If you ever debated between leaving to Vermont very early in a morning and squeezing a half-day of skiing, or driving later in a day and spending the rest of it chilling in a hotel, here is an alternative – night skiing at Bolton Valley resort. They have 12 trails open up for night skiing from 4pm to 8pm, and I can say that we did enjoy it last week on our trip to northern VT. Just make sure to bring an extra fleece and be prepared for some lift delays. And yeah – a flashlight is a must if you want to explore all available trails at Bolton Valley resort.
That’s right. A ski trip to Smugglers Notch resort 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 at Smugglers Notch resort.
2010 lift ticket prices at Smugglers Notch resort
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 resort to see if there are any changes.
In our earlier Magic Mountain resort review I noted that this resort is all about simplicity: basic chair lifts, lodge, food, ungroomed trails. You will notice the very same approach if you are thinking about buying a season pass at Magic Mountain resort. There are no restrictions, specific holiday dates, value plus or super plus type of deals. It is very simple – you buy an adult pass for $429.00 plus tax and ski.
The problem is that you can only ski Friday to Monday, and not Monday to Fridayas it was reported earlier (thanks to a reader who noted a mistake), during the holiday periods and when Mother Nature dumps 6+ inches of snow. Other than that, I can’t add much to this post. Things are simple at Magic Mountain resort – buy a pass for a low price and hope for the snowy 2009/2010 ski season.
“If you ski 10 + days per season, don’t miss your chance to buy a season pass and save big on lift tickets!” proclaims a widely popular advertising pitch. It is somewhat correct: buying a season pass makes sense when you log a lot of days. The question is: How many days do you need to break even? So let’s look at Mount Snow ski resort.
Located in West Dover, Mount Snow ski resort is within a relatively short drive from NYC and features 250+ snow fan guns, 87 trails and numerous terrain parks. Considering such impressive package, it is not surprising that Mount Snow ski resort attracts a lot of skiers and snowboarders. And if you plan to frequently visit it, here is a breakdown of an adult Nor’easter season pass numbers.
We strive to be as accurate as possible, however, if you notice a mistake, please let us know and we will correct it.
Mount Snow season pass and lift ticket calendar
Q: How much does it cost to by a peak pass at Mount Snow ski Resort?
A: If you buy it by October 12, it will cost $1,015.43 including taxes.
Q: How long does it take to breakeven if I buy a pass by October 12?
A: It takes about 13-14 peak (13.54 if you want to be precise with numbers) days to breakeven.
Q: What is a total number of the peak days at Mount Snow ski resort?
A: There are 17 peak days in the 2009/2010 ski season. (If you buy a regular peak lift ticket. )
Q: What is the holiday lift ticket rate?
A: $75.00 for a one-day peak lift ticket.
Q: What if I ski all 17 peak days using my Mount Snow Nor’easter pass?
“If you ski 10 + days per season, don’t miss your chance to buy a season pass and save big on lift tickets!” proclaims a widely popular advertising pitch. It is somewhat correct: buying a season pass makes sense when you log a lot of days. The question is: How many days do you need to break even?
We continue our “finance for skiers 101″ with Okemo resort and so here is a breakdown of an adult peak season pass numbers.
Unlike some of its neighbor resorts , Okemo resort does not have a “okemo-only-no-restrictions-adult-ski-pass.” Instead, they offer a peak pass valid without any restrictions at Okemo resort and Mount Sunapee. This pass also offers three free days at Crested Butte during the 2009/2010 ski season. Keep these extras in mind when comparing season pass deals.
We are still waiting to find out 2009/2010 lift ticket prices, meanwhile we used 2008/2009 data to ran some numbers. It is an adult, full peak day, no extras type of a lift ticket. We will go over savings cards and promotional deals in later series of article; meanwhile, let’s see what Okemo resort offers this winter.
Okemo Resort: 2009/2010 ski deals and winter holidays calendar
Q: How much does it cost to by a peak pass at Okemo Resort?
A: If you buy it by October 12, it will cost $1207.34 including taxes. Keep in mind, that this season pass offers savings and free days at other ski resorts in Vermont and/or Colorado.
Q: How long does it take to breakeven if I buy a pass by October 12?
A: It takes about 16 peak (holiday) days to breakeven.
Q: What is a total number of the peak days at Okemo resort?
A: There are 19 peak days in the 2009/2010 ski season.
Q: What is the holiday lift ticket rate?
A: $77.00 per day. (in the 2008/2009 ski season)
Q: What if I ski all 19 peak days using my Okemo adult peak pass?
A: You will pay approximately $63.54 per day. (Okemo resort only)
“If you ski 10 + days per season, don’t miss your chance to buy a season pass and save big on lift tickets!” proclaims a widely popular advertising pitch. It is somewhat correct: buying a season pass makes sense when you log a lot of days. The question is: How many days do you need to break even?
Let’s check out Stratton Mountain Resort. You can access and read our Stratton review – as always, we welcome comments and quest bloggers familiar with this ski area – and if you consider frequently visiting it during the 2010 ski season, here is a breakdown of some ski deals.
