How to Fly with Kids and Enjoy Breckenridge without Skiing
“HOW ARE YOU IN BRECK WITH KIDS?”
I had several friends ask me how in the world we went skiing with the kids. The truth is, we went to Breck (technically Frisco) without skiing! I was honored to get asked to capture an elopement at Sapphire Point Overlook in Dillon, CO two weekends ago and they flew the whole family out. Photography being the main objective was enough to keep my mind occupied, but Graham admittedly had a hard time not skiing once he saw the mountains. We seriously had such a rad time without ever putting skiis on. Had we brought someone to help with the kids, we totally would have done it, but we just enjoyed the mountains with them. Anyways, we’ll get back to the fun in Frisco in a minute…
BUT FIRST, FLYING
Let’s start from the beginning, though. “How did the boys do?” I got the DM/text so many times after everyone saw us flying. On the way there, great! On the way back.. well, we may be travel banned after Emory’s screams on the way back =| , but mama, we triiiied. In his defense, it was VERY late and he’s just not a good sleeper anywhere besides the crib, even in a car seat. Overall, flying was awesome. We had no trouble in the airports and minimal on the plane. Gabriel would fly every day if he could!
I am going to compile a list of tips I got from friends beforehand and things I learned along the way, but I am also going to start by giving you the biggest tip of all. It will help maintain sanity and insure a measure of positivity. Give yourself and your children travel grace. You are all out of the comforts of your own routine, habitat and comforts. Meal schedules are off, nap times will move or be totally skipped. Kids rely heavily on routine and it’s worth disrupting, but extend them some grace. Also, just don’t worry with Beverly in the seat across the aisle, glaring every time your toddler cries. Once you get off the plane, you likely will never see her and her scowls again.
Let me note that I will be the first to hop up and take a fussy baby out, so I am not saying disregard the comfort of everyone else, but sometimes, regardless of tips and tricks, babies are going to cry, toddlers are going to forget you said not to kick the seat in front of them when they gets excited, and everyone is going to forget any of it happened by the next day. It isn’t worth shaming your kids or letting your blood boil at them not being perfect. Phew, okay, now that we’ve got our minds right, let’s get to the tangible tips:
// PARENTAL LUXURIES YOU SHOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF:
CAR SEATS >> I did not know this, but two things that are totally FREE to check when flying ( double check with your airline, but with nearly any) are car seats and strollers!
If you have a lap child, you have to keep them in your lap, but if you bought them a separate seat, you can bring your car seat on the plane as long as it is FFA approved! This wasn’t something we personally benefitted from, but I thought it could be helpful for some!
We had originally rented car seats through Avis with our car, but then I looked up on Frontier’s site and saw that we could just check them for free, so we saved like $80!
STROLLERS >> You can either check your stroller at baggage check or even better, check it at the gate (both for free!).
Graham was not about bringing the double stroller, but I stressed how many people told me to bring it and we were both SO glad I stuck to my guns (thanks, guys!). It was great for keeping the boys contained and then it was critical in getting the car seats to the luggage check and then after landing, out of the airport. Gabriel just walked, Emory sat in the front seat and Graham stacked the car seats on the back part (we have a Sit n Stand).
TBH we didn’t use it a ton once we were burning up the streets of Colorado, but it was 1000% necessary for the airport.
DA MILKIES >> This didn’t apply to me, so you will have to check the specifics, but you can bring a pump and milk on the plane! Sometimes you do have to fight with TSA, but they cannot deny you (to an extent).
SYMPATHY >> Another luxury extended to parents is sympathy. People will let you cut in line, they will forgive your children, they will give up a seat and so much more. Oblige them.
//SNACKS
“Did we go overboard on the snacks?” No. Absolutely, no, you did not. I say that with my extremely allergenic kids in mind. If you don’t deal with allergies, you can always get airport snacks if you get in a bind, but for us, we had a big bag dedicated to snackage. Pouches (don’t forget to put them in a ziploc for flying!), puffs, safe crackers, gum for the ears. Also, even if you nurse, bring a bottle of water or something. Distraction of the airplane made it hard for Emory to focus to nurse.
Don’t forget the Zyrtec and EpiPens! If you are an allergy parents, I know you likely won’t, but I always need to throw a reminder in there. Stick that liquid Zyrtec in a ziploc and have it handy.
// TOYS
Obviously, all of this depends on the age of your kid/s and their interests, but things we found useful or that I would have bought/brought had I better-prepared:
iSpy books - Barnes and Noble didn’t have a single one, but Lemuria in Jackson did! Shopping local is better anyway and this is an example of why!
LEGOS - Guys, Legos saved us with both our 3yo and 1yo! Graham would help Emory build or just let him take them apart and then I had gotten a couple new mini bags and Gabriel just took a bag and the instructions and built them on his own.
coloring books, buckle books, roll of Scotch tape (someone said it will occupy a little one for hours and I really wish I had brought one!), new water wow…
iPad, old phone loaded with shows - I actually had full intentions of loading an old, cracked iPhone with shows for Gabriel, but I was trying to pack us all, gather gear and finish a few sessions to deliver to clients before leaving and this was one thing that didn’t happen. So, we actually made it with no screens, but if our flight had been any longer, we may have been sorely regretting it, so I would say load it up and hold out and you may make it without, but you may be thankful you did!
// EMPTY CORNERS
If there are free rows in the back, when that fasten seatbelt light sims, RUN. It was our saving grace on the way back. Emory was not going to sleep and I didn’t even bother trying to force it. We moved to the back and it saved us. He just roamed around on the seats and we would hop up every now and then when he started to cry. Take advantage before someone else decides to.
