Ski free in Pennsylvania with 4th grade ski passes

Updated 09/14/2019 - Did you know there are several ways your kids can ski for free in PA? If they are in 4th grade, they've can ski all season for free at Spring Mountain (in Spring Mount, PA) and they can also take advantage of 3 free lift tickets at each of 20 different ski resorts. This is a HUGE DEAL! If your child is in 5th grade they do not quality for the Spring Mountain free season pass, but they do qualify for the 3 free lift tickets at each of the 20 participating ski resorts.

1. The Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association offers a Snowpass Program to 4th AND 5th graders. The following resorts are participating for the 2019-2020 season (subject to change): Bear Creek Mountain Resort, Big Boulder, Blue Knob Resort, Blue Mountain Resort, Camelback Resort, Elk Mountain, Hidden Valley Resort, Jack Frost Mountain, Laurel Mountain, Liberty Mountain Resort, Montage Mountain, Mount Pleasant, Mystic Mountain, Roundtop Mountain Resort, Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Shawnee Mountain, Ski Big Bear, Ski Sawmill Family Resort, Spring Mountain, Tussey Mountain and Whitetail Resort. Each resort has specific rules, check those out here. This also includes one free "Learn to ski/board" package (includes beginner lift, lesson & rental equipment).
1. Submit your application online, including a copy of your child's report card showing they are in 4th or 5th grade (last year's report card is valid to show they completed 3rd grade if going into 4th this year). Include a color photo of child.
2. You can also print and mail in your application. The form can be found here.


2. Spring Mountain offers a free season pass to local 4th graders. They are participating in the PA Ski Free Program above, but also allowing 4th graders to ski all season for free at their resort once you've signed up for the PA SKI pass above.

Remember, rentals are not included in either of the above deals (except for the "learn to ski package" at the participating PA ski resorts). And the cost of rentals add up, as well as uses up time while you stand in line to pick up skis from a resort (trust me, we've wasted 1.5 hours standing in the rental line... never again!). For kids under 12, they are $28 for a day at Spring Mountain and $35 for a day at Blue Mountain (our favorite). If you are signing your children up for one of these ski pass programs, I strongly encourage you to consider purchasing a season-long rental.

But skiing together as a family has been so fun! We've logged many hours together out there, although now the boys in our family snowboard, while the girls ski. 

Staying in the White Mountains of New Hampshire - a review of Attitash Mountain Village

Last week my husband and I celebrated our ten year wedding anniversary and being the outdoorsy family we are, we wanted to go to the mountains where we could hike, kayak and swim in lakes and rivers. My parents so generously offered us a week of their timeshare so we researched and booked a place at Attitash Mountain Village.

The timeshare resort sits at the base of the Attitash Mountain and along the Saco River. The Conway Scenic Railroad crosses through the resort, but don't worry, it only runs from 10:30am until 6pm, so you won't be bothered by the train whistles all night long.

Our room was considered a one bedroom, but slept eight people. There was a first floor kitchen, full bathroom and family room with a queen sleeper-sofa and a queen murphy bed. You know the fun beds that flip up/down from the wall? We knew the kids would love this! And then there was an upstairs bedroom with a queen bed and queen sleeper-sofa, as well as another full bathroom and a washer/dryer. The unit apparently is set up to be listed as two individual units, but was combined by two doors when you first entered the room. The doors could be locked or kept open so you can access each section.

We enjoyed the outdoor pool and hot tub during the day and also in the evening. There's an indoor pool and exercise room, however we didn't spend much time at the resort to check these out. Our kids enjoyed the tennis courts, ping pong table, playgrounds, exercise stations around the grounds and the basketball court. The front desk provided tennis rackets, ping pong paddles and balls for all the sports, at no additional change! There was also no time limit for the sports equipment, you just check it out when you need it and return it when you're done. We held onto the basketball for a few days, as our son played it each afternoon when we came home, but the rest we picked up and dropped back off when we wanted to play.

