My cousin, her husband, and four children drive to Pico from New Jersey for a family ski trip twice a year. We met up with them last season and my older son had such an amazing time with the gaggle of boys that we just had to get back and make a trip of it this year.
Staying at Killington Grand
We stayed at the Killington Grand just down the road, as the condos at Pico get filled up quickly over holiday periods. While not slopeside, we had zero complaints about staying at the Grand. Our one-bedroom suite provided ample room to spread out and manage ski gear and allowed us to sleep the boys in the bedroom. That gave us parents space to lounge after bedtime. A Murphy bed in the living space gave us a more comfortable place to sleep than a pull-out couch- whew! Plus, we could pack it away when we wanted more space to hang.
The Grand is also home to a heated outdoor pool, which might have been the highlight of the weekend for my youngest, at 4 years old. He loved swimming around in warm water while snowflakes floated around his head. The adjacent hot tubs were a delightful spot for me to lounge and watch him. My eldest hopped back and forth between the two and the snow piles seeing how long he could stand the cold.
Views of the mountain from the Grand pool are exceptional day and night. When sunny, you can watch skiers across the snowmaking pond in the learning area and see all the way to the peak. At night, look for groomer lights as they prep the mountain for the morning, or gaze up at the stars with a clear sky.
Skiing at Pico
I’ve stayed at the Grand to ski at Pico before, and my favorite part on a Saturday is watching the crowd of cars all head to Killington while we head in the opposite direction. The shadow of Killington, Pico is the Beast’s little cousin down the street. But, after skiing untouched powder at Pico all day on a weekend, you might think differently about it.
I consider Pico a hidden gem. It has more vertical than 80% of the resorts in Vermont, but still has a family-friendly vibe. Its single base area makes it feel safe and cozy for kids. And while it’s nowhere near as expansive as Killington, it has a great variety of terrain. Runs off the Summit Express are long and range from blue to black, while the lower mountain sub-peaks progress from a beginner area at Bonanza to gladed runs off the Outpost double.
We explored them all over two days. The boys were enrolled in lessons the first day we were at Pico. (Read more about that soon.) After dropping the youngest at Trekkers, and the older one off with the Mountaineers group, Dad and I got to free-ski with my cousin and her kids. They gave us a tour of their favorite runs off the Summit Express, exploring K.A. and Birch Glades. Then we ventured to the Outpost double for naturally covered terrain, and back down the mid-mountain Golden Express to see if we could catch up with our son. We found fresh snow and zero lift lines at all the chairs.
The second day was a family ski day as my older son chased my cousin’s four kids around the mountain. They challenged each other to ski Giant Killer and ripped along little shoots like Peekaboo. I took the morning to ski with my younger son in the Bonanza learning area. Throughout the morning he mastered the double chair and showed off the skills he learned at his lesson the day before. Prepped with plenty of treats, we knocked off nearly 10 runs in the morning before he was ready for a rest. It was his longest days on skis yet and a huge milestone.
Overall, we enjoyed two full days of top to bottom, bell to bell skiing at Pico. We can’t wait to go back for more next year!
For more Pico fun check out our Pico Mountain Eats, and Lessons at Pico posts coming soon.
Sarah Wojcik is the founder of All Mountains Mamas, starting it in 2012. Becoming a mother in 2017, she grasped the opportunity to share her passion of skiing and snowboarding with families across the U.S. and came on as a contributor and manager. Formerly the Director or Marketing and Communications for Ski Vermont, and currently the creative editor and digital partnership director at Ski Area Management magazine, she writes with great knowledge of the ski industry in Vermont and beyond, and from the point of view of a new mother working to get back out on the slopes with two kids in tow. She is also the proud owner of Vermont’s #1 family fun resource, FindandGoSeek.net.