billski
Active member
Berkshire East, MA Thursday February 24, 2005
What a delightful time. I took my 8-year old daughter for a private skiing lesson and some low-stress skiing.
A 2 hour drive from metro Boston from Rte 128 along Route 2. Rte 2 midweek /opposite commute was very enjoyable. It had just snowed several inches the day before. First visit ever, so here's a different view (but no less positive) from the allegiant bunch on this forum!
As others have said, it's a real retro area, but all the facilities and equipment is up to date. If you're fond of the way skiing "used to be", you'll really enjoy it there. It's a combo of Yankee frugality (in some respects) with a fairly modern infrastructure and a marked lack of publicity and marketing.
The first thing you notice on arriving is that it is right off Rte 3. It's set in a picturesque valley; you can see the village and the river which runs through the valley, along with the in-service freight railroad from the slopes. That was very reminscent of skiing in Europe. (But the village is not a tourist village - it's a "regular folks" village, so don't go looking for apres-ski. You then drive into a more-than-ample cleared field parking lot, which had about 40 cars when I arrived at 9AM. The walk to the lodge was the most level/no slope walk I can remember anywhere. With a tree-lined route, it felt like a walk in a public park. . The owner takes the task of parking the cars (apparently this is renown.)
The lodge accommodations are generous, rows of picnic tables, lots of mothers with kids and coolers. A little quirky was the notion that you paid for lesson, lifts and rentals at an outside ticket booth. But it didn't really matter, there was no real ticket line to worry about, and they were fast an efficient.
Another thing you'll notice right away if you are from a metro area is how down-home friendly everyone is. And it's not a pre-programmed, coached civility. It's quite sincere.
Check out the old photos in the cafeteria serving line. You'll see several black and white photos from the 50's showing the original clearing of trails and construction of lifts. Another retro touch is that they still use REAL (can I say old-fashioned) phones which actually use bells!
While there were only two chairs running, there was never any real line to worry about.
Marketing. Or shall I say lack thereof? This area is relatively unknown in the Metro Boston area from where I lurk.. Management has been extremely reticent about embarking on promotional campaigns (read: Yankee frugality?). They really pitch to the locals. While this is great for those who know, it really doesn’t take advantage the potential. I had a long discussion with some staffers and walked away with a handful of $10 off discount ticket for you and your guests good any day the remainder of this season. If you want one, mail me a SASE (self addressed stamped envelope) to me. PM me for my snail mail address.
All the equipment is up to date. Lift service was modern, food service was modern.
The conditions were wonderful. The mountain at 1000’ reminded me somewhat of a combination Pat’s Peak and Mad River. Enough steep stuff to keep you busy, but really a good green and blue trail system.
Prices – pricing can’t be beat. Even the private lessons are inexpensive. Food prices are quite reasonable. Another retro was at the café cash register they don’t sell Kleenex tissue packs, they sell REAL handkerchiefs!
Lessons – my 8-year old had a private (no need to call ahead) lesson and told me afterwards it was the most fun lesson she ever had anywhere. And it showed. What she told me about – the quality and quantity of information and coaching left a big impression for her. She was delighted and I was pleased. And it didn’t break the bank.
Trails were well covered, thanks in part to the recent snows. I did notice however, that things were selectively groomed. Not everything was corduroy, especially not the black diamonds. The pace of everything also seemed slower.
They seem to have an extensive school race program, which comes to life in the afternoon. The kids were very down to earth, friendly and courteous; a refreshing change.
This is not a destination resort, no slope-side lodging (or lodging anywhere) to be seen.
It is a delightful place, low-key, a great place to learn. I think it’s a great place to go when you’re just starting out – maybe after a couple of never-ever lessons, this would be a good place. If you’re on a budget, definitely. If you’re a family of predominantly greens and blue skiers, this is good.
While I can ski the front four at Cannon with abandon, I equally enjoyed this change of pace also. The acid test for me is: “would you go back again?” The answer is an unequivocal “yes!”
