Little Kids, Big Mountains

You don't have to give up the big mountain experience just because you have little kids. 

My family ate lunch today at the summit of Kicking Horse Resort. Clad in our ski and snowboard gear, my two young daughters, my husband and I rode the gondola to the top, and dined at some 8,000 feet up. The view is 360 degrees of spectacularly snowy high cliffs and crags lining valleys that extend for miles.  Best of all, the experience wasn't lost on the kids.

Photo: Family Snow Time!

Kids at Kicking Horse
There's no doubt that Kicking Horse has some of the steepest terrain in the Rockies, Canadian or American. The epic double black diamonds draw mostly male skiers and boarders who hike for their runs. So, I was surprised to see how well the resort caters to families with kids.

Kids can take lessons at all levels from the ski and snowboard school. A mid-mountain family zone gives youngsters a place to have fun without speeding experts flying past. Plus, the resort offers lower-mountain-only tickets for lifts that go as high as the mid-station, where there are still plenty of options for all levels.

Photo: Family Snow Time1

The plan for our afternoon was to head down the only green beginner run from the top. But as clouds rolled in, the route was closed due to zero visibility. Our Plan B was to take the gondola back to the base instead of traversing the narrow cat track with a beginner snowboarder. As lunch wrapped up, the clouds blew past the peaks, and we headed for the cat track. Granted a flat traverse run isn't ideal for snowboarders, but there were also intermittent groomed green and blue runs that kept the kids excited to get around the next corner.

Big Bumpy Bowls
When there is plenty of soft, light powder, even the gnarliest moguls become friendly. For a kid on a 110-cm snowboard, those bumps are rolling hills. It seems counter-intuitive, but taken one at a time, the snowy mounds make a steep slope less intimidating.

Photo: Family Snow Time!

The Paradise Bowl at Lake Louise was a great place to introduce Cyane to what a bowl is. She made her way down by choosing her own path and reading the slope.

Upsides and Downsides
There are definitely pluses and minuses to the big mountain experience with kids. Firstly, the run are long. So if kids are cold or tired, this can be challenging for everyone involved. Know where the mid-mountain lodge is and bring toe warmers and snacks.

On the plus side, at a big mountain, you will likely spend more time on the slopes than waiting in line. We had only one 10-min wait at the base of Lake Louise. Once most folks headed to the upper mountain and back bowls, the lines disappeared. Then, the playground of pistes was ours to explore!