In the 2010 ski season, Stratton Mountain resort offers a number of season passes: ultra, premier, standard, value plus, value, midweek super, parent, Sunday as well as a transferable pass.
We selected an adult standard ski pass because it is valid seven days a week and has no restrictions. Stratton mountain resort has not announced ticket prices for this upcoming season yet, so we took the 2008/2009 data as a reference point.
We strive to be as accurate as possible, however, if you notice a mistake, please let us know and we will correct it. Buying a season ski pass is an expensive expenditure. You should explore all of your options, family commitments and a credit line limit before clicking on a submit button. Ready? Let’s pull out our financial calculators.
Stratton Mountain resort 2010 ski deals
Q: How much does it cost to buy an adult standard pass at Stratton Mountain resort?
A: If you buy it before October 12th, it will cost $1047.53 including tax.
Q: How long does it take to breakeven if I buy a season pass before October 12th?
A: It takes about 13 days of skiing during the peak period. (13.4 to be exact if using 2008/2009 peak ticket prices.)
Q: What is a total number of the peak days at Stratton Mountain resort?
A: There are 19 peak days in the 2009/2010 ski season.
Q: What is the holiday lift ticket rate?
A: We don’ know 2010 numbers yet. However, a holiday lift ticket was $79.00 in 2008/2009. We did not take into account various promotions or savings program such as X2 card.
Q: What if I ski all 19 peak days using my standard adult pass?
“If you ski 10 + days per season, don’t miss your chance to buy a season pass and save big on lift tickets!” proclaims a widely popular advertising pitch. It is somewhat correct: buying a season pass makes sense when you log a lot of days. The question is: How many days do you need to break even? And does it make any sense for you to buy a ski season pass?
We kick off our “ski finance 101” with Bromley Mountain. For the 2009/2010 ski season, Bromley Mountain offers season passes for adults, teens, juniors, seniors and children under five years old. The “adult seasons pass” is valid seven days without any blackout dates.
Bromley Mountain 2009/2010 ski deals and holiday dates
Q: How much does it cost to buy an adult seasons pass at Bromley Mountain?
A: If you buy it before October 15th, it will cost $948.70 including tax.
Q: How long does it take to breakeven if I buy a pass before October 15th?
A: It takes about 14 days if you ski during the holiday periods and/or 15 days if you prefer non-holiday weekends.
Q: How many holiday days are there?
A: In total, there are 17 peak days.
Q: What is a holiday lift ticket rate?
A: The holiday ticket rate is $68.00. (There is a discount for multi-day lift tickets; however, we decided not to include them for the sake of simplicity.)
Q: What if I ski all 17 peak days?
A: You will end up paying approximately $55.76 per ski day using your adult seasons pass.
Q: What if I ski 20 days during the peak and weekend periods?
I have good news! The 2009/2010 ski rankings have been released. Ski Magazine and its sister publication, Skiing Magazine, published readers’ perspectives on the best ski resorts in North America. I will not go over the Western ski resorts but, instead, will offer my humble opinion on the Eastern resorts’ rankings: they are very entertaining but fairly useless for the purpose of deciding where to go on the next ski vacation.
I do not have any intention of criticizing the readers whose opinions were used to calculate the ski rankings, nor do I want to dispute every result. However, almost any ski vacation comes with a package. I am not talking about a hotel-plus-car type of a deal; my definition of a ski package includes a ski resort, your skills, preferences, the resort’s services, and Mother Nature’s mood – these factors can dramatically skew our perspectives and influence opinions.
For example, an unseasonal thaw in the New England region – though there is nothing unusual about rains in mid-February – can spoil a ski vacation regardless of the resort’s terrain and annual snowfall. The famous Front Four at Stowe is a fantastic option to challenge yourself but when moguls are covered in thick and hard ice, it is doubtful many will appreciate the narrow and steep trails. Throw into the mix an instance of bad customer service and, all of sudden, we can read: “The worst experience ever. The next time I will choose…”
On the other hand, a foot of fresh powder makes an enormous difference. For most winter sports enthusiasts skiing in Vermont, waking up in the morning and seeing falling snow outside the window is priceless. Sometimes they spend weeks waiting for that day and, when Mother Nature dumps a foot of snow, it generally does not matter where you ski. Last season, I had great powder days at Magic Mountain, Bromley, and Stratton ski resorts in southern Vermont. I also caught snowstorms while skiing at Sugarbush, Jay Peak, and Wildcat, to name the few. At the end of day, my friends and I could care less that a resort’s cafeteria was closed, the coffee was cold, or a lift operator was unfriendly. What mattered most was the snow – it brought out positive feelings and pushed back the negatives. “We had a wonderful experience skiing at Mountain X! It is unquestionably a top-five ski resort in Vermont!” would be a typical review. (And of course it would unquestionably affect any ski rankings!)
