Skiing, the Next Generation - NYTimes.com A cluster of Colorado ski resorts is playing the long game this year, opening new trails and adding perks for families in an effort to nurture the next generation of skiers and snowboarders. Crested Butte Mountain Resort will open three new children's trails this year. The trails weave through wooded areas with gentle bumps and banked turns; one passes through a faux bear cave. Keystone Resort already offers family-friendly programming, including a children's après-ski party. This year it will open a new family ski zone with features including gentle rollers, beginner moguls and easy turns. It will also create a parking area close to the base area just for families. Nearby, Arapahoe Basin will offer free lift tickets for children 14 and under from Dec. 1 to 20 (thereafter, they are free for those 5 and under). And Copper Mountain's indoor facility, Woodward at Copper, which offers training in freestyle skiing and snowboarding using foam pits and trampolines, will have freestyle lessons, including time indoors and out, for ages 6 to 9. The impetus, said Jennifer Rudolph, spokeswoman for the nonprofit trade association Colorado Ski Country USA, is to capture customers early in life "because today's younger generation will have to fall in love with skiing or snowboarding first if they are going to introduce it to the next generation."