What does it mean to be a “ski mom?”

In celebration of Mother’s Day, we’d like to recognize all the “ski moms” who have schlepped gear, wiped noses, brewed hot cocoa and passed on their love of skiing (or snowboarding) to the next generation. We have quite a few ski moms at Ski.com (plus a couple ski dads), and we asked them to reflect upon what it means to teach your kids to ski and the priceless memories that come with it.

Ski.com “ski mom” memories

+ one more from a “ski dad!”

Being a ski instructor myself, I taught my kids to ski, but they were the toughest students, of course! They were also the most rewarding. (Their own ski school lessons helped and continue to help in the process!) Skiing on weekends with them on our local mountains (Aspen Snowmass) is the best part of the winter.

This season, we skied Beaver Creek as a family during spring break, and when my husband and six-year-old son departed to ski some blue runs, I decided to ski the easier way down with my three-year-old daughter. I asked a ski instructor there if I was heading the right way, and after looking at her he said, “Yes, but that may be too much for her.” I replied, “Oh, she is pretty strong.” I was very proud! An hour later, we were having homemade cookies at the base.

I was a snowboard mom at first, but I took up skiing to keep up with my daughter. She has taught me everything I know, but she promises to try snowboarding next year. Saturdays are “girls’ day out,” and we have so much fun. From taking selfies on the chairlift to practicing our ski-carry technique, I cherish our ski days.

I taught both my children to ski as soon as they could walk, and actually before… We really did take our daughter on the J-Bar [at Mt. Tom] at two weeks old! Getting to ski with them now is the best feeling in the world.

We taught our son to ski when he was almost two years old at Buttermilk. We spent several years skiing at Buttermilk as a family and have great memories of those times.

These days, he is 10 years old and spends a lot of his ski time training and racing with the Aspen Valley Ski Club. We still really enjoy our time skiing as a family, but the tables have turned. Now I have a hard time keeping up with him!

I think that a family who skis together stays and plays together. There’s nothing better than watching your kids develop into amazing skiers and ski racers. We’ve skied all over the world with them, and seeing my older son Drake achieve his ski-racing goals this season was awesome. He set out to achieve greatness at the beginning of this year, and he made the Eastern Championships as a 16-year-old. His feeling of accomplishment makes all the countless weekend drives to mountains, standing on the side of a race course in sub-zero temps for a 60-second run all worth it!

Nothing makes me feel better than getting the chance to ski with my granddaughters when I can. Grandsons rock, too! I started my own kids on the slopes at two-and-a-half and three, and I still love skiing with them.

Here is a picture of me and the boys skiing in Snowmass, waiting to get on the Cirque. Every Christmas and spring break, we ski Snowmass at least one day. We live at the base of Aspen Highlands with a ski lift at our backdoor, so it is a big deal to pack up the car or get on the bus to spend the day in Snowmass. It has become our tradition, and it feels like a vacation every time we go!

I am pictured here with two of my three children, Maggie and Christian, at Snowmass in 2000. Looking at our old pictures of us skiing together makes me so proud to be their mom. I have countless memories, from teaching them to make “pizza pies” at only three years old to watching them put on their ski instructor uniforms while at home on break from college. Now it is their turn to bring the joy of skiing to other children.

I am happy that I have passed on my love of the mountains and my love of skiing to my children. It is the one activity we can all do together and share our mutual joy of skiing. They all are faster than mom now! I love seeing them fly…

My daughter Jenna, who just turned 30, has a great story. She started skiing with the Aspen Snowmass Powder Pandas ski school she was three. We always skied together on weekends , which was a great family experience. After college she returned home to teach skiing for a season, and that’s when she really became the best skier in the family.

Our roles reversed when she took me up Highland Bowl, which I had always been fearful of skiing. Since our first hike, it has become a yearly tradition for me, and I celebrated my 70th birthday this year by skiing the bowl.

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Our ski moms (and dads) are not only heroes on the ski slopes. They’re also standing by to plan a perfect ski vacation for your family. Request a customized quote here or speak with an expert at 800-610-8911.