Family Ski Series

Brian, Emilie, Sarah, Jenn and four kids at Jackson

The family skiing trips are a great chance to get the whole family outside. All of us trip leaders are seasoned backcountry skiers/boarders. We are at various stages of parenthood from changing diapers in the woods to cheer leading our kids down the ravines of Mt Washington. We welcome experienced families and first timers.

Click here to see this year’s trips and register

You will see two categories of trips

• cross country ski trips – these are rolling terrain, often groomed. Younger kids can ride in a pulk or sled part of the time.
• down mountain trips – the goal of these trips is to ski down. Since it is backcountry, we have to skin or snowshoe up. These are also suitable for kids of all ages, but parents will need to put in more effort to get young kids up the hill.

All of our trips are designed to be flexible. We want them to be fun.

If you have any questions, you can e-mail the trip leader, or you can e-mail Emilie Phillips, , who is coordinating the family ski trips.

What to expect

When you first sign up for a trip, the trip leader will ask you about your skiing experience. It is ok if you haven’t done a trip exactly like the one you are signing up for. The trip leader can help you with figuring out what equipment to bring. They can also suggest other trips that you might enjoy.

Typical equipment for a trip

• A pack with extra jackets. Parents will need to carry the extra jackets (and mittens) for smaller kids. Older kids can carry their own.
• Food and water for everyone in the family.
• Anything else you know your kids need for 3 hours in the woods.
• (Suggested but optional) the rest of the 10 essentials.
• For cross country trips: classic skis unless the trip listing mentions otherwise.
• For down mountain trips: most trips require alpine touring/Telemark/split board, but some are suitable for regular alpine skis or snowboard and the leaders may have equipment to lend.

After the leader makes sure you and your family are ready for the trip, they will send you the meeting time and location.

Sample trip destinations

We don’t run trips to these every year, but here are some family friendly skiing locations.

Jackson – Cross Country

Family skiing at Jackson

This groomed cross country ski area has a lot of options for terrain. They have rentals on site. We can use the terrain to teach backcountry techniques. The lodge with hot chocolate is never far away. If you aren’t sure whether backcountry skiing is for you, this is a great trip to start with.

Beaver Brook, Twin Mountain – Cross Country

Appropriate for parents and their kids – whether you’re towing them behind in a pulk or they’re already skiing independently, this will be a good good opportunity to ski with some other families and enjoy some time outside on skis.

The Beaver Brook trails include several loop options of varying length across rolling terrain. We will choose the trails based on snow conditions and group level, but plan for a full-day trip.

Participants need to be comfortable with skiing in the woods, possibly breaking trail, and taking on small hills. The trails are suitable for regular cross-country skis, although “off track” skis with metal edges are highly recommended. This is open to families with kids of all ages.

Greeley Ponds – cross country or mild down mountain

Osceola from Greeley Pond

This is a great wilderness experience. We ski to Upper Greeley Pond from the Kancamagus. From the pond you can see the cliffs on East Osceola. On the descent, you will enjoy turns on the twisty woods trail. The difficulty is similar to a touring center black. Not suitable for snowboards, but young kids may enjoy being towed up and then alpine skiing back down.

Wildcat Valley Trail – down mountain

This is a great trip to come on if your family has never skied the backcountry because we ride a chairlift to the top. The Wildcat Valley trail starts as a narrow twisting trail. Then it opens up into a birch glade. We finish the trip with an easy run out the Jackson ski touring trails. The trail is almost all downhill. Alpine skiers can herringbone up the few uphills.

Sherburne Trail – down mountain

The classic John Sherburne Trail out of Pinkham Notch is another great introduction to back country skiing. The trail descends a pleasant mix of easy pitches and some steeper drops with moguls. It is mostly a blue trail. The uphill route on the Tuckerman Ravine trail is packed out and can be hiked or skinned. If the ski down gets too challenging, you can cross over and hike back down the Tuckerman Ravine trail. Along the way, we can catch views of the ravine and Wildcat mountain.

Cardigan – down mountain

There are three separate classic ski trails on Cardigan Mountain. The Alexandria is steep and challenging. Dukes is a long gradual descent with a wide open hill at the bottom. Kimball is shorter, but with fun glades off the side. These trails do require skins or snowshoes. The best part of Cardigan for kids is finishing with a hot chocolate at the bottom.

Crescent Ridge – down mountain

Crescent Ridge family ski trip

Crescent Ridge is a good family trip because of it’s flexibility. It’s about a mile from the parking lot to the bottom of the ski zone.  From there everyone can laps the glades as many times as their energy allows. The Granite Backcountry Alliance maintains glades on Crescent ridge. There are multiple options of about 600 vertical feet. March 7 – Cardigan: Alexandria and Glades