Top 10 family ski resorts

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Jay
With over 50 miles of skiable terrain, 100-plus acres of off-piste routes and four terrain parks, Jay Peak, located 60 miles from Burlington International Airport, offers a nice mix of options for skiers and boarders of all ages. An array of age-appropriate ski school programs — Kinderski (ages 3 to 5), Mini-Learn-to-Ride (ages 5 to 6), Jay Explorers (ages 6 to 10), and Mountain Riders (ages 7 to 10) — make use of indoor ramps with moving carpets and special “kids-only” ski areas.

On-property guests can take advantage of free daycare (ages 2 to 7), part of a package that includes complimentary lodging and lift tickets for kids 14 and under (non-holiday periods only). Tip: If you’re traveling from D.C. or New York City, consider hopping aboard the Amtrak Vermonter, which terminates in St. Albans, Vermont, about 45 minutes from the resort; children ages 2 to 15 are eligible for a 50 percent fare discount and children under 2 ride for free, when accompanied by a fare-paying adult.

Mont Tremblant
Just 90 minutes northwest of Montreal, this Canadian resort is considered by many to be the best in the Northeast. With a festive village in the base area and an $800 million expansion underway, it’s often favorably compared to resorts in the Alps (expect 94 runs and 13 lifts, including five high-speed quad lifts and a panoramic gondola).

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Most importantly, for those looking for a place that will virtually guarantee a snowboarding teenager’s happiness (no small feat, perhaps), rest assured: The resort’s 30-acre terrain park, which includes an Olympic-caliber half-pipe and a tunes-blasting sound system, was rated by Ski Magazine as one of the best in North America. Don’t be afraid to let the pre-teens tag along as well; there’s a daycare for kids ages 1 to 6, as well as an ice labyrinth, ice-skating rink, and evening tubing. Kids ages 7 and up can take advantage of snowboarding lessons while 3 is the minimum age for ski lessons.

North Star-at-Tahoe
Families comprised of beginning or intermediate skiers and snowboarders should look no further than Truckee’s Northstar-at-Tahoe (in California’s Lake Tahoe area), where nearly all of the resort’s 2,420 acres are designated as green or blue trails. Extras like the Parent Predicament perk (allowing two parents with young children to share one lift ticket), après-ski ice skating and s'mores roasts, and moonlight snowmobile tours get rave reviews from parents and youngsters alike. Also worthwhile, for more adventurous young skiers, is a visit to Adventure Parks, which offers an outlet to practice elementary jumps to both beginning skiers and snowboarders.

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Solitude
Tucked away in the shadows of Wasatch Mountains in Big Cottonwood Canyon, this private Utah ski lodge, located just 40 minutes from Salt Lake City, offers ski-inclined families a barrage of kid-friendly activities. Parents can enjoy a day shushing through the 1,200 acres of fresh powder, while the little ones are enrolled in the resort’s kids’ programs — the Play Academy caters to kids age 4 and under, and features activities like snowplay and storytelling, while the Kids Academy brings ski instruction to children ages 5 to 12; snowboarding lessons are reserved for youngsters ages 7 and up. Ice-skating, fireside s’mores roasts, and terrain parks round out the family-friendly experience.

Steamboat
Revered for its decided lack of glam, Steamboat continues to hold out against the trend of local, homey ski towns turning ritzy resort. It’s true Colorado Rockies cowboy country up here (160 miles northwest of Denver but a mere 25 miles from the closest airport in Hayden), combining Old West ranching heritage with wicked tree skiing and copious amounts of champagne-powder snow cover.

Adults adore the authenticity, while youngsters dig the kids-only terrain and lifts (with areas for both novices and the more advanced), small group lessons, and the Kids Night Out camp-style evening program. Parents, meanwhile, can delight in special family deals (like free kids rentals and lift tickets), as well as top-notch day care for children as young as 6 months.