A ski trip has been on our family bucket list for a while. I like to ski and I knew that the sooner my kids had a chance to try it with proper lessons the sooner they'd get the chance to love it too. We knew that when the time came and we planned a ski trip that lessons would be a must for them. We wanted them to get started off properly and we also felt that lessons would help their confidence on the slopes. For our first ski trip we wanted to start out somewhere that was not too far away, somewhere that was great for beginners and beyond, somewhere that was big enough for everyone to find something fun to do but not so big that we'd be trekking all over a resort with young kids. Bear Creek Mountain Resort and Conference Center hit every mark. As we planned our trip, we decided to make it an overnight and here's 5 reasons why we're so glad that we decided to play and stay at Bear Creek.
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Learn
Lessons were a must for our two newbies and even my husband opted into a refresher course before he hit the slopes after not having skied in some time. Bear Creek offers skiing and snowboarding lessons for beginners as well as novice skiers who are looking to improve their skills. The best part of the type of lesson structure we chose was the flexibility. The instructors at Bear Creek try to get your lesson started soon after you check-in, so there's not a set start time that you are rushing off to. This was ideal because getting geared up and finding a good fit with all of the equipment takes time, and it was nice to not have to rush through that. The instructor was wonderfully patient with our newbies and novice alike.
Bear Creek offers a variety of lesson options including the Private Ski and Snowboard lessons, Beginner Lesson Package or the Kodiak Kids Program. Check their site for the type of lesson that meets your family's skill level and needs at https://www.bcmountainresort.com/
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Choices
Whether you need lessons or a ski or snowboard refresher, you are ready for a black diamond run, or you want to go tubing, Bear Creek Mountain Resort has many snowsport choices! There is even a Snow Zone where little ones can play in the snow (no ticket required) and a day care for children up to 10 years old. If you need a break after all the snow sports, you can also choose from one of many options at The Spa at Bear Creek or take a swim in the indoor or outdoor pool. Even in the winter, the outdoor pool is open and heated. We got a thrill out of swimming outdoors watching the skiers and snowboarders coming down the mountain. When it comes time to refuel, you'll also find a variety of choices in eateries. Visitors can choose from The Mountain Eatery, The Trails End Cafe & Bar and The Grille. Our kids recommend waking up to the chocolate chip pancakes at The Trail's End Cafe & Bar. Keep an eye on the Bear Creek Mountain Resort website for spa and dining specials when you plan your visit!
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Not Too Far To Travel
Traveling to Bear Creek is not too far of a ride, only about an hour from the Exton area. We are so lucky to have great winter sports options so close to home. Once you arrive at Bear Creek you won't have far to travel either. The resort is beautiful and cozy with more than 86 acres of slopes, trails, and terrain parks but you won't need to walk far to get to family fun. You'll find hotel check-in, eateries, ski rentals, the ski shop and ski school all within close proximity to one another. This was perfect for us, as we stopped for lunch during a ski break and was especially nice at the end of the day as we headed back to our room after a busy day of skiing and tubing. We stopped for a cup of hot chocolate and made the short walk back to our suite to relax before dinner.
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Pack Light
When we travel as a family, I'm always making lists and prepping for days. For our trip to Bear Creek, we gathered up our snow gear (which my kids were pretty excited about seeing as this winter has been a bit of a snow-flop) and we packed for an overnight. We didn't have to deal with skis or other bulky gear because we knew we could get rentals at the mountain. I also noted that there was a ski shop and a hotel gift shop in case we should find we needed any additional winter weather gear.
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Roomy Rooms
While Bear Creek is a really reasonable distance from home and we could certainly come up to ski or snowboard for the day, we were due for some family together time so we decided to make our ski trip into an overnight. We thought it would be fun to surprise the kids with a night away from home and we wanted to be able to take advantage of a second day of skiing to put the lessons into action. We also saw how much else there was to do at the resort and wanted time to enjoy the amenities. When we opened the door to our room, we were very pleasantly surprised to see how spacious the room was with a separate living area, a separate sleeping area, a dining table and wet bar / kitchen area. There was plenty of space to stash our winter gear and to feel we had room to spread out. When the early-to-bed people were ready to sleep there was room for the others to read and relax for a bit. Even though we were away from home, our home-for-the-night was spacious, clean and inviting after a very busy, very fun winter day.
When we woke the next morning, one of the first things my son asked was "Can we go skiing again today?" (lessons...success!) Another one of the things he asked was what's for breakfast. We took a morning walk through the hotel to scout it out and I found coffee in the lobby and he found that the Trails End Cafe served delicious breakfast foods with options like yummy waffles and chocolate chip pancakes (or even simple eats like cereal, yogurt and bagels). After enjoying pancakes and omelets slopeside, we made our plan for the day which included some more skiing for part of the group and a swim in the pool for the other part. We all enjoyed having a little bit more time for family fun and we were glad we opted for a hotel sleepover.
We were so excited to cross "ski trip" off our family travel bucket list and were even more excited at the thought of coming back to Bear Creek to do it again. We could easily make it a day trip but would look forward to making ourselves at home at the resort for an overnight, and some family time, again soon.
Disclaimer: My family received complimentary lift tickets and lessons and tubing tickets to facilitate this review but all opinions are my own.
