Every now and then I go away with one child alone for some real bonding and to spend time together enjoying a hobby we share. My son loves to ski, so he and I recently spent some time at Keystone Resort, 75 miles from Denver in Colorado . Knowing that skiing would be a part of our plan was a big motivator for him. Taking a few days off school played into his motivation, as well. Keystone was a good choice for the long weekend as it offers so much to do for both children and adults. I’m not as avid a skier as he is, so I liked having other options on our agenda. Equipped with a suitcase full of warm clothes, we set out from our home for a few days of adventure with a group of writers and their children.
How To Get There
We flew Delta straight to Denver on the first flight out so we could get there to enjoy much of the afternoon. All the major airlines fly to Denver from the NYC metro area. After a four and a half hour flight, we picked up the Colorado Mountain Express, a local shared shuttle, which took us straight to the resort after a 90-120 minute ride. The trip is long, but after leaving our home at 6am for the airport, we arrived at our destination by 2pm Denver time. My son was fully engaged in the process of flying, as he has a huge interest everything to do with airplanes, and Delta offers over 100 movies, so our flying time presented no problem.
Where We Stayed
Our destination was Hyatt Place Keystone (formerly the Inn at Keystone). The hotel, which opened in early 2018, is located between Lakeside Village and River Run Village, making it a convenient place to stay (near the ski resort and all the shops and activities). We really liked our room, which had a great view of the mountain, and the resort’s accessibility. Whenever we needed to go somewhere, we simply walked out of the resort and took a free shuttle. In addition, the hotel really caters to people like us, providing free Wi-Fi (we’re both connected 24/7), a daily hot breakfast, a few hot tubs, and modern amenities in the room, such as a Keurig coffee maker which I used daily.
What We Did
Keystone Mountain
My son’s a skier, so Keystone Mountain was a must on our itinerary. I don’t usually ski with my son alone, as he’s way too good for me, but we were offered a private lesson through Keystone’s Family Private Lesson together. David, our instructor, was exceedingly patient and careful, and we were able to at least start the day skiing and learning together. Eventually, my son took off on his own, but the lesson definitely helped me hone my skills.
I’ve been to a lot of ski resorts all over the country, and I have to say that I was impressed with Keystone. With five above-tree-line bowls, night skiing and an in-bounds cat skiing program, we the resort boasts over 3,000 acres of easy-to-expert ski terrain on three epic peaks. It’s one of the best and well-known ski resorts in the country, if not, the world. There are a lot of lifts, restaurants and space on the mountain so the crowds were bearable. The show was fresh, and the trails varied by level and terrain. The resort just had a few improvements take place which improved the face of the resort. The Montezuma Express Lift on Dercum Mountain was replaced with a six-passenger chair to improve skier and snowboarder circulation on the mountain. There are new restaurants on the mountain, as well, including Labonte’s smokehouse and Labonte’s. They are also now offering the Epic Pass for discounts on tickets and ski lifts, as part of their new partnership with Vail resorts, and there is an alpine phone app that tracks your vertical skiing, gives you live ski conditions, lift line wait times, shows how your kids are progressing in ski school, where they are on the mountain, and how your race time is compared to Lindsey Vonn.
We also went tubing down the mountain, at the Adventure Point Tubing Hut, which was spectacular. The trips down are short and sweet but exhilarating. We went ice-skating in Lakeside Village, supposedly the largest rink in North America, a fact that made my son even more interested in the event.
Kidtopia
The resort is also unique because it features Kidtopia, a program featuring a variety of free, daily family offerings such as arts and crafts, scavenger hunts, a village parade and fireworks, and the world’s largest snow fort on top of the mountain. We were lucky to be there during several special Kidtopia events that really made our weekend more special. We went to a Carnival Bounce Party with bounce houses, a cookie decorating party, cotton candy, and fireworks directly outside at the end. We were there during the annual Kidtopia Culinary Festival and got to watch Celebrity Kid Chefs Amber Kelley and Juliana Malfitano, as seen on Food Network, make dinner – not just make dinner, but for us! My son was super engaged and this was a highlight of our trip.
Where We Ate
Zuma Roadhouse: We ate our first meal at Zuma and were both pleased with the variety of food and high quality cuisine. At lunchtime, they offer snack sized dishes so we loaded up on onion rings, edamame, fish tacos, brussels sprouts and refreshing drinks.
9280 Tap House: 9280 is good for casual food after a day of skiing. They offer traditional food such as nachos, tacos, chili, veggie wraps, hummus and chicken fingers. There isn’t much for vegetarians, so keep that in mind.
Summit House: The Summit House is on top of the mountain. We dined there both days, including during our ski lesson (where lunch is included) with our group. It’s standard ski fare- burgers, chili, etc., but I was impressed by the vegetarian options which include a stir fry.
Keystone Ranch: By far my son’s favorite meal of the trip, Keystone is a steakhouse of epic proportions. They have beautiful meat that is locally sourced and the restaurant itself is a mx of elegance and rusticness that worked well for us.
On the last night of our trip, my son looked at me with genuine sadness that our trip was about to end. It was clear that the degree of bonding that we experienced was good for both of us. For him, a true couch potato, it was a chance to get them good outdoors time in, including his favorite sport, and explore a new part of the country he’d yet to visit. For me, it was a combination of all that and more, as it gave us time to check in with one another, and for that, I’d go back to Keystone in a heartbeat.
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Holly Rosen Fink is a marketing consultant and writer living in Larchmont, New York.
Disclosure: Holly and her son were hosted by Keystone Resort and her accommodations, attractions and majority of meals were complimentary. As always, opinions are her own.
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https://www.achildgrows.com/2017/09/13/weekend-away-48-hours-raleigh-kids/