cheap lodging near Mt. Snow

[willywhit]

Dover, VT Ghetto

rossiskiier, sleeping in your car, van or camper wouldn't be slummin' , that would be ski bummin', a lost art.See ya at the waffle stand

 

[ski_resort_observer]

When I was ski bumming out west, over 30 years ago, our fav place to crash was under stairwells in the basement of hotels. We only got caught once in 2 years. For lift tickets we packed trails for a couple of hours.

For two weeks we stayed at the Independence Lodge in Aspen, rooms were 10 bucks a night, 50 bucks a week and you got the use of the common kitchen. Course the IL was torn down years ago. Ahhh, those were the days. 8)

 

[Marc]

I disagree. Dorms serve a rough noisy croud, they offer a bad image to a resort and inn keepers don't like maintaining them on their property. It's much harder to get a good night's sleep (something so essential to a good day's skiing) in them as well. The same goes for AMC lodges, although usually they aren't rowdy. Obviously you are in the demographic that they serve, though.

:lol:
ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!?! i got a good laugh out of this response. specifically me being the demographic the AMC lodges would serve. NOT. way too expensive for me and i would rather be camping than in a hut any ways. with AMC prices the way they are, AMC huts are more geared towards well to do city folk looking to get out a few times a year in the out doors (all due respect to those hard core outdoors people that do the huts). have you ever stayed in a hostel? the hostels i have stayed in were all extremely quiet with some of the nicest and respectable people you could ever meet. i am sorry to say your comments don't reflect reality but rather a small segment of the dorm style lodging you seem to have been exposed to (assuming you are speaking from experience about this?).

agreed about gorham being cheap. i have stayed in the hikers dice in gorham and based weekend trips to cannon from there. at $15 a night (it has since gone up), it was a no brainer.

I agree with Riv, I always meet curteous and intersting people whenever I stay at hostels in New England. Most of them have pretty cool stories too. Some can be it a bit on the granola side, but they're quiet, respectful, and always easy to get along with. Sharing a bathroom with other people doesn't bother me much if I find a good price.

And a bad image to a resort? Why, because they charge 1/4 or 1/8 per night what the resort does? Because they give the resort the image of being outrageously overpriced? If that's what you meant I'd agree. Otherwise... ask anyone around Killington what they think of the Turn of River Lodge. I'd be quite surprised if you were to hear one complaint.

I wish there was a place like the Turn of River or the Trojan Horse near every major ski resort.

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

something not adding up...you pay $800+ for skis, $400+ for boots, I am sure equal amounts for jackets, pants, goggles and accessories. $100-$150 for a good nights sleep is not expensive as I am sure most burn more than that on a Saturday night at a bar. (not thats there anything wrong with that, just dont now complain that you have no money)

 

[riverc0il]

something not adding up...you pay $800+ for skis, $400+ for boots, I am sure equal amounts for jackets, pants, goggles and accessories. $100-$150 for a good nights sleep is not expensive as I am sure most burn more than that on a Saturday night at a bar. (not thats there anything wrong with that, just dont now complain that you have no money)

what bar are you going to? :lol:

justifying high expenses of one item by saying if you purchase a few pieces of high end gear you shouldn't be worried about money is not a logical arguement. in a matter of fact, it is all the more reason to be worried about saving money. 10 nights at a hostel for $200 or 10 nights at your $150 hotel for $1500 i realize it is not for everyone, especially families and folks that are not hard core into skiing/riding and only doing a few weekend trips a year. but i think there is definitely a market for this type of thing, other wise the dozen or so great ski dorms that folks that enjoy skiing on the cheap consistantly rave about would not be around.

that said, i can see ski report observers point that these places likely are not high on the resort bookings list. most people going to these places don't make reservations any ways, some hostels don't even take reservations.

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

I am in NY, so that might explain the fact that $100-150 for a night out is cheap....I go skiing almost every weekend in the winter and thats what i spend. I guess it also depends on your financial status and what you deem "expensive"

 

[ski_resort_observer]

that said, i can see ski report observers point that these places likely are not high on the resort bookings list. most people going to these places don't make reservations any ways, some hostels don't even take reservations.

That name might work but I don't spend alot of time with ski reports. I like the system I grew up with. A resort listed their conditions as either, excellent, good, fair, poor. We never worried about all the little details that most are consumed with these days. :wink:

Anyway back to the shared bath thing. In the MRV Peppers Lodge and Lareau Farm Inn have rooms with shared bath and the rates are pretty reasonable. $50-80. Lareau Farm Inn gives you breakfast and leases part of their farm to American Flatbread Pizza which is attached to the Inn. So if you like great pizza, it's smelling distance away. There might be others, have to put on my memory cap for those.

Rather than finacial status I think it depends on the group. If your single or with a group of friends the shared bath inn or hostel/dorm can work great. If your married, especially with kids, then they do not work as well.

