Colorado Family Snowboarding Trip

❄️Back on our boards! When I wasn’t flat on my face or bum, my legs finally weren’t on fire going down the mountain this time because I braved the art of carving😂! And little did I realize how painful it would be to catch an edge and land right on my tailbone and head. Thank goodness for helmets! I couldn’t bend over properly for a couple weeks afterwards!🤣 I’m fine! I’ll always be fine😉 And to think we brought along 4 little offsprings to join in on the craziness! 🏂🏂🏂🏂 They absolutely killed it and never complained. So grateful for our 4 beautiful babies and their hearts of steel lol! You know we’ll be back to the mountains next year! Tap HERE to see last years Colorado Snowboarding Trip.

I heard that they passed out freshly baked cookies at the bottom of the Beaver Creek mountain and KNEW this was the spot for our annual family snowboarding trip! We booked five nights at Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort & Spa. It had everything we could possibly want! We booked an early flight to Denver and rented a car and drove 2.5 hours to the resort. There is another airport located 40 minutes from the resort but flights were tripled flying in compared to Denver. Since we had an early flight and plenty of time to add in a mini road-trip, we saved over $3500 on 6 flights. We stopped by a local grocery store to pick our favorite snacks and drinks to keep with us on the slopes and breakfasts for every morning! We always book adjoining rooms so that we can put the kids to sleep in their room and Aaron & I can stay up late having fun and connecting. Our kids are all early-risers and splurging on the 2nd room is WORTH IT! I always set out a breakfast of fruits and granola bars for them to snack on when they wake up so that Aaron & I can get a an extra hour or 2 of sleep. I shared a few videos on THIS INSTAGRAM POST! I saved our IG stories of snowboarding & the resort to THIS HIGHLIGHT.

Things We Packed

We rent our boots, boards, and helmets at the resort to simplify traveling with luggage since we only bring 5 carry-on suitcases and a backpack for everyone. For each of us, I pack a pair of waterproof boots, 5 pairs of tall socks, 3 sets of fleece base layers, 3 pairs of sweatpants and hoodies/zip-up jackets, and 1 snow jacket + pant/bib. Each person also has waterproof gloves and 1 pair of mitts + goggles + neck-warmers. We love THESE MASKS to travel. I also bring 2 sets of pajamas since altitude sickness is likely and they might become ill in the middle of the night. Last year, I wasn’t prepared for altitude sickness and 3 of the kids all threw up during the first night. yuck. Definitely look into altitude sickness and how to prevent it! We basically drank TONS of water starting during the flight to Denver and we didn’t stop chugging, haha. I also didn’t pack candy or refined sugars in their backpacks during the flight and we limited juices and had a big healthy dinner the first night. We also packed an outfit to wear to dinner each night! We bring all sorts of medicine, vitamins, sunscreen, extra phone chargers, iPads for the airplane and early mornings, and a sound machine for the kids room. I love using THIS BAG to keep our electronic cords and headphones organized. I use THIS BAG to keep my makeup, skincare, and toiletries organized. I use THESE BAGS to separate everyones clothes and shoes separated. We’ve had THIS LUGGAGE in cream & brown for many years and they’ve held up perfectly. We use THIS LUGGAGE for the kids. The kids also use THESE BACKPACKS to keep their blankets & iPads. I’ve had THIS BACKPACK for years and it’s my go-to airplane bag. Aaron uses THIS BACKPACK for the airplane and he snowboards with it on.

Snowboarding

This is our 2nd trip snowboarding which means the kids (and I) are still newbies! We decided to send the kids to 2 days of ski school while Aaron and I hit the slopes together! Then we spent the next 2 days together as a family. I think we’ll always do this to give an opportunity for the kids to build their skills with an instructor. Next time, we’ll do 1 day of ski school + 1 day with a private instructor joining our family. Maybe even next year I’ll jump into a lesson so that I can progress too, haha. Last year, we had a private instructor come with our family for the first 2 days since the resort in Breckenridge didn’t offer ski school due to covid restrictions. We NEEDED this since 5 out of 6 of us didn’t know how to snowboard LOL. Avery was only 3, twins were 7, and Savannah was 9. They progressed very quickly and it was a very tiring yet rewarding family vacation! We stayed 5 nights in Avon, Colorado and booked 4 full days of ski lifts. We spent about 6-7 hours each day on the mountain. We were the kids biggest hypes! Each morning we covered them in pep talks and fed them hearty breakfasts. Aaron wore a black backpack that we filled with a few water bottles, granola bars, and fruit snacks. I think the biggest help for having happy kiddos is keeping them warm while up on the mountain!

Resort Details

The location of this resort rests at the very foot of the mountain which was too good to pass up! Every morning we’d suit up and walk downstairs to the ski valet to pick up our boots sitting in their warmers and our snowboards. We didn’t have this service last year when we stayed at a different resort. The ski lift is right in the center of the resort, surrounded by lots of fire-pits and even a playground! The resort has a great restaurant called 8100 Mountainside Bar & Grill and we had the yummiest dinners nearly every night. We also took a 2 minute walk to Rimini Gelato for Nutella crepes! Every night we’d jump into our swimsuits and hop into the outdoor hot tubs. It was glorious! On our last evening, we’d walked next door to a new Mediterranean Restaurant called Citrea near the ice-skating rink. It was delish!!! Aaron and I also booked 2 sports massages and we enjoyed the gorgeous spa for a few hours. This resort is surrounded by yummy restaurants and activities, you’ll never need to leave!