Yes, there is snow in Arizona! There are two ski resorts Sunrise Park Resort http://www.sunriseskiparkaz.com in Greer and Arizona Snowbowl http://www.arizonasnowbowl.com in Flagstaff. They are both 2 hours from Phoenix and 4 hours from Tucson.

I did a little research at http://www.wanderbat.com . I found that Snowbowl has 40 trails and 777 ski-able acres. Sunrise has 65 trails and 800 ski-able acres and its the 80th largest in the United States.  I think they both have about the same number of beginner and intermediate trails. The only exception is Sunrise has advanced trails and Snowbowl doesn’t. Snowbowl has expert trails but Sunrise doesn’t. If your a snowboarder looking to practice your stunts Sunrise has 2 terrain parks and Snowbowl has 3.

I have only skied at Sunrise so I can’t give you a skier comparison. I taught both of my boys to ski at Sunrise and my younger son learned to snowboard there. We enjoy the park as a family and try to enjoy 2 ski trips a year together.

There is a small sledding hill at Sunrise but it is not maintained by the park. Be careful, there is a lake at the bottom and sometimes the snow will melt and the sledders can fall in. That really ruins a sledding afternoon.

We did learn from experience that if you purchase ski lift passes you don’t get your money back if there is a blizzard and they cant plow the slopes enough to ski down them. It sounds funny to say that our ski trip was ruined by a blizzard, in Arizona! We went sledding instead. The next day the sun was out, slopes were plowed and it was a beautiful day for skiing.

There is nothing better than enjoying a drink with a friend after a long day of skiing.

Some tricks to skiing with kids, please make them wear helmets! If you  start them early with a helmet they wont fight you later. Both of my boys carry a Camelback with water and snacks in the pockets. They can drink and eat on the lift and you don’t have to worry about them falling off to grab a water bottle. I bring a cooler full of food for lunch, that way we all eat what we want and don’t spend a fortune at the snack bar. My husband has always carried a backpack and I love having everything I need with me. The conditions on the slopes can change and its nice to take off your beanie and stuff it in your backpack and put on a hat with a visor. Most important things in my backpack are my phone, sunscreen, hat, extra gloves, chap stick, water, snacks, and walking boots. I hate walking in my ski boots.

Here is a GoPro Video from our last family ski trip to Sunrise Ski Resort!

Go Ski Arizona!