Life was so much easier when my wife and I were young! We did what we wanted, when we wanted, and everything focused around our desires. Where we chose to vacation was pretty much determined by what fun things there were for us to do and how close was the nearest bar! Then came along our daughter, Cassidy, and that all changed. Sound familiar? “Kid Friendly” and “Family Focused” became the keywords in our vacation planning searches.

Seriously though, vacationing as a family has provided precious memories and amazing, life-changing experiences that eclipse anything we did before we started building our family. We have traveled to many places around the world over the years and none have compared to our vacations in Aspen, Colorado. We have been fortunate to have visited Aspen in both the summer and winter many times as a family, as well as with our extended family and multiple families, and have never had a vacation that was not filled with fun, adventure, and memories that we will reminisce upon for our lifetime.

Let’s reconsider the term “Kid Friendly” as Aspen is a playground for kids of all ages! Downtown Aspen’s abundant collection of shops, art galleries, dining establishments, and nightclubs along with the many sporting events, cultural and culinary festivals, musical events headlined by world-class classical musicians to the day’s current chart-topping pop and rock stars, rival the offerings of any other top resort destination in the world. Indeed, many days and nights can be spent exploring and enjoying these more typical vacation attractions.

Where Aspen really stands apart from most every other destination is in its marriage of the culture and culinary with the gifts with which Mother Nature has blessed this very special place on earth. From Thanksgiving to Easter, Aspen is a Winter Wonderland for adventure seeking families who know how to have fun. And, to be sure, the focus is on the kids! Specifically, on exposing and endearing your children to an activity that your family will experience together for your lifetime and pass on to their children and grandchildren. Skiing and snowboarding as a family is like no other experience, one that brings everyone together year after year.

It is all about creating amazing family experiences at Aspen’s four resorts: Aspen Mountain, Snowmass, Buttermilk and Aspen Highlands-- where Kids Ski Free! With the purchase of a children’s equipment rental package from one of the resort operated ski shops children 12 and under receive a free lift ticket. Savings of many hundreds of dollars for families is Aspen’s investment in creating future ski enthusiasts.

This exceptional deal is bolstered by one of the best ski instruction programs in the world. Children’s ski school is hosted on the beginner-focused Buttermilk Mountain, home of the X-Games, as well as Snowmass Mountain. Once your family progresses in your skiing skills, Aspen Mountain and Aspen Highlands offer some of the most exciting, challenging terrain of any resort in the world. All of these mountains are within 15 minutes of each other and the free busing system that runs throughout the area makes getting around extremely convenient.

Snowmass is one of the most family friendly resorts in the country, with the bulk of the lodging situated right along beginner and intermediate ski slopes. Wide open trails, the Elk Camp area of the mountain dedicated to children’s ski school instruction with its own gondola, and plenty of challenging terrain for when the kids progress in their skills help make Snowmass the ideal choice for skiers and snowboarders of all ages and skill levels. For the littlest ones in the family, the Treehouse Kids Adventure Center brings Colorado’s great outdoors inside for kids 8 months to 4 years old with mountain focused daycare and early learners ski instruction programs.

Buttermilk is the smallest of the four mountains with most of the terrain suited for skiers and snowboarders just getting started in the sport. Gentle slopes that are meticulously groomed are ideal for first timers. As you progress in your skills, the intermediate terrain on Buttermilk makes progressing in confidence a key element.

Topping off the family focused atmosphere of Aspen is a host of outdoor activities that truly make for a comprehensive vacation experience. Every Friday night during the peak winter months is Ullr Night on Snowmass where activities that include tubing, ice skating, kid’s snowbiking, snowshoe tours, live music, and s’mores by the bonfire are offered for families on the mountain via an evening ride up the Elk Camp gondola. Snowmass is also host to one of the most fun winter activities for families, dog sledding, which takes place in the Campground area of the ski mountain. Snowmobiling, cross country skiing, horse-drawn sleigh rides, and snowcat dinners on the mountain are some of the fun things that make a vacation to Aspen one of the most action packed family destinations in the world.

Hopefully you will heed my words and get started planning your next family vacation to Aspen. With so much to experience it might seem a daunting task to plan your vacation right. That is where working with Rocky Mountain Getaways is invaluable! Our destination experts have done it all and know how to make sure your family gets to enjoy all that Aspen has to offer! By the way, as I write this article I am in the car with my family, on our way to Aspen for another week of fun playing in the snow!!! See you on the slopes :)