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New Year’s Skiing at Vermont’s Sugarbush Resort: Fun for All Ages and Abilities

Posted by Mary Turner on January 1, 2013 Comments Off

Jan 012013

With Boston and most of New England seeing its first solid snowfall and sustained cold weather in two years, we couldn’t pass up a last minute invite to welcome in the New Year by hitting the slopes at the Sugarbush Resort with our Vermont cousins. With access to two mountains (including 4,000 ft Mt Ellen), 3 terrain parks, tons of gladed areas and the 2,000 acre Slide Brook Wilderness area, Sugarbush offers incredible views of Vermont’s rustic Mad River Valley while providing all the creature comforts that family travelers love including over 50 miles of trails, top of the line rentals, a great lodge, good food, on mountain hotels and condos with room for more than 2,000 guests, and well regarded ski and snowboard schools.

Enjoying a New Year’s ski day at Vermont’s Sugarbush Resort

We arrived about 10:30 am on what was likely to be one of the Resort’s busiest days of the year. We were in and out of the rental building in about 15 minutes. Even at mid-morning on a crowded day they had plenty equipment available and the automated equipment management system sped us through the fitting process. Out on the mountains, five high speed quads plus almost a dozen other lifts kept us moving all day.

Welcome to the bunny hill at Sugarbush Resort

We had a mixed group of skiers of all abilities and ages, including a couple of folks who preferred to spend most of the day in the lodge. From the bunny hill at Lincoln Peak to the double black diamonds and moguls on Castlerock Peak, to the cozy fire in the main lodge, everyone had a great time.

The Timbers restaurant at the Sugarbush Resort

Sugarbush is joining most of the other major Vermont ski resorts by celebrating January is Learn to Ski and Ride Month. They will be offering a $29 lesson and rental package until the end of the month for first time skiers.

Sunset view of Vermont’s Mad River Valley from the Sugarbush Resort

Check the Resort’s web page for lodging and ticket discount packages. Its looking like a snowy winter in New England so its time to get skiing.

Families Welcome Smugglers’ Notch Winter Adventure Program for Teens Ages 16-20

Posted by Mary Turner on December 26, 2012 Comments Off

Dec 262012

Escape to the trails on Mt Madonna and Mt Sterling at Smugglers’ Notch

Smugglers’ Notch, one of our favorite Vermont ski resorts, has added a new Winter Adventure program for teens ages 16-20. The program mixes intermediate and advanced ski fun with the opportunity to explore a wide range of alternative winter sport options on and off the mountain. Thursday through Sunday, the morning starts at the teen friendly time of 10:00 am with an intermediate to advanced Snow Sense Session where the group skis and rides together focusing on exploring the mountain, reading terrain, and having fun – instead of focusing on formal technique. After lunch, the group heads back out with instructors for specialty sessions such as ice climbing, backcountry snowshoeing, Ice Canyon Via Ferrata, and Winter survival skills.

Smuggs has always offered one of the most comprehensive on mountain ski and snowboard programs for tweens and teens including the Notch Squad all day camps for ages 11-15, private lessons, night time free style boarding lessons, and the Mountain Explorer half day group option for teens age 16 and 17 that want to work on ski and boarding skills. The Winter Adventure program fills a real gap for families that want to take a winter holiday together but have older teens (including college students home on break) who might not want to ski all week but would welcome a break from non-stop family bonding as well as the chance to do something new and challenging.

The Notch Squad on the move

Smuggs also offers full and half day Adaptive ski lessons and runs five-day Autism Snowman Camps for children and adults with developmental disabilities. Campers participate in a variety of winter activities including sleigh rides, alpine and cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, horseback riding, dog sledding, ice skating and swimming.

Combined with all the other off-mountain fun available for kids and adults of all abilities and ages – - like cross country skiing, snowmobiles, zip-lines, tubing, outdoor ice skating, and a large indoor playspace — plus high quality day care and lessons for younger kids, Smugglers’ Notch continues to be top of our list for resorts that can meet the needs for very diverse families and interests.

