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.

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 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

There is a couture jewelry boutique, The North Face, and a Burton flagship store, among other brand names, in this small ski village. You can buy Barron’s and The Wall Street Journal in a local coffee shop or relax at the end of a day in the village bar voted among the “Top 5 Apres Ski Bars” by Outside Magazine. In short, this village and resort is an elegant hub akin to fabled ski towns on the West Coast or Swiss Alps. However, there is one big difference: the Stratton resort is nested among the Green Mountains in southern Vermont – far away from the Rockies.

Stratton is a popular ski destination in the East.

Stratton  resort is a very popular tourist destination Vermont. It takes just four hours to get there from NYC, and it seems that folks from the tri-state area have taken notice of this fact. On the upside, Stratton  resort has extensive snowmaking systems, plenty of trails for all skills, and of course, terrain parks for freestyle skiers and riders. Plus, the resort hosts the US Open Snowboard championship in late March, meaning that they meticulously maintain snow surfaces well into the late season.

Beginners probably would enjoy the gentle terrain served by Solstice and Tamarack lifts. There are plenty of easy trails accessible from these lifts, and it tends to be less crowded there. A word of caution: while moderate pitches work well for beginners, more skillful skiers and riders might want to avoid these areas because certain trails tend to be just flat. For example, you might want to skip the Home Run because it looks and feels like a cross country track rather than a downhill trail – that is, of course, if you don’t rent one of those luxury ski in-ski out condos along this ski trail.
If you already mastered “the pizza pie” plowing technique and feel comfortable turning on your skis, consider the green trails running from the summit of Stratton resort. I wholeheartedly recommend taking Mike’s Way, a narrow and picturesque trail running from the top of the mountain.

If you are an upper intermediate or advanced skier/rider, head toward the Shooting Star lift because it serves a number of double black diamonds. Keep in mind that if you are set on advanced skiing terrain, it would make a lot sense to park in the Sun Bowl Base area. Those who prefer rails, boxes, and other jibs should head to the main base and the American Express ski lift serving the freestyle parks.

I also should mention a couple of other things that might make your visit to Stratton ski resort more pleasurable. Stratton mountain is a luxury Vermont ski resort – make no mistake about it – so you should expect to pay top dollar prices for many services. They do take credit cards, but if you enjoy homemade Belgian waffles with hot chocolate, make sure to take enough cash because they don’t take plastic at the Waffle Cabin. If you need cash, search for an ATM before you come to Stratton  resort because you will be charged around $3 dollars for that service.

It might not be cool to pull an Italian hero stuffed with salami from your Louis Vuitton leather bag, but it surely will save some serious cash. If you are willing to consider such “shameful” tactics at such a luxurious place, there is a Seven Eleven store at the bottom of the access road, where you can buy sandwiches and withdraw cash for less than half of what you would spend at this Vermont ski resort.

If you need to call up the ski patrol or some other service, you should inquire about it at the information desk. Some of Stratton’s employees might not be well-informed how to get a ski patrol – it comes from a personal experience of getting a friend off the trail – but folks at the information desk should be able to help to resolve all issues.

If you need to rent equipment, be aware that boots are fitted in one building and skis in another. Bring someone who can assist you to pick the right equipment; it will help immensely since we all have different feet, but a rental shop has only one size guide that supposedly fits them all.

And finally, just have fun at Stratton.  Stratton resort has that special Western ski village atmosphere, well-groomed trails, and freestyle parks that you will be hard-pressed to find somewhere else in Vermont. Just expect to fork out a lot of cash – far away from the fabled ski towns of the Rocky Mountains.

Tags: Ski Resorts, ski vacations, southern vermont, Stratton, stratton resort, Stratton ski resort, Stratton village, Stratton VT, vermont skiing