Taking the Kids: Having some fun in the snow

The GEMS Card provides your choice of either two 2-for-1 lift tickets or two 30 percent off lift tickets. It can be used twice at each ski area for 22 total uses and pays for itself after one use.

Many states, including Colorado, Utah, Idaho and Michigan, Vermont, New Hampshire and New York have kids’ ski free deals for certain grades, often starting for third-graders. An app called WinterKids offers deals in Maine and New Hampshire. You don’t typically have to be a state resident. However, each program is slightly different, some may have small administrative fees and typically you need to apply in advance. Besides free lift tickets — a significant savings that can add up to hundreds of dollars – there may also be discounts on rental gear, outerwear and more.

You can also check out resorts that offer free lift tickets for kids, including

Steamboat in Colorado (one child per adult skiing for five days), Keystone (when families book two or more nights lodging) and Aspen Snowmass, which offers free lift tickets for kids ages 7 to 12 when they stay in approved accommodations and add a kid’s equipment rental. There is a similar Family Value Package at Deer Valley in Utah. In Oregon, kids 12 and under can ski free the same number of days as their paying parents at Mt. Bachelor, while two kids 10 and under can ski free at Brighton Resort in Utah when skiing with a passholder or an adult purchasing a lift ticket.

For an all-inclusive experience, consider Club Med Quebec Charlevoix where lifts, lessons, lodging, food and child care are all included. And with the dollar so strong against the euro, families with experienced skiers and riders seeking a different more cultural mountain experience (lunches at mountain huts, dinners and breakfasts at quaint hotels where you are staying), might consider an overseas trip to the slopes. (Ski.com can arrange packages worldwide.)

Besides lift tickets, you typically can save if you book lodging, rentals, lifts and flights together. Consider if you want to be on the mountain (certainly easier with younger kids, though it can be more expensive) or in town (is there a free bus? How far to the mountain?)

Are you a family that likes to cook? In many ski towns you can get groceries delivered, as well as all varieties of takeout. (Remember, even if you plan to go out to dinner, the kids — and you — may be too pooped at the end of a long ski day.)

Then comes the trip when your teens not only leave you in their dust but aren’t nearly as tired as you are. Thank goodness for free shuttles!

Hope you have some fun in the snow this winter!

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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 Kid’s Guide to Philadelphia and The Kid’s Guide to Camping are the latest in a series of 14 books for kid travelers published by Eileen.)