In Colorado, a Key to Family Ski Fun

The first skiers happily slept on Army surplus bunks, sharing two crowded rooms and one bathroom, gamely ignoring the frigid blasts of air and snow that seeped in through chinks in the logs of the converted 19th century stagecoach stop.

That’s how Edna and Max Dercum turned their home into Ski Tip Lodge in the late 1940s, after would-be skiers begged to sleep on their floor to be closer to the slopes. “But even from the beginning, we’d have a lot of families coming,” said Edna, now 86 and still an avid skier, as is her 88-year-old husband.

The Dercums arrived just after World War II from Pennsylvania, with two small kids and the deed to 80 mountain acres they had bought for $3,000. Their dream: starting a small ski area. They lived without electricity, running water or indoor plumbing at first. Max, a former professor, worked for the U.S. Forest Service. Edna became county clerk.

Today, Ski Tip Lodge and the Dercums’ original land sit surrounded by exclusive condos in the middle of Keystone Resort, now owned by Vail Associates. “It costs more to have dinner at Ski Tip now than it did in those days to stay a week,” Edna joked.

Vail Associates and other investors have pumped more than $1 billion into Keystone in recent years, turning it into one of the largest ski areas in the country. It draws more than 1.1 million skiers a year to its three mountains, with terrain to suit every skier and snowboarder, just 90 minutes from Denver.

At the same time, Keystone has gained a reputation as a first-rate family destination with a mind-boggling array of on- and off-slope programs and amenities that offer parents and kids fun in the snow without breaking the budget. Everything is arranged to alleviate the stress of a family ski trip, and the entire staff has had “family training” to be more sensitive to this crowd’s special needs.

Keystone doesn’t have the snob appeal of Vail, the intimacy of Beaver Creek or the charm of Breckenridge’s historic ski town, all sister resorts nearby. But there’s something just as important to many families: “We’re the wholesome one,” said John Rutter, the chief operating officer. Proudly, he noted that 70% of the guests are return customers and that condo sales are exploding.

The Dercums also were key to the development of Arapahoe Basin, six miles away and known for steep slopes and high-altitude, late-season skiing. Kids 14 and younger ski free with skiing adults; beginners ski for $5. Call (888) ARAPAHOE (272-7246) or Internet https://www.arapahoebasin.com.

Keystone guests may use their ski tickets at Arapahoe and Breckenridge. Those with multiday tickets also can use them at Vail or Beaver Creek. There’s shuttle service among the resorts. (See https://www.snow.com.)

But many find they have plenty to keep them happy right at Keystone. This is clearly a thoughtfully planned modern ski (and summer) resort. Though my gang found the scene too homogeneous for their taste, I applaud the resort’s we-try-harder-for-families effort.

Those who don’t mind giving up the ambience of a traditional ski town will love the ease of this place, where the health club, children’s center, condos, restaurants and ice rink are on a free shuttle route. Sleds are available to carry kids and their gear too. Older youngsters can navigate safely on their own.

Another plus: There are many deals that work for families, a new one each month. Four-night packages for a family of four to ski, stay and play could be as low as $1,100. Book everything, even ski equipment, with one phone call, (800) 427-8308, or a few clicks of the mouse at https://www.keystoneresort.com.

Plenty of freebies are thrown in too: a night of baby-sitting at the children’s center for parents who want to dine at one of the resort’s 27 restaurants; a supervised teen center where that hard-to-please crowd can check e-mail or play Nintendo or pool; fireworks; stargazing; storytelling by a bonfire; kids’ dinners at some resort restaurants; Friday night craft workshops.

With every reservation this season, families get two free mountain passports entitling them to try any one of a dozen activities on the snow or off--tubing down one of the hills, a yoga class or kids’ adventure night.

You’ll find day care for infants and toddlers, ski and snowboard lessons galore for kids from preschoolers to teens--complete with on-the-snow ecology lessons. Moms can sign up for special women’s workshops while dads master moguls. Parents and kids can choose late-afternoon hourlong “mommy, daddy and me” sessions, a bargain at $50 for those who want to hone their skills as a family or get some tips for helping the kids.

Non-skiing parents and kids--or those who want a break from the slopes--can try a wine seminar, indoor tennis clinic, winter fly-fishing or a moonlight snowshoe tour, more than two dozen choices at the resort’s Alpine Institute.

This is one of the few places where you can ski into the evening, sure to please teens, with night skiing, boarding and tubing. There’s plenty of action after dark on the ice rink in the middle of Keystone Village. Grab a hockey stick and join a pickup game.

“It’s gotten so busy,” Edna said with a sigh. But at least one thing hasn’t changed in the last 50 years, she said: “Being together on the mountain is good for families.”

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Taking the Kids appears the first and third week of every month.