I just wish he'd give up trying to snowboard. While Smugglers' Notch sets the standard for teaching kids to ski in North America, there are some close contenders. Children 5 to 12 enroll in Starkids for ski and snowboard lessons. Free hour-long clinics teach parents how to ski with toddlers as young as three. At the mid-mountain Polaris Park, families can rent snow bikes and snowscoots, or go tubing, skiing, or snowboarding until nine nightly.
Young skiers start off on the Family Zone's adventure trails and terrain park.
Extreme Camps are for advanced to expert skiers, ages 10 to 19. Group lessons, given for ages three and up, include racing classes and mogul skills. The Adventure Ridge center offers lighted tubing, ice-skating, snowshoeing, ski biking, laser tag, and something scary called Thrill Sledding. North America's largest resort opens its third children's base center this winter. There are special learning areas throughout the ski area.