Last week I cracked my eyes one morning in response to my alarm clock and groggily looked out the window. Realizing what I was seeing I bolted upright and grabbed my phone for a photo. It had snowed a good 4 inches overnight which meant the local ski resort, Grand Targhee, must have gotten more than that! With opening day coming fast we will take all the snow we can get.

Last year after Hawaii, we arrived back to Driggs in early January and immediately threw ourselves into ski season with wild abandon. We rented skis, signed our kids up for lessons through the local school districts, and planned to spend most of our time learning on the slopes.

It was fantastic.

And we were exhausted.

“That’s a wrap on ski season! We’ve skied on average twice a week for the last 3 months and are so impressed with how well the kids have done.”

This year we plan to take things a little more slowly. Because we came back from our east coast trip a little early (okay, A LOT early) we made the local ski swap and got used skis, boots, and poles for all the kids. With opening day set for November 16th we have at least a month and half of skiing before lessons start again in January which will give us the perfect amount of time to get warmed up and back into the swing of things.

In honor of ski season almost upon us, Sam and I sat down and came up with our top 5  reasons we love Grand Targhee and are excited to ski there again this winter.

Beginner Terrain

Grand Targhee has one of the largest beginner friendly terrains I’ve ever seen. Not only do they have a magic carpet, but they have a beginner lift that explores acres of green, kid friendly, action packed terrain.

The kids are excited to check out all their favorite trails, and I think they will spend most of December becoming familiar again with their favorite runs. The kids also love the various paths through the trees that turn technical skill practice into something fun! Those will help with their turning and handling skills in preparation for tackling some of the easier intermediate trails.

Amazing Instructors

I’m still floored by the caliber of instructors Targhee hires for their ski school. My kids LOVED it. Even after lessons were over, their instructors would still say “hi” to my kids when we ran into each other on the slopes.  All of my kids have their fingers crossed they get the same instructor this year.

The #TargheeVibe

We are close to Jackson Hole, WY which draws a lot of the intense, ski vacation type people. We’ve often heard of lift lines over an hour long on that side of the mountains, while I get a little miffed if we can’t ski right back on the lift.

We have met some amazing people from all over the world riding the chair lift, but this side of the mountain is just….quieter. Its more intimate. It has soul. And its perfect.

Family Friendly

While the beginner terrain is immense and awesome, there’s also something for everyone. Sam and I have *almost* skied every blue run, haven’t really touched the blacks (and there are some good ones), not to mention the back country area around Mary’s that you have to hike to. Let’s be honest – that stuff just isn’t even on my radar yet.

The resort is also small, which far from being a disadvantage means that we can all grab separate runs and easily meet back down at the lodge. Its super easy to keep track of our kids with small Talk-About-Radios.

And the s’mores.

Let’s not forget the s’mores every Friday sponsored by the ski school. One of my favorite things last year was meeting up with the kids after lessons and all grabbing a s’more (or two, or three) on the patio before heading home. I love the friendly atmosphere and general camaraderie that exists at the resort – it makes it so easy to want to come back again and again!

With only a few days  left until opening day, we seriously can’t wait to get back on the slopes and we are excited to help Grand Targhee celebrate their 50th anniversary this year! In the meantime, we’ll just keep praying that the snow comes hard and fast!