Welcome back! To you and to me :-) We enjoyed a beautiful weekend in the Colorado mountains, but we were reminded that the days of complete and utter relaxation are behind us...toddlers are toddlers no matter where you sleep! Nevertheless, we loved sharing one of our passions with our son, and we all came home a little more tired, but with a weekend full of fun memories!
I promised pictures and more money-saving tips, so here you go!
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| If you venture to the Colorado ski resort area, check out the outlet mall in Silverthorne. You can find awesome deals while you let the men go hit the double black diamond slopes. I scored a few shirts for Caleb at Oshkosh for $1.25 a piece, and few shirts for me at Rue 21 for $3 each! We also enjoyed playing dress up while waiting for my friends to finish their shopping. |
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| Don't be scared to venture out at night with your little ones! Bundle them up nice and snug in their strollers, and check out the many FREE festivals, shows, and activities that the mountain towns have to offer. Breckenridge was hosting the international snow sculpture festival. Very cool (no pun intended)! |
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| You know how airport food is crazy expensive because they know you're starving and have no other option? Well, ski resorts are the same. Before you leave your condo, pack your coat (or a small backpack you don't mind wearing) FULL of granola bars, trail mix, a bottle of water, or a favorite healthy snack. You are already paying a pretty penny to ski. You don't want to waste prime skiing minutes eating lunch in the village! Use your time on the lifts to re-fuel then hit up a village restaurant when you're done for the day. The lifts typically close at 4pm, and worn out skiers start straggling in around 3ish (myself included). The restaurants will offer great food and drink specials around this time of day. |
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| Need some alone time with your honey? We didn't use this option this time, as we had friends who we traded for babysitting time, but some of the resorts offer complimentary (a.k.a. FREE!) child care if you spend a certain amount of money in their village at restaurants and shops. Most of the time, your kiddo needs to be potty-trained, but look online or call ahead to your resort for details. For the evening babysitting at Copper Mountain, check out Copper Kids' Night Out. |
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Unfortunately, Caleb was a bit too young to ski :-( The ski school instructor strongly advised waiting until your child is 3 to begin lessons. They need strong quad muscles and a longer attention span. He did enjoy playing with his friends at the condo and drooling all over someone else's home. He will only be 2 1/2 next year, but we're totally putting that kid on skis. It's just too much fun not to share with out little man!
Two more tips, then I'm off to make dinner.
- Some of the resorts only have a paid parking option, but others have a free parking option. With free parking, you have to do a bit more walking and take a shuttle to the lift area. At $25 per day at Vail (yikes!), I'll walk a mile in my ski boots to park for free. Be on the lookout for the free spots at your resort, OR have one of your traveling companions drop you off at the lift if they aren't skiing that day.
- I had no idea about this deal until I got there, but check this out: BOGO Lift Ticket. This is a fantastic deal if you and your honey, or a friend, are only skiing for one day. Buy 10 gallons of gas at a participating Shell gas station (look at the link for legit stores), and you get a voucher for a BOGO lift ticket at several different resorts! At Copper, a walk-up single-day lift ticket is $109. If you use this coupon, you and your buddy can ski one day for $54.50 per person. Score! If you are skiing multiple days, it is better to purchase a multi-day pass at a local ski shop or online.
I hope these tips help you and your family have a fantastic, and less expensive, vacation! Blessings to you, mommies!
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