Also, if you have layovers or are waiting at baggage claim for your baggage or car seats, if there are two adults, one of you wait for baggage and the other, take the restless babes to an empty corner to run around and explore! We also rode up and down the escalator a couple of times to kill some time. Our car seats came out separate from the carousel and it did take a hot minute to get them.
THE ROAD TO FRISCO
//GOLDEN
I used to drive from Austin, TX to Jackson, MS nearly once a month when we lived in Austin. I have driven A LOT with a little one. It rarely drove me crazy. I guess I should note that A) I have always enjoyed driving and B) I have always enjoyed stopping to smell the roses along the way. If you are the type that likes to get in and get there, I know you won’t like this. The best advice I can give you, though, is take breaks. I typically research my route ahead of time for great walking paths, hikes, coffee shops, nibbles, etc.
So, at any rate, our first stop was a little precious town called Golden. We stopped at a park and enjoyed our first bit of snow on a beautiful creek.
We got Gabriel out of the car and in a matter of seconds, as I was getting Emory out, I frantically realized I didn’t see him anywhere. He had already found the snow. He was so into it. His smile was unforgettable. In that moment, the fire was ignited. He is in LOVE with snow. We walked along the creek throwing, kicking, eating, kissing the snow. It was beautiful and little did he know, that paled in comparison to the snow we would see the rest of the trip!
// Clearwater Creek.. Maybe?
The main point of this stop was to exemplify the fact that Emory was a little restless and there was no need to rush to get to Frisco, so we stopped to stretch and hike. I am honestly not positive what the name of the trail was, but we just saw a stop and I asked to pull off.. or actually, I made Graham turn around because I liked the look of a trail half a mile back better than the one to our right.
Moral of this story is, I didn’t do research beforehand like I normally would, but if the babes are restless and you pass a pretty little spot, STOP! Take a break.
Gabriel stood at one end of the bridge, about to cross and then he turned back to us and smiled soooo big. He had spotted all the snow on the other side. I snapped a couple of pictures and sent him on his way. H went full speed ahead into what we assumed was snow.. It was not snow. I mean, it had been thick snow at one time and then it melted and refroze and turned into slick ice :0.. That sweet boy slipped all out, but somehow he didn’t get hurt! I grabbed some hiking sticks some previous hikers had set next to the sign and we started the trail a little more cautiously. The trail was super slick, so we didn’t end up going super far, but it didn’t take much distance to provide us with a heck of a good time. We jumped in the snow, Graham pulled Gabriel along the ice so he could “skii” and Emory lived his best life eating all the snow.
FRISCO, CO
Guys, Frisco was AWESOME. It is 12 minutes from Breck, 25 minutes from Vail, 15 minutes or so from Keystone and it is PRECIOUS. We stayed at the coziest little hotel, Hotel Frisco. They have one main street with some great restaurants, coffee, boutiques and then they also have a Walmart, Whole Foods and more a minute away. Frisco Adventure Park was PERFECT for the boys ( and us).
We went to Breckenridge one day and visited Crown Coffee, which was a great little shop and then we rode the FREE gondola until we were literally sick. The mountain drive is great if a kiddo is napping, btw.
Basically we drove to Breck from Frisco and then Em fell asleep, so I dropped Graham and Gabriel off to hop on the gondola at the top of the mountain and while Em and I drove/napped, they lit the fire of love in Gabriel of the gondola. After Em woke, we met them down in the town of Breck and got some coffee, then walked to the gondola stop. We hopped on and the boys had a blast on the way up. Once we got to the top, we watched people skiing for a bit and then hopped back on to go for another ride. On the way down, we even saw moose! We rode it back down, walked around town a bit and then headed back to Frisco.
The next day we did a hike at the end of Frisco’s Main St, North Tenmile Creek and then headed to Walmart to buy some sleds! Best $20 I have ever spent. After that, we headed to Frisco Adventure Park to test them out. We did that all the way up until I had to meet my couple for the elopement.
It is a precious, cozy town that is extremely reasonably priced and not as overcrowded as Breckenridge or any of the other big skii hotspots. It gets you away from the big crowd and gives you a great central location to do some exploring. I definitely recommend driving up to Sapphire Pointe Overlook to check out the view. And DO NOT FORGET Frisco Adventure Park (photos below). We went opening weekend of Breck, so it was still pretty vacant. I would honestly recommend this time if you can swing it because you nearly have everything to yourself! The only downside is that a few places close down for the slow season and were not open again yet. There were SO many places and things we didn’t get to do/see as we were only there for a few days, but these were the highlights:
HIGHLIGHTS from Frisco:
WHOLE FOODS - always grateful when there is a Whole Foods because of our diet/allergies.
EPIC MOUNTAIN GEAR - pricey, but great gear
PURE KITCHEN - ***We actually had allergic reactions here, but it was TASTY beforehand, so if you don’t deal with allergies, I recommend it, but I would definitely steer clear if you do have allergies.
BREAD + SALT - bagels and more. It is a town favorite.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN COFFEE ROASTERS - locally roasted, great coffee and AWESOME service!
PROSIT - Graham went and got a beer from this Bavarian beer bar and really enjoyed it! Their menu looked amazing.
VINNY’S - Didn’t actually get to go here as they weren’t open yet, but their menu looks incredible.
FRISCO ADVENTURE PARK - head to Walmart and grab some super cheap sled gear and then hit it up! Such a blast!