''Skiing isn't quite the same,'' sighed Rob Baker, spreading sun screen on an already-burned nose and pausing to reminisce about life before Emily.

Back in the day, he and his buddies were ''cool dudes,'' he said, hucking off windswept ridges and chasing each other through deep powder from Colorado to California. On sunny March afternoons, they stripped to their shorts and raced down the bump runs, the loser buying a round of beer. ''We were liberated,'' he said, smiling at the thought.

Now this buff six-footer from Chicago was side-slipping down a bunny trail with a pert, red-headed 7-year-old. He was there when she took her first group lesson, he took her up on her first chairlift ride and when she fell down in tears, he brushed off the snow and wiped her nose.

''I know I'm getting rusty,'' he said. ``But I wouldn't trade Emily for anything. My family's what matters now.''

Baker, 45, doesn't know it yet, but if Emily's a typical grade-schooler, it won't be long before she's keeping up with her dad on those groomed intermediate cruisers. She's snowplowing around the corners now. But after a week of lessons, most beginners are riding the chairlifts in perfect confidence, and skiing -- if a bit more slowly -- the same intermediate cruisers their parents have skied for years.

''Eight- and 9-year-olds who spend five days in ski school will be making parallel turns by Friday,'' said John Buhler, ski school director at Breckinridge Ski Resort, in Colorado. ``The kids aren't afraid and their learning curve is shorter. When you show them something new, they're quicker to try it.''

Where are some of our favorite ski-together runs, perfect for parents and kids? At Winter Park and Keystone Resort, both in Colorado; and at Smuggler's Notch, in Vermont. Check them out, below.

LONESOME WHISTLE

Winter Park Resort, Colorado: Plenty of great blue runs crisscross Winter Park's 1,848 groomed acres (another 1,212 acres are within bounds but off-piste), but Lonesome Whistle and Allan Phipps go on forever.

From the top of the Zephyr Express, bear right and follow signs to March Hare and Allan Phipps. Stay on Allan Phipps, gliding down until you reach the crest of a rounded hill. Stop here to admire the treeless bowl below and a small mound in the distance named Vista Dome. From here you can sail straight down, or double your ski time by carving big round C-turns.

Continue down on Allan Phipps or Cranmer Cutoff to Snoasis, an on-mountain lodge. To go up again, board the Eskimo Express, located below Snoasis. Or take the Prospector Express to the top of Vista Dome and ski down Butch's Breezeway.

If the kids are up for more, ride to the top of Mary Jane and ski down Lonesome Whistle, an easy Green trail until it reaches the top of the Olympia Express and becomes a super-cruising intermediate run. A half-dozen easy ''Alice In Wonderland'' runs offer lots of variety here. Both the High Lonesome Express and Olympia open up all kinds of interesting but easy terrain.

Winter Park has condominium and hotel lodging at the base area, and a lot more in town; for packages, call Winter Park Central Reservations, 800-979-0332. Ski resort: 970-726-5514; www.skiwinterpark.com. Winter Park is 67 miles northwest of Denver.

SCHOOLMARM

Keystone Resort, Dillon, Colo.: Keystone's three mountains and 3,148 acres are famous for family skiing. So it's no surprise that about half of the trails are rated for beginners and intermediates, with lots of variation between the two.

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