Skiing with a family can be incredibly expensive. The way we have done our trips has been more cost effective, but more work! We do not ship gear or stay in a ski in/ski out resort. This information may differ if that is your plan.
The first time we flew for a ski trip, we were dreading the idea of flying not only our children, but all of our skis, boots, helmets, ski pants and jackets for a ski trip. Then once you get there, renting the car that fits all of us and the gear! Cramming it all in our own car and driving is enough! And the cost of shipping our gear was not an option for us. We stay at Airbnbs and ski first to last chair with pocket snacks and pb and js!
I did a lot of asking around and thinking before we booked our first trip (from Washington, DC to Colorado). Hopefully these tips will help with any future planning or decisions for your family.
**Links to the ski gear we Fly with is listed below.
By taking these steps, flying with kids and skis has gone very smoothly.
- Airlines-we opted for South West which flies skis free, but they are doing away with this in 2026. I believe if you have their credit card, free checked bags, including skis are still a thing. Most (all?) airlines count a ski bag and a boot bag as one checked bag per person.
- Packing Ski Gear-we use two large rolling ski bags to hold 5 pairs of skis and poles. We also stuff ski pants and jackets in them. Then each person has a boot bag that gets checked with base layers, a helmet, boots, mittens, facemask, googles. We love checking all of this at the curb which avoids dragging them through the airport.
- Packing Clothes-We travel with 2-3 carry ons for clothes. And this has proven to be too much for a six-seven day trip! We have only needed a plane outfit, all your socks and underwear, pjs, a bathing suit (if needed), and then one other lounge outfit. Often after skiing, the kids go grab food in their gear than change into pjs at home!
- Drop off-we drive ourselves to the airport and one of us drops the kids and one parent to check the ski gear curb side while the other parks the car and shuttles. This is quick and efficient. Upon arrival, we all chip In to get the gear to the stop for car rental and the shuttle drivers are super helpful with getting us on and off.
- Rental-a mid/large SUV is a given, but for our last trip, we rented a Ford F150 and it came with pros and cons.
Pros: Plenty of space for 5 and all of our gear went in the bed. 4 wheel drive for dicey conditions, higher vehicle for navigating snow.
Cons: We didn’t think about going inside anywhere with our gear in the truck bed. It could easily be stolen because we didn’t have a cover for it. We were told at our rental agency, some full coverage insurance doesn’t cover pick up trucks (not sure how universal that is-it seemed strange). And last, it did snow about a foot and we had to clean out the bed (our ski bags were inside the bed).
Links to Ski Gear we Fly With:
Rolling Ski Bag: https://amzn.to/3GoWY6r
Boot Bags: https://amzn.to/4jMqMZ5
Rolling Carry Ons: https://amzn.to/4iyTUBY
Small Personal Backpacks: https://amzn.to/4lEgmwd
Hydration Packs for Skiing: https://amzn.to/3GpmB72
Overall, even with a five year old in tow our first trip like this, it’s been very successful flying our gear out! If you have the skis and passes already-this can make a big ski trip much more affordable!
Beyond The Usual Trail 