For the best deals, book the a Club Smugglers’ Classic or Summit Package that includes on-mountain lodging but always check to make sure the programs you want are included in the package you select since options vary.

January 2013 is Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month in Vermont – Check out the Great Deals

Posted by Mary Turner on December 18, 2012 Comments Off

Dec 182012

Vermont Ski and Snowboard Resorts are banding together to offer great “learn to” deals in January 2013

Thinking about taking the family on a ski trip but worried that not everyone knows how to ski or snowboard? Don’t worry its never too late — our teens didn’t learn until they were in middle school. This year, the major Vermont ski resorts are banding together to help make it more affordable that ever to learn to ski.

Specifically, January 2013 will find most of Vermont’s major mountains offering some of their best ever Learn to Ski and Snowboard promotions all month long. Many resorts will be featuring a $29 non-holiday package that includes professional lessons, equipment rentals and a beginner lift ticket. Registration for the $29 package at any of the participating mountains is available at skivermont.com/learn . Lessons are available non-holiday while supplies last.

Already know how to ski? Then bring a friend (or sibling)! You can be entered to win a ski and stay package at Smugglers’ Notch Resort by participating in the nationwide Bring A Friend program. Beyond the $29 package, most Vermont ski resorts are offering additional lesson and clinic options for those looking to expand their skills. Here some examples that will work for teens and tweens from across the state:

Bolton Valley Resort

Bolton Valley Resort offers a special Learn to Love It at Bolton Valley Package for first-time adult and teen skiers or riders. The three-day Learn To Love It Program provides three days of beginner lessons. After completing the third day, the new skier or snowboard will receive a Learn To Love It card, entitling the cardholder to 50 percent off of lift tickets, lessons and rentals for the remainder of the 2012-2013 season. The three-day program is $149/person and includes a 90 minute lesson and a full-day limited access lift ticket plus rentals each day.

The Burton Learn To Ride program at Bolton Valley combines advanced equipment, teaching techniques and learning environments for first-timer riders, using Burton-specific learn to ride snowboards. The Burton Progression Park is designed to take the park newbie and introduce them to standard park features in a progressive format.

Bromley Mountain

Bromley has redesigned its beginner area and offers a covered carpet lift on sunny south facing terrain known as Sun Mountain. Bromley is offering its best deals online for both kids and adults this season. Book your reservation online for the Kidsrule Mountain Camps and save $20! (non-holiday, 48 hour advance booking) This is a limited offer. You must be within the first 25 bookings for that day to receive discount.

New this season, Bromley’s GET skiing and riding programs for adults and older teens includes a 90 minute lesson in the learning zone, equipment specially designed for beginner’s success, and a limited lift ticket for easy-to-ride lifts! Book online and save $10! Complete a GET lesson and receive a GET Recognition Card for these great incentives: $25 off Lift Tickets, $15 off Rentals, and $15 off Group Lessons for the remainder of the season!

Killington Resort

Killington Resort provides a great option for getting some individual attentions with its Max 3 / Max 5 Learn To Ski & Ride programs which guarantees groups of no more than three to five students per class and includes a lesson, rental equipment and a learning area lift ticket. Book a 2-day Learn To package and get a third day free.

Magic Mountain

Magic’s Learn to Ski and Ride programs for first-timer adults and older teens feature dedicated morning and afternoon instruction for just $129 including the lift ticket. For the younger set children’s group lessons are $120 all day with ticket. A full-season “Devo” program is $575. Magic has many options for adults and children that can all be found at www.magicmtn.com.

