returning there the next day, or transferred to wherever they are skiing the next day. This means that the children don’t have to carry their skis back and forth on the buses. This ski storage or transfer is included with their ski hire on our family packages – not an additional cost.
If we are at Buttermilk, the children often have a hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows, courtesy of Guest Services, before we head home. As a group we then return to Aspen by bus. All children are escorted back to their condo. When you have returned from your ski day I will come around and give you a summary of your child’s day in ski school. It’s also a time when the children can talk about their day with you and me.
As well as days in ski school, your children have days where they are involved in off-snow supervised activities and days where they can ski with you. All activities are age-appropriate and have been very successful on past tours. I can organise baby sitters for you should you wish to have your child/children supervised after hours.
Read more on our Family Packages in Aspen
