The thought of wide mountain ranges and fresh air can sometimes make our imaginations daydream about escaping crowded city life. As you sip your morning coffee, imagine looking out your window to views of snow-dusted slopes and expansive open skies. This is the reality for lifestyle blogger Nicole Feliciano, whose relocation, from New York to Vermont with her family, has inspired the generous range of ski content she creates. Nicole has become an expert in finding child-friendly traveling destinations, without compromising the parents’ luxury lifestyle.

In 2007, after having her first daughter, the stylish New Yorker left her career as a Ralph Lauren buyer to start Mom Trends, a blog designed to support mothers in the corporate world, who wish to maintain a luxury lifestyle after having children. Nicole explains, “I wanted to do something that tied into my passion for style but had a twist that made it accessible for mums”. Alongside the site’s ski content, Nicole works with a team of four women, who skillfully mix motherhood and media, to share their advice on versatile style, easy beauty, and fitness routines. Sharing her own personal experiences, honest reviews, and images of her husband and two daughters have generated a dedicated audience eager to follow her next adventure.

“Travelling just isn’t as simple as it was in those pre-children days”, she leads, nostalgically reflecting on the around-the-world trip she took with her husband before their daughter was born. From adventurous train journeys to Bangalore in India, to spontaneously changing the length of their stay in Cambodia, the couple had noticeably more freedom. Now travelling as parents, the couple noticed many additional considerations they needed to consider when travelling with their children – this Nicole calls “momming”.

After their first family ski holiday to Solitary Mountain in Utah, Nicole Feliciano discovered the amount of planning required to execute a ski trip with children. This included finding easily accessible activities, child-friendly food options and opportunities for the parents to have alone time with the assistance of a kids’ club. By understanding that parents can only relax on holiday when their children are safe, Nicole has become an expert in sourcing ski resorts for children of all ages and abilities.

For this reason, Nicole regards the Sonnenalp in Vail as one of the best resorts in the US for looking after young children. Aside from the resort’s magnificent vistas and dramatic drives, what she really appreciates is the kids club. Whether it is snowshoeing, nature hunts outdoors, or trips to the climbing wall, the children are entertained all day. And while the children are busy, parents can enjoy the relaxing and luxurious amenities the hotel offers, including their elaborate spa and selection of gourmet restaurants. She explains: “It is that sense of relief knowing your kids are well cared for and you’re taking care of yourself, that really makes a difference in a resort”.

For older children, there are two resorts pinned at the top of Nicole’s list: Big Sky in Montana and Alta in Utah. “The adventurous spirit is alive in Montana”, she says, listing opportunities to go dogsledding or venture across moonlit trail rides to cabin dinners. She bookmarks her favorite family activity: to snowshoe up to the ziplining course and zipline down the mountain. However, for the purist skiers, she says there is no place like the Alta resort, boasting an abundance of snow that can reach 24 inches overnight. The quality of the vistas and pistes makes it the perfect place for advanced skiers, enabling Nicole to expose her daughters to the “powder and the playfulness of the sport”.

Another one of her favorite places she has visited is St. Moritz in Switzerland, where she hopes to return with her family in the upcoming season. The family visited the resort in January 2020, just before the pandemic hit. Nicole was delighted and intrigued by the seamlessness between the resort’s Nordic and Alpine skiing, which is rarely available in American resorts. She regarded the opportunity to ski from the hotel entrance as quite unique. In addition to enjoying the incredible food, she aesthetically enjoyed the charming inns and chalets spread across the resort.

From her adventurous appetite and love of the mountains, one would assume that Nicole has spent her life on the slopes, but this has not always been the case. Nicole initially dismissed the sport after an unsuccessful high school skiing trip to Mont Tremblant in Quebec, Canada, where she daringly decided to ski without lessons, nor the correct ski kit. Years passed until her husband, who is passionate about winter sports, took her to Montana where, through lessons, Nicole gradually grew in confidence. After only learning to ski at the age of 35, she confirms: “It’s never too late to pick up the sport, it’s another thing I would encourage women to try”. Since graduating from the bunny slopes, Nicole’s passion for skiing has snowballed over the years into her skiing 70 times this season.

In a year where luxury travel has been limited to the world, in 2020 Nicole and her family moved to Vermont mid-pandemic; noticing visible improvements to their physical and mental health. “I wish I could have gifted all the women who are caring for children, the ability to get outside because nature is a great way to hit the reset button”, she explained. Nicole now fills her free time exploring with her ‘faithful hiking companion’ Kingsley, the family dog, who accompanies her running, hiking, and even skiing some of the Nordic trails. Clearly, moving to the mountains has brought new opportunities for the family to satisfy their appetite for adventure.

“Having this new home and these new opportunities are inspiring me to write new stories, encouraging women to take some chances and try new things”, she states. From her enviable window-facing desk with an idyllic backdrop of the snow-covered mountain peaks, Nicole promises to channel her renewed enthusiasm for the outdoors into creating more ski content and storytelling on Mom Trends. Her readers can look forward to more style and travel tips, to ensure luxury and ease in family ski holidays for the upcoming season.