Smugglers’ Notch Resort

Smugglers’ Notch Resort is offering novice skiers and riders visiting on the Base Package January 6-13, 2013 free daily beginner ski or snowboard two-hour group lessons and rental equipment for their entire stay. Package pricing is $115 per adult and $85 per youth per night. Throughout the winter Smugglers’ programs for beginning skiers and riders include all-day camps for ages 3-15, two-hour group lessons for ages 6 to adult, private lessons, and parent/child lessons. A Burton Riglet Park with treehouse and mini terrain park features is a fun learning area for snowboarding novices 6 and younger. For those older than 6, Night School for Snowboarding under the lights on the learning slope teaches basic snowboarding skills in a group lesson followed by a practice session with instructors’ support. All winter, Smugglers’ offers a guarantee that each family member will learn to ski or snowboard or improve their ability level, or the lesson portion of that person’s package will be refunded. (www.smuggs.com/skivtw, 855-814-7325)

Stowe Mountain Resort

For the month of January the Big Easy and Stowe for Starters afternoon lesson products will be priced at $29.00 (not including $5 ESC fee) These packages include a 2 hour beginner children’s lesson or 1.5 hour adult beginner lesson, rental package and limited access to lifts (Alpine, Easy Street, Adventure lift). The offer will run Monday 1/07/13 – Thursday 1/31/13 – not including MLK Weekend.

Ski Vermont in 2013

Vermont continues to be one of our favorite winter destinations. Be sure to bookmark the Ski Vermont site and check often for info on current conditions and deals across the state.

Photo Courtesy Ski Vermont

Find Family Ski Fun on Campus During a Visit to Middlebury College

Posted by Mary Turner on December 4, 2012 Comments Off

Dec 042012

Middlebury College Le Chateau classroom and residential building in the snow

Internationally recognized Middlebury College, located in the Champlain Valley of Vermont, is well known for its challenging liberal arts curriculum and its excellence in foreign language studies. Founded in 1800, the college is home to 2,500 undergraduates from 50 states and dozens of foreign countries.

Many of its students choose Middlebury for the excellent academics combined with the opportunity to spend four years living at a historic New England campus surrounded by beautiful views of the Green Mountains and the Adirondacks plus unlimited access to all variety of outdoor adventures in any season. According to Wikipedia, “The campus is known as “Club Midd” because of its bucolic setting and the quality of its recreational and residential facilities.”

If your family vacation or college visit plans bring you to this part of New England during the winter, be sure to save some time to explore the on campus ski options. Middlebury is one of only a few colleges to own and operate its own nordic and downhill ski areas. Specifically, the Rikert Nordic Center and the Snow Bowl downhill ski area. The Middlebury College Snow Bowl has two triple chair lifts and one double and serves 17 trails, plus several gladed areas for skiing and riding in the trees. The mountain’s historic lodge, with a cafeteria and rentals available, was expanded and remodeled in 2003. Snowmaking makes up for mother nature if needed.

Tweens check out the conditions at the Middlebury College Rikert Nordic Center

Just a mile and a half away at the College’s Bread Loaf Campus in Ripton, VT, the Rikert Nordic Center offers 42 KM of trails on unspoiled land in the Green Mountain National Forest and operates in partnership with the USDA-Forest Service

The Rikert Center has been recently upgraded with the addition of a new internationally recognized 5 KM championship level trail that has been certified for competition at the highest level by skiing’s governing body, the Fédération Internationale de Ski (FIS). The center has completely renovated the lodge and offers hearty food and first quality rental skis and snowshoes.

The Rikert Center is open for recreational as well as competitive cross country skiers and serves as the base of operations for the college’s Nordic Ski team. It will also host a number of special events this winter including the Middlebury College winter carnival ski race in February, Adaptive Ski days, half marathon ski races and snowshoe races.

Both the Rikert Center and the Snow Bowl are in first rate condition and offer family friendly on campus skiing, snowboarding and even snowshoe adventures at affordable prices. Any wintertime visit to Middlebury College and the surrounding area requires at least a half day of skiing to really understand what makes this such a special area all year round.

