Dog sledding. Ice climbing. Snow tubing. These are just some of the exciting activities that many of the big ski resorts are now offering their guests. These resorts know the importance of providing options for visitors who want to take some time off from hitting the slopes or for family members who have little interest in skiing or snowboarding. If you haven't been to a ski resort lately, you might be surprised to see the plethora of fun après-ski activities that are available today, including the following great options.

Ice Climbing

Do you enjoy rock climbing? Then there's a good possibility that you'll really love the challenge of scaling a frozen waterfall. A number of resorts – including Mont Tremblant in Quebec, Telluride in Colorado and Big White in British Columbia – now offer ice towers or trips to frozen waterfalls, where you can learn how to ice climb. Some of the skills you'll learn include how to use the toe picks on your crampons to anchor yourself and how to gain purchase on the ice with an ice axe. Thankfully, you don't have to own your own gear, as ice climbing vendors will typically provide you with most, if not all, of the necessary accessories, including boots, crampons and ice tools. 

Dog Sledding

Dog sledding is truly a fun way to spend time in the great outdoors, especially if you love canines. It's also a great activity for families with small children, as most vendors will allow them to ride with their parents. And at most sledding operations, such as the one at Keystone Resort in Colorado, you can also learn how to drive a hard-charging team of excited huskies. This is not as easy as you may think. It involves learning the proper commands and how to lean into the turns in order to keep the sled from tipping over. Once your ride is over, many operations will also let you spend some time bonding with the dogs after your ride. Perhaps if you're lucky, there might even be some puppies on hand to cuddle.

Snow Tubing

The tubing experience you'll find at a ski resort is far different from your old-fashioned neighborhood sled ride. For one thing, you won't have to haul a heavy sled up a hill over and over again. Instead, you can just a hitch a ride up to the top of the runs via an automatic rope tow. And at most resorts, you can pick from a variety of runs. For example, Camelback Mountain in Pennsylvania, which claims to have the biggest snow tubing park in the United States, offers guests 42 exciting lanes. Then there is Gorgoza Park in Utah. It has seven runs, including ones designed for beginners, and a tubing carousel for the wee ones. Overall, tubing is a fun and exciting activity that the whole family can participate in. It is also, compared to skiing, a relatively inexpensive way to spend the day out in the snow.

Ice Skating

When you get tired of gliding down the hills on your skis or snowboard, you can always choose to go gliding around a skating rink instead. Ice skating is excellent exercise, and many ski resorts offer this activity as an option to schussing down the slopes. At some resorts, such as Northstar in California, the skating is free. Other rinks, such as the 9,000-square-foot Black Family Ice Rink at Beaver Creek in Colorado, charge a small fee. Many of these skating rinks offer fire pits or heat lamps to keep you warm when you need to take a break. 

Snowmobiling

One of the best ways to explore the back country is aboard a snowmobile, which will allow you to travel long distance into beautiful and pristine wilderness areas. Riding a snowmobile is a lot of exhilarating fun. One of the best resorts to try snowmobiling is Ski Brule, which is located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. You'll find approximately 3,000 miles of trails that meander through forests and alongside lakes near this resort, as well as three snowmobile rental facilities. Another great resort area for snowmobiling is Park City in Utah. This area boasts deep powder and stunning landscapes.

Snowshoeing

Looking for a way to enjoy the peace and quiet of a ski resort's backcountry? Then consider strapping on some snowshoes and follow groomed trails into the wilderness. If you're interested in trying snowshoeing, you might want to consider staying at Mt. Seymour in British Columbia, which Snowshoeing Magazine named number one on its list of North America's Top 10 Snowshoe-friendly Ski Resorts. Then there is Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Wyoming, where you can take guided tours into spectacular Grand Teton National Park.

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