THE QUESTION: MY HUSBAND AND I ARE HEADING UP WITH OUR FIVE-YEAR-OLD AND SEVEN-YEAR-OLD FOR THE DAY AND I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN.


Mountain 1: UTAH, LARGE AREa

First Contact: Real person
SAM: Stated question.
Staff: Well, we have some awesome ski school programs! And we have day care without skiing, too, which is also a fully accredited program. Which would you like to be transferred to?
SAM: Ski school, please.
Answering phone: Impatient older female
SAM: Stated question.
Staff: How old is your child? (You mean children, like I just said?)
SAM: They're five and seven.
Staff: So for the 6-year-old (you mean 5, right?), we have Snow Club and it's a full day program from 10 to 3:45 where they're outside all day, and then we have the Snowflake Club for the older child which is the same time as the Snow Club. (Pause.)
SAM: OK . . .
Staff: So the Snow Club is only available on Sunday but the Snowflake Club is available both weekend days. (Pause.)
SAM: What are the details of these programs?
Staff: Details . . . umm, you mean price?
SAM: Sure.
Staff: It's $160 including lesson, lift ticket and lunch. But, like I said, they're out skiing all day with their instructor, and they group them up nicely with ability levels. Each group has a range of only 4 to 8 kids in each. Does that help?
SAM: A little bit. What about rentals?
Staff: That’s additional and the junior package is $35. Does that help?
SAM: So the programs are only full-day options? I wanted to see if there was a chance I could ski with my kids during the day.
Staff: Well, not really. You can pick them early if you'd like, but you'll still have to pay for the full-day program price. Does that help?

Rating: 4
Comment: How about a better attitude? That would help.


Mountain 2: B.C., large Area

First Contact: Automated machine. Chose "ski and snowboard school."
Answering phone: Young male
SAM: Stated question
Staff: Yup, first what are the ages of your children?
SAM: One is five and one is seven.
Staff: So you can do the full day lesson if you'd like. You'll drop them off at 8:30 and it all starts at 9:00 and you'll pick them up at 3:30. They'll be with other kids of similar ages and abilities. It's $115 for the lesson. The 5-year-old will get a free lift ticket and you can also get rentals with the package. So for the 5-year-old, for the lesson, rentals and free ticket it's $135 and for the seven-year-old it's $158.
SAM: Wait, I thought it was $115?
Staff: Right, it is without the rentals or lift tickets.
SAM: OK, do you offer anything else?
Staff: There aren't half-day programs for children, the only other option would be a private lesson, which you could put both children in together with one instructor if you'd like. There aren't any packages for that so you'd have to pay separately for rentals. (Don't I already with the day program?) The price is $599 for a 9 to 3 p.m. lesson, a half-day morning from 8:45 to 11:45 is $419 and a half day afternoon lesson from 12:30 to 3:30 is $359.
SAM: And that's without rentals? (Yikes!)
Staff: Yup, just the price for the instructor.
SAM: OK, anything else I need to know?
Staff: Um, yeah actually, if you're going to be here on Sunday night there's a fire and ice show at the base at 6:30. They have hoops of fire with skiers and riders going through with fireworks at the end. And we also have a family tube park located on XX mountain where you catch the gondola to get there and we offer a family discount pass for that too.

Rating: 7.5
Comment: Might as well sell one child to pay for the other's lesson, as it's my only option to be able to ski with them. Could have softened the blow a little. But, I liked the selling of the other activities.


Mountain 3: WI, SMALL Area

First Contact: Automated machine. Chose "general
information" and "snow sports school."
Answering phone: Answering machine. Gave a run down of their children’s program for skiing/boarding, non-skiing activities, day care, young kids, old kids, rental information (exactly how long it will take to get the equipment to be sure you're on time to ski school), timing of every kind of lesson and program, e-mail contact with further question and directions to ski school pricing on their website. This took a solid 3 to 4 minutes, wow. However, it answered my general questions and after heading to their website like she insisted, every one of my questions for bringing a family to the resort were answered.

Rating: 8
Comment: Dare I say . . . automated machine, nicely done! (This comment is rare, don't get excited.)


