Taking the Kids: Ten-plus ideas for summer adventures in ski country
Time for a bike ride? Not so fast! Not if you are going to try mountain-biking, says Rick Sokoloff, the mountain bike program director at Smugglers’ Notch Resort in Vermont and co-founder of the Stowe Mountain Bike Club.
It's a lot different to bike on a mountain trail with uneven terrain, rocks and tree stumps. All the more reason to take a lesson, which is what my husband, Andy Yemma, and our friend, Enesi Domi, 15, did one cloudy morning last summer.
You'll find increasing mountain-biking options at ski resorts across the country, whatever your level. For example, the Evolution Bike Park in Crested Butte, Colo., has opened a new beginner Hot Dogger trail that lets newbies ride the lift and experience mountain-biking in a nonintimidating fashion -- with a wide track, easy rollers and soft berm turns. At Smugglers' there are balance bikes without pedals for kids as young as 3 to get a feel for mountain-biking.
You'll also find free kid-friendly activities, (daily Kidtopia fun at Keystone Resort Ready for a glow party, festivals (Telluride, Colo., boasts one just about every weekend), farmer's markets, mini and disc golf, regular golf, tennis, challenge courses or, of course, the chance to hike, fish and river raft?
Many of those who migrated to mountain towns for winter sports, including my daughter Mel, find they love the summer just as much. Mountain towns go all out for the Fourth of July, too, with parades, concerts and fireworks, even a cowboy roundup in Steamboat Springs, Colo., that has been an Independence Day tradition for more than 100 years.
Another plus: There are great lodging deals significantly less than in winter whether you want a deluxe hotel like the Montage in Deer Valley, the St. Regis Aspen with a free night and resort credit, or the pooch-friendly Topnotch Resort in Vermont where you can work on your tennis game and Stowe Mountain Lodge known for its farm to table food. There are plenty of condos like those from Wyndham Vacation Rentals with plenty of room to spread out and discounts up to 30 percent.
Here are 10 ideas for summer mountain fun. (And for more ideas, check out the Taking the Kids #BestSummer Fun section.) You can:
1. Learn archery, kayaking and stand-up paddle-boarding in classes at Sunday River Resort through a satellite L.L.Bean Outdoor Discovery Schools program.
2. Take a new Guided Mountain Bike Tour at Big Sky, Montana, between Bozeman and West Yellowstone where kids too young for mountain-biking will have plenty of fun on the Bungee Trampoline and Jungle Gym Playground or playing mini golf.
3. Shoot down a mountain on Breckinridge, Colorado's Gold Runner Alpine Coaster -- 2,500 feet of elevated alpine track through forests and above ski runs.
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