Middlebury College photo courtesy Wikimedia

Jay Peak Lowers Prices and Adds More Fun for Teens and Tweens

Posted by Mary Turner on November 20, 2012 Comments Off

Nov 202012

Since being acquired by new owners in 2008, northern Vermont’s Jay Peak Resort has undergone a multi-million dollar transformation to become a state-of-the-art four-season destination with a range of on-site amenities including expanded ski trails and snowboard terrain, new lifts and snowmaking, a new nordic center, ski-in ski-out lodging, an ice rink, an indoor waterpark, and a golf course. With 2100 feet of vertical, 385 skiable acres, and 77 trails, slopes and glades teens and tweens are sure to find plenty of options regardless of their skill level. The Resort rates 20% of trails as novice, 40% intermediate and 40% advanced. The Resort typically gets 375 inches of natural snow in a winter so it opens early and closes late each season.

Vermont’s Jay Peak Resort offers 77 trails, slopes and glades

For cost conscious families, the Resort has announced that it is lowering the prices of all of its lift tickets this season. For the best deals buy tickets online. The Resort promises that skiers and riders will see price drops in all ticket categories, from single to multiday, when they reload their tickets online. The Resort states that some ticket prices will be lowered by as much as $50. The Resort also continues its annual tradition of offering free season passes to all immediate family members of Vermonters currently deployed, or about to be deployed, overseas.

The 60,000 square foot Pump House indoor waterpark at Vermont’s Jay Peak Resort

Off ice, the Pump House indoor waterpark and the Ice Haus ski rink offers more ways to keep teens and tweens busy. The Resort hosts a youth hockey tournament almost every weekend in the winter but saves hours for public skating as well. The 60,000 sq foot Pump House waterpark has a wide range of water slides, a lazy river, a flowrider, hot tubs and an arcade to entertain the teens in the evening or if they want to take a break from the mountain.

The Ice Haus Arena at Jay Peak attracts hockey players and skaters from across New England

Lodging options range from hotel rooms to multi-room suites with kitchens and multi-bedroom townhouse style condos. Many are close to the lifts while a shuttle bus provides access for the rest. The Resort is continuing to invest aggressively in building additional lodging and to upgrade and expand the facilities. The Jay Peak ownership group recently bought Burke Mountain, located about 45 minutes from Jay Peak, and will allow customers to use tickets at both mountains. Look for continued investments at both Jay Peak and Burke Mountains in the coming years.

For families with teens and tweens that are looking for a destination ski and snowboard resort with something for everyone, Jay Peak Resort is a great new alternative.

Photos courtesy of Jay Peak Resort

Three Vermont Ski Resorts that Cater to Families with Teens and Tweens

Posted by Mary Turner on September 27, 2012 Comments Off

Sep 272012

Vermont continues to be one of our favorite family ski destinations year after year. Just a few hours from home we find easy access to big mountains, expansive snowboard terrain parks, and a wide range of great off slope activities, lodging and restaurants that appeal to our teens as well as mom and dad. Families taking a ski vacation with teens and tweens need to be honest about each family member’s skiing abilities and interests. Some teens may want to ski hard all day while others are pretty rusty and might benefit from a private lesson or all day camp. Mom might want a spa and dad might want to ski a half day before taking a turn on a snowmobile tour.

Hockey Princess gets a snow boarding lesson

For teens and tweens with little ski or snowboard experience, a private lesson will get them on the slopes quickly

For a multi-day ski vacation, unless your family plans to ski together every day, the major options for making sure the teens and tweens have a buddy at the mountain are to bring a friend or seek out resorts with teen and tween-specific ski school and mountain camp offerings.

Three of our favorite Vermont ski resorts that have lots to offer teens, tween and their parents, regardless of each individual’s level of skiing or snowboarding ability, are:

Smugglers’ Notch: Join the Notch Squad

With two mountains and Ski Schools options for younger and older teens, Smugglers’ Notch gets our vote for one of Vermont best destinations for families with skiers of all ages and abilities. During our visit, the Notch Squad program for ages 11-15 really filled the bill offering small group snowboard lessons at several levels of expertise. The instructors were friendly and upbeat and were able to quickly connect with our teen. We understand that this winter Smuggs will be revamping some of its programs for older teens so be sure to ask what is available when you call to book a vacation.

