August Ski Checklist: 7 Things Smart Ski Families Should Do Before Winter
Take stock, look ahead, and don't forget to savor these last long days of summer.
Are you thinking about your first day on snow?
Same.
I like to think I’m pretty good at living in the moment, but I’ll admit it: by August I’m getting a little tired of New England’s full-send humidity. With the arrival of this month, my brain naturally shifts into planning mode. If you’re the kind of person who secretly enjoys a good checklist, grab your planner (paper or digital) and let’s get organized.
Here’s the official Ski Moms checklist for August.
✅ Lock in refundable travel
If you’ve flown anywhere this summer, you’re well aware that fuel costs have sent airfares soaring. With no end in sight, it’s time to swap those airline miles for flights to the bucket-list ski destinations you’ve been dreaming about.
Why use miles?
Since skiing is weather-dependent, we can never really know in August what January will look like. We can, however, make educated guesses based on past weather patterns. Copper and Killington will be making snow for early-season events. Big Sky is likely to get a few fall storms that lay down a base. Other than that? It’s anyone’s guess.
Here’s the deal: Most award tickets are fully refundable. That means if something changes and you cancel your flight, all of your miles are simply deposited back into your account.
Why not book two trips with miles and then choose the destination with better snow? Or book a mileage trip and have a backup plan to drive instead.
This year we’re considering the Austrian side of the Dolomites, a possible trip to Taos (for less than 60,000 miles), and, hopefully, skiing Schweitzer.
If you have hotel points or timeshare weeks, the same strategy applies. The sooner you book, the better your options—and in many cases, you can still cancel without penalty. (As always, read the fine print and make sure you cancel before the deadline.)
✅ Put every ski date on your calendar
Since you’re already in planning mode, let’s lean into it and map out the entire season.
In pencil.
In the fall, you can book early-season events like welcome weekends, gear swaps, ski shows, and passholder appreciation days. These are fun ways to kick off the season and connect with other ski families. Be sure to add your local ski swap dates, too.
I also plan one fall trip home to see my non-skiing relatives. I call it the “Farewell Tour” because I usually won’t see them again until spring. My trip typically happens in late November or early December, and I make a point of visiting those relatives who believe being cold is a personal attack.
I’m also starting to lock down my travel assignments for the upcoming season (and spoiler alert—there will be skiing coverage south of the Mason-Dixon Line!).
All of my ski trips happen because I make them a priority. I already know my girls have one overlapping week of spring break, and you know I’ve already claimed it for a family ski trip. (I’m thinking SilverStar.)
My Secret Weapon
I match the school calendar to the ski calendar before anything else gets scheduled. Those random teacher conference days, long weekends, and school holidays often become the best ski trips of the year, with shorter lift lines and better lodging prices.
Stake your claim to the winter weekends early.
Other sports and obligations can quickly fill your calendar, and before you know it, your ski season is woefully short.
Finally, add the smaller details, too, like early lift-access days, dining discounts, or other passholder perks with specific dates. It only takes a minute now, and you’ll be glad you did later.
✅ Register for race programs and lessons
Do your research now and add registration dates to your calendar so you won’t miss out when sign-ups go live.
For destination skiers, don’t forget to book lessons when you’re reserving your lodging. Ski school can sell out during holiday periods and major spring break weeks (I’m looking at you, Texas!), so go ahead and reserve those lessons now. Many popular mountains—including Snowmass, Stowe, Palisades Tahoe, and Vail—fill up completely. Don’t miss out.
If you have a home mountain, be sure to register on time for seasonal programs. One of the best decisions we ever made as a family was enrolling our girls in multi-week ski lessons. They made lifelong friends, and their skiing improved dramatically.
Learning from the same instructors week after week helped them build confidence and develop new skills. Instead of starting from scratch every weekend, they built on the previous week’s progress, moving from parallel turns to carving much more quickly.
A note about race programs: Many mountains also offer seasonal race programs, but tryouts and registration often take place in late winter or early spring. If you’re just starting your search, it’s likely you’ve already missed registration for this season. To find a great program—and learn what your local mountain offers—join the Ski Moms Facebook group. The women there are always generous about sharing recommendations and insider tips.
