10 fun things to do with kids at Thredbo this winter
With so many fun things to do with kids during winter, it’s no wonder Thredbo was named Best Australian Ski Resort for Families in Out & About with Kids’ 2021 Readers' Choice Awards. Here are some great ideas for the season.
1. Kids’ flare run
Littlies can light up the slopes with their own twinkling, flashing LED flares during the kids’ flare run, which is held every Thursday night during the winter season at Thredbo. The event is followed by a fireworks show.
2. Saturday night fireworks
There’s also a spectacular fireworks show every Saturday night at the resort. Stand huddled with the family as you “ooh” and “ahh” at the colourful (free!) display.
3. Learn to ski at Thredboland
Thredboland is one of Australia’s best junior ski programs, with lessons offered on a dedicated gentle slope. Designed to teach young kids how to ski in a fun, safe and progressive environment with small group sizes and a team of specially trained expert instructors, the five-hour program includes lunch, snacks and refreshments. If you need advice on which lesson is best, Guest Services can help.
4. Kids Snow Festival
The Kids Snow Festival, held during the NSW school holidays in July and September, includes movie and pizza nights, a special kids’ flare run, and loads of other activities both on and off the mountain.
5. Toast marshmallows over a fire pit
Thredbo is loved by all for its village vibe, and one of the great drawcards for families is being able to sit around the fire pits toasting marshmallows at night. You can even make s’mores – a treat popular in Canada and the United States which consists of one or more toasted marshmallows and a layer of chocolate sandwiched between two crackers.
6. Torah Bright Mini Shred
Spend the day shredding with gold medal-winning Winter Olympian Torah Bright and her pro friends as they coach you through the purpose-built, dedicated terrain park. The Mini Shred event on July 9 gives intermediate skiers and boarders under 18 the chance to pick up tips from the industry’s best and progress in a super fun environment. The Thredbo terrain park crew develop a mini terrain park for the event, which costs $20 (including a free event t-shirt), with a sweet jib and jump line, transitions and rollers. There’s also a signing session with Torah and the coaches, a sausage sizzle, DJ and Roxy giveaways. Helmets are compulsory and parental supervision is required.
7. Have dinner on the mountain
Dining on the mountain at night is a truly special experience for the whole family. Choose from the Merritts Mountain Haus Feast, a Bavarian-inspired dinner that’s only accessible by gondola, or the Kareela Hutte dinner, in which guests travel via passenger snowcat to the charming restaurant for a four-course meal, with the sparkling lights of Thredbo Village below.
8. Thredbo Leisure Centre
Another bonus of booking a family holiday to Thredbo is the fact that it has a leisure centre, which has a pool, waterslide, Mission Inflatable, bouldering wall, and trampoline centre. It’s a great way to keep the kids active and entertained on days when there are blizzards.
9. Ride Australia’s only alpine gondola
Opened in 2020, Merritts Gondola is a high speed, eight-person gondola that takes skiers, snowboarders and scenic passengers from the village to the base of the Cruiser Area in just six minutes.
10. Sunrise Sessions
Families with teens aged 16 and over can book a Sunrise Session, in which you can watch the sun come up from Australia’s highest lifted point and enjoy an on-mountain breakfast before getting first tracks down Supertrail, Australia’s longest run! The experience is offered on Tuesday mornings from July 6 until September 6 in 2022. Meeting times vary from 5.45am to 6.25am, depending on the time of sunrise.
