Taking the kids: Diary of a family ski trip

(Tribune Media Services) -- Utter Chaos.

Could it be otherwise with 10 people, including a 2- and 4-year-old, crowded into a rented four-bedroom condo trying to eat breakfast and get ready to ski at the same time?

No family vacation is easy -- not even for an expert -- and ski trips are especially tough. All that gear to keep track of! All of those people to feed!

But in the end, for my gang at least, these trips are well worth the trouble and are some of the best times our extended family has together. (For great early season deals, check out www.coloradoski.com and www.ski.com where you'll also find deals touting free air, lift tickets and equipment for kids 12 and under.)

Here's my diary of our not-even-close-to-perfect, but-still-lots-of-fun trip last season to Crested Butte Mountain Resort in southwest Colorado (www.skicb.com) where you can ski free until December 15.

DAY ONE

Eva Weinberg, 12, my cousin's daughter, has lost her fleece somewhere in the messy condo. We get to ski school and she's also lost her four-day lift ticket. No worries. The helpful Crested Butte staff issues another. Eva joins a "teen" group that consists of other middle-schoolers from around the country. She's a little tentative, not having skied since last season, but the hip, young instructors put her at ease right away. The other teens are equally enthusiastic. Victoria Ayres, a 14-year-old from Shreveport, Louisiana, explains that by taking a teen clinic, she doesn't have to ski with her younger sister.

A BIG PLUS: Though this is a busy holiday weekend, Crested Butte isn't as crowded as the mega resorts -- it's only one-fifth the size of Vail -- which means the kids get more individual attention in ski school and day care. We take 4-year-old Ethan Sitzman, another cousin, to his "Cubs" ski school class and his 2-year-old sister, Hannah, to day care next door. She's happy as soon as she spies the sleds they'll use later, but keeps trying on Ethan's helmet. "Hannah ski," she says. Next season, we promise.

The college kids in our group and my daughter Mel, a high school sophomore, take off to explore Crested Butte's famous extreme terrain while Ethan and Hannah's dad, Mike Sitzman, an expert skier in his early 40s, decides to try snowboarding. According to his instructor, E.T. Treadwell, "Some have kids who snowboard and they want to see what it's all about. Others just want to try something different after years of skiing."

These days, whether you want to play in the snow (ever try snowshoeing?) or spend the day indoors (spa treatment maybe?) you are guaranteed not to be bored at a ski resort.

DAY TWO

It's only noon and I'm already a little grumpy from getting everyone organized. Then I meet Dan Beck, ski instructor extraordinaire, who has been here for more than 30 years. "Now it's time for you," he and Crested Butte ski school director Charlie Farnan tell me. I got injured last year and wonder if I should hang up my skis, but Dan pooh-poohs that notion and takes me up in the chairlift. Spectacular vistas! The sun is shining. No one is telling me to "Ski faster, Mom!"

It's important for moms and dads on vacation -- whether skiing or elsewhere -- to carve out some time for themselves. My two daughters ski by and stop for a quick hug in the snow. I congratulate myself that all the years of schlepping them to ski school have paid off. They can ski anything.

When I get back to the condo late in the afternoon everyone has had an excellent day.

We rally the gang to go to one of our favorite Crested Butte restaurants, Slogar, an institution in this tiny (population 1,500) historic mining town. (The entire downtown is a designated National Historic District.) Unlike other ski towns, Crested Butte is just a five-minute free shuttle ride from the mountain -- easy for those toting young kids and safe for teens to explore on their own. At Slogar, we chow down on fried chicken, mashed potatoes, steak and homemade biscuits all of which are served family style. The perfect end to a near-perfect vacation day!

DAY THREE

Uh-oh. Mom blew it. It's Melanie's 16th birthday. She got her presents ahead, including new ski goggles, but was disappointed I didn't have "a surprise" for her on the morning of her birthday. Moms aren't perfect, even on vacation.

THE GOOD NEWS: Eight inches of fresh snow. Eva, meanwhile, has made friends in her ski school class and got over her fear of skiing expert terrain. Ethan is the talk of the mountain because of his prowess on the slopes. Mel meets up with a friend from home and plans to test her mettle in all the fresh powder. By the end of the day Mel has forgotten she was miffed at me. "A perfect birthday," she declares.

DAY FOUR

We've finally gotten the drill down. We don't forget anything and make it to ski school with time to spare. We love that the instructors greet the kids by name. Ask long time Crested Butte Ski School director, Charlie Farnan, what parents need to know before they show up at a ski resort. He says they should go shopping. "I can't tell you how many families come without gloves, eye protection or sunscreen for the kids," he says.

ANOTHER LESSON: Let the pros teach the kids. They've had special training and know the terrain better than you could hope to. "Let us teach the kids and you go off and enjoy yourselves," he insists.

That's exactly what we do. We even have time to stop at the outdoor Ice Bar -- literally made of ice -- before we pick up the kids.

We congratulate ourselves for surviving a family ski trip -- and start making plans for next season. E-mail to a friend

(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com, where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments.)

Copyright 2007 EILEEN OGINTZ, DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

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