Monday, January 10, 2011

Family Interchangeable Ticket

Sometimes the logistics of finding a way for both Mom and Dad to get out and take some ski runs can be difficult. If you’ve got a baby who needs to be with Mom or Dad, or the kids just don’t feel like skiing that day, but both adults want to ski, it seems like it might be a waste of money to buy a lift ticket for each adult, since you won’t be skiing at the same time. For this dilemma, Bretton Woods offers the Family Interchangeable Ticket.

For the price of one regular adult lift ticket, the Family Interchangeable Ticket gives each parent a ticket of their own, but the tickets have the same bar code, so that only one ticket can be used at any given time.

When Bridget was a baby, we frequently took advantage of this opportunity. Unlike the generally easy-going younger brother, Bridget was a “high-need” baby and didn’t really enjoy exploring the Babes in the Woods Nursery until she was a bit older. So Matt and I would take turns getting outside while the other parent would hang out in the Base Lodge.

These days, the trade-offs are little more complicated, as we try to accommodate Bridget with some time on the bunny hill as well as giving Matt and me time to take a few runs, and still caring for Timothy, who's just learning to walk. Lately, though, Bridget has taken an extreme liking to the brownies at Lucy Crawford’s Food Court, so while she indulges in a treat after skiing, Matt or I can usually make it up the Bethlehem Express and Rosebrook in the time it takes her to savor the snack.

I also love that the Bretton Woods Base Lodge is such a comfortable place to be when I do have to take my turn inside with the kids. If we hang out on the main floor, Kathryn, Lance or Skip at the Guest Services Desk always says hi to the kids and gives us the latest on what’s going on at the Resort.

Upstairs, there’s a warm fire to sit by and we can watch everyone skiing from the picture windows – or out on the upstairs deck when it’s a bit milder. There’s carpeting on all the floors and Jason and his crew keep everything so clean that I’m not worried about Timothy crawling around for a while.

There are often other families with young children hanging out in the base lodge. A few weeks ago, Bridget made friends with two other little girls, and they chased each other around the second floor, squealing with delight, for so long that they were all ready for naps by the end of the morning.

Now that Mom and Dad can both ski for the price of one, the only question is: who gets to go first? If it’s a powder day, this could be quite a debate. Have fun making that decision!

3 comments:

  1. What a great idea for Bretton Woods. When Adam was little when were living in Slovenia, where we skied almost every weekend in the winter, Magda and I used to do the ski/baby-watch trade-off, and there was no way to catch a break on the pricing.

    I'm impressed that you manage to do so much. Here we live in the shadow (literally) of one of Bulgaria's bigger ski mountains, but getting up there is a very rare event, even with both boys clamoring to get on skis. Finding time for that is a massive challenge with our current workload, which spills over into the weekend more and more. Not so much time for blogs anymore, either, whether ours or yours -- this is the first time I've managed to check in, and it looks great, Martha. Best of luck with your Nordic regimen, and happy new year to all of you.

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  2. Do you know where I can take my 7 month old daughter snowshoeing with our dog? Are there trails near the mountain or the resort that allow me to bring my dog and safely snowshoe with her without the worry of a snowmobiler coming around the corner?

    Also, we are season pass holders and last weekend took our daughter to the nursery for the first time so I could get a few hours of skiing in. I got to ski for 2 hours on Saturday and 2 hours on Sunday worry free. I am sure I will work up to a half day, but for now the 2 hours was a good start. My husband and I got first tracks both days and it was great!
    Thanks!

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  3. Hi Brandi! It's so great to read that you are getting outside with your 7-month-old and getting in some skiing yourself. The Resort does have dog-friendly trails in the Nordic (cross-country) system (in the Deception System trails area) that you can snowshoe on. You do have to cross the Cog Road once to get over there, but once you do you are past the cars and snowmobiles.
    There are also a ton of trails in the nearby White Mountain National Forest that you can snowshoe on and bring your dog. For an easy hike, the Around the Lake Trail behind the AMC Highland Center (just 5 minutes drive from the Resort) is beautiful and not too long if you don't know how long your little girl will last.

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