Looking for advice, location for newbie wife & 4 yr. old

[Paul]

Howdy all,
The wife and I are looking to get away this weekend. we live in central CT and are either interested in a one day trip (IOW, < 2 hr drive) or an overnight if its further than 2 hrs from Central CT. The wife is really just starting this year and is starting to get comfortable on the blue trails at Mt. Southington. She hasn't started parallel turns yet, but snowplows pretty good. :lol: The 4 yr. old still needs lessons, as she hasn't quite gotten to the point where she can do the bunny slope from the "top." Of course, with her its more of a "I wanna make french fries, not pizza" thing. then she freaks when she gets going... :-?
So the bottom line is we need a mountain with good green - blue trails, and good instruction, especially for the little tykes. Preferrably one which encourages parents to "get lost" ( I noticed Mohawk has the 4 yr. olds and parents together, BAD idea)

Thanks in advance....

 

[Paul]

...and I forgot to mention, we were so far considering either the Beast, or Catamount. Just to give y'all a starting point... :wink:

 

[Greg]

My suggestion would be not to travel too far. At the current ability level of your wife and daughter, you're not going to see a benefit by going to a bigger mountain. If you're looking for something a bit bigger than what CT offers, check out Butternut. They have a completely separate learning area and once they feel comfotable heading to the main mountain, the pitch is relatively mellow. It's probably 75-90 minutes from Central CT. Up 91 and West on the Pike.

 

[Paul]

Thanks Greg, Nutterbut was also opined by one of my co-workers. I'll look into it. 8)

 

[Greg]

...so far considering either the Beast, or Catamount...

Beast is a good option. Easily accessible from Central CT and they have a nice wide cruiser under the quad on the West side of the hill.

 

[Vortex]

I love the X-mas story picture. We had a thread on those x-mas movies I believe earlier this winter. soap posioning. you used all the glue on purpose...those are my favorite lines.

 

[ChileMass]

Paul -

There are lots of options. It really depends on how committed you and your family intend to be with a new sport that initially can be seen as somewhat difficult and intimidating. It takes time, lessons, a sense of adventure, decent gear and barrells full of money to get good at skiing, so give it some time.....

If you want to go upscale and really try to impress the family with a first-class ski getaway, head to Mt. Snow or Okemo. They're closeby to central CT, have lots of great family/kid programs and all the amenities your credit card can handle. A good in-between trip might be to Ascutney, which is much mellower and very family-oriented. It has limited accomodations, but has a nice old-time New England ski vibe and plenty of lessons. Or, Greg's suggestion of a day trip or 2 might be the way to determine how your family will do without breaking the bank.

Let us know what you decide - !!

(And welcome aboard AZ.com.......)

 

[Greg]

soap posioning. you used all the glue on purpose...those are my favorite lines.

"Notta finga!"

 

[Vortex]

Searched it sorry wrong forum x-mass was k-zone.. Back to topic at hand. My knowlege is limited to NH and Me not much help un less you want to go further north and East. Welcome to forum.

 

[Brettski]

Personal experience.

It takes time...like years...

BUT the fastest way is Smuggler's Notch Ski camp for 5 days.

Did it for three years...all three kids are now skiing everywhere...

school starts from 9:30 to 2:30

Let me warn you..if they get hooked...the next hard thing will be trying to scope out deals evry day of the season...

Not to mention if your family...ummm..expands....

 

[RISkier]

I'm going to disagree with the Mt. Snow or Okemo recommendations, though I don't know if Mt. Snow has a separate area for beginners. We did a Sunday day trip to Okemo and found the greens and blues to be VERY crowded. I'm not familiar with the Ct or Berkshire areas but I'd look for a relatively small area with an isolated area for novices. The terrain is stressful enough for beginners, they really don't need to deal with worrying about more accomplished skiers flying past. Plus, the lifts are designed to be very user friendly in those areas, the lifties are generally good at helping those in need, etc.

 

[ChileMass]

I'm going to disagree with the Mt. Snow or Okemo recommendations, though I don't know if Mt. Snow has a separate area for beginners. We did a Sunday day trip to Okemo and found the greens and blues to be VERY crowded. I'm not familiar with the Ct or Berkshire areas but I'd look for a relatively small area with an isolated area for novices. The terrain is stressful enough for beginners, they really don't need to deal with worrying about more accomplished skiers flying past. Plus, the lifts are designed to be very user friendly in those areas, the lifties are generally good at helping those in need, etc.

Good overview - I agree. Mt. Snow and Okemo will have a lot more weekenders than some other places, but if you want the big eastern ski hill experience, they are the closest to Hartford/central CT.

So - think about Ascutney.......

 

[Paul]

Thanks everyone for the welcomes and advice. I think I may be leaning towards the Beast or Nutterbut. B-nut has the $45 for up to 3 pair of skis demo deal. The wife has a pair of Atomic C-3s, I have yet to purchase since I am an intermediate skiier, but I know a lot of my time will be spent with the fam on the slower runs. Of course, thats a different topic...

 

[2knees]

Thanks everyone for the welcomes and advice. I think I may be leaning towards the Beast or Nutterbut. B-nut has the $45 for up to 3 pair of skis demo deal. The wife has a pair of Atomic C-3s, I have yet to purchase since I am an intermediate skiier, but I know a lot of my time will be spent with the fam on the slower runs. Of course, thats a different topic...

My .02 Look into bromley. they are extremely family oriented, the mountain itself has an entire learning area and it's 2 hrs from my house in wethersfield, ct. The main face is made up entirely of blues and greens and if you want, the east face has some nice shots like havoc and stargazer. And everything leads to the same base area unlike Okemo and Mt. Snow. It also faces south so if the day is a bit chilly but sunny, your child may find it a bit easier as this weekend may be quite cold again.