Welcome to Back to Ski Week, a preview of the upcoming downhill ski season for families. All week long we’ll be thinking snow and I’ll be sharing not only my own tips for planning a family ski vacation but also stories and ideas from other family travel bloggers. If you’re looking for more downhill skiing tips, reviews of ski areas from around the world, or just some stories from families who ski, be sure to follow me on Twitter and Facebook and check out the Back to Ski Pinterest board where you’ll find posts from other skiing family travel bloggers.
All week long I’ve been talking about how to ski with kids, with tips about where to ski, where to stay, where to eat, and how to get geared up. But one thing I haven’t mentioned is why I ski with my kids.
It’s certainly not because skiing is a convenient sport for us: We live in flat-as-a-pancake Delaware. Any skiing we do involves either a significant drive or a flight, which is always further complicated by the fact that the boys don’t get much time off from school in the winter. And skiing isn’t an especially economical family hobby. Even though I hunt out deals and lease equipment and find as many ways as I can to reduce the cost of skiing, it always ends up as a significant part of our travel budget for the year – partly because we can’t get enough of it and so try to go as often as possible.
Downhill skiing as a family takes agency, organization, commitment, and resources. Which may make you wonder why I have dedicated the past four days on my blog extolling its virtues. Well, I’ll tell you why.
It’s because of mountains.
It’s because of cold, crisp air on our cheeks.
It’s because of how good food tastes after spending the entire day outdoors.
It’s because of fir trees dusted with snow.
It’s because of hot chocolate and fireplaces.
It’s because skiing makes me feel like I’m flying, like I’m a superhero, like I’m ten years old and the whole world is before me to be seized.
It’s because at no other time do all four members of my family so clearly and simply enjoy doing the exact same thing at the exact same time.
It’s because of joy.
Why do you ski with your kids?
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I've taken with my children and those I want to take. Explore and you'll find family travel tips, information about vacation destinations, and lots of stories about our adventures! 
I ski with my kids because it’s something we’ll be able to do together our entire lives. I love how I’ll ride up a chair with a 40 year old dad and his 10 year old son. On the next chair I ride up with a 70 year old dad and his 40 year old son.
You’re certainly doing it for all of the right reasons. I’m sure these ski adventures will be remembered by everyone in your family for years to come.
I love the chats on the ski lift where we discuss the runs and the next challenges or simple things we’ll try on the next run to improve our skiing.