If your family loves to ski, you should try a winter holiday instead of just a day or weekend here and there. There are some great locations for a family vacation of skiing.

Maine has one of the best and most beautiful ski centers at Sugarloaf. Sugarloaf Mountain became a ski destination back in 1951 when “The Bigelow Boys” cut a ski trail. Sugarloaf Mountain is the second highest mountain in the state of Maine, second only to Mount Katahdin, the highest.

Cannon Mountain, in New Hampshire, in addition to great skiing also is home to the New England Ski Museum. Here anyone interested in the sport can view old ski equipment and clothes, and see movies, photos and art all connected with skiing. This collection is recognized as one of the best sources for information on the sport of skiing, and the United States Ski Association cites it as only one of four museums in the country devoted to the interest of the skiing community.

Ontario, Canada has a beautiful and large ski resort on the south side of Georgian Bay called Blue Mountain. This ski center boasts a number of six man chair lifts and a lovely pedestrian village. This is a pretty spot for both skiing and lounging.

Whiteface Mountain in New York State is a premier ski range, once home of the winter Olympics. It is the fifth highest mountain in the state, and one of the highest peaks of the Adirondack mountain range. At the top of Whiteface, one has a complete panoramic view of the surrounding mountains and when the weather is clear, you can see Vermont and all the way to Canada. Located near the charming town of Lake Placid, Whiteface Mountain ski area boasts the greatest vertical drop in the eastern United States.

Colorado is famous for skiing, and Aspen is synonymous with the sport. The locals call this town by its former name of Ajax, but by any name, it is a skier’s dream. Alongside its famous sister resort, Vail, it draws many visitors to great vacations each year.

Park City Utah is another western gem that is popular. This resort was the location of the 2002 winter Olympics, and so is a world class ski center.

The origin of skiing comes from snow shoeing, which was a necessity to get around in certain regions of the world. Sondre Norheim is considered the father of skiing. This Norwegian invented slalom skiing in the 1800s, today known as Telemark skiing. Skiing had purely practical roots as a transportation method, but today it is mostly considered a sport and people are attracted to the thrill of a fast downhill run in warm clothes on a cleared and patrolled slope, rather than using it to get from place to place. Even cross country skiers tend to stick to the resort area for safety, and many European cities, where the sport is most popular, ban cross country skiing outside of resort areas.

Many people love the freedom of flying down the slopes but it is important to take lessons and gain some basic skills to avoid injury. Most ski resorts have schools and instructors ready to get snow bunnies up and off on their skis.

If you are in relatively good shape, skiing is not a difficult sport to learn; it just requires some balance and strength. After a day of vigorous skiing, there is nothing like relaxing in the lodge with a cup of hot cocoa by the blazing fire, so if you want to try a great vacation that’s a little different, try one of these resorts.