This weekend, we braved the long 15-hour drive from Austin to Winter Park Resort and were greeted with freshly-fallen powder, sunny spring skies and endless opportunities for family-friendly off-the-slope adventures.

If you’re ready to retreat to the Rockies for spring break––or any time this spring––set your sights on Winter Park Resort, which boasts 3,000 acres of world-class terrain that caters to all levels of skiers and snowboarders.

In anticipation of travelers wanting to plan a spring getaway to the mountains, Winter Park Resort recently launched affordable getaway packages, offering 25 percent off everything, including lodging, lift tickets, rentals and activities through April 30, 2021. The only catch? Travelers must book this week, by March 15, to save: https://www.winterparkresort.com/plan-your-trip/deals-and-packages/lift-lodging.

“Winter Park wants to give eager travelers an easy way to plan a spring getaway,” says Liz Agostin, director of marketing for Winter Park Resort. “While we all have been navigating the ever-changing circumstances, we know firsthand that people still want to get outside and enjoy the fresh mountain air and wide-open spaces.”

Winter Park Resort, like many other vacation destinations across the U.S., has worked to modify and evolve its operations due to the pandemic. Reimagining what a mountain vacation can be, the resort has put more emphasis back on skiing, snowboarding and other outdoor activities with everything from its focus on slope-side lodging, offering deals so people have easy access to their own private space to gear up, eat or just take a break, to seamless contactless check-in, so people can head straight to their room once they arrive at the resort.

Taking cues from local and state health authorities, Winter Park Resort is serious about following all mandated guidelines, restrictions and cleanliness procedures while modifying its operations with reduced capacity, contact-less organization, mask-wearing and social-distancing.

We also noticed more grab-and-go food and drink options this season than ever before. In addition, rentals are pre-booked and prepared to allow for social distancing and a seamless fitting process while pre-booked lift tickets give skiers and boarders direct access to the lifts rather than waiting in lines at the ticket windows.

This year, rather than signing our kids up for ski school, we booked a family ski instructor––private and small-group lessons not only provide people with access to one-on-one instruction, but it also helped our youngest to conquer her first lift and green run all in the first day of skiing. Craving more outdoor off-the-slope adventures? Winter Park Resort is also home to ice bumper cars, snow tubing, snowshoe tours, scenic gondola rides and private snowcat tours.

From its affordability to authentic laid-back family vibe, Winter Park Resort offers an ideal spring break destination from Texas––either a full day’s drive or direct flight from Austin. Learn more at winterparkresort.com.