A stuffed turkey or a ski vacation? I faced this dilemma a week before Thanksgiving. “Hmm, we can combine a Thanksgiving dinner with the early ski season vacation in Vermont!” I came up with a solution and immediately sent out emails trying to lure my friends into joining me. I promised to take gravy and cranberry sauce and hoped to have enough people to split the cost of lodging. (Please note, we will report up to dats 2010 “Thanksgiving” deals as soon as resorts publish them. Meanwhile, read on to see what might be in store for you.)

Those who know me well tend to take my ideas cautiously – I am a big proponent of skiing at Mount Hood in June and driving seven hours to Jay Peak for one day of powder skiing. But this time around, I had no problem selling the early ski package. Perhaps I was lucky, or maybe my friends felt it was a good time to get out of NYC. In any case, we packed an old Ford Taurus and hit I-91 in pursuit of skiing happiness.

Mount Snow in November

Most ski resorts have some terrain open by the end of November. They also offer attractive discount packages that make it a lot of sense to visit ski resorts early in the season – at least for those who can ski intermediate and advanced terrains. But we had a couple of beginners and, soon enough, I realized that convincing friends was easier than finding a ski resort that would work for all of us.

I scratched Tremblant because nobody wanted to spend a day at JFK airport. After all, it was Thanksgiving — when traffic and flight delays are as traditional as turkey and cranberry sauce. Jay Peak was very tempting; it offered huge discounts and the customer- service person sounded very optimistic about the possibility of having green trails open. However, nobody (except me) wanted to drive for seven hours, which steered enthusiasm away from Jay Peak and toward the Stowe ski resort. Stowe customer representatives sounded confident that a skating rink would be open no matter what; they weren’t sure about having beginner trails by the opening day.

Just when I thought that things were going south, my Internet search led me to an unlikely candidate located in southern Vermont – Mount Snow. The Mount Snow ski resort not only offered reasonable rates, but already had a bunny slope and one green trail open. Plus, it was just three and a half hours away from NYC. It worked for us and addressed all of our needs, so the decision was made and a condo was booked in Snow Trees Village — along with lift tickets.

We arrived at Mount Snow early on Thursday, and soon enough realized it was not easy to find someone who could help us locate our condo. Though a bit frustrated, once we finally found the condo, all logistical issues faded away. And how could they not? The one-bedroom place was spacious, had a deck, grill, and a fireplace. Plus, we brought with us a collection of fine spirits, turkey, and cranberry sauce.

Mount Snow early season skiing

The next morning — in good spirits but with heavy hangovers — we drove to the base lodge and, finally, hit the slopes. Certainly, frozen granular, occasional bare ice patches, and a limited number of trails made it difficult to enjoy skiing a whole day. But frankly, it would have been naïve to expect prime season conditions at the end of November. Sure, we hoped for an unexpected snow storm; however, having a great time with friends certainly helped to outweigh the limited November skiing.

September is now almost over and the 2009/2010 ski season is not that far away. There is always a hope that Mother Nature will bless us with an unexpected blizzard. But even if she does not, it should not terminate your early season plans – just be realistic about certain aspects. Pick a resort that offers various amenities: an outdoor swimming pool, saunas, hot tubs, and a skating rink are great alternatives when the weather turns ugly. And, most importantly, round up a great company of friends!

Tags: Mount Snow, Mount Snow resort, november skiing, ski packages, Ski Resorts, ski vacations, ski vermont, Vermont, Vermont ski resorts, vermont skiing

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