Yet another "where to go?" thread

[gmcunni]

Hi Everyone.. a lurker here popping out of my hole for a quick question.

Looking for opinions related to family skiing destinations.

The group:
2 families
3 girls (8, 9, 9) who skied 2 or 3 times last year for their first season.
2 wives, not skiing. (content hanging out at the house/condo we rent but it would be nice if they had someplace to go during ski time)
1 boy, 13 intermediate, handles VT blues with no problem. Enjoys side trips in the woods and catching air on the sides of trails.
2 husbands, more advanced skiers

Looking for a place where girls can get a good lesson and then ski with the boys afterwards. But at the same time, looking for a place where the boys will have fun while girls are in their lesson.

We’re planning on driving up from lower CT for 3 day weekend in January (not MLK weekend), leaving after work on a Thursday. Destinations we are considering are Bromley, Pico or Smuggs. Driving time to the mountains is: Bromley = 3 hours, Pico 4, Smuggs 5.

We went as a group last year to Pico. Due to -20 temps we only skied one day and the girls had a ball in Pico ski school. The boys had fun too, 4-6 inches of new snow that day made it enjoyable for everyone. I’ve never skied Bromley or Smuggs but hear they are considered great family destinations.

Rough plan is girls in ski school either half or full day Friday, we all ski together on Saturday, not likely to ski Sunday.

So, given all that where would you go?
Thanks,
Gary

 

[tjf67]

Check out Whiteface.
They have a high speed quad that is entirely intermediate terrain and lower.
Gondola for the intermediates and up
The summit quad will be open by then. There is a pretty easy trail down that you can not see on the ride up. Holy smoke views. You will know why the olympics were here
The ladies will love hanging out in LP
You and your buddy will get whatever it is you are looking for. We have a crazy start to the year and when we get snow there is no better hill.

 

[billski]

you choose!

I have 3 girls, we started all at age 4, now the oldest is 18, so I've watched the entire continuum of learning. Here's my $0.02. I'm not going to give you a specific recommendation, just some observations and pros/cons. As I read your requirements, I keep thinking of Bretton Woods. While I haven't been to Okemo in a long time, I believe the experience nowadays would be quite similar.

You would all ski well at Bromley, but I don't believe there is a lot of apres-ski. I don't mean bars, I mean shopping, other events or restaurant choices nearby. Having said that, Bretton Woods doesn't have a lot of apres-ski either. If dining out isn't in the cards and eating in the condo is OK with you, it expands your options. Okemo has plenty of apres-ski.

Pico is very laid back, very retro, but you are only a few miles down the road from the Killington apres-ski scene. I keep bringing up apres-ski because you've got landlubbers in your group. Then again, if they are content with hanging around in the lodge and meeting you every few hours, so be it.

Smuggs always struck me as a place to let your kids go. The people who really seem to like this strategy rave about it. Certainly they have the most going on, but it's pretty much a destination resort (not a lot else around), you're hooked into their programs.

If money is no object and you want to call your own apres-ski shots, Stowe is excellent. Lots of shopping, restaurants. Spruce peak is great for greens and intermediates and the big boys can go onto mansfield and meet back up fairly readily. Whiteface is similar setup (assuming conditions are good, which they can be variable).

Regarding lessons, most lessons are pretty much the same where ever you go, pretty good quality. I don't think you should use lesson quality as a selection criteria unless you have been referred to an absolutely outstanding instructor.

My three cents regarding lift lines, shortest to longest would be: pico, smuggs, bromley.
You choose!
Bill

Hi Everyone.. a lurker here popping out of my hole for a quick question.

Looking for opinions related to family skiing destinations.

The group:
2 families
3 girls (8, 9, 9) who skied 2 or 3 times last year for their first season.
2 wives, not skiing. (content hanging out at the house/condo we rent but it would be nice if they had someplace to go during ski time)
1 boy, 13 intermediate, handles VT blues with no problem. Enjoys side trips in the woods and catching air on the sides of trails.
2 husbands, one advanced, one intermediate

Looking for a place where girls can get a good lesson and then ski with the boys afterwards. But at the same time, looking for a place where the boys will have fun while girls are in their lesson.

We’re planning on driving up from lower CT for 3 day weekend in January (not MLK weekend), leaving after work on a Thursday. Destinations we are considering are Bromley, Pico or Smuggs. Driving time to the mountains is: Bromley = 3 hours, Pico 4, Smuggs 5.

We went as a group last year to Pico. Due to -20 temps we only skied one day and the girls had a ball in Pico ski school. The boys had fun too, 4-6 inches of new snow that day made it enjoyable for everyone. I’ve never skied Bromley or Smuggs but hear they are considered great family destinations.

Rough plan is girls in ski school either half or full day Friday, we all ski together on Saturday, not likely to ski Sunday.

So, given all that where would you go?
Thanks,
Gary

 

[OppositeGeorge]

Kids being kids, they'll probably find plenty to keep them occupied on the hill wherever you choose. And all these places have good to excellent school and kids programs. All have lots of intermediate runs. So I'm going to focus on the adults.

Actually, there's plenty for the wives near Bromley -- it's just up the hill overlooking Manchester, VT which has lots of restaurants, a movie theater, two supermarkets and TONS of outlet stores (Manchester Center is essentially one big outlet mall that's spread out over the whole village.) This might be a good or bad thing if the wives aren't skiing, depending on how close you are to your credit cards. Great for kids. Kinda small but fine for two days and that ridge gets probably the best snow in the area. Also XC skiing about 10 minutes away at Wild Wings if the wives think they might want to try that. I ski at Bromley all the time but I ski a lot. If this is going to be the one big ski trip of the year then your advanced adult might feel he's skied the place out after the first day and thus be a bit disappointed. Out of the three choices, this has the least vertical. Still if you hit it with freshies there will be enough on the East face to keep him amused for at least a day. They just cut a new intermediate glade this season so that might be good for the 13-year-old.

Smuggs is more of a haul, but quite a bit bigger and really has something for everybody, skiing-wise. Kids and families are their bread and butter, but they've got real double blacks and tons of woods skiing too. Out of the three, Smuggs will offer the most for the advanced skier. Out of the three, Smuggs will offer the most for all the skiers, actually. One caveat -- if you want to get the group together after the lessons it will be a bit of a pain as the main lesson area is kind of a haul from the real terrain (think cross-country.)

Wives can trek into Stowe or Burlington -- plenty to do in both towns, both about 45 minutes or so away. Stowe is New England's finest ski town with tons of opportunities for burning cash, and Burlington is the biggest city in Vermont and a college town with shopping, restaurants and culture. A bit further out, but okay to kill some time is the Ben and Jerry's tour in Waterbury.

Pico is also a great mountain, and still great for the kids, but maybe not as great as the other two. If your wives have any taste they might be skeeved out by Rutland which is about 15-20 minutes down the mountain (I'm not, but I don't have any taste.) Rutland is the 2nd-largest city in Vermont so it does have a Wal-Mart, 4 supermarkets and the only mall in Southern/Central Vermont, an indoor ice rink and a movie theater so it's got all that going for it. But spend the whole day there? I don't know (this is the kind of mall anchored by a Sears, JC Penney and KMart, not Neiman-Marcus and Lord & Taylor.)

OTOH, they will probably LOVE Woodstock, VT, which is about 1/2 hour from Pico and a real picturesque, upscale New England village. As far as night stuff, the Killington Access Road offers a lot but expect long waits for tables in any restaurant on the weekend. You may be better off going down the mountain into Rutland for evening dining or movies. (One personal favorite -- the seriously old-school Chinese Restaurant Kong Chow in downtown Rutland. It has been in business for 70 years and is the kind of place with paper lanterns on the wall and wooden booths. Picture the Chinese Restaurant from A Christmas Story. Tons of fun if you like stepping into a time machine. Nothing fancy, food-wise -- go somewhere else if you want Chinese Haute Cuisine -- but hardcore, satisfying old-fashioned Chop-Suey joint fare. And the owners are really nice.)

I like skiing Pico -- there's tons of history there, more usable vert than Killington and enough to keep the advanced and intermediate happy for a couple days. The best advanced stuff is off the very top, while the intermediate might like doing short laps on the Outpost double, though there are plenty of long cruising opportunities as well.

Wherever you choose, have fun!

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

Lake Placid/Whiteface is a great option/great town/skiing
Stratton/Bromley great skiing for your ability levels and shopping/town for the others
Smuggs...my favorite place, but not alot going on...the landlubbers could snowshow/xc ski take a drive into burlington/canada

 

[ajl50]

If there are people in your group that don't ski whiteface/lake placid is the best choice. Your wives will love the town.
It is also a great family mountain and has one of the best set of instructors anywhere.
In Jan. it's empty - except for MLK weekend- and you're not going then so you'll have tons of terrain to play on.

 

[tree_skier]

I would suggest Bromley especially if you were already considering it. A couple of pluses is in january with the southern exposure can be much more comfortable then other areas, a good layout for what you have described, a true ski lodge vs. some modern building, some slopeside lodging but also for those who said nothing but skiing it has a many options with Manchester only 10 min away (closer then lake placid is to whiteface)

 

[billski]

I would suggest Bromley especially if you were already considering it. A couple of pluses is in january with the southern exposure can be much more comfortable then other areas, a good layout for what you have described, a true ski lodge vs. some modern building, some slopeside lodging but also for those who said nothing but skiing it has a many options with Manchester only 10 min away (closer then lake placid is to whiteface)

you got me curious, maybe I drove in the wrong way. What's in Manchester (I'm serious this time)?

 

[tjf67]

Manchester is a shoppers wet dream.

 

[filejw]

Thinking of the kids only the one thing I like about Pico is the trails always lead back to the base lodge.(mostly)

 

[campgottagopee]

With that group your taking I would reccomend either Whiteface or Stowe. Reason is both mountains have wide variety for all abilities and both towns are a blast with lots to do.
My wife and I go to Whiteface often because it's close if we're looking for a "trip" we go to Stowe. Have fun.

 

[OppositeGeorge]

Manchester is a shoppers wet dream.

BWAH! (LMAO)

Manchester Designer Outlets
Manchester Chamber of Commerce

For better or worse, Vermont is not all cows and sugar shacks. Seriously, if the wives dig the shopping they can easily kill a whole day there. You might even have to drag them home Sunday under protest.

I use a house in Weston and am in Manchester at least once each trip to do anything from getting provisions to buying birthday presents (Dad is an Orvis junkie.) A lot of people plan trips (as in vacations, or at least long weekends) to Manchester just to shop and it might even be harder to get around there in the summer than winter because of this. There are a few quality restaurants, too, catering to the folks there for the upscale outlets (Orvis, Tumi, Brooks Bros., J. Crew, etc.) and upscale lodging (the Equinox.) If you're a shooter, check out the $10k+ antique guns for sale at the main Orvis store. Or drop $9,999 on the WWII surplus Army Jeep in the Orvis outlet store just down the street. What isn't outlets and supermarkets in Manchester is pretty much smaller stores -- hardware, winter sports, books, you name it. And they have an Eastern Mountain Sports that usually has a pretty good clearance rack.

A mile or so down Rte. 7A from Manchester Center is Manchester proper, which is mostly the classy, expensive, historic Equinox Hotel and a few small stores and services (plus the library -- WiFi and public computer.) A good place to walk around for a few minutes -- very picturesque. Also there is Hildene, the estate of Robert Todd Lincoln, but I'm not sure if they're open in the winter.

Going the other way from Bromley, shoppers can kill an hour or two at the quirky, museum-like Vermont Country Store in Weston, "purveyors of the practical and hard-to-find" (5-10 minutes East on Rte. 11 to Londonderry, then another 6 miles or so North on Rte. 100.) If you ever wondered what happened to Charles Chips or Green Goddess salad dressing, or really miss high-quality coffee percolators (seriously) this is the place. Weston's the archetypical tiny New England village (as in bank calendar picture) and the whole schmear is on the National