Snowsports Areas Keeping Mom and the Kids Happy

There's a saying in the snow sports industry. It's probably true for all industries, but there is a saying nevertheless:

If mom is happy, then everyone is happy.

But moms will tell you if the kids are happy, then they are happy.

Dads just go with the flow.

Thus, there has been push over the past several years to make snow sports resorts more attractive for all family members. The teen-agers are easy - just throw some jumps, a halfpipe, rails, boxes and give the terrain park its own lift and they are happy.

For non-skiers and riders, spas work wonders. Now, many resorts are building mountain coasters. Tubing hills have sprouted up all over the Northeast. Heck, Henry Park in Vernon offers night sledding. 

But the real trick is with the younger crowd and resorts have become quite creative in their approach to keeping the children interested. Here is a look at a few of the best:

Learning areas: Yes, the old bunny hills just aren't what they used to be - and neither is the boot-fitting. Most mountains feature self-contained ski and snowboard schools that bring young people from the ticket line to the rental counter, to the rental shop to orientation and then to the snow and back for lunch all out of one building. 

And the lifts are not the old j-bars that might give you a wedgie or the t-bars that trip you and your partner when you are trying to line yourself up with it. In 1990, a company called Rocky Mountain Conveyor and Equipment came up with the idea of a surface lift that is all about surface - the Magic Carpet. It is a rubberized conveyor system that allows young skiers and snowboarders to simply step not the carpet and glide up the hill like and escalator without the steps. The company's now known as Magic Carpet Lifts Inc.  

Some magic carpets can reflect traditions at their respective mountains. At Mount Snow in Vermont, for example, kids can ride the carpet under a covered bridge.

Accommodations: Staying over no longer has to be in a crammed hotel room. Many resorts now have condominium complexes or luxury hotels with kitchens and separate bedrooms so the kids can have their fun and the parents can have their space.

Pools: Many of those luxury hotels and condo complexes have both indoor and outdoor pools and hot tubs. But the most popular pools are the ones designed for both kids and adults.

Take the Spring House Pool and Fitness Center at Okemo Mountain Resort in Vermont, for example. It houses a regulation-length, 25-yard, two-lane lap pool with a recreational swimming area. The kids’ pool, ranges in depth from 6 to 18 inches. It has plenty of fountain features, but the most popular is the frog slide.  One mountain official chuckles every time he describes the slide as ''throwing up kids'' on busy weekends.

Also in Vermont is the North Hill Aquatics Center at Smugglers' Notch. It's only a short walk from the North Hill condos, and the kiddie pool is motion-activated. Once the children walk in, the center comes to life with slides, fountains and tunnels. The pool is not only shallow, but padded everywhere.

The North Hill center also has lap and recreational swimming.  

At Bolton Valley in Vermont, not only is there a pool, but an entire sports center and indoor amusement center. The sports center houses a heated indoor pool, hot tub and sauna. The cardio area in the sports center includes a treadmill and a weight area.

Inside the Bolton field house is a basketball court and a game room that features  pool and air hockey tables and video games. Arcade games are turned on 3 p.m. each day. The sports center cardio area includes a stair climber, elliptical and rowing machine, and upright and recumbent bikes.

Camps: There are a variety of camps out there for young people of all abilities. At Killington Mountain School in Vermont, BOOST Inferno camps are being offered Feb. 28 through March 3 and March 7  through March 10. BOOST Inferno Camps focus on giving young racers racers the opportunity to experience life at Killington Mountain School and prepare for championship races under the guidance of the KMS coaching staff. Athletes will use the KMS facilities for morning sport and afternoon study sessions which are directed by the KMS BOOST teaching staff each day.

Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports offers several camps for young people with disabilities at Pico, Sugarbush and Bolton Valley. Sugarbush is the site of the March 4 through 6 family fun camp, which stresses the development of personal snow sports skills while having fun skiing or snowboarding with peers and instructors.

Windham Mountain in New York has its own adaptive center run in conjunction with Stride Sports.