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Top Places For Ski Lessons For Kids In Colorado

Colorado is a top tourist destination for primarily one reason: skiing. The beautiful Rocky Mountains provide some of the best white powder in the world and people from all over flock to Colorado during the cold wintery months to partake in the winter wonderland. If you live in Colorado and you don't ski, then you are truly missing out. The best bet is to start your children young, take them to a few lessons and help them learn early on how to safely navigate the slopes. Of course, there are plenty of great places in Colorado to provide expert instruction geared just for your kids.

Arapahoe Basin Kid's Full Day
28194 US Highway 6
Keystone, CO 80435
(970) 468-0718
www.arapahoebasin.com

Price: $115 for a full day, includes lunch

Arapahoe Basin is a favorite of skiers and snowboarders for many reasons, including the fact that it continually offers the longest skiing season in the state. It offers some fantastic lessons for beginners of all ages as well. With packages for a half day, a full day and even three full days, there are many different levels and ways to get your child the professional instruction they need to be an expert skier in no time. The classes are designed for both skiers and snowboarders, plus the class size is never more than four students for pre-school ages or six students for all other ages. With small class sizes, more time to ski and so many different classes, it is just another reason why Arapahoe Basin is a local favorite.

MAX4 Half Day Lessons
Winter Park Resort
85 Parsenn Road
Winter Park, CO 80482
(970) 726-5514
www.winterparkresort.com

Price: $149 or $169 with rentals

Winter Park has many different types of lessons available for children as young as three. With all of the classes focused on safety and building the essentials, your child will love any of the great learning options. The new MAX4 Program for kids is especially great because it limits the class sizes to four kids per instructor so every child has plenty of attention to get the skills that he or she needs to be safe on the slopes. The MAX4 classes are half-day lessons that run from 11:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. so you can join your kids on the slopes after the lessons are over. Just hope that you can keep up.

Related: Top Ski Equipment Shops in Denver

Wedge
(credit: khut.net)

Kinderhut
at Beaver Run Resort
649 Village Road
Breckenridge, CO 80424
(970) 453-0379
www.khut.net

Price: $78 for a half day

Kinderhut is a unique ski school aimed at the younger budding ski bunnies, ages two and a half to six years old. Since it specializes in such young children, the instructors all have great patience and skills when teaching the younger set. The focus for the variety of lessons is primarily on balancing, stopping and turning, and all instructors are trained in First Aid, CPR and even child development. Worried that your kid won't want to ski? Well if your child has a last-minute fear of hitting the slopes, do not worry because Kinderhut also has a great selection of indoor activities with lots of arts, crafts, games and more.

Teen Park and Pipe Camp
Aspen Snowmass
40 Carriage Way
Snowmass, CO 81654
(970) 920-0788
www.aspensnowmass.com

Price: $489 for three days

If you have an older child that is already skiing like a champ, then this is the perfect place to bring your teen (ages 13 to 17) to develop even more. Aspen is world-famous for its amazing skiing and snowboarding, and this program allows your kids to learn how to pull off jumps and tricks on the same mountain as the Winter X Games. This is three days packed full of very specialized coaching from some of the best instructors in the business, and is designed specifically for intermediate to expert-level kids.

Related: Top Ski Areas for Beginners

Telluride Ski Resort Children's Ski & Snowboard School
Telluride Ski and Golf
565 Mountain Village Blvd.
Telluride, CO 81435
(970) 728-7545
www.tellurideskiresort.com

Price: $160 for one day

Telluride offers many wonderful ski lessons for kids of all ages, but the Otters program is one of the more specialized programs available. Designed for children ages three to four years old, it is specifically for those kids who probably aren't ready to spend a whole day outside. The instructors will introduce your child to the slopes through games and techniques. It is a great way to spend a couple of hours on skis, learning how to slide around and having a great time. The price also includes lunch, so you can enjoy a day out on the slopes knowing that your child is also having the time of his or her life.

Deborah Flomberg is a theater professional, freelance writer and Denver native. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.

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