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Fun in the Snow
Staying Active With Your Kids During the Winter Months By Teri Brown
The leaves have fallen, the garden is cut back and stripped of its harvest and the temperature is dropping. You know that winter is coming, and it's time to head indoors and snuggle down under a blanket for the season. But while many of us are getting ready to hibernate, some families are just now poking their heads out and calling for mountain snow reports.
These are the same families that buy all those cool winter clothes and put "Think Snow" bumper stickers on their cars. Their children cut their teeth on skis and snowshoes, and they think nothing of driving up to the mountain to spend the afternoon in the snow participating in their favorite winter sport.
Carol Hildebrand's family is a perfect example. "My husband and I both grew up in the Northeast and have always loved to be outdoors," says Hildebrand. "If this is the case, you have to love winter sports or else you're going to go nuts for six months out of the year!"
The Hildebrand family lives in Wellesley, Mass., and though they wish they were a bit further north for even more snow, they are still heavily into winter sports. "We live on a pond, so skating is a very big activity here," says Hildebrand. "Sledding is always fun, too. However, the No. 1 thing that my husband and I enjoy doing is skiing, particularly backcountry skiing. We like to hike up mountains and then ski down them!"
Snowshoeing, because of how relatively easy it is to learn, has become a huge draw for families whose children are younger. "It's so easy to do, because you only need to know how to walk in order to snowshoe," says Marge McIntosh, activities director for Smugglers' Notch. "It allows our guests to get into the woods and explore on their own or go along with guided tours that are part of our Nordic program."
"We've definitely seen an increase in the Family Snowshoe Walk that we offer," says McIntosh. "We've added a third tour each week because it's so popular. It's just magnificent in the woods in the winter off the beaten path."
Because their children are younger, the Hildebrands also choose easier activities for their kids. The children just sled and ice skate now and will probably inherit their parents' love for the more extreme sports one ski at a time.
This is a great idea for all families begin slowly, keep your children warm and get them hooked on the joy of winter sports before they experience some of the drawbacks, like numb toes and fingers and icy cheeks!