Does anyone else have “show kids snow” on their bucket list? From building a snowman and snowball fights, to tobogganing down a hill or braving skis for the first time, it’s a great adventure. Of course, battling the big ski fields with kids who have never seen snow before, yet alone skied, can be a little daunting, which is where Corin Forest comes in. Just 3 hours and 45 minutes from Pymble, it offers a great, family friendly way for everyone to experience snow for the first time- with snow guaranteed.
I’ll be honest with you, my husband and I aren’t big snow people: it’s cold, wet, and involves dressing the kids up in so many layers. It’s downright exhausting! But, it’s also so much fun, exciting for the kids and a bucket list experience. With the winter school holidays here, it was the perfect opportunity to bundle the kids up and head off on a snow adventure. With our 6 year old, 4 year old and 3 year old in tow, we decided to brave the cold – and we weren’t disappointed.
Getting to Corin Forest
Corin Forest is about 3 hours and 45 minutes drive from Pymble. While it’s possible to do a day trip from the North Shore, depending on the age of your kids, I probably wouldn’t recommend it. Not to mention all the other great sites you will miss out on if you zoom through!
When preparing for your trip, have a think about some of the other places nearby and consider making a weekend of it. In Canberra, there’s Questacon, Cockington Green Gardens, The National Dinosaur Museum, Parliament House, Australian War Memorial and more.
For lots of inspiration, take a look at our Travel Guide! Best things to do with kids in Canberra.
The man-made snow blowers run overnight and ensure every day is a perfect snow day!
Where to stay
If you do choose to make a weekend of it, there are plenty of places to stay. When travelling with kids, we always opt for a motel with multiple rooms, as it makes for a better night’s sleep and they often have great kid-friendly amenities. We stayed at Alivio Tourist Park, which has a pool (not that you might want to use it in Winter!), basketball court, tennis court, table tennis, BBQ areas and more. Great for the kids to run around.
We stayed at Alivio Tourist Park, which has a pool, basketball court, tennis court, BBQ and more
There are plenty of other accommodation options in the centre of Canberra, which is about a 45 minute drive from Corin Forest.
Preparing for your trip to Corin Forest
One thing to remember: snow is cold and wet! Your regular winter jackets aren’t going to cut it. With three kids to cater for, I jumped on the local buy/swap/sell page looking for snowsuits. I wanted something they could zip up over regular clothes to save the hassle and keep them nice and warm. Naturally, I didn’t want to pay a fortune, knowing they were likely to only use them once! It worked out well, and I can now sell these suits on.
Elliot’s snowsuit cost just $13 secondhand and was brand new!
They do offer rentals at Corin Forest, however it can add up. In fact, it would have been more expensive for us to rent the items than it was to buy them second-hand (and we can now sell these on). Plus, they only start at kids size 4. For adults, it can be a different story. My husband rented some snow boots there, and actually managed to borrow some gear from a friend. In short, it helps to make use of the resources around you, but if all else fails, you can rent there! They even sell gear too. We didn’t have mittens for Elliot (3), so I bought some for $20, which seemed very reasonable.
The essentials:
- Snow suit or jacket and pants
- Waterproof gloves: your kids will want to make snowmen and throw snowballs!
- Sunnies: if it’s a sunny day, the reflection is hard on eyes.
- Goggles: even better, opt for snow goggles (or swim ones!). Elliot hated having the snow in his eyes as we went down the toboggan, so wish we had brought some.
- Beanie and scarf
- Snow shoes: you can rent these there
- Warm clothes for under your snow suit or jacket
- Toboggan! You can rent these for $5 on top of your ticket price. Definitely book this in.
- Extra warm clothes: to change into when you are done.
On the day
Leave plenty of time before your session starts. It is a little bit of a trek up the mountain, especially juggling three kids and snow gear, plus leaving time to find your rentals. You don’t get the snow shoes until you reach the rental place just below the snowplay. There is a bit more mucking around here to find the right shoe size, getting the kids dressed, popping on beanies, gloves and scarves and finally making your way to play.
I’ll be upfront with you. We were unprepared and it ate into our session time.
Cafe with open fire
If you do arrive early and have a bit of time to kill, they have a large café with an open fireplace and a wood fired pizza oven. It also makes the perfect pitstop for a post snow snack.
Tobogganing
Let the fun begin! The hill is split into two. On the closest side, it’s all about tobogganing, while on the other side, it’s set up as a snowplay area.
Girls ready to head down the hill!
Cassie (6), Vivi (4) and Elliot (3), were most excited to grab the toboggans and get going. We rented three between the five of us and it was plenty. Both girls wanted to have a turn with the adults first, and once they realised how fun it was, they were off on their own.
You walk back up the hill and wait for a space before you go again! It was crowded but you never waited long.
Elliot was a little more hesitant. He had a few great runs down the hill, but in the end preferred being a spectator. The snow went into his little face each trip down and he wasn’t a fan. We had sunnies on us, and this worked for a little, but goggles would have been much better.
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- Cassie was excited to start
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- Dad and Elliot off down the hill
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- The sunnies came in handy for Elliot
Snow play at Corin Forest
After a good 45 minutes of tobogganing, we decided to take a break and head over to the snow play. The kids had fun building a snowman (we didn’t get far), making snow angels and just playing around.
Making snow angels
All they really wanted to do was enjoy a snowball fight, so we had a mini one! Before long, they wanted to head back for more tobogganing, so off we went.
We were all tired by the end, and actually left before the end of the session. Exhaustion had set in! The kids were all asleep in the car 10 minutes down the road (I would have loved a nap too!).
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- Playing in the snow
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- The kids loved a snow fight
Sessions
Snow play sessions go for 2 hours. Children under 13 will need to be accompanied by a guardian who has their own ticket.
Guests who wish to watch only and do not wish to enter the snow itself do not require a ticket and are welcome to watch from their viewing deck.
Booking is easy. Simply head to their site and book in a start time for your session. You can add as many people as you need to your group, and go through the optional extras.
Cost
- A snow play session is $25 per person (free for under 2 years).
- Hiring a toboggan is an extra $5.
- Snow boots is an extra $15.
- Jacket, pants and boots is an extra $22.50.
Other Activities at Corin Forest
There are some other things you can do while you are visiting Corin Forest.
- Alpine Slide: this slide descends 1.2km through Mountain Ash Forest. Sessions are an hour long and you get to choose your pace as you make your way down. This slide is for ages two and above, and kids under seven need to be accompanied by an adult.
- Ski Area: if your kids are a bit older and are interested in learning to ski, this is the perfect place to do it. There’s an easy-to-use magic carpet ski lift, with just a gentle slop to start them out.
Essential Details: Corin Forest
- What is it? Child and family friendly ski and snow park with lessons (and alpine slide)
- Address: 1268, Corin Dam Rd, Paddys River ACT
- Details: Corin Forest Website