And then, there is always a question about your skills, preferences, and athletic abilities. I have seen people progressing from a bunny slope to beginner trails in one day. I also know people who spent a couple of days struggling to master first turns. There is no hard rule about how to designate trails. What might be a double black diamond at one Vermont ski resort is designated an intermediate trail at another. In other words, you could spend days polishing ski slopes with your rear and have your miserable experience relayed in ski rankings. Or you could have a blast skiing trails that perfectly fit your style and skills, and rank a ski resort at the top of a list.
Of course, some ski resorts in Vermont are better than others. However, I think we should approach the rankings issue from a relative, and not absolute, perspective. For example, Jay Peak resort might be the best backcountry and glade experience in the East, but Smugglers’ Notch will be at the top of family programs. Stowe is a place where a convergence of luxury style, classic trails, and a picturesque ski village creates a well-rounded Vermont vacation experience. And Killington resort offers seven mountains, 145 trails, and the highest point in New England reached by an aerial lift. Which resort is better?
I think it is not the ski rankings that direct you toward the ultimate ski destination. It is a total package that includes your style, skills, needs, and — most importantly — fresh snow that makes a ski vacation truly memorable experience.
Have a snowy 2009/2010 ski season!
2010 Eastern ski resorts rankings by Ski Magazine. Overall Satisfaction.
Tremblant, Que
Smugglers’ Notch, VT
Sugarloaf, Maine
Cannon Mountain, N.H.
Jay Peak, VT
Sugarbush, VT
Wildcat, N.H.
Holiday Valley, N.Y.
Mt. Sunapee, N.H.
Whiteface, N.Y
P.s. If you would like to see all rankings, get a copy of Ski Magazine or visit their site. They have 18 categories ranking resorts based on terrain, apres-ski, snow terrain parks, lodging and such.
P.s.s. In the final rankings – Stowe was ranked third, Sugarbush was #13, Jay Peak was # 19.
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!
Smugglers’ Notch resort is among top ski destinations in Vermont. Voted number one for family programs by a Ski Magazine’s reader survey, this resort offers great terrain, including the only triple black diamond in the East, unbeatable views, great deals on lift tickets, and a variety of programs so that everyone can have plenty of fun. The only disadvantage is the long drive, if you leave in the tri-state area.
Smugglers Notch resort in Vermont
I visited Smugglers Notch resort during the 2008/2009 ski season, and I admit – it is a viable alternative to some high-priced ski resorts in Vermont. Of course, Smuggs is proud to offer one of the best family-oriented resorts in northern Vermont; however, there are still many options for adrenaline-craving adults. Three big mountains and 1000 acres of terrain provide plenty of opportunities to introduce beginners to the sport, keep intermediates busy, and challenge advanced skiers.
Morse Mountain is an ideal launching pad for newbies. Unlike some resorts that mix beginner trails with intermediate and even advanced terrains, Smugglers’ Notch ski resort maintains a whole mountain for beginners only. Morse offers plenty of wide and gentle trails for practicing your first turns. The only drawback is the long lift lines on the weekends. Once you or your kids are ready to graduate and take on steeper slopes, you can take Midway from Morse towards Madonna and Sterling Mountains. (If you snowboard, take a pair of ski poles – the trail is picturesque, but awfully flat!)
Since I am not a beginner, my original goal was to explore the advanced terrain at Smugglers’ Notch ski resort. After spending a day skiing on Madonna and Sterling Mountains, I can state with confidence – and various parts of my body support it – that the ski trails can make you sweat.
If you are not in a mood to test your health insurance, then stick around “E,” a ski lift that serves intermediate terrain off Madonna mountain. An intermediate skier and snowboarder will have an enormous amount of fun trying out diverse and not overly challenging terrain. Short lines at the E ski lift are another advantage; you will not squander time waiting to get on the lift.
Smugglers Notch family resort in Vermont
But you can only ski on the blue trails for so long; eventually, the laws of natural progression call for a bit more adrenaline. First, brace yourself because there might be extremely long lift lines serving the advanced trails. Second, don’t forget a helmet and a camera. You will want to photograph some of the best mountain views in the entire East, and you will need a helmet to prevent injuries associated with often icy slopes, moguls, and trees.
Lastly, the best part; you don’t have to break the bank to afford a winter vacation at Smugglers’ Notch resort. Besides multiple programs for kids, they have reasonable lift ticket prices, considering the huge range of terrain and the multiple options for all skill levels. For example, a one-day adult lift ticket costs $66 during a holiday season or $52 for a half day. That is a significant amount of money, but you would pay up to $90 at some other popular resorts. Alternatively, if you’re a beginner, you can buy the Morse-Mountain-only ticket for $44, thereby only paying for what you use.
At the end of the day, there are many restaurants at the resort—and, of course, a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop to replenish burnt calories. If you desire a greater range of cuisine, then hop in a car, start the engine, and visit nearby Montreal. Yes, it is that far from NY and that close to Canada.
2010 lift ticket prices at Smugglers Notch resort 
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