Where to go?

[vp4]

Hi all, we are new to skiing and looking to take our 8-year old on his very first skiing & snowmobiling trip. We live in NJ. So, for now, wish to limit ourselves to the Northeast. While I have been to the Poconos a long time ago, I haven't been skiing for over a decade. But I would like to introduce my son to new activites.

I am seeking recommendations on which resort to go to. We are hoping to go during the last week of December for 3 nights. We hope to take lessons. We also hope to go on a snowmobiling tour with a guide.

I have looked at the websites for Stowe, killington, etc. Ideally we would like to take Amtrak up north and rent a car if needed. Any suggestions on which of the many ski resorts are good for beginners? Mind you, we have nothing in terms of clothing and equipment. We have to rent them all. Beginner-friendly is a must. We would like to stay as close to the resort as possible.

Please help us out. Thanks.

 

[Mark D]

as much as you problky dont like the ponco's but bear creek has some of hte best instrudcters around. www.skibearcreek.com

 

[Lostone]

First... Welcome to the Zone.

Second... For someone beginning, I generally recomend a local place with the cheapest tickets. After all, his first weekend, what is he going to see? Usually just the beginner slopes.

Of course, if you are making it a ski trip too, then it makes it worthwhile to expand your base a little. And there is a lot to be said for showing him a resort area.

"Hey, the people here like winter! And they're friendly!"

Would I suggest Sugarbush? Well, look at where it says I'm from. I liked it enough that I moved here... and there are a lot of others that did the same. :beer:

If not this time, put us on your list for later. :wink:

 

[riverc0il]

local places are really good for learning. especially if you don't have good clothing which you mentioned. nothing worse than bringing the fam up to a big mountain on a -10F degree day, freezing your butts off, having a terrible time, and feeling like you wasted a lot of money and time on a big trip that just didn't pay off.

someone from western MA or the 'Skills recommend these guys a nice beginner friendly mountain that has other stuff to do nearby. catamount or jiminy perhaps? i haven't been out that way, but i think a cheaper mid-sized family friendly mountain with other options nearby is a much better option for a family of novice/first time skiers than buying into the big ski resort hype. personally, i don't think i'd still be skiing today if my first family trip was to a place like killington or what not. i started at a 150 vert foot hill and got my first big lessons on 1000ish gunstock. bigger isn't better when it comes to families looking to pick up the sport, especially when you don't have good cold weather gear. stay local, get an equipment/lesson package that gets you on to the slopes at least once a week, and get the skis under everyone. then plan a big trip once everyone has some turns under their belts and decent winter clothing.

i can't stress making sure everyone has nice warm and comfortable skiing clothes enough. nothing will turn people off from the sport faster than being cold. it's the second most frequent thing i hear from one time only skiers right behind 'it hurt falling down' when they didn't even take lessons to learn how to stop or turn.

 

[tirolerpeter]

Trip?

Jiminy would be a nice place for "newbies." It is an easy shot driving wise from NJ. And, it has some nice lodging/learning packages. I don't, however, know about snowmobiling there. Call them.

 

[bigbog]

........

vp4,
I think my $.01 advice that you can follow somewhat, is to follow the good snow!... :lol: ....(talk about duckin' a question..). I've experienced excellent teachers at both large and small resorts, however without a doubt...the large resorts in Vermont will have the top notch people out in force during the Holiday vacation timeframe.

 

[madskier6]

Having taught my 4 children to ski, I have to completely agree with what riverc0il said. No need to go to a big mountain.

I taught most of my children at Ski Butternut in Great Barrington, MA (www.skibutternut.com). They have a great beginner area and a good ski school. They're real good at teaching kids to ski. The best attribute of Butternut, however, is that it is very affordable!! My family had some great times at Butternut and we saved a lot of money compared with other areas.

I'm not sure about snowmobiling in that area. There may be some, I just have never looked into it. Also, Butternut does not have any slopeside lodging if that's what you're interested in. There is a newer Holiday Inn Express, however, right in Great Barrington only a couple of miles from the mountain. They have an indoor pool, which your son presumably will like.

If you want to go a little more upscale, there's the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, Mass., which is like 10-15 miles from Butternut. You'll pay more but you'll get an old world inn.

