What about them? Well, they are pretty good, wide and flat at Stratton resort. As one of my friends once commented: “Do not leave your significant other behind in NYC, leave her behind learning first turns on beginner trails.” It might sound a bit harsh but in reality, having your friend learning skiing at Stratton resort is not a bad idea. After all, there are many, many dedicated beginner trails there. Of course, almost any resort has some beginner trails, but just because they are colored in green does not mean that any beginner can ski them. So if you are are, or someone in your party, is a total beginner type, head towards Tamarack.
From there you can access a number of wide and somewhat flat trails to master your first pizza pie turns. In matter of fact, you can also practice cross-country skiing techniques – who said that every beginner hill should actually be a hill?
We have received a number of emails from readers asking us about things that we like and don’t like about Vermont ski resorts. And so we decided to post short Q:A sessions. The first post in this category is about Stratton resort. And to be more precise: “What is so cool at Stratton Mountain?” We think that it is the Village.
It is located right next to slopes.
There is a number of restaurants 5 minutes away from ski lifts.
Spa center.
Coffee shops with wifi.
You can get very nice hot cocktails/Irish coffee at Mulligan’s.
Spring skiing, cold beer and the village center is a perfect combo at Stratton Mountain.
What is so specialabout Jay Peak skiing? An answer is simple – Glades and backcountry. Jay peak ski resort allows skiers and snowboarders to venture anywhere on its vast territory. They have what can be described as most liberal ski policies in the East, and it sure attracts folks looking for hidden stashes of powder. If you an an advanced skier or snowboarder, choices are unlimited; however, skiing at Jay Peak is not only for advanced types, there is plenty of the beginner and intermediate terrain including glades! So if you visit Jay Peak resort, make sure to explore Bushwacker and Moon Walk Woods: these are the best intermediate glades for those looking to graduate and see what Jay Peak skiing is all about – freedom to roam and explore its territory in a never ending pursuit of powder.
When there is a foot+ of fresh snow, stay away from green trails. Stick to black diamonds or intermediate trails. Or if you do ski/ride green trails – have a shovel ready! (No joking around – we actually saw one snowboarder riding with a shovel!)
Just ran a quick search and found out that most ski areas in Vermont are set to be open this weekend. However, they all use rather cautionary language – so don’t get your hopes too high and check with a snow report. It looks that warmer temperatures and possible rain might ruin the opening weekend.
It is quite simple – buy a card for $69, get a free day and save $10 dollars off midweek, weekends and holidays at Bromley resort. In other words, you will end up $29 per day during midweek, $58 on holidays and $55 on weekends. And don’t forget about a free day that you got – or bought if you wish – with you card (Adult rates). For obvious reasons your free day can’t be redeemed during the holiday periods (12/26/09-1/2/10; 1/16 &1/17/10; 2/13 – 2/19/10. )
Bromley Lift Ticket
Or, you can round up a group of five friends or relatives, buy Value TKTS and save $14 off an Adult Holiday Ticket, $10 off a Teen Holiday Ticket, and $8 off a Junior holiday ticket. Note that it does not make much sense if you plan to ski during midweek – each Value TKTS adult ticket costs $54.
It takes about 14 computer mouse wheel scrolls to read through the ski season pass deals at Sugarbush and six to scroll through the 2010 lift ticket rates. But let’s make it simple – just buy a SugarDirect card to save money on lift tickets.
Sugarbush resort is not the cheapest ski destination. In matter of fact, expect to shell out $82 for a day of skiing during the holiday periods and $77 Sunday through Friday (regular non-holiday periods.) Of course, you can always buy multi-day lift tickets to save some money. It is a good option; however, keep in mind that typically, a multi-day option ties you up to a ski resort. And savings –quite frankly – are not that impressive. For example, if you buy a two day lift ticket – you will save paltry $2.00. You can go for three of four consecutive days of skiing – and it will save around $5.00 per day.
sugarbush lift ticket savings
Sugarbush resort made a big step forward when it rolled out a flex program which allows a purchaser to postpone one day of skiing/riding for one consecutive day. However, this is Vermont where Mother Nature is often unpredictable. And therefore, booking a multi-day lift ticket option is a big gamble. What is a solution? Consider the Sugardirect card.
You will pay a $99.00 fee and receive 25% off the regular season, 20% holidays and Saturdays, a free day of skiing and other applicable discounts. Compared to the multi-day prices –see the table above – savings might not be mind shattering; however, you can enjoy them whenever you come to ski to Sugarbush, and the card also gives you a number of other discounts. Just make sure to use a free day that comes with your card – being selfish in this situations helps to breakeven faster. (Please note: we assumed that you would use your free day when calculating savings with the sugardirect option. While we always strive to be accurate, it will never hurt to check with sugarbush.com to verify the numbers and see if there are any changes. If you note a mistake, please let us know (at sergeynm@yahoo.com) and we will take all necessary measures to correct it.) And most importantly, enjoy the 2009/2010 ski season!
