Ski · Families
Skiing in Aspen with kids
Four mountains, but only two of them take the youngest skiers. Which mountain fits which child, how ski school works, and what to sort before the first morning.
Four mountains, but only two of them take the youngest skiers. Which mountain fits which child, how ski school works, and what to sort before the first morning.
For young children the choice is simple: Snowmass and Buttermilk run ski school from age 2½; Aspen Mountain and Aspen Highlands start at 5. Group lessons run 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. with lunch included for 12 and under, and Aspen Snowmass advises booking 30 days ahead, at least 7.
The details below are from Aspen Snowmass's lesson pages for the 2026–27 season, checked September 2026. Prices change by date and are quoted at booking.
Paul Montiel · Aspen · Updated September 2026
The 45-minute rental queue on the first morning is the most common reason families miss the 9:30 start. Have skis, boots and helmets fitted at the house the evening you arrive.
Waivers and medical forms are online. Doing them before the trip removes the other first-morning delay.
Group lessons suit children who like company; a private instructor suits a nervous first-timer or siblings of very different levels, and can also teach the parents.
Christmas and Presidents' Day weeks sell out first. Book when you book the flights.
Children are as susceptible to altitude as adults. Keep the first day gentle; see the first 48 hours.
From 2½ at Snowmass and Buttermilk. Aspen Mountain and Aspen Highlands take ages 5–12.
Snowmass has the most complete children's programme and the Treehouse childcare centre; Buttermilk is the gentlest mountain with its own kids' base, the Hideout.
Children 2½–6 ski free. Ages 7–17 get discounted lift tickets when bundled with lessons.
9:30 a.m., finishing at 3 p.m., with drop-off from 9 a.m. for the youngest groups.
Yes, for full-day Max 5 lessons for children 12 and under.
Lessons are fully refundable if cancelled at least 48 hours in advance.
We take the first-morning friction out: rentals fitted at the house the night before, lessons booked a month out, a private instructor for the nervous one, and dinner ready after the last run.
Fitted at the residence, not in a shop queue.
A private lesson matched to the skier and the mountain.
Heat, lights, beds and the first evening sorted before you walk in.
The kitchen stocked to your list before you land.
A therapist at the residence after travel or skiing.
Aspen Snowmass: lessons · Aspen Snowmass: meeting locations and lesson FAQs — checked September 28, 2026.
Tell us who's skiing and at what level. We'll book lessons on the right mountain and have everyone fitted before the first morning.
Plan the family ski week