On a separate note, I'm not sure about renting ski clothes. Maybe it's possible but I haven't seen a lot of it. I would recommend going to a discount store like T.J. Maxx (or something similar) and see if you can pick-up something cheap. It will be a good investment if you're going to stick with skiing. As riverc0il says, there's nothing worse than being cold and wet on the mountain when you're learning to ski. :-?

Jiminy is a great choice too but you're going to pay more there compared to Butternut. If you're going to Western Mass, I would drive from NJ, not take the train and rent a car. You'll have more flexibility and less hassle with your own car and it'll cost a lot less. Enjoy!

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

Bromley would be a good choice, for overall beginner/Kid friendly. Award winning ski school, southern exposure, not too long a trip. Don't know about sno-mo rentals.

 

[mattchuck2]

See, this is the exact reason that Gore is restarting the "Ski Train" that goes from New York City to North Creek. It's not up and running yet, so I agree with the last couple of posts. I learned to ski at Maple Ski Ridge in Schenectady, so there is no need to feel you have to go to a huge mountain. Butternut and Bromley are good kid friendly areas, and I'll also throw in Windham . . I remember having a good time there in my younger days.

- Matt

 

[RISkier]

I definately agree that a large area is not required and may be a detriment. To some extent, recommendations depend on what else you want to have available in the area. Assuming money is not a determining factor and assuming you're doing this as much as a family vacation as just a ski trip, I'd suggest taking a look at Bretton Woods in NH. BW has a completely separate beginner area and the ski school has a good reputation. And there are long mellow novice trails off almmost every lift so by the second or third day you can feel like you're really skiing the mountain instead of just staying in the beginner area. Though I've not stayed there, the Mt. Washington Hotel is very pretty and is almost like a ship with shops and arcades -- really set up for familys. But it's VERY pricey. I think there's a Bretton Arms hotel as well, don't know anything about it specifically. You would probably be able to snowboard up in that area but I don't know that for a fact.

There's very little (almost none as yet) slopeside or near slope lodging at Stowe. The main village is 8 miles or so from the mountain, there are hotels, restaurants, shops, bars, etc., along 108 between Stowe Village and the mountain. My wife and I think Stowe village is very charming. But again, it can be expensive. Stowe has a good learning area and a good ski school but I'd say terrain for nervous novices is pretty limited. With the exception of Toll Road, pretty much all the trails on Mt. Mansfield are solid intermediate and above terrain. I don't think Killington would be a great place for begginers. A place that's not been mentioned is Okemo, I don't think it would be a good place to get started either. I've always heard good things about Bromley as a beginner area, I've always heard the same about Butternut -- don't know how much there is to do off the slope at either of those places. Another relatively low cost alternative that I think is very good for beginners is Pat's Peak in Southern NH. Pats has a separate beginner area, then a chair lift that serves two very easy green trails, and once comfortable on those there's a nice green from the summit. I've always found Pats to be a very friendly and well run operation. Again, don't know that there's much to keep you entertained off the slope near Pats.

One other thing to keep in mind. The week between Christmas and New Years tends to be very busy. I'm not sure you could find reasonable lodging in a place like Stowe, and I wouldn't be surprised if the hotels at Bretton Woods are booked.

 

[WWF-VT]

A southern Vermont resort that promotes itself as family oriented is Ascutney in Brownsville, VT. Looks like all the lodging is slopeside in a self contained village and there are packages for lodging, lessons and other activities

 

[vp4]

Thanks for all the replies. I will look into all of the ideas. I do hope Snowmobiling is available wherever we end up going to, as we would really like to try it. Money is not an issue. Wanted to stay close to the resport only to cut down travel time to and from resort. I might just get some ski clothes from LL Bean or something.

 

[bigbog]

....

Most all of the smaller mountains these days do have great instruction and beginner terrain. Maybe you won't find the ski-in/out access...however more times than not...the drive to/from will seem pretty insignificant compared with the time spent waiting after each run in a large resort's lift lines after 10am!...which, believe me can reach ~20min during the holidays :roll:
RivercOil's hitting on the topic of good layering of clothing for a fun time outdoors is a good point!

 

[vp4]

I looked around a bit and Windham caught my eye a bit since it is a bit closer to us and they offer snow tubing which looks like fun and something my son would definitely enjoy.