We'll be sliding down the mountain...

During our most-recent "staycation," we ventured a few hours north to a ski resort and took turns racing down the mountain on specially modified sleds -- without snow. Even our 3-1/2-year-old (with an adult, of course). All in the name of research for a Boston Globe article on Family Travel...

(Photo By Greg Keeler for Attitash)

August 2, 2008

Take the Family


WHO: Globe Magazine staff member Lylah M. Alphonse and her five kids, age 1
to 14
WHAT: Sliding down a snowless ski slope
WHERE: Attitash (Route 302, Bartlett, N.H. 800-223-7669. attitash.com)

From June 14 to Sept. 1, while the weather is warm, ski paradise Attitash in Bartlett, N.H., becomes a fun-filled summer hot spot. At least that's what my older kids think after spending an afternoon on the alpine slide there, making like Speed Racer on their converted Mach 5s.

You ride a ski lift to the top of the mountain - it's breathtaking, even more so if you're riding with a wiggly preschooler - and then careen down the mile-long track on a special sled that you control yourself. At the end, you excitedly compare relative speeds with your siblings, scoff, dare them to another run, and go up again. And again. A one-day ticket ($35 for people over 4-feet tall, $15 for shorties) gives you access to the alpine slide as well as to four waterslides, a kiddie splash pool, ski-lift assisted mountain biking, a rock-climbing wall, and a bungee-trampoline combo that makes you feel like you're in free-fall. (Pony rides, guided horseback tours, and mountain bike rentals are also available.)

It was a bit too chilly to hang out in the toddler-friendly Buddy Bear Play Pool when we went, but that was fine; there were rocks for throwing, wide pathways for running, and delicious french fries for sharing, so even the baby had a blast. [More]