7 Reasons Families Love to Ski at Beaver Creek Resort

Hands down, skiing at Beaver Creek Resort has been one of the best travel experiences our family has had. On our recent family vacation, it became clear to me that there are plenty of other reasons to fall in love with the resort… there are 7 actually! This high-end family resort should be on your bucket list of winter travel destinations, even if you’ve never skied before! Many thanks to the team at Beaver Creek for hosting us. Here are my 7 reasons to put Beaver Creek skiing at the top of your list:

Want to see an overview of our experience at Beaver Creek? Check out the video below:

1. You can find beginner trails at the very top of the mountain

Unlike most other ski resorts, at Beaver Creek Resort the very top of the mountain (which sits at a whopping 11,440 feet in altitude) has plenty of beginner trails to enjoy. You don’t have to be an advanced skier to venture to the top, which makes your family’s Beaver Creek skiing experience a lot more inclusive.

2. You’ll work with experienced, career ski instructors

Often ski resorts hire young people to work a seasonal job of instructing. With Beaver Creek Resort, however, many of the staff members are career ski instructors. The instructor we were assigned during our recent trip was Palo, a professional who’s been with the company for more than 20 years. Instructors are also a very international bunch. While we were there, I overheard ski lessons being given in Brazilian, Spanish, Russian, and other languages.

3. You’ll experience luxury in a comfortable, casual atmosphere

I enjoy luxury, but not when it’s served with a side of stuffiness and snobbery. At Beaver Creek Resort, everything is the peak of perfection, but in a laid-back way, from the casual attire you’ll see to the casual service.

4. You can enjoy totally unique dining experiences

Beano’s Cabin
Try Beano’s Cabin, for example, which is only reachable by sleigh or ski. So dreamy! When you arrive, you’ll be given slippers to change into for a really comfortable experience. (You’ll enjoy a fine dining meal in slippers!) And heads up to parents of vehicle-loving kids: They’ll get to ride in the front of the snowcat that pulls the sleigh!

Mamas will love the amenities in the bathroom. Beano’s Cabin provides hair care products and a hairdryer in case you want to freshen up after being out in the elements (perfect after a long day of Beaver Creek skiing). Take in the scenery, listen to live music, and watch the chefs prepare five-course, gourmet meals in the open kitchen.

SaddleRidge
The elegant SaddleRidge, complete with breathtaking mountain views, is not to be missed! The space is beautiful, with stone and rich woods, a vaulted post-and-beam-style ceiling, and nine chandeliers made of iron railroad turntable wheels.

The restaurant is both glamorous and rustic, having been designed by Naomi Leff, who also created the flagship Ralph Lauren store. The building originally served as an executive retreat for the Lehman Brothers, who spared no expense in its aesthetics. SaddleRidge is also home to one of the largest private collections of American Western artifacts in the U.S. It has an impressive wine list, offering 450 wines and Champagnes to choose from.

The Osprey Fireside Grill
Dine at the The Osprey Fireside Grill, located inside The Osprey at Beaver Creek hotel. (It’s the closest hotel to a chairlift in North America, so if you sit by a window in the restaurant, you have a perfect view of the lift!) For starters, this restaurant has one of the biggest fireplaces I’ve ever seen! The service is relaxed and friendly. In fact, the waiter saw how fascinated our girls were by the cocktail-making process that they offered to serve them dinner at the bar while Serge and I enjoyed a romantic dinner by ourselves in the main living room. How sweet was that?

5. You’ll have plenty of space for yourself and the little ones

There are a number of fantastic hotels at the resort, including The Pines Lodge, Sheraton Mountain Vistas Villas, and The Charter at Beaver Creek. We stayed at The Osprey at Beaver Creek in room 302, and were fortunate enough to enjoy the 2-bedroom penthouse condo. It had a sprawling living room with a beautiful fireplace, a huge kitchen, a dining room, and two great bedrooms. It’s the perfect setup for families, and is especially great if you prefer to cook your own meals.

6. You’ll use top-of-the-line ski equipment

I was very impressed by how great the quality of equipment was everywhere we went. We had an amazing experience renting our ski equipment from Beaver Creek Sports. We received the Gold Club package, which included complimentary overnight ski and boot storage with rental, boot-drying and daytime shoe storage. The staff there was very hands-on, not just during the fitting process, but always assisting with putting on and taking off the boots each time. The equipment looked brand-new (and according to our instructor, it probably was). Even the ice skates we rented at the ice skating rink in the center of the village were top-of-the-line. Not only did they look brand-new, but they were warmed, which was a great touch for our girls’ cold, little feet!

7. Your kids will have plenty of non-skiing activities to enjoy, too

Because it truly is an all-encompassing, luxury, family resort, you’ll find tons of things to do aside from Beaver Creek skiing, like flyfishing and snowshoeing, in addition to the following:

• Ice Skating: Glide across the ice on Beaver Creek Village’s rink. (Skate and helmet rentals are available.)
• Candy Cabin: This literal cabin, located at the top of the Strawberry Park Express lift and the Upper Beaver Creek Mountain Express lift, serves up classic candies and locally produced artisan chocolates. By candy by the pound and try classic Pepsi products made with real cane sugar. The views are incredible!

• Cookie Time: Every afternoon at 3:00 p.m., chefs serve up trays of warm chocolate chip cookies at Beaver Creek Village. (500,000 cookies are served each year!)
• Soon-to-Open Cookie Cabin: Ski School participants get access to Red Buffalo Park’s Cookie Cabin, serving those signature fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies at the top of the mountain.

• Snow Sculptures: Head to Red Buffalo Park to see whimsical snow sculptures alongside the trails.
• Kids’ Adventure Zones: These are kid-friendly adventure zones throughout the mountain, marked on the trail map.
• Fireworks: Watch brilliant fireworks light up the skies on Thursday nights.
• Ripperoo: The resort’s mascot, Ripperroo, visits kids while they’re learning to ski! You can also stop by Ripperoo’s Retreat, located near the top of Gold Dust trail, and get an EpicMix Photo taken with him.

Getting there

You can either fly into Denver International Airport or into Eagle County Regional Airport. If the weather isn’t great, flying into Eagle is a better choice. We chose to fly into Denver and took a private SUV from Colorado Mountain Express (CME) to Denver. It’s a 2-hour, scenic drive to Beaver Creek Resort. It’s not only beautiful, but you’ll also pass some fascinating Old Western mining towns on the way. Idaho Springs is one of the larger, more famous ones, but we opted to explore Silver Plume instead. It’s a smaller town that was like a real-life Westworld from HBO!

Is your family ready for a Beaver Creek skiing experience?

Beaver Creek Resort is one of the most impressive luxury family resorts we’ve been to, and not just as far as ski resorts go. It truly has something for kids of all ages and parents of every interest. With career ski instructors and top-of-the-line equipment, your Beaver Creek skiing experience will be fabulous, but you’ll also love the amazing dining experiences, spacious hotel accommodations, and tons of family-friendly activities. You’ll make memories during this vacation that are sure to last a lifetime.

What’s the first thing you’ll do on your trip to Beaver Creek Resort?

I recently did a Facebook Live broadcast about our experience at Beaver Creek! Check it out below:

The author received complimentary accommodations, meals and activities from Vail Resorts for purposes of this review. All opinions are her own.