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Teaching kids to get down the ski slopes is the easy part. Suiting them up in wind- and waterproof coats, hauling them up I-70 in hordes of traffic, renting specialty gear and forking out up to $100 for each one-day lift ticket — that’s when family skiing gets spendy. But with a bit of insider knowledge, you’ll be able to keep a few extra bills in your wallet.
Enter the Galloping Goose, Winter Park Resort’s two-person lift that serves green runs at the bottom of Mary Jane Mountain. For only $10, visitors gain all-day access to the resort’s beginner area, Sorenson Park, and unlimited all-day rides on the Galloping Goose. As always, the really little guys, kids 5 and under, ski free.
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| When teaching kids to ski, save some cash by going with the Goose. Use one of those extra dollar bills to help paper the walls at Hernando’s Pizza and Pasta Pub. |
During the 2004-2005 season, the resort spent over $2 million expanding its novice terrain. Sorenson Park grew from a meager 4/10 of an acre to five full acres.
Two 125-foot magic carpets, slow-moving conveyer belt lifts that are easy to step on and off, haul bundled youngsters up the hillside. The next step up the learning curve is a 700-foot platter lift, added during the expansion. An improvement on old-school rope tows, platter lifts cut down on the balancing act and make the trip up the mountain easier for beginners.
Not far from Sorenson Park, Mary Jane is a notable Winter Park mountain, repeatedly awarded number one in the country for bump skiing and known for the challenging terrain. Except, of course, for the green runs near the Galloping Goose.
The areas accessed with the $10 pass are learning terrain — adventurous kids and those skiing for awhile would get a little bored. But if you’re just spending a day to teach your children the basics, stick with the Goose.
You’ll be able to keep enough money in your wallet to buy dinner for the whole family and hang a George Washington somewhere on the walls of Hernando’s Pizza and Pasta Pub. One-dollar bills, posted and signed by diners, wallpaper the insides of this popular local restaurant.
Hernando’s pizza comes in three styles: traditional; Roma, which has sliced fresh tomatoes instead of red sauce; and Simone, which comes piled with garlic in place of the sauce. Choose from a list of specialty pies or invent your own concoction. Hernando’s offers stromboli, Italian sandwiches and classics like lasagna and ravioli, but the big pies come cheap and cheese tends to please everyone.
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| Warm up after a day on the slopes with a big pie from Hernando’s. |
On the drive home, the kids will likely be asleep before you top Berthoud Pass. Once you hit the highway, keep yourself alert for as little as five cents. The Downieville Conoco, exit 234 off I-70, sells small coffees for a nickel, large for a whopping dime. Drop your change in the plastic jug and be on your way without waiting in line.
Family ski outings aren’t Colorado’s cheapest winter venture, but a few local secrets can ease the expense. As for the road conditions, you’re on your own.
If You Go
The Galloping Goose is scheduled to run every day through March 30 and Friday through Sunday through closing day. If the Goose does shut down, guests can purchase a $10 day ticket to Sorensen Park, the resort’s beginner area.
Winter Park Resort: (970) 726-1564 or www.skiwinterpark.com
Hernando’s Pizza and Pasta Pub: (970) 726-5409 or www.hernandospizzapub.com
Downieville Conoco: 1039 County Road 308, I-70 Exit 234 (303) 567-4730
Rachel Barbara is assistant editor of goColorado.com.
From the Editors: We spent a heap of time making sure this story was accurate when it was published, but of course, things can change. Please confirm the details before setting out in our great Centennial State.
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