Skiing with Nightlife

[squiggyacfd]

I am 27 years old and will be taking a ski trip with my girlfriend. I have been searching for a ski resort in New England that not only has great skiing but also has nightlife. When I say "nightlife" I am talking about restaurants/bars that are in walking distance from the resort. Ideally, I would like to lodge at the base of the mountain, walk to the chair lift, then be able to walk down to the "town center" or "main street" for food and drinks. I checked Killington and was very surprised to see that there really isn't a town center or main street......I could be wrong though. Is there anything in New England that closely resembles Breckenridge?????? I don't want to travel out west this year and would like to stay on the East Coast.
Thanks in advance for the help....

 

[MR. evil]

Its been years since I stayed at Killington, but there used to be a shuttle van that stopped
at all the hotels and went up and down the access road stopping at the resturants and bars.

 

[BigK]

Killington for sure. 5 Mile long access road (mainn street) with tons of restaurants and bars. There also is three nightclubs: Pickle Barrel, Wobbly Barn and Tabu/Outback with bands regularly. All the clubs have free shuttles to and from. You won't be disappointed by the mountain either....

 

[MR. evil]

The Wobbly Barn used to be the spot, not sure anymore. Lots of good times at the WB back in 90's

 

[squiggyacfd]

I will def look into this and see if things are the way they use to be...thanks for the info

 

[mondeo]

Killington's access road is good, but definitely not walking friendly. If you're ok with shuttles or short drives, then it's a good choice.

 

[automagp68]

Agreed

out of all the mountains killinton is the place to go for the most abundant nightlife

The shuttles arnt bad and the nightlife is great
Skiing as to be expected considering the size of the mountain. I prefer pico tho. Smaller and much qiuter which is 3 min down the road. Real easy to do both and your pass is good at both

 

[bigbog]

..Never been to Breckenridge...here's a few:

1) Sugarloaf(limited number but all inclusive)
2) Loon(with short drive(~3-4mi) over to Woodstock "Inn"?(have forgotten),worth the drive!)
2b) Presidentials or Cranmore(with drive down to N.Conway)
3) Killington(for autos but #1 for variety)
4) Stratton(all inclusive village)


...not that particularly long a list eh'?..LOL

$.01

 

[crank]

The only place that comes at all close to a Breck or Vail type village is Mont Tremblant. Lake Placid is a good option but you have a 10 minute drive for skiing. Sugarloaf may be an option.

 

[jaywbigred]

Nothing incredibly akin to Breck, but I'm 29 and have been going through this the last few years.

Here are my suggestions:
1) Stratton - as much as I dislike the place, for the set-up you are looking for, it is probably the best. The main base has a lot of lodging options that are all walkable to the lifts. The village is right there too. Its a little Disney-esque, but there are at least 4 bars to go to in the Village itself: Mulligan's, Grizzly's, Mulberry Street and Domaine. Plus Mulligans is really two bars, bc there is a pub downstairs. There are a couple of restaurants in addition, incl. Verde which is the nice one.

2) Sugarbush (Lincoln Peak) - My gf and I have really enjoyed the atmosphere at the Bush in the spring. At the base there are places to stay in the hotel-type lodge (there may even be a bar in there somewhere, not sure)(Clay Brook), as well as a handful of SiSo condos with a shortish (but hilly) walk to the base. There is a restaurant and bar that was nicely designed on skier's right, with outdoor seating (Timber's), and then downstairs in the main lodge (Gate House) there is a big bar with lots of seating that spills outside when its nice too (Castle Rock Pub). When its warm out (and maybe only on weekends?) they set up a couple taps and some BBQ on the patio on the skier's side of the Gate House too. Castlerock has music often. Its not Breckenridge, but we have had fun.

3) The other thing I would strongly consider/suggest is giving up the "walk to the slopes" part of the package, stay in town in Lake Placid, and drive the 15 mins to Whiteface in the morning. There are a lot of bars and restaurants to choose from, and the atmosphere is very jovial in winter.

People have already given you the low-down on Killington. The couple times I've been there I did not have good luck with the shuttles (timing, space) and found it necessary to drive. But I know others have had better experiences and the nightlife is legendary.