That’s right. A ski trip to Smugglers Notch is actually affordable – if you get a Bash Badge and ski during the regular and holiday season. There are many ways to save at Smuggs during the 2010 ski season. For example, you can ski during the early or late season and pay $44 for the first day of skiing and $34 for each additional.
Can you ski/snowboard during the regular season? Buy 5 consecutive ski days, and after factoring in discounts that come with a multi-day pack, you will end up paying around $50.80 per day.
Smugglers Notch 2010 lift ticket prices
Or, if you prefer the holiday periods – let’s assume that you are going for seven days during the holidays – buy a multi-day pack and pay an average of $54 per day. Even more, if you can ski five, seven or even more days during the regular and holiday seasons, consider buying a bash badge. It costs $99, and allows you to ski for $25 per day without any restrictions; it also comes with additional benefits so make sure to check them out.. If you look at the provided table, you can see that the bash badge works well for those who can ski 5+ days. Also, keep in mind that Smugglers Notch will have a number of retailers – exact locations are being finalized – selling adult ski lift tickets for $50. This way, might work for those who will ski less than five days.
We calculated the average per day ticket prices by summing up and dividing daily ticket prices and all applicable fees or multi-day discounts. If you note a mistake, please let us know, and we will make all necessary corrections. All efforts were made to ensure that information provided is accurate and up-to-day, however, you should always check with Smugglers Notch to see if there are any changes.
Have a great ski season!
1) Not sure if Smugglers Notch is your type of a ski resort? Read our Smuggs review to make an informed decision .
2) Compare this deal with lift ticket prices at Stowe.
This Monday, I could get rid of a feeling that snow was about to fall in Vermont. Maybe, it was a fact that I just visited a couple of ski areas in southern Vermont where things are slowly starting to pick up speed and ski shops are replacing bikes and golf clubs with skis and snowboards. Or it could be the forecast calling for rain and snow on Tuesday morning. In either case, I could sense it on Monday and see on photos on Tuesday morning.
And while images of the early snow are really exciting, I was stunned to see Killington ski resort cranking up snow guns on October 13th! I guess, it might be the first ski area in Vermont to open for the early season skiing. And if this is the case, then you might start thinking about buying a season pass at Killington – just hurry up because the price will go up after October 15th.
We have already published a number of articles covering season passes offered through ski resorts in southern Vermont. And now, it is time to go up north! As always, if you see a mistake, please let us know, and we will correct it.
Killington ski resort early season snow making
Q: How much does it cost to by the unlimited adult season pass at Killington resort?
A: If you buy it by October 15, it will cost $1,175.93 including taxes ($76.93) .
Q: How long does it take to breakeven if I buy the unlimited pass by October 15?
A: It takes about 14 peak (Holidays and Saturdays) days to breakeven.
Q: What is a total number of the peak days at Okemo Mountain resort?
A: It depends. If you have the blackout pass, then there are 17 peak days. However, if we are talking about the regular lift tickets, then there are 23 peak days.
Q: What is the holiday lift ticket rate?
A: $82.00 per day. (Holidays and Saturday)
Q: What if I ski all 17 peak days using my unlimited adult pass?
A: You will pay approximately $69.17
1) You can view our photostreams from Vermont on flickr.
Earlier in the morning, we received a comment from a reader who pointed out that Magic Mountain will only be open on weekends, holidays and after major snowstorms in the 2009/2010 season. That got me thinking – if they change hours of operation, why not change an image. I often hear comments such as: “Magic is for kids. It is not for a serious skier.” It is simply not true – Magic Mountain has what some might consider the steepest terrain in southern Vermont. It is a real mountain for a serious skier. No kidding.
Magic Mountain Resort
The resort is sandwiched between much more developed ski areas – Bromley Mountain and Stratton. It won’t be easy for Magic to catch up with them, and it would surely require significant investments to upgrade facilities, ski lifts and/or add experienced staff. Frankly, considering current economic situation I don’t see it happening anytime soon.
Perhaps, it does not make much sense to chase after bigger resorts. As much as I love Magic Mountain, I doubt that it can compete for beginner and intermediate skiers and snowboarders. Not right now at least. At the end, it all comes down to numbers – simply put the other resorts have more lifts, trails, personnel, and you can’t beat that with one slow double chair. But what you can do is to lure those who don’t need rentals, instructors and wide cruisers. Magic Mountain can attract people who need adrenaline and thrills rather than a waffle cabin and frills.
Look at Silverton Mountain in Colorado. The main web page sums it up: “Advanced and expert only riding, no groomers, no clearcut runs and a real mountain experience with plenty of adventure on tap.” I truly believe that the Silverton model can be a blueprint for Magic. Sure, we can’t compare the numbers, total verticals and snowfalls. But we can do is to apply the main marketing pitch: all thrills and no frills. I can bet it should have enough followers. Sign me up!
VERTEXPRESS ON FLICKR