✅ Evaluate your winter housing strategy
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know we invested in a second home years ago, when the girls were little. We started with a seasonal lease and eventually ended up buying a home near our local ski hill.
Real estate transitions like these take time and research. For those considering a seasonal rental, August is a great time to visit potential properties and, if needed, connect with a local Realtor. In Vermont, seasonal rental inventory is incredibly limited, so renters have to be savvy and stay active on local forums, Facebook groups, and rental websites to find the right place.
In fact, the rental market can be so competitive that many families—including ours—eventually decide to buy. After a few years of renting, we knew we loved the area and wanted to put down roots.
That leads to another set of decisions. Will your mountain home be just for your family, or will you rent it out to help offset the costs? None of these decisions happen overnight.
A little summer scheming leads to a whole lot more skiing.
If you already own a ski rental property, now is the perfect time to hit the refresh button. Start by taking inventory, then fill in the gaps. If you’ve recently purchased a property, check out this article on how to outfit your ski rental for five-star reviews. Those thoughtful touches can lead to higher ratings, more bookings, and increased rental income.
And don’t forget to list your property on the Ski Mom Family Rentals page.
✅ Hike one mountain
I’ll admit it—August has some heavy lifting. Between trip planning, lesson registrations, and calendars, there’s a lot to do. But let’s not forget that this is also the last carefree stretch of summer before school, sports, and winter routines take over.
Ski Moms know how to balance planning with play.
Every August, we hike Sugarbush’s Lincoln Peak. It’s become our family’s way of saying goodbye to summer and quietly welcoming ski season back into our lives. We pack a lunch, take our time on the trail, and soak in the views. It’s one of my favorite family traditions.
If your kids are younger, head to your local ski hill and hike to the top of the beginner terrain. Seeing the chairlifts, base lodge, and familiar trails without snow is a fun reminder of what’s waiting just a few months down the road. It’s a simple way to build excitement for the season ahead.
✨ Subscribers can find my complete mountain hiking gear list here.
✅ Sleep under the stars
“We’re learning to be okay with the season we’re actually in—not the one we planned for.”
That line stopped me in my tracks.
It came from my recent Ski Moms Podcast conversation with sisters Kailey and Karissa, the founders of Iksplor Apparel. Between them, they’re raising five young kids, most under the age of six, and they’re in the thick of creating childhood memories while juggling the realities of everyday life.
Their message was simple: stop trying to create the perfect summer.
For their family, sometimes that means turning on the sprinkler under the trampoline and calling it a great day.
For ours, it was our annual “camping trip” on the screened porch. We’d make s’mores, grab our flashlights, crawl into sleeping bags—and, thankfully, enjoy a mosquito-free night under the stars.
The point isn’t to plan the most elaborate adventure. It’s to create small traditions your family will remember long after the details have faded.
If camping outside isn’t in the cards this month, pitch a tent in the living room or throw an indoor camping party instead. The memories count just the same.
❤️ Call Your Ski Friends
This week, I was thrilled to see a new group chat pop up on my phone. OG Mohawk Moms (we’re all empty nesters now) was organizing a quarterly dinner. The idea was simple: keep the gang together now that the race team is no longer our “glue.”
It was such a treat to be included—and to realize our friendships had made it out of the ski parking lot and into sundresses.
While I’m looking forward to the dinner and drinks, I also know this early communication bodes well for winter. These are the women I’ll be skiing with in just a few months.
Here’s the deal:
Reach out now.
Start the group chat.
Put a girls’ weekend on the calendar.
I’ve learned that the best ski weekends don’t happen by accident—they happen because someone sends the first text.
We’ve settled nicely into summer here. My tomato plants are producing at the perfect pace, and it’s officially time to start gifting zucchini to friends and neighbors because we’ve completely run out of new ways to work it into dinner.
August is when I start making the decisions that will determine how much fun we’ll have once the snow flies. Knocking out the to-do list while it’s still balmy means less scrambling in November—and a whole lot more time doing what we came for: skiing with the people we love.
Subscriber Bonus: Printable August Ski Moms Checklist
Save or print this one-page checklist and start mapping out your season. Paid subscribers can download the PDF below.
July Checklist: What you need to do this month to stay on track for a great ski season.
June Checklist: The Smart Ski Mom’s Guide to Staying Ahead All Year Long
