ArcaMax

Maybe your idea of fun in the snow is cozying up to a fire with a good book. Maybe the idea of a moonlight snowshoe hike intrigues you. Perhaps a decadent dinner on the mountain that requires a sleigh or snow cat ride. How about racing the kids down a multi-lane tubing hill, ziplining, or a luxuriant day (or two) at the spa while the kids are busy taking ski lessons. Maybe it’s exploring a national park entirely differently.

Yes, I used to plan our trips to the snow around time on the slopes. But with how expensive that can be for a family — and the uncertain quality of the snow in many parts of the country — I’ve begun thinking of other options now available to snow-loving families.

I’ve also been thinking about how I can enjoy the snow after being hobbled by multiple knee surgeries this past year and how families with non-skiers and riders can equally enjoy a trip.

“We just enjoy hanging out and cooking,” one young woman told me. She and her family gathered near Steamboat Springs, Colorado, for the holidays but she and her brother only spent one day on the slopes.

One of her colleagues opined that she opted for two days at a spa rather than the slopes. “It was wonderful,” she said.

Even traditional ski towns have a lot to offer off the slopes. Park City, Utah, for example, boasts 240 restaurants, fat tire biking, ice fishing, dog sledding, sleigh rides, snow tubing and your pick of spas. (A favorite of mine in ski country is the Spa Montage Deer Valley.)

On select nights during ski season Elk Camp, Snowmass' on-mountain restaurant, which transforms on Ullr Nights into a nighttime winter wonderland with rides on the Breathtaker Alpine Coaster, snowbiking and more while at Woodward Copper at Copper Mountain Resort and Woodward Park City, aspiring half-pipe stars can practice their boarding and biking skills or bounce on Olympic-grade trampolines inside the massive action-sports facility. Breckenridge, Colorado, hosts the International Snow Sculpture Championships the last week in January drawing teams from around the world.

We’ve visited Vista Verde Ranch in winter, near Steamboat Springs. The first time, we spent a day at the busy Steamboat Springs Resort, jockeying for a table at lunch, waiting in lift lines. But then we realized, there was so much to do at the ranch – horseback riding, snowshoeing and Nordic skiing, star gazing, snow biking, snowmobiling and a ll without the crowds. As ranch stays typically are all inclusive, we would just come in for lunch (perhaps a sampling of different chilis followed by homemade cookies) after a morning activity (there were terrific kids’ activities too. How about making snow graffiti?).

The Dude Ranchers Association notes at least nine ranches from Western Pleasure Guest Ranch in Sandpoint, Idaho, to the Triangle X Ranch in Moose, Wyoming, near Jackson Hole and inside Grand Teton National Park (great wildlife viewing!) to Latigo Ranch and C Lazy U Ranch in Colorado. Last summer, we visited the ultra-luxe Brush Creek Ranch in southern Wyoming, which boasts its own ski mountain accessed only by snow cat , ice fishing, cooking classes (homegrown food from vegetables to beef to goat cheese) and winter wellness. How about snowshoeing with a Llama? (Check out their Valentine’s Day offerings and Snowfest Feb. 29 to March 3 with plenty of snow adventures.)

REI Adventures offers winter group trips snowshoeing to Banff, Yosemite and Lake Tahoe, among the offerings.

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