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! Mount Snow anyone?” 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.

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.

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.

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 at Mount Snow.

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

“Come on, it’s only an hour and a half drive!” I tried to persuade my friends to drive with me to Sugarbush ski resort. They hesitated, and I understood why—who wants to squander time when three ski areas lie within a 25-minute drive from our place in southern VT?

“They have fresh natural snow—just an hour and a half from our Vermont ski cabin.” I kept pushing images of fluffy powder. An indisputable argument could have been made that we should stay put on local frozen granular; however, the promised powder was tempting enough to sway objections. Although my friends got cantankerous halfway to Sugarbush resort, all their arguments and pleas were too late at that point. When we finally arrived—after two hours and twenty minutes—I felt the need to hide somewhere; that feeling of guilt lasted until we made the first run—fluffy powder covered the trails, and a snow-starved skier will pay any price for fresh snow.

Sugarbush is a huge mountain with 111 trails, 16 lifts, breathtaking views, and lots of pure Vermont skiing and snowboarding fun. It is a popular Vermont ski resort and attracts many skiers and snowboarders, but multiple ski lifts—including a scenic lift between Lincoln and Ellen Mountains—help ease any waiting.
Beginners should head toward the Gate House Express Quad lift; it serves a couple of easy green and blue trails and seems the ideal launch pad for mastering ski turns. A black diamond trail is also marked—quite easy judging by the way a friend with intermediate skills handled it—as well as a glade to test your skills. In addition, a couple of the beginner trails are located on Mount Ellen.

If you’re comfortable on your skis or snowboard, you have many more options to explore. For starters, take the Heavens Gate triple lift to the top of Lincoln Peak. The views are breathtaking, and Jester is one of the best cruisers not only at Sugarbush ski area but also in the entire East. If you are up to serious physical exercise, I wholeheartedly recommend taking the Paradise or Ripcord double black diamond trails. The gigantic moguls, when coupled with icy crust, will push your stamina to the limit. Another good choice is Egan’s Woods, a very dense glade where you will have plenty of time but narrow spaces in which to work on ski turns. A note of caution: if you ski in wooded areas, do so with a couple of friends. It is very easy to make a wrong turn, hit a tree branch, and sink in deep snow.

If risk taking and adrenaline are must-have ingredients in your “best day” formula, head toward Castlerock Peak. If you approach it from Lincoln Peak, a very short but steep and moguled trail leads to the Castle rock double lift chair serving the area. If you can’t make it down that trail you really should not be on that double chair—stick to intermediate trails. Once you get to the top, breathe in, breathe out, and hit the narrow twisting trails. A couple of runs—with never-ending moguls—on that peak will be a good physical test for your legs.

If your style calls for Vermont backcountry skiing, a guided tour of Sugarbush Slide Brook Basin is a unique feature worth exploring. Not only you will test runs of more than two thousand vertical feet—all in the woods—you will also have the chance to learn about winter survival skills. And, finally, they have the only cabin cat in New England.

Our first day at Sugarbush Mountain resort came to an end very quickly. Five hours of nonstop ole good Vermont skiing and snowboarding had flown by, and we had to head home. I looked at my friends’ faces while trying to gauge their feelings and the potential consequences of my brash decision.
For a second I allowed myself to relax a bit—after all, most images painted by me in the morning have lived up to expectations by the end of the day. The problem was coming up with new ones, because we had another drive of more than two hours on dark and narrow Route 100.

“Come on, it’s just an hour and a half drive.” I started another round of make-me-feel-good speeches. “We have a hot tub, and an excellent local deli sells good food and micro-brews. They’ll be closing right before we get home—at 10 p.m.” I was talking to my friends while clutching the wheel and trying not to fall asleep. Hearing no response, I cautiously looked over my shoulder—they were all sleeping, perhaps dreaming about fantastic snow conditions and a BBQ.

“Damn it! Who really wants to squander time when three resorts are available within a 25-minute drive?” I thought, fighting off sleep and the annoying sound of snoring from the backseat. Oh well, there is a price for everything—including fresh snow.

Tags: ski packages, ski sugarbush, sugarbush, Sugarbush resort, sugarbush ski resort, sugarbush vt, Vermont ski resorts, vermont vacations, Warren VT

It was neither a well-organized Vermont ski trip, nor a good time to take one when we visited the Okemo ski resort during the Christmas week – one of the busiest and most expensive periods for a  ski vacation in Vermont. Although it was five years ago, I can still remember the huge crowds clearly, and the pain I experienced on that dreadful, icy bunny slope. After spending a couple of days polishing ski slopes with my rear, I was convinced that snowboarding was not my cup of tea. It was not until the last day that I changed my mind.

On that day, we caught the last lift ride to the middle of a mountain. There was no one behind us, it was almost 4pm, and the beginner’s trail was empty, silent, and tranquil. For the first time during the whole vacation, I found myself riding a snowboard without being hassled by speeding yahoo’s or afraid to crash into other sloppy rookies. I savored the colors of the afternoon sky, the shadows of the trees, and the sweet, smoky smell of barbeques from Okemo slope side condominiums. When I finally returned to the base lodge, I knew one thing – I wanted to book my next ski vacation in Vermont.

Okemo resort was my ticket into the world of skiing and snowboarding, and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who learned to appreciate this sport there. It is a huge mountain – there are 119 trails – so it’s almost guaranteed that you will find trails suitable for your skill level.

If it is your first time on the slopes, lift C is a slow magic carpet that will take you up a bunny hill. The next, more challenging, though very gentle and flat, beginners terrain is served by ski lifts B and C. There is a good progression system and I have to give Okemo resort a credit for installing rubber carpets at Lift B to help beginners handle the sometimes challenging ski lifts.

However, if you plan to take a ski trip as a rookie, do yourself a favor, and begin learning midweek. As mentioned above, the Okemo Mountain is a very popular ski resort in Vermont, and attracts huge crowds on the weekends and holidays. I know that there are only so many quiet days, but it pays to learn skiing at your own pace without feeling pressured by a crowd of other snowboarders and skiers.
Once you can handle and control your skis or snowboard, Okemo ski resort offers multiple trail choices, with many trails for intermediate skiers and snowboarders. My personal favorite is the “Tuckered Out” trail on the Jackson Gore while some might find the “Mountain Road” a perfect cruiser for intermediates.

In terms of advanced terrain, there are plenty of choices but don’t expect an extreme challenge. If you are an expert craving dense glades or very steep and narrow runs, look elsewhere. Okemo’s black diamond is not a cakewalk but there are different types of advanced skier. Those happy to take a couple of challenging runs a day will have a good time; those looking for more will be bored after a half day.

There are many terrain parks and half pipes for freestylers: the Sobe Superpark on Nor’easter is an enormous terrain park with multiple flat rails, jibs, and boxes. Not enough? Try the ski and boarder cross-terrain park and test bank turns, rollers, and mounds. Alternatively, head to the Ross Powers Superpipe and see how well you can handle 500ft by 17ft walls. Transworld Snowboarding magazine ranked Okemo #2 for pipes, and #4 for parks in the East. You will surely test your skills and luck, just make sure that your health insurance is up and running.

My first ski trip and visit to Okemo resort was many years ago. It was not the perfect vacation, but had it not been for Okemo, the Sachem trail, and that fateful ride, I would probably be writing about sandcastles rather than ski resorts. Okemo mountain resort has plenty of memorable trails. You just need to find the right ones for you and avoid the crowds.

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Tags: Okemo, Okemo mountain resort, Okemo ski resort, Okemo VT, ski packages, ski vermont, vermont skiing