Looking to go on a family trip!

[snowboarder05]

5 adults, 1 child.
3 snowboarders, 3 skiers
snowboarder- 1 expert, 1 int., 1 beg.
skiers- 1 expert, 2 beg.

Looking for a great place. Any good deals.

1. level of skier you are - expert.
2. level of skiing you want- lots of snow, some glades. Good cruisers. No big crowds.
3. Tolerance for spending money - moderate.
4. daytrip or stayover- Stayover 3 nights.
5. tolerance for travel - Anywhere in the NorthEast.
6. Feb. 25th to Feb. 28th Its midweek, so its cheaper and less crowded.


Some help please!

 

[bobbutts]

My short list for you
N. VT - Bush, Stowe, Smuggs
ME - Loaf

 

[loafer89]

Saddleback, Maine could be aded to that list.

 

[catskills]

Where do you live ?

 

[snowboarder05]

poconos.

 

[riverc0il]

BURKE! Nuff said.

 

[Geoff]

Midweek, nobody is crowded. There are plenty of midweek lodging deals. You can go wherever you want. What really matters is shaving some dollars on the walk-up lift ticket prices and negotiating a good price for your lodging.

I realize there is no love for the place here but... If you buy a club card by December 17th, you can do Killington for $50/day. You can join an inexpensive ski club like ACE to come up with the membership card.
http://www.killington.com/winter/plan/cards_and_specials/clubcard/index.html
http://www.aceskiandboardclub.org/

You have 250" of natural snow. Tons of tree skiing. Lodging options that vary from dirt-cheap 10 miles down the hill to uber-expensive on the mountain. A beginner (on skis) has access to the whole mountain with 3000 vertical foot novice trails. A snowboarder will be less happy with all the flats on the long novice trails.

Depending on where you're coming from, Tremblant may be similar drive time to Sugarloaf. For family skiing, that full service Intrawest village is worth considering. There's really nothing like it in the eastern US. The Canadian dollar crashed so prices are now more affordable. By the end of February, it won't be as dark and cold.

 

[Starter Jackets Rule!]

lets not leave out Bolton valley If you want to move about the region and not have to fall pray if skiing just one area Then BV is tops on the list.
Heck You have Stowe, Smuggs and Burke and Jay to the north.
And just south you have MRG both Sugar Bush hills and Burlington all just a stones throw away.
Trust me your kids will dig skiing other mtns!
Getting back to BV the mtn still have that "Down Home" feel to it and is run like they honestly want you to have a fun time there.
VS the fake plastic "I am getting payed to smile" that can be found at other nameless(K) ski areas.
No matter what you do have fun and enjoy the time together!
(or you can slip away from the wife and kids and head into Burlington and get hammered while picking up randy skank ski ho coeds).
Yeah, that's what I would do!
After all you deserve it , Right?

 

[snowboarder05]

I'm leaning towards smuggs right now. It's $2700 for 3 nights and 3 days skiing. In a two bedroom condo.

 

[billski]

I'm leaning towards smuggs right now. It's $2700 for 3 nights and 3 days skiing. In a two bedroom condo.

What is it about smuggs that atrracts you? Since pretty much every great place in NE has been listed, let's narrow this down. Will the group ski/board all day? Apres-ski? what level of dining? What do you want for accommodations? Slope side?

 

[Stache]

Legal Disclaimer: I am a weekend ski instructor at Jiminy Peak Resort.

It might not be enough area for four days skiing but... they do have some very attractive mid week deals for ski and stay with the third day free and stuff. Serious tree skiing is a bit hard to find but their "Hot Wheels Glade" is a blast for kids and much more open than Squeeze Play at Killington. At least worth a look and a whole lot closer www.jiminypeak.com

 

[snowboarder05]

Yes, pretty much snowboard and ski all day. Dinning will be in the condo, with the kitchen. accommodations either slopeside or mountainview. Somewhere on the mountain. Apres- ski Yes!

