I truly fell in love with Winter Park Resort’s 3,081 skiable acres and thanks to its close proximity to Denver, it will become my go-to place for a quick half-day of skiing. Though it consists of four mountains (Winter Park, Mary Jane, Vasquez Ridge and Vasquez Cirque), I felt like I was skiing two different resorts. At The Village at Winter Park, there are restaurants (don’t miss Goodys’ to-die-for crepes), the new Alpenglow Massage, ice skating, an event gazebo and 200 luxurious condominium units in Fraser Crossing.
Goodys’ Good Crepes
Train playground, condo’s 30-person hot tub, winter wonderland, Polar Bear
The base of Mary Jane is dedicated to the diehards who don’t need all the pomp and circumstance. Sure, there are a few dining options but the important thing is it’s a short walk from your car to the slopes. I even spotted a camper or two in the parking lot.
Gorgeous amenities + staying connected to their roots? I’ve dubbed Winter Park the best of both worlds.
On our third and final day at the resort, we skied together as a family. I’ve dreamed of saying that for years. We have made several attempts but I can’t count hunched-over-trying-to-keep-Bode-from-falling-all-the-way-down-the-mountain as skiing. The sport has finally clicked for him and he LOVES it. When we awoke that morning, he announced he wanted to ski his first blue (intermediate run).
We tackled several difficult green-level runs (the easiest), often times splitting up so Haddie could find more challenging terrain and then meeting at the bottom of the lift. 
There was no pomp or circumstance when Bode decided he was ready for more difficult terrain. 
Like most everything in his life, he just decided he was going to do it and so did.
Hadley had some impressive moments as well.
“I want to do those,” Hadley said pointing to a run that was so bumpy it resembled a strawberry patch.
“Since when have you skied moguls?” I demanded.
“Since last year,” she breezily replied.
Bumps Girl
And skied them she did. Of course, she’s still figuring out her form but gosh darn it, I was stunned with how brazen she was. There is no way I could have set foot (or ski) on a mogul when I was her age. I have no doubt Bode and Hadley will soon surpass Jamie and me on the slopes and that Saturday at Winter Park confirmed it.
And I could not have been more proud.
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In case you missed them:
Winter Park Day 1: Tubing Cruising for a Bruisin’
Winter Park Day 2: The Mogul Queen, Kitty Cat on the Slopes & Bumper Funnies.
Winter Park Day 3: A Family That Skis Together, Plays Forever.
I'm a Canadian-born mom of two, former Denver Post columnist, family travel writer, editor of MileHighMamas.com and 9News contributor. Expert on all things Utah, Denver, family and travel. Lover of laughter and life. Happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin. 