Breck is epic for kids

Vail Resorts has rolled out the white carpet for Colorado schoolkids. This season, students from kindergarten through fifth grade who registered for the Epic Schoolkids Colorado Pack will get to spend four epic days shredding at each of Vail’s Colorado resorts – Breckenridge, Beaver Creek, Keystone, and Vail. That’s sixteen days on the slopes, and the best part is, it’s all free!

Research indicates that kids in the U.S. spend about half as much time outside now as they did 20 years ago. Vail Resorts wants to change this. In the spirit of honoring the company’s value of doing good, this program exists to get as many kids as possible on the snow, learning to love playing outdoors in the Colorado mountains and boosting their confidence through practicing new skills with friends. And to make the program even more epic, all participating children will get one free first-timer lesson and gear rental in January as a part of “Learn to Ski and Snowboard” month.

Breckenridge Ski Resort has offered special passes for schoolkids before. Starting in 2008, the School of Shred program welcomed fifth and sixth graders to the slopes for free skiing and riding at the Colorado resorts. The 2015 – 2016 season is the first that the program has been expanded to all elementary-aged children, which means that even more Colorado kids will have the chance to engage in snowsports that get them in tune with nature and exercise their bodies. This opportunity is especially valuable for Colorado kids who might not otherwise get to experience the thrills of skiing and riding.

If you’re the parent of a registered Epic Schoolkid, check out this FAQ for important information, including blackout dates. If you’re the parent of an eligible Epic Schoolkid but missed registration this year, don’t forget to check out Snow.com next March for updates and information about how to register for next season. And, if you’re like me – a kid at heart, but at least a few decades removed from the elementary years – you can be proud to ski and ride the slopes of a resort that places so much importance on introducing children to the joys and benefits of skiing and riding.