By If you follow me on Instagram and happen to catch me on the mountain on Instagram stories, you’ll most likely find me at Keystone Resort at least once a week. When it comes to midweek snowboarding, it’s often just me and my eight-year-old, Riley while my husband is at work. I don’t frequent Keystone because it’s the closest to my house or because I’m most familiar with the mountain. I pick Keystone because it’s the most child-friendly resort in the area.
I have had two bad experiences from another ski area who shall remain nameless. On both occasions, it was just me and Riley, and it was traumatizing.
Riley is a small child so jumping on a tall chair lift is difficult for him. He typically needs my husband to hold him up while a worker pulls him back to make sure he’s secure on the chair. At this particular ski area, I asked the liftie (the person operating the lift) if he could slow it down and help my son up. He nodded his head then proceeded not to help! This was an old lift that operates very quickly so I had to act fast and use all my strength to get my kid on the chair and make sure he didn’t fall off!
On another occasion, Riley who usually follows me when coming down the mountain misunderstood and accidentally went the opposite direction to a completely different run. I typically look back every few seconds to make sure he’s behind me and when I looked back, he wasn’t there! I stopped, unstrapped my board and started running uphill towards the mid-mountain base area. At 11,000 feet, my lungs were burning, but the mama bear in me started to panic. I didn’t know if he just went down another run or if he had fallen up the mountain and was hurt. I found a pair of ski patrollers casually walking by so I told them I was missing my 7-year-old. Of course, I wasn’t expecting them to send out search and rescue, but I assumed they had some kind of protocol for a missing child. Instead, I was told, “we have more important things to do right now.” I couldn’t believe it.
I had no choice but to ride down alone and hope my kid was down there. When I got to the base, I found Riley crying his eyes out. After I calmed him down, he told me he went up to a liftie and told him he was lost and couldn’t find his mom. Instead of assisting him, he was told to walk around and look for me. It was so crowded that day that Riley was completely overwhelmed and scared. I swear Wal-Mart has better protocol for missing children in their store!
After those experiences, I told my husband I’m never going there without him. I now stick with Vail Resorts, specifically Keystone because I know they would never put families in that kind of situation. Keystone employees are always quick to help my little guy on the lift and always give him a high five along with words of encouragement.
In addition to having great customer service, here are the other reasons my family loves Keystone:
SAFE LEARNING AREAS
Riley and I both learned how to snowboard at Keystone at their two learning areas: Discovery and Ranger. We started at Discovery Learning Area three years ago and chose this spot because of the very mild slope that helped us learn how to maneuver downhill without falling and practice getting on and off a small lift. Riley and I then graduated to the top of Dercum Mountain to the Ranger Learning Area where we practiced how to make turns on short runs and slowly ride through trees. Whenever I see people on runs who can barely stand on their skis or board, I will kindly suggest Discovery and Ranger. I always tell them, it’s safer for you to start there and you’ll gain confidence at a learning area before attempting a green.
FAMILY SKI ZONES
Many people are familiar with the green run, Schoolmarm, for being 3.5 miles long. And many parents are happy to take their kids on this run because it is very family friendly. On this 3.5 mile stretch, you’ll see several signs to slow down, watch for children, and even dedicated areas that say “Family Ski Trail”. Safety is a top priority on Schoolmarm where you’ll find several “rest areas” and Mountain Safety Patrollers watching the speed of other skiers and riders. They are so on top of it, I’ve watched them give tickets to people who were skiing way too fast around children. Even though Riley and I typically go for blue and black runs now, some days we revisit Schoolmarm because we love it!
KIDTOPIA
The name says it all, Kidtopia is the perfect place to be if you’re a kid. The Kidtopia Headquarters at Keystone is open from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm. If the kids are tired of skiing or need a break from the cold, you can pop in with them at any time to play with toys or participate in a craft. After the lifts close, Kidtopia will have a specific program available. For example, Mondays are movie nights with free popcorn and snacks, Thursdays have Cupcakes and Canvases where kids get to eat cupcakes while painting a picture, and Fridays consist of a milkshake social with Kidtopia’s mascot Ripperoo. Riley has participated in all the activities Kidtopia has to offer and he absolutely loves it there! Check the daily program schedule here.