What a delightful time. I took my 8-year old daughter for a private skiing lesson and some low-stress skiing.
A 2 hour drive from metro Boston from Rte 128 along Route 2. Rte 2 midweek /opposite commute was very enjoyable. It had just snowed several inches the day before. First visit ever, so here's a different view (but no less positive) from the allegiant bunch on this forum!
As others have said, it's a real retro area, but all the facilities and equipment is up to date. If you're fond of the way skiing "used to be", you'll really enjoy it there. It's a combo of Yankee frugality (in some respects) with a fairly modern infrastructure and a marked lack of publicity and marketing.
The first thing you notice on arriving is that it is right off Rte 3. It's set in a picturesque valley; you can see the village and the river which runs through the valley, along with the in-service freight railroad from the slopes. That was very reminscent of skiing in Europe. (But the village is not a tourist village - it's a "regular folks" village, so don't go looking for apres-ski. You then drive into a more-than-ample cleared field parking lot, which had about 40 cars when I arrived at 9AM. The walk to the lodge was the most level/no slope walk I can remember anywhere. With a tree-lined route, it felt like a walk in a public park. . The owner takes the task of parking the cars (apparently this is renown.)
The lodge accommodations are generous, rows of picnic tables, lots of mothers with kids and coolers. A little quirky was the notion that you paid for lesson, lifts and rentals at an outside ticket booth. But it didn't really matter, there was no real ticket line to worry about, and they were fast an efficient.
Another thing you'll notice right away if you are from a metro area is how down-home friendly everyone is. And it's not a pre-programmed, coached civility. It's quite sincere.
Check out the old photos in the cafeteria serving line. You'll see several black and white photos from the 50's showing the original clearing of trails and construction of lifts. Another retro touch is that they still use REAL (can I say old-fashioned) phones which actually use bells!
While there were only two chairs running, there was never any real line to worry about.
Marketing. Or shall I say lack thereof? This area is relatively unknown in the Metro Boston area from where I lurk.. Management has been extremely reticent about embarking on promotional campaigns (read: Yankee frugality?). They really pitch to the locals. While this is great for those who know, it really doesn’t take advantage the potential. I had a long discussion with some staffers and walked away with a handful of $10 off discount ticket for you and your guests good any day the remainder of this season. If you want one, mail me a SASE (self addressed stamped envelope) to me. PM me for my snail mail address.
All the equipment is up to date. Lift service was modern, food service was modern.
The conditions were wonderful. The mountain at 1000’ reminded me somewhat of a combination Pat’s Peak and Mad River. Enough steep stuff to keep you busy, but really a good green and blue trail system.
Prices – pricing can’t be beat. Even the private lessons are inexpensive. Food prices are quite reasonable. Another retro was at the café cash register they don’t sell Kleenex tissue packs, they sell REAL handkerchiefs!
Lessons – my 8-year old had a private (no need to call ahead) lesson and told me afterwards it was the most fun lesson she ever had anywhere. And it showed. What she told me about – the quality and quantity of information and coaching left a big impression for her. She was delighted and I was pleased. And it didn’t break the bank.
Trails were well covered, thanks in part to the recent snows. I did notice however, that things were selectively groomed. Not everything was corduroy, especially not the black diamonds. The pace of everything also seemed slower.
They seem to have an extensive school race program, which comes to life in the afternoon. The kids were very down to earth, friendly and courteous; a refreshing change.
This is not a destination resort, no slope-side lodging (or lodging anywhere) to be seen.
It is a delightful place, low-key, a great place to learn. I think it’s a great place to go when you’re just starting out – maybe after a couple of never-ever lessons, this would be a good place. If you’re on a budget, definitely. If you’re a family of predominantly greens and blue skiers, this is good.
While I can ski the front four at Cannon with abandon, I equally enjoyed this change of pace also. The acid test for me is: “would you go back again?” The answer is an unequivocal “yes!”
