Snow Sports School at Mount Snow is Good to Both the Parents and Kids

A trip to Mount Snow in mid-February produced a column on the resort's new Bluebird Express, a six-passenger bubble chair that makes the ride up the mountain feel like cruising in a luxury limousine.

While the grown-ups took in the sights from the lift, cruised the blues down the center, bombed down the blacks on the North Face and caught some air over at Carinthia, one program made it possible.

The ski and snowboarding school. 

Mount Snow has as solid a program as any in the region in terms of both offerings and facilities.

The infrastructure is simply inviting. The check-in area is spacious and organized and the friendly staff makes the young ones feel at home during the often tedious task of boot-fitting and equipment checking.

The hill itself, whether it is a beginner looking to just stand up, a would-be snow chef practicing making a pizza or a young skier or rider beginning to get daring off the chairlift, is not only self-contained, but it offers terrain right there for all ability levels.

And it's good for the parents that everyone is in one spot. There are even good vantage points to watch from a safe distance.

Here's what Mount snow offers for young skiers and riders — all from a drive of about two hours from the Greater Hartford area:

• Cub Camp: The program provides your 3-year-olds with their first experience on skis. Cub Camp is a full day of child care with a one-hour clinic that will gently develop a love of skiing.

• Snow Camp: Designed for 4- to 6-year-olds, the Snow Camp ski program will improve a child’s skills on and off the slopes. Everyone skis with someone his or her own age and ability level.

• Mountain Camp: The program for 7- to 14-year-olds stresses that learning to ski can still be really fun and shows that lasting friendships can be made on and off the hill.

• Mountain Riders: The program for snowboarders 7 to 14 emphasizes that  learning to ride can be a blast while taking the skills to the next level with personalized instruction.

For more information on the Mount Snow ski and snowboard school, call 800-889-4411 or visit www.mountsnow.com.