Mountain 4: IL, SMALL Area

First Contact: Automated machine. Chose “speak to someone” option.
Answering phone: Older female, grumpy sounding
SAM: Stated question.
Staff: OK, what ages are your children?
SAM: One is five and one is seven.
Staff: OK, then it would be the Snow Kids program for $50, including rental equipment, lift ticket and an hour-and-a-half lesson. (Pause.)
SAM: OK, well what kind of program is it?
Staff: An hour-and-a-half lesson kind.
SAM: That’s it?
Staff: Yes.
SAM: Is there anything else I should know or prepare for bringing up my family?
Staff: Nope, if it’s just the two little ones then they’ll have their lesson and they’re welcome to ski with you and your husband for the rest of the day.
SAM: OK then, thanks.

Rating: 1
Comment: Wow. At least everything is included in one price, guess it’s extra for friendly customer service, though.


Mountain 5: CA, Large Area

First Contact: Automated machine. Chose "ski school, etc."
Answering phone: PUMPED up young female. (Eeeeasy on the Red Bull.)
SAM: Stated question.
Staff: OK, so you want to know about ski school?
SAM: Um, yes, ski school.
Staff: OK! What are the ages of your kids? And have they ever skied before?
SAM: Well, one is five and one is seven. The five-year-old went once with my husband and I, but it didn't count for much, and the seven-year-old has been a few times.
Staff: OK, so what we have for lesson programs . . . we have the afternoon setup, which is 1:15 to 3:45 for first timers, strictly for kids who have never skied before. We get them comfortable on the mountain and how to get in and out of their bindings, how to get up when they fall, that basic knowledge they really need. Then, we have the all-day program for the seven-year-old, I mean your five-year-old could do it too, whatever you think would be more appropriate. That's from 9:45 to 3:45, which includes two snacks and lunch, lift ticket, rental equipment and the lesson for $119. Either package includes all of that actually. We do have openings available as well for that program if you'd like to make reservations now.
SAM: Um, can I call back?
Staff: Oh yeah, sure you can, you can book on-line on our site, too, because you'll click through all the liability releases so you don't have to wait to register your kids here. (Gave website and directions to children programs.) Or, if you don't have an Internet connection, because some people still just don't have that still, you can call back and go over it all on the phone, but then you would actually have to fill it out again once you got here.
SAM: Great, so I can take care of all the paperwork on-line?
Staff: You bet! Definitely will make your life easier.
SAM: Great to hear. Anything else I should know about coming to your resort with my family to make it all go as smoothly as possible?
Staff: I don't think so. You can get everything you need in terms of equipment and any forgotten gear right there at ski school, it's all together in one place so you don't have to worry about going over to another building or marching across the base area to meet your instructor. On your way to the mountain, just follow signs for our children’s village area and you’ll be on your way to a good time.

Rating: 9.9
Comment: Minus .1 for forgetting half-day program pricing. Tough, I know. Otherwise, she was eager to tell me everything with a great attitude, gave me the perfect tips for making the whole process smoother, which is exactly what a mom is looking for.

Identity Revealed: Northstar-at-Tahoe


Mountain 6: VT, Large Area

First Contact: Automated machine. Chose lessons option.
Answering phone: Susie Sunshine
SAM: Stated question.
Staff: Alrighty sure, how old are your children?
SAM: One is five and one is seven.
Staff: OK perfect, then both are eligible to go in to our Star program, which is for ages 4 to 7. There’s the full-day program with registration from 8:30 to 9:30 and pick-up is at 3. The earlier you get here the better, so when they formulate the groups based on ability, etc. they’re ready to hit the hill. Then we, of course, provide lunch for the tykes in our own dedicated facility. The cost for that is $98. If you want to do a half-day, either morning or afternoon, you could also ski with your kids if you’d like, it’s $73. Registration for the morning is from 8:30 to 9:30 with pick-up at noon and the afternoon drop-off is 12:00 to 12:30 with pick-up at three.
SAM: Do the packages include anything else?
Staff: Well, they’re not actually packages, just lessons, so rental equipment is not included. When are you coming this weekend?
SAM: Not exactly sure yet.
Staff: OK, well, no worries. Our rental desk is open until 5 p.m. on Friday. So if you make it up here by then you can arrange rentals and get it out of the way, so you don’t have to do the morning hustle. If not, the desk opens at 8:30 every morning.
SAM: Thanks for all the helpful tips.
Staff: Oh yeah, no problem at all, have a good drive and we’ll see you Sunday hopefully!

Rating: 9.9
Comment: Minus .1 for lack of rental costs. Spy has no mercy, sorry. Regardless, I want Susie Sunshine answering my phones from now on.

Identity Revealed: Okemo.