One look at Keystone Resort’s website will show you that it is the perfect winter playground for families. The pages are peppered with children in brightly colored ski jackets having the time of their lives. We know how websites can often make things look better than they really are so when we were invited to visit Keystone during a media event, we decided to put Keystone Resort to the test and it passed with flying colors.
Kids Ski Free
One thing that I am learning during our inaugural ski season is that a ski vacation is not a low budget adventure from driving into the mountains to hotel costs to renting equipment and purchasing a lift ticket. There are definitely ways to save money on a ski vacation but not much will save you as much as the Keystone Resort Kids Ski Free program. As long as you stay in a Keystone Resort owned and operated property for at least two nights, children under the age of 12 ski free. There aren’t any blackout dates and there are dozens of different types of properties and price points to choose from. To bring my two children, that would save me over $200 during the two day period.
The joy of the first ride on the ski lift!
Skiing for all Levels
Keystone offers a Ski and Ride School for all ability levels. There is a range of prices and session lengths to choose from. The mountain has everything from easy trails to much more difficult trails (like the kind I don’t think I will ever see the likes of) and everything is well marked.
When we visited Keystone, I had only been on skis once the weekend before but we didn’t have time to take a lesson while we were there. We still wanted to hit the slopes but I was scared to hop on a lift and head down a green trail right away. While I was studying the trail map, I found the Discovery Learning Area. You do not have to be in ski and ride school to use this learning area but you do need a lift ticket. There are two magic carpets as well as a small lift that are perfect for practicing your new skills. When you are ready, you can head up to some of the more advanced beginner trails.
Activities off of the Slopes
What happens if you discover that you or your offspring are not big fans of skiing or maybe you just want a break from the slopes? Does that mean your ski vacation is a bust? Absolutely not! I have learned that a ski vacation does not just mean spending time on skis. Keystone offers an endless list of activities when you are ready to take off the skis.
Our favorite activities off the slopes in Keystone were tubing and ice skating. The tubing hill at Adventure Point is no ordinary tubing hill. Before you can even start tubing, you have to take a gondola ride up to the top of Dercum Mountain. While you are up there, make sure that you make time to stop by the Snow Fort. Your children will not believe their eyes when they see this awesome fort made out of snow. They will giggle as they crawl through tunnels or sit in the throne made completely of ice. If you are ice skating your afternoon away at the Dercum Square Ice Skating Rink, be sure to grab a cookie at the Cookie Happy Hour. Every Saturday through April 6th, you can take part in Riperoo’s Village Parade. Ride in a tube, dance down the street and enjoy the fun.
It’s the Little Things
We love the little things that make a difference. Things like the fact that the free parking lot in the River Run Village is just a few short minutes from the slopes and there are wagons to help you drag all of your gear.
We loved the fact that the restaurant choices range from ridiculously expensive and fancy to quick service and low key giving us a number of choices. The shuttle service was efficient, timely and made sense. You can get from point A to point B without an issue and every shuttle driver we encountered was courteous and had answers to all of our questions.
Our visit to Keystone was a wonderful family weekend. We had so much fun that I am taking two friends up there when they come into town to visit.
*Thank you to Keystone for hosting our stay. All opinions are mine.
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