The Notch Squad on the move

Smuggs is a destination resort where most visitors stay for a weekend or longer. If you are looking for things to do off the mountain – either with or without the teens – snowmobile rides, ice skating and the Arbor Trek zip line tours are great fun. Smuggs has a wide range of condo lodging options including some that are large enough for extended families or two families traveling together.

Stowe Mountain Resort: Explore Stoked Teen Camp

Stowe, Vermont is a classic alpine town with four seasons of dining and outdoor activities that are fun for mom, dad and the teens and tweens. Multiple mountains mean that skiers of any level can find the perfect trail at the Stowe Mountain Resort. Green trail skiers will enjoy the 2.5 mile Toll Road trail from the top of Mount Mansfield while more advance skiers and boarders will never run out of options. Off the mountain there are many great restaurants, stores and activities such as Dog Sled rides. The Mountain Road is lined with a wide range of hotels, motels, condos and bed and breakfasts.

The full day Stoked Teen Camp for blue/black skiers and riders, aged 13-17 years, is grouped by skill level. It is offered during major vacation periods. For families where 24×7 togetherness gets to be a little much on a ski vacation, the Stoked Teen Camp allows the teens the run of the mountain with built in supervision, lessons and the opportunity to hang with kids their own age. More traditional ski school options are available for tweens and younger teens up to age 14.

Killington: Chill in the SnowZone

With over 140 trails, Killington is synonomous with skiing in Vermont. Trails include “Outer Limits” a double black diamond mogul trail that is the steepest mogul run in all of New England. It also has the longest trail in the east in the 6.2-mile ”Juggernaut” and boasts five snowboard and alpine parks.

For older teens, ages 13-18, the SnowZone program offers ski and snowboard lessons designed especially for teens of all ability levels, with a promise that there will be no more than 5 teens in a group. The half day and full day lesson programs include a lesson-only, lift ticket and rental equipment including a snow sports helmet is additional. A smiliar program for tweens and younger teens is available via the SuperStars program.

Killington is known for being one of the first Vermont mountains to open and one of the last to close. Discounted single day tickets for non-peak times are on sale until October 11th and the mountain expects to be open by Thanksgiving, if not before. Off slope the fun continues with sleigh rides, tubing, snowmobile rides and a great spa.

Our Top Tip

Our top tip for a successful family ski vacation with teens and tweens is to make some up front assessments about priorities and skill level, then look for a resort with a wide range of on and off slope options including teen-specific ski and snowboard schools if you are not bringing a friend of similar ability to keep yout teen company on the slopes.

Looking for more family ski and snowboard ideas? Check out all the great family travel blog ski links on the Mother of All Trips Back to Ski page.

Make New England Leaf Peeping Plans Today!

Posted by Mary Turner on September 18, 2012 Comments Off

Sep 182012

Its coming, “The Peak”, the peak of the New England leaf peeping fall foliage season that is. After a muted season last year, all forecasts are for a colorful and vibrant display this year thanks to a warm summer with decent amounts of rain here in New England. Already, north of Boston hints of color are creeping onto the leaves and in just a couple of weeks much of Maine, central Vermont and New Hampshire and western Massachusetts will be at peak color.

Vermont's fall foliage was on full display over Columbus Day weekend

Vermont’s fall foliage on full display over Columbus Day weekend

Columbus Day weekend often offers particularly good views in central Vermont but, as you might expect, hotel reservations go quickly. Depending on your time, budget and interests,if you make plans now you should still have your pick of campgrounds, motels, full service hotels, bed and breakfasts, or condos at resorts such as Vermont’s Smugglers’ Notch or Sugarbush or New Hampshire’s Attitash Mountain in the Mount Washington Valley.

Wondering when exactly “Peak” will come to the area you are visiting? Foliage tracking maps like this one from Yankee Magazine will be providing daily updates. So, if you plan to head North to see the leaves turn make your plans now. By Columbus Day weekend you may not be able to get reservations anwhere close to the brightest colors of the season north and west of Boston, although there will still be time to catch the colors around Boston and on Cape Cod through mid to late October.

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