THE WORLD’S LARGEST SNOW FORT
Every year at the top of Dercum Mountain, Keystone builds the world’s largest snow fort or as Riley calls it, the “snow castle.” Not only do kids love it, but adults love it too! You can run around it, inside it or on top of it. The fort also has a couple slides to help you slide down from the top. When the sun goes down, the fort lights up! Riley and I have watched fireworks from the top of the fort and it’s a pretty fantastic view.
HOLIDAY EVENTS
Kidtopia Holiday Spectacular
Around Christmas and New Years, Keystone has some very special events for the whole family. For several days in December, there are fun events such as indoor family parties, meet and greets with Santa, cookie decorating, face painting, Santa and Ripperoo parades, and lots of fireworks. My favorite part is the Torchlight Parade where the Ski & Ride School coaches come down the mountain with torchlights. It’s very beautiful and mesmerizing to watch!
Kidtopia Music Experience
Every year in March around Spring Break, Kidtopia puts on a music event that is fun for the whole family! It’s ultimately a week-long music festival for kids filled with bounce house parties, face painting, animal balloons, kids crafts, and of course, parades and fireworks. Riley always looks forward to the Snow Pants Dance Party where his favorite band, Koo Koo Kanga Roo are often headliners. The entire week is filled with dancing, sugar and tons of fun! We look forward to it every year.
FREE COOKIES
Lastly, I want to point out one of my favorite things about Keystone: free cookies. Every single day at 4 pm, Keystone gives out free cookies. I always use Riley as my excuse to get a cookie, but truly, you don’t need to have a kid with you. I’ve seen adults run in, grab a cookie and literally run out. No need to run because I think this may be one of Keystone’s best-kept secrets!
Keystone Resort is scheduled to close this year on April 7, 2019. We are really sad about their ski season ending because this is one of our favorite places to spend time together as a family. Check out their website, Keystoneresort.com, and plan a trip before they close! See you on the slopes!
*Disclaimer: I am a Vail Resorts Influencer for the 2018-2019 season, but this is my third year as an Epic Pass holder. This is a sponsored post, but obviously, as a frequent season pass holder, all opinions are my own!
thevaliantlife.com 
We have never been to Keystone, but it sounds like we should have given it a try years ago when our girls were young. The only time we skied/snowboarded in the USA we spent the better part of one season (about 10 years ago) at Steamboat Springs and did a few comps at Copper (?) and maybe at Vail. That story of your missing 7 year old and them not caring is terrifying. I am glad it turned out okay.
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Thank you! It was really scary so now I know to stick with family friendly resorts. And sounds like you’re due for another ski trip! I was at Vail last week during a storm and I had never seen so much snow at a resort. Every single run had powder! Lots of fun, you should come back out!!
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I have always wanted to visit a ski resort and pick up ski. I think it is super cool to be able to pick up ski and go skiing during the winter. Keystone Resort looks fantastic and love the views and your pictures.
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Thank you!! You should definitely try it soon, I think you would love it!
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That sounds like a great resort. I love that they cater to kids as much as they do adults. That’s always a nice bonus when traveling with the family.
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Yes, it really is! Just knowing the whole family is having a great time is also a plus during vacation.
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I have never been to a ski resort, this one looks amazing. The views and photos are amazing.
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Thank you!! You should try it out sometime!
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I’ve never been to Colorado but would love to check this ski resort. I love going to good ski resort, so much fun.
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You definitely need to add Colorado to your list! It’s beautiful here, very diverse landscapes and we have some of the best skiing in the country. I hope you get to try it out someday 😊
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You’re photos are gorgeous! We want to take our kids skiing next year and this sounds like the perfect place. My husband and I have been skiing in Colorado in the past and we loved it!
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Thank you!! Colorado has some great skiing, doesn’t it?! I think your kids would LOVE Keystone. There’s a lot more than what I mentioned so I suggest checking out their website when planning your trip!
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I haven’t skied for ages! this resort looks like a perfect place to come back to it. nice review and photos too!
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Thank you 😊 you definitely need to get back out there! Even if you don’t have kids, it’s the perfect place for adults too! The mountain has great runs and so many good happy hour deals for apres ski 😉
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My kids would be all over that snow fort! What a beautiful place to ski or snowboard, indeed!