The Saco River runs behind the resort so we walked around the small lake and over to the river a few times during our stay. There's a lot of small rocks to play on, and the river itself is relatively shallow so the kids enjoyed walking and playing in the water.

The staff was very friendly and courteous, offered suggestions on restaurants, directions for grocery stores and attractions, and answered all of my questions. Check-in was a breeze - they even let us in an hour early. Some things to note, we found our room did not have pot holders upon arrival and the front desk sent someone over with them immediately. We also found the upstairs sink did not drain, and called the front desk to let them know (and also let them know it was not an emergency to send someone at 8pm). The very next morning someone was at our door to fix it before we even left for our hike. So very small problems were promptly addressed and resolved - that's what I call amazing customer service.

More posts to follow on our activities during the week - we checked out a mountain adventure park, took several hikes and kayaked on the Saco River. Our son wants to go back in two years to climb Mt. Washington so we know we will be back!

This is not a sponsored post; we paid for our vacation rental using timeshare points and our own money for the trade. I will not be compensated by any of the links within the post - they are just for ease of reference for you!

Camping in French Creek State Park

Camping - who doesn't love it? We've gone camping as a family a few times, exploring different parks in Pennsylvania, and no matter where we go, it's always a blast.

In the spring we went to French Creek State Park just the four of us. Other tips we've gone with friends, but this was the first time the four of us went alone. We always find the hardest part of camping is choosing your lot. We try to find a large one so we have space to spread out, but also we want to be close to the bath houses for the countless trips we make back and forth all day and night. 

This trip we chose site B-11, as it was diagonally across the street from the bath house. It was in the RV section so there was plenty of parking space, but there was also a great flat area for the tent. And with the car blocking the entrance, we really had a lot of privacy here. 

Our tent is an eight person tent, which is honestly perfect for our family. It's a Coleman Red Canyon and I highly recommend it if you're camping with a family. There are room dividers for each side, so the kids can have their own little rooms, and my husband and I can sleep in the main larger room. The kids like to sleep in sleeping bags, and both have Eureka! Youth 15 degree bags. These bags kept them warm when the weather dropped to about 45 degrees one night, so if you're looking for a sleeping bag for a child, this is excellent. My husband and I like a little more comfort when we camp, so we use this air mattress. But we didn't go out and spend a lot of money on it, it was less than $20!

We have several bins we pack for camping, and usually keep them stocked when we get back home so that it's easy to grab and go the next time. One bin has arts and crafts, which for my daughter is her favorite thing. She collects rocks to paint and sticks to wrap washi tape around the ends. Each of us gets an assigned "marshmallow roasting" stick, marked by specific colored tape on one end. 

We also like to bring several sports activities - a football, frisbee, a soccer ball. Any type of ball that will keep our son busy. And it's a great way to move around while not really going too far out of our sight. Have y'all ever seen the Nerf Fire Vision Ignite football? What a great idea to insert a glowing light into a football, so you can continue to play as it gets dark outside. The ball glows when you throw it in the air! Then if you happen to drop it, it blinks off and on when it lands on the ground. My son received it as a gift for his birthday and we love it so much, it's become the gift we give to the other boys when he's invited to parties.

Food is another big consideration when we pack for camping, but it's my favorite thing to plan. For one night trips we usually make hotdogs and hot sausage or chicken sausage on the firepit. The kids love to use their sticks for their dogs, but we place the sausages on a piece of foil over the fire. Note - sausage on a stick is not a good idea. The high fat content lends itself to sliding off said stick and burning away in the flames. Not that we know this from experience or anything :)

Breakfast consists of fruit and bagels cooked over the fire also. Everything tastes better with a little smoke flavor.

We did a lot of hiking while we were at French Creek, but really just enjoyed escaping our everyday, crazy, hectic life. Thankfully the weather was beautiful and we had a fabulous time. I highly recommend camping if you haven't gone before. Such a great family trip where you'll make memories of a lifetime.