First Time Family Fun at Stratton Mountain

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

Snow sports have become a part of our Winter lives since we introduced our boys to skiing and snowboarding over 4 years ago and they have enthusiastically embraced it! We were invited to Momtrends 4th annual family ski weekend at Stratton Mountain in Vermont where we stayed at The Black Bear Lodge which was just a quick shuttle ride to Stratton Village and the slopes.

We left new York City around midday and the drive took us a little over 4.5 hours (mostly due to a couple wrong turns). TIP: try to schedule your drive to arrive when there is still daylight because there are no streetlights in Vermont and it gets really dark, especially when you are unfamiliar with the route.

As part of our weekend, we received a gift bag filled with Vermont themed and locally made goodies including: A Stratton Mountain coaster set, tea towel, Cabot Creamery cookbook, CLIF energy granola, Maple Kettle corn from Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks, local However Wild Honey, Pure Maple candy, from Corse Maple Farm, Sillycow Farms Chocolate Truffle hot chocolate mix, organic herbal tea from Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea Co, note cards from Inclusive Arts Vermont and some cuddly Stratton black bears for the boys.

At Stratton Mountain there are a number of outdoor activities to choose from: Complimentary Mountain tours, Cross-Country skiing, Snowshoe hikes, Fat Bike rentals, Snow-tubing at the Cocoa Cola Tube park, Ice Skating, Snowmobile Tours. We signed up for ski and snowboard lessons, the boys were in an all-day program from 8:30am-3pm which left us to enjoy our own 3 hour group lessons. TIP: If possible, pre-register for your rental gear in advance and they will be waiting for you labeled with your names to avoid lines in the busy mornings.

I still consider myself to be a beginner skier even though I have skied couple times before, so I chose to take a beginner lesson. My instructor, Cara, was absolutely amazing! She was patient, answered all my questions and truly made me feel comfortable by explaining the mechanics of skiing and pointing out mistakes and how/why I should correct them. I was pretty confident on my skis by the second hour of the lesson and even agreed to get on a fun-sized lift by the end of the class. After the class, I ventured out with my husband and we had a blast together on this new adventure.

My snowboarders (my husband and middle son) were outfitted in his favorite superhero Ski jacket and snow pants from Fun.com. They were easy to spot in the distance in these unique jackets and I’m sure they felt like superheroes while shredding down the slopes side by side!

My ten year old skier, was out and about with his more experienced friends and they were spotted all over the mountain. I absolutely LOVE this picture Gotham Love captured of him at the top of the mountain. He has found a love of skiing that we plan to nurture and encourage.

Stratton Mountain is super family friendly and you can definitely find Apres Ski activities that everyone in the family can enjoy! We choose to warm up by the fire pits, eat snacks and enjoy the scenery before heading indoors for dinner. There are a number of dining options after full day on the slopes.

Even though my husband and I started skiing as adults, we want our sons to see that we are open to trying new adventures with them. I hope these family ski weekends are fun family forever memories for my boys for years to come and that they will take these opportunities to introduce others to life on the slopes! #DiversityOnTheSlopes #BrownBoysSki #BrownBoysSnowboard