Family-friendly skiing in B.C.

Share

You can't, as it's said, choose your family, but you can choose where to take them on a ski holiday. Make the wrong choice and you could find your self placating unhappy kids (and all their gear) or consoling a moody teenager. Make the choice to ski in British Columbia, however, and the tears are unlikely to flow until it's time to go home.

It all comes down to options: the more you have, the greater your chances of making happy memories. And B.C. certainly has options.

So, how to choose? The actual skiing part of your ski holiday is a great place to start, and getting your youthful crew excited about sliding down a mountain is crucial foundational work for future family ski trips. Fortunately, significant investments in modern lift systems mean getting up the hill is typically a breeze. B.C. boasts the longest network of magic carpet conveyor lifts on the continent, and you'll be hard pressed to choose a resort in the province without at least one.

Most every resort offers childminding services for infants and toddlers so that mom and dad can grab some turns – or a romantic dinner – together. Once children hit that magical age of three, snow schools will be your best friend.

B.C.'s snow schools also have some of North America's most developed teaching programs and qualified instructors. Not only are these professionals better equipped than most parents to teach tykes the ropes (think GPS safety tracking systems for each child and the ability to cut through busy lift lines), but they know all the fail-safe tricks that encourage kids to ski safely by adopting manoeuvres with names like the "pizza" and "French fries."

Perhaps most importantly, these talented professionals get paid to be patient – don't forget this is your holiday, too. Drop off the little ones and depart the kidzone world for a couple hours together of happy, rolling blue runs or steep-and-deep black ones. Consider it as much an investment in your relationship as in your child's future on skis.

Dealing with fickle teenagers can be challenging at the best of times. After family fresh tracks at resorts such as Sun Peaks, Silver Star or Panorama, consider letting your teen loose in the 'rail and box gardens' or on the snowcross track of the progressive Rockstar Terrain Parks. At Big White, the Telus Terrain Park plays host to all levels with 15 jumps, and has competitions from entry-level grassroots to World Cup races. Even a teenager can't be blasé about Whistler Blackcomb's famous Nintendo Terrain Parks, which cover 99 acres and include the pièce de résistance of terrain parks, the Superpipe.

Be forewarned before choosing B.C., however, that although its mountain offerings are world renowned, the province's off-piste action can be incredibly distracting. Even the most dedicated ski holidays can be derailed by the allure of dogsledding, zipline tours over frozen rivers or a snowcat adventure to a remote hut for a fondue dinner. Many have gone to Kicking Horse for North America's fourth biggest ski vertical, only to discover its newly redesigned tube park (no skills required). Ice skating, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, even ice-wall climbing are all options at Big White Resort; if it can be done outside in the winter, it can be done in B.C.

After spending all day playing in the fresh mountain air as a family, the kids won't be the only ones sleeping like logs each night. While staying in a hotel guarantees you won't be cooking or cleaning, the perks of the ski–in, ski-out accommodations should not be overlooked. You'll get out on the hill in a flash each morning, without the time and cost of a restaurant breakfast. When the kids do get hungry, or too cold, or too hot, just zip inside, address the need and return to the mountain in a jiffy.

Plus, condos are usually located at ground zero, which means quick walks to the lifts, restaurants, shops and other village attractions. For parents, that means no driving and therefore an opportunity to relax over a glass of wine while your kids down hot cocoa and roast marshmallows. Often, those quiet hours are among a ski holiday's most memorable – when moms, dads, brothers and sisters share their adventures and dream of more to come.

This content was produced by Randall Anthony Communications, in partnership with The Globe and Mail's advertising department. The Globe's editorial department was not involved in its creation.