Taking the Kids: Spring fun and games on mountain slopes

Ski.com touts savings of more than 50 percent on spring packages, among them to Park City, Utah. You can also search by budget ski trips.

On the East Coast, Town Square Condos in Waterville Valley are offering a third night free while The Green Mountain Inn in Stowe, Vermont, offers a 20 percent discount on midweek lodging.

Then there is all the fun off the slopes. From March 17 to April 22 there’s Breck Spring Fever, which boasts that it’s “the biggest spring party in the Rocky Mountains” with daily events on the mountain and off.

Steamboat celebrates the end of the ski season (April 1 to 14) with Springalicious, complete with free music and the Cardboard Classic. Think racing down a trail in a homemade cardboard craft made only from cardboard, glue, string, water- based paint, tape and other decorations.

From March 2 to April 13 there’s a Canyons Village Spring Concert series at Park City Mountain in Utah. Also in Utah, celebrate Alta’s Snowflake Festival March 25 to March 31 (learn to make tie dye in the snow).

In Vermont, celebrate 24 Hours of Stratton (March 16 to 17) and play on the slopes under lighted trails into sunrise. The proceeds benefit the Stratton Community Foundation. There will be a team costume contest, vertical uphill challenge, outdoor glow dance party, tubing, fireworks, music and more.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with 308 inches of snow this season, celebrates spring with a free two-day music festival April 5 to 6 with free concerts in March on Saturdays on the Road to Rendezvous.

You don’t even need to head up the mountain. Many don’t at the Taste of Vail (April 3 to 6), one of the country’s top food and wine festivals, this year celebrating its 32nd season. There will be winemakers from 58 top wineries, tasting on the streets of Vail, mountaintop tastings with gourmet food, and much more. And like other spring mountain festivals, there is a charitable component: Taste of Vail has partnered with CHOW, an organization that supports wellness within the hospitality industry, working to make changes that will support workers in the hospitality industry.

Copper Mountain, with 2,450 acres of varied terrain and a new upscale mid-mountain lodge, has$99 lift tickets purchased online in advance with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit nonprofit organizations. Long popular with Denverites and those who live on the Front Range, Copper is attracting IKON passholders from around the country. At Copper, there are kids free packages as well as those with the third-night free.

“It’s our go-to mountain with the kids,” said Tom Terrell, who has two young kids.

“I love the family vibe,” said Christen Zuvka, who grew up skiing here but now lives in Chicago. “The mountain has a lot to offer.”

Never more than in spring.

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(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The fourth edition of The Kid’s Guide to New York City and the third edition of The Kid’s Guide to Washington D.C. are the latest in a series of 14 books for kid travelers published by Eileen.)