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The fort is awesome! Even if you don’t ski, there are so many other things to do. Right behind the fort is a big tubing hill!
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This would make a great family vacation for us next winter! We usually go to Tahoe, but there isn’t nearly as much to do there as this place has to offer!
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Yes! I’ve never been to any other resort that had so much for kids to do. We went to Tahoe last year, it’s where we like to do our family reunions since my husband and I are originally from the Bay Area. We had a great time at Heavenly, but after we hit the slopes, we didn’t see anything special or extra for our son to do. Keystone is just a fun time from morning till night and the kids are constantly entertained!
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I would be with your kids on the learner hill for sure haha!! Colorado is such a beautiful place I would love to go there to learn how to ski. The views are breathtaking!
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Haha! You should definitely come to Colorado to learn. We have great snow so it doesn’t hurt as much when you’re learning and constantly falling 😉
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Have not been to one before but will give it a try.The pictures are lovely.
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Appreciate that!! You should definitely try it someday.
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This looks like such a fun place! I love that you and your son have little dates there and can really use that time to bond and create lasting memories.
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Aw thank you!! Yes, I love our little dates. Hopefully he loves snowboarding so much that he won’t mind hanging out with his mom when he’s a little older 😆
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I’ve never been but it always looks like a fun destination for the whole family! Sounds like you had a great time!
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what a nice place and fun event to go to, im sure my family will enjoy htis trip thankyou for sharing
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looks ike a reat place to visit, my whole family will surely like it here, thankyou for the share
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This looks like an awesome ski resort, I would love to take my kids skiing
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I could not believe the response you got from the employees of that “nameless” resort. That was awful! If we ever visit Colorado, we know which ski-resort to go to – Keystone! Thanks for your review of the place.
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You’re very welcome! It was pretty awful but I don’t want to leave a bad review for the place because it is an amazing place to ski… it’s just not targeting children and families and that’s fine! Not every place is perfect for families. I hope you get to experience Colorado and Keystone. I’m sure you’ll have an amazing time!
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It’s good to go to places that are very accommodating for family fun. Some places are just catered to adults and they have issues when you bring kids. This place seems very open and friendly. I wish it were closer to me, I would be there quite often.
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So true!! It’s so tricky when you’re a parent, sometimes you’re unsure if a place is child friendly and it’s just awkward and inconvenient for everyone. That’s why I love it here. I know my kid is welcome everywhere even when I’m looking for an apres cocktail!
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I used to snow board, it’s so much fun! That would be a great way to bond as a family and get some exercise.
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Sounds like you need to get back out there!
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I haven’t tried ski yet. It looks so fun plus I love winter time! Nice post!
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You should try it! But just a warning, once you try, it can be addicting!
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I used to live in Frisco, CO so I’ve ridden Keystone often. I prefer Copper Mountain though. it’s outside Vail Resorts and the runs are better imo
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Oh nice! I still live in Summit so we’ve rode Copper a few times. I don’t have a pass but my husband and I are often there for date nights. But comparing runs, I’ve had some pretty amazing days at Keystone. I stick with the front side of the mountain when I’m with my son, but North Peak and the bowls have some pretty great terrain. I’ve had some pretty amazing days out there! We considered getting an IKON pass, but living in Summit, it doesn’t make sense to only have one mountain close by when you could have a pass to Keystone, Breck, Vail and Beaver Creek. I’m still waiting for Copper and IKON to make it worth it.
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Ahhh I’ve had the chance to visit keystone a few years ago!! Such a great resort area. We had so much fun!
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Awesome!! Sounds like you need to come back, it’s still a lot of fun!
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I would love to visit Keystone resort in Colorado state that have never visited to date. All the images and information that is provided here makes me look forward to the trip even more
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Happy to hear you found it useful! You should definitely add Colorado to your list, it’s an amazing state!
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That looks like such a fun resort! It has nice activities for kids. I shall definitely make a plan to go there with my family.
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I’m more of an apres ski person. I love the gear, I loathe the cold, and admire everyone who is a winter sports fan. This sounds like a fun place for the family.
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Good to see the whole family is having fun. Last year we went skiing and it was fun. Loved reading your post.
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