Resort Recommendation

I will be in the Hartford, CT area late in December and was wondering if anyone would give me a recommendation on ski resorts within 3-4 hours? I have kids that are 6, 9, and 11.

Thanks

ditch the kids and then head up to Okemo or Killington in VT.....depending on how fast u drive....2.5 - 4 hours

I think he mentioned the kids because he wants to have some skiing time with them.
The larger Vt resorts have lots of options for the kids in terms of lessons, activities, rental gear... You'll pay more there but they offer a lot too. Smaller areas don't have the ammenities but they don't carry the larger price tag either. Try goski.com and check out Ct, Ma and Vt areas and see what appeals to you in price and distance. You're going fairly early in the season so larger areas tend to have more open via snowmaking if we don't have a lot of snowfall by then.
Powder Ridge is very close to Hartford. It has no challenging terrain but if thats not an issue it might work for you.
Happy trails
enoch

the CT and MA resorts will likely not have much open, Mt. Snow is right over the VT border, try that....about 2.5 hours from Hartford right up Rt. 91

Anonymous said:

the CT and MA resorts will likely not have much open,

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CT, maybe not, but Massachusetts should have a lot of terrain by the end of December. Ski Butternut is very kid-friendly, but if you're looking for more challenging terrain, check out Jiminy Peak.

Vermont and New Hampshire offer tons of skiing.

Maybe provide a little more info on what type of skiing/terrain you prefer and we can better pin down some recommendations.

looks like this winter is going to suck so better plan on a trip next year.....

don't jump off the boat so soon, VTHIKER! the season is still young. and K had over 60 trails open just 2 weeks ago with reports of the best early season skiing ever.

remember, last year we had a warm up too. but it happened in the middle of december (12.16.01). i skied Kmart last year mid-december with less than 20 trails!!! and they had the most trails out of any place! so look at it like this: we're getting our mid-season thaw out of the way early.

all we need is the jet stream to dip down below new england and usher in that cold canadian air and BINGO! every ski area will be blowing and getting dumped on. i still believe this season will be slightly above average by the end.

back on topic! Dennis: in your time frame, i would recommend bromley, VT. Bromley is a GREAT mountain for the kids, has some excellent ski school, and has a great sunny exposure. although, their trail count will be pretty low in december. then again, every ski area will have a low percentage of trails open in December... so maybe wait till mid-january when almost everything is open.

I agree with VTHIKER, while it would seem a simple dip of the jet stream would be enough to turn the winter around, what is actually more correct is a phasing of the northern and souther streams of the jet allowing cold canadian air to merge with the moisture of the southern jet...unfortunately, it looks more like the two streams are trading off, rather than joining forces...even this weeks chilly spell(def not cold) is mild compared to what the forecasters thought it would be last week. The computer models have a significant cold bias and are not forecasting correctly the amount and depth of the cold air north of the border.....so, while you may want to compare this winter with what you saw last year, a more appropriate comparison is that to other El Nino years...and even that is not a good indicator....so, what does it all mean?? just wait and see...but it looks like a so so winter with what else, more ice than anything, pretty much taking NH out of the equation, making VT o.k, and sending us all to Candada for better conditions...oh well...back to topic, I suggest that you take the kids to one of the CT, MA resorts....its crowded enough in VT

VTHIKER said:

looks like this winter is going to suck so better plan on a trip next year.....

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Guys - look at the calendar. It's only November! We've already seen a few days of flurries and a pretty decent ice storm here in Northwest CT. There have been years that no frozen precipitation has fallen until January, so keep the faith.

Again, good advice here Dennis. Obviously northern New England will be your best bet for the most open terrain, but if December stays cold, Butternut, Jiminy, Catamount, Brodie, and other Western Mass resorts should have a decent amount of terrain to offer. Butternut can cover their slopes in three weeks of cold weather. Granted, the hill is small, but makes some of the best snow around and grooms their runs nicely. That would be my pick. Hope for solid cold snap leading up to Christmas. I ski there every Christmas Eve as it's close to home...

yes, stay down in MA and CT, especially with a 6 year old...no place for them up at the real ski resorts