Where to take a family ski trip that works for everyone

A moment of truth: the only thing I love about skiing is après-ski fashion.

The silver Moncler jackets. The indulgent Eugenia Kim hats. The cozy-chic footwear. I also appreciate a good après cocktail—a Kir Royale, yes please. And naturally, all the hot-stone massages, outdoor soaks, and old-fashioned gossip. But the skiing itself? I can take it or leave it.

Which is why booking a ski trip for my ski-happy family can be a bit tricky. We all have very specific wants and needs. I need the wintery glamour; my kids want lessons, kids clubs, and evening programming where they can make friends who will hang out with them so I don’t have to (said with love); and my partner—an athletic guy from Maine—needs to shred. If we decide to bring our best friends along, one will require excellent snowboarding, the other will need delicious food from exciting restaurants.

So, where in the world—or in this case, the U.S.—are the ski trips that check all the boxes? Who will offer everything under the sun this winter?

After doing some extensive research among friends who ski, friends with kids, and friends who travel, here are some ski trips that are nearly guaranteed to satisfy everyone.

My complicated relationship with ski trips started a few years ago at Aspen Snowmass, where I fell in love with the extraordinary ski instructors who helped both me and my young kids get on our feet. We all skied confidently after just three days. Miraculous!

I was delighted by The Limelight Hotel Snowmass, which was the perfect hotel for families like us—skiers at all levels—dipping in and out of the snow with freedom and flexibility. The Limelight had a great, buzzy energy, with movie nights for kids and stiff drinks for grownups. The whole scene felt like a winter fantasy.

But the real lure of Snowmass is the ski and snowboard schools, which is one of the best in the country not just for beginners, but pros too. With private lessons, clinics, and group lessons, ski bums like my partner are challenged and invigorated. The first-timer lesson area in Snowmass is located midway up the mountain next to the Elk Camp, a delicious, cafeteria-style restaurant that’s accessed by the Elk Camp gondola, so a scaredy-cat newbie like me still gets the true, on-mountain experience.

Did I love the feel of gliding down the mountains and praying not to break my neck? Not really. But that’s on me, not Snowmass. Did Aspen—with its cold temperatures and brilliant sun—take my breath away? Absolutely. It’s the perfect town to do everything you want on an elevated, ultra-luxe level.

If you want a ski trip that avoids posh pretentiousness, there’s Upstate New York. Urban Cowboy Lodge in the Catskills has no cell service, no Ubers, and no fuss. It’s the place to visit if skiing is a big part of your group trip, but not the entire point of the getaway—and it’s close to New York City, making it a more doable and affordable trip for my family and many others in the Northeast.

Only a 14-minute drive from Bellayre Mountain—the only Catskill ski resort with a gondola—the lodge has 26 guest rooms, plus a freestanding chalet, and a cabin perfect for a big family or a special group of friends. It’s all beautifully designed, aspirationally Pendelton.

For hardcore skiers, Bellayre has some of the best skiing and snowboarding in New York State, plus a well-respected ski school for kids, beginners, and all levels. You can also cross-country ski or go snowshoeing.

For non-skiers (or those of us who want to unapologetically laze around), there’s no need to leave Urban Cowboy. They have outdoor soaking tubs, an Estonian sauna, a sweat lodge, and a hearty, veg-forward restaurant. It’s definitely geared more toward adults than kids, but families who aren’t looking for some crazy kid scene can stay in some (not all) of the accommodations.

I’ve been warned that for this hotel, you definitely need a car. Part of the charm is the remote location, but with that comes the reality that you can’t have everything you want, the moment you want it.

If you want everything at your fingertips, head back West to Park City; specifically, Park City Mountain Resort. The largest resort in the United States, it’s located in the heart of Park City, just steps from all the shopping, eating, partying, Sundance-ing, and Real Housewives-ing of Main Street.

Park City is where I want to go with a big group of friends to ski hard and play hard. And, if I must bring my children, I’m told the place to stay for “luxury family travel” is the Waldorf Astoria Park City. Set among the peaks of the Wasatch Mountains, the Waldorf has ski butlers (!), and is the only luxury hotel with slope-side access to Park City Mountain (again, the largest ski-and-board resort in the United States, which means something for everyone).

The place calling my name—and the ski trip that I’m determined to make happen this year with my favorite friends and family members—is Big Sky. Specifically, the Montage Big Sky, a take-your-breath-away mountainous hotel haven that offers ski-in/ski-out access to Big Sky Resort’s 5,850 skiable acres. With an average of more than an acre per skier, this means no crowds, which for me also means less terrifying skiing conditions.

Awe-inspiring Montana has so much to offer beyond skiing: winter safari tours to Yellowstone, dog-sledding and snowmobiling with Compass Sports. For the kids, there’s also the Compass Explorers program, where someone actually comes to your vacation rental and helps ferry your kids off to ski school while you enjoy the slopes like an adult. And by that, I mean: go to the spa or mingle with moose, bears, elk, and deer in their natural habitat over a bottle of Moët (my natural habitat).

Yes, I know. Ski trips can be fancy. And expensive. And ridiculous. But winter can be freezing. And lonely. And boring. Maybe there’s a way to meet in the middle. I’ll be the one who totally wipes out while getting there.