Most of us would have heard of Aspen and Vail, but the lesser known ski resorts of Crested Butte and Steamboat are fast gaining popularity with Australians. Last week I got the chance to ski at both Steamboat - popular with families and officially the home of Champagne snow – and Crested Butte,  ‘newly discovered’ by the international market with stylish bars and a fab restaurant scene in its historic mining town with old storefronts that recall the era of prospectors and mules. Steamboat has a fabulous kids’s ski vacation centre for frequent small flyers (FSF’s), where kids as young as two can hit the slopes and littlies as young as six months can be cared for in the fantastic Kiddie Corral. All kids in Steamboat’s kid’s vacation centre wear jackets with handlebars so instructors and parents can easily lift them up if they fall and nifty GPS tracking systems so they’ll never get lost. Oh and it also means they can then show you where they skied on the mountain.
You don’t even need to ski to enjoy this magical winter wonderland. There’s horseback rides in the snow, ice bars, sleigh rides, snowcat driving, the Bridgestone Winter Driving School, the magical Strawberry Hot Springs and more. Or why not take the FSF to a dude ranch like Home Ranch, where they can play cowboys and indians, feed the horses in the snow and try tubing. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful place to experience a White Christmas. Have a great weekend everyone!