 

[Geoff]

Killington's access road is good, but definitely not walking friendly. If you're ok with shuttles or short drives, then it's a good choice.

The Vermont State Police are on the Access Road bagging the easy pickings DUI bookings like flys on shit. The bigger bars offer free van rides. The Bus runs up and down the road. There are quite a few taxi services in town. A DUI is a felony and your odds of getting bagged at Killington are higher than pretty much anywhere else in the country. Leave your car in the hotel/condo parking lot and use the alternative transportation.

 

[noski]

Nothing incredibly akin to Breck, but I'm 29 and have been going through this the last few years.

Here are my suggestions:
2) Sugarbush (Lincoln Peak) - My gf and I have really enjoyed the atmosphere at the Bush in the spring. At the base there are places to stay in the hotel-type lodge (there may even be a bar in there somewhere, not sure)(Clay Brook), as well as a handful of SiSo condos with a shortish (but hilly) walk to the base. There is a restaurant and bar that was nicely designed on skier's right, with outdoor seating (Timber's), and then downstairs in the main lodge (Gate House) there is a big bar with lots of seating that spills outside when its nice too (Castle Rock Pub). When its warm out (and maybe only on weekends?) they set up a couple taps and some BBQ on the patio on the skier's side of the Gate House too. Castlerock has music often. Its not Breckenridge, but we have had fun.

I am not going to weigh in on this, except to add that on Saturday nights during ski season there is a free shuttle until 2am that will go to all the area night spots and restaurants.

 

[severine]

..Never been to Breckenridge...here's a few:

There's basically a downtown at the base of the mountain. Cute atmosphere.

2) Loon(with short drive(~3-4mi) over to Woodstock "Inn"?(have forgotten),worth the drive!)

Woodstock Station/Brewery is pretty cool. A little closer to Loon is The Common Man with an uncommon menu. There are also a few spots in the "downtown" between Loon and Woodstock Station. Bonus is that Cannon is not far away for skiing as well.

 

[bigbog]

Yes severine, that's its name!... Have skied a few pow days in Vermont where I can't imagine the snow being any better...altitude, altitude, altitude. Yes..I remember seeing a few on the main drag....am always either heading somewhere to ski or to look for ski clothes....

 

[thorski]

Mount Snow, Killington.

 

[bobbutts]

Since you bolded 'walking' I'm going to +1 Stratton
I cursed the forced walk through the village as a day skier and never went to any of the restaurants or bars or hotels/condos, so I can't say if they're any good, but I can say they are within walking distance to the slopes.. much closer than the day lot even. Most places in NE are a short drive from any walkable nightlife and accommodations so Stratton has to be on your short list if walking is key.
As far as skiing goes Stratton lacks steeps and natural snowfall compared to places to it's north. They do have a huge of cruising terrain and 6 pack chairs everywhere and they're considered among the best around for parks.

 

[jsul]

The Woodstock at Loon is a great place and Truants across the street has a late night crowd w/ pool tables etc... Alpine Lakes Hotel is a walk to the pubs and 2 miles to the mountain with shuttle bus access. Loon is 2 hours from the Boston area which is why I go relative to the 3 and 1/2 hr ride from boston.

 

[boston_e]

If walking distance is indeed required then your best two options are Sugarloaf and Stratton. Stratton probablly has more options as far as shopping etc (I've spent very little time in the Stratton village, but I know it is there), but Sugarloaf has much better skiing, and while the options for dining etc are probablly more limited, what they do have there is pretty good.

If it were me I'd go Sugarloaf.

 

[deadheadskier]

Not sure what they offer slope side for entertainment at Stowe these days, but the town itself has has several pockets of bars/entertainment all within walking distance of decent lodging. $1 trolley to the mountain that stops pretty much everywhere in town.

I've always felt the night life in Stowe to be easily as good as that at Killington. And the Mountain Road in Stowe along with main street actually is an attractive place to hang out. The access road at Killington is Jersey on a mountain side.

 

[ccskier]

..Never been to Breckenridge...here's a few:

2) Loon(with short drive(~3-4mi) over to Woodstock "Inn"?(have forgotten),worth the drive!)

...not that particularly long a list eh'?..LOL

$.01

Lincoln, like Killington is another town you don't want to drink and drive in. Stowe is not too far behind these days.