 

[JD]

If you're buying multi day tickets, Stowe is not that far out of reach. It's a good Mtn for multiple ability groups. At spruce there is sterling for novices, and intermediates and experts can hit whirl-a-way for part of the run, as well as some trees lower down. Also, mainstreet has steeps, but also very easy ways to bypass the steeps, and the Sunny Side lift even has a coupla options with good pitch in a couple spots, and Smuggler's trail ends at the sunny side lift which is convinient for regrouping. Off the quad, toll road hooks up with sunrise, centerline hooks back up with northslope, as the beginners work their way down skiers right side trails, others can hit stuff off to the left and get back over to lower northslope. On the Gondi it's not quite as easy to feel like you're riding together, but there are runs for all but the greenest of beginners. And at the end of the day, you can hit the Bruce and your family can pick you up at the Horn on their way down the Mtn. road. Slopeside would be pricey, btu there are less expensive joints w/i 5 miles of the Mtn that put you down near town which is where the apre is anyway. And there are shuttles from the Mtn to town and from town to the Mtn. all day long...Midweek at Stowe is a different experience then on w/e......GL.

 

[KingM]

I'm leaning towards smuggs right now. It's $2700 for 3 nights and 3 days skiing. In a two bedroom condo.

Are you sure you can't do better? That sounds expensive to me. As an example, our two bed, two bath space with full kitchen, plus three day lift tickets at Sugarbush for five adults and one child midweek would total $1,460.16.

Slopeside would be pricey, btu there are less expensive joints w/i 5 miles of the Mtn that put you down near town which is where the apre is anyway. And there are shuttles from the Mtn to town and from town to the Mtn. all day long

Exactly. I'm not sure slopeside is worth an extra $350/day.

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

we just book Smuggs for this Jan (this is our 4th year going back)
2 adults (my wife and I) both expert skiiers
2 kids (3 and 6)

Going up Saturday-Wed (would go Fri night as we always do, but we have a wedding)

They know how to do it...great terrain (best kept secert in NE) steeps, trees, goomers, no crowds, laid back old school (no high speed lifts) but thats what we like...covered indoor pool/hot tubs, fun zone for kids, snowshoeing, great ski school programs..my kids talk about smuggs all year round...great bang for your buck, since we are going back, we got last years rates, which was the rate from the previous year!! alot of great resorts out there, Smuggs just works for us..laid back, sick terrain availble!!

 

[JD]

we just book Smuggs for this Jan (this is our 4th year going back)
2 adults (my wife and I) both expert skiiers
2 kids (3 and 6)

Going up Saturday-Wed (would go Fri night as we always do, but we have a wedding)

They know how to do it...great terrain (best kept secert in NE) steeps, trees, goomers, no crowds, laid back old school (no high speed lifts) but thats what we like...covered indoor pool/hot tubs, fun zone for kids, snowshoeing, great ski school programs..my kids talk about smuggs all year round...great bang for your buck, since we are going back, we got last years rates, which was the rate from the previous year!! alot of great resorts out there, Smuggs just works for us..laid back, sick terrain availble!!

Very true about terrain.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

If you looking for a resort that has tons of family/kids non-skiing activities, Smuggs has no peers in the NE IMHO.

 

[billski]

If you looking for a resort that has tons of family/kids non-skiing activities, Smuggs has no peers in the NE IMHO.

Is that true for teens too or just the younger ones?

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

they have a whole Teen Center which i heard was great ... they have activites for every age group all day and night....there isnt much in the way of apres for the adults, but after a full day skiing, some wine and diner back at the condo i'm done by 9 anyway....there is nigth skiing/riding on the beginner hill with tubing..night snowmobile rides/snowshoe hikes....ice rink w/ lights (natural ice)

 

[ski_resort_observer]

Is that true for teens too or just the younger ones?

http://www.smuggs.com/