 

[Marc]

I am in NY, so that might explain the fact that $100-150 for a night out is cheap....I go skiing almost every weekend in the winter and thats what i spend. I guess it also depends on your financial status and what you deem "expensive"

When I use the concepts of expensive and cheap, the have nothing to do with my financial status, only what I feel what my money is worth.


If you think you get a good deal, that is, you paying 120 for one night in a sterile room with stiff sheets and a remote bolted to the night stand means your much better off in the morning than having had the 120 in your pocket, so be it. I don't feel that way. For me and the value of my money, it is a poor deal. Expensive, or overexpensive, or overpriced, I say.

To me, sharing a room, bathroom, kitchen, and common area with other people with similar interests who are in general, curteous and interesting, in exchange for 20 is a good deal. Or cheap. Or inexpensive. I come out of the deal with much more than I could have with the 20 dollars otherwise.


I work with several depression era born engineers that are on the verge of retirement, have hundreds of thousands squirreled away in IRA's, stocks, mutual funds, CD's, etc. and they still worry about the price of a newspaper because they still care about value.

 

[skiguy]

If you think you get a good deal, that is, you paying 120 for one night in a sterile room with stiff sheets and a remote bolted to the night stand means your much better off in the morning than having had the 120 in your pocket, so be it. I don't feel that way. For me and the value of my money, it is a poor deal. Expensive, or overexpensive, or overpriced, I say.

To me, sharing a room, bathroom, kitchen, and common area with other people with similar interests who are in general, curteous and interesting, in exchange for 20 is a good deal. Or cheap. Or inexpensive. I come out of the deal with much more than I could have with the 20 dollars otherwise.

I'm with the guy who pays over a C-note for his room. The idea of sharing a comfortable, clean room with plumbing that works i.e. the shower drains and the showerhead doesn't leak with an attractive lady appeals to me. If you see that as sterile, fine. The idea of sharing a shabby room and shower with a bunch of beer guzzling, back-slapping guys that look like Marc's avitar doesn't. If you think that is a good time, fine. Nor does it appeal to me to have a bunk in a lodge with a pack of single, rambunctious party-prone males under thirty. Futhermore, I am not alone in not wanting to have a bunkhouse like that anywhere near my lodging at a ski area. When I skied Utah back when I was in my thirties and was driving my own car, I would stay in one of the number of cheap tawdry motels there ($100-$125 per week). Unfortunately they reaked of stale tobacco smoke and were falling apart at the seems. However, back then I tolerated it especially since I was skiing every day in deep powder. The California wine is cheap in Utah, and it is easy to forget where you are when you drink it. I wonder if any of those motels still exist.

 

[riverc0il]

The idea of sharing a shabby room and shower with a bunch of beer guzzling, back-slapping guys that look like Marc's avitar doesn't

as i said before, your comments indicate that you obviously have not been to hostels or ski dorms, at least not the one's i have been to in new england. hey, no one is s***ing on your choice of lodging, just saying it is expensive and not their cup of tea. marc's comments are on point that you don't get what you pay for. when you get a hotel in ski country on a weekend, you are paying for demand and location, not what you are actually getting.

what's the point of insulting people that prefer a cheaper option with a shared community. like i said before, it isn't for everyone. especially people with families or couples or what not (but i have seen a lot of couples do the hostel/dorm thing). most hostels in new england are really clean and quiet and you will be asked to leave if you get our of hand since the hosts usually live in the same building and want a quiet evening both for themselves and their guests. grampa grunts at jay peak is the only exception i can think of.

 

[tirolerpeter]

Lodging $$$?

Why are people debating lodging choices? There is no doubt that I prefer a "ski-in/ski-out" slopeside condo with all the comforts of home. I have done those at Vail, Copper Mt. and Mt. Tremblant. But, those times were meant as "vacations with skiing" with kids and/or spouse. Most times I just go to a mountain or mountain area just to ski! Those times I just want a clean room with a hot shower and TV that is not too far from the resort. I have even "bunked" at ski houses with friends. I have had great luck finding "deals" in every lodging catagory. A Marriot Residence Inn suite 50' from the base of the Heavenly gondola in South Lake Tahoe for $79/night was a steal. A $160/night room (mid-week, non-holiday) for one at the "Inn Of The Six Mountains" on the Killington Access Road was robbery! I had pulled into town after midnight and everything reasonable was either closed or full because people had decided to stay over due to weather. If it is available, a "Super8" type room is fine for a "one nighter." For a couple of nights a "Best Western" with pool,hot tub, internet access, and full breakfast, floats my boat. In fact, in about a week, three friends and I are pay $89/day each person for two rooms at a Best Western in Salt Lake that includes a refrigerator, microwave, indoor pool, hot tub, free internet, FULL breakfast (hot buffet) AND a lift ticket to Alta, Solitude, Brighton, or Solitude (with free transportation to the mountain) for each person each day. That's a winner! Everybody has different needs, wants, and most importantly, financial means. Do your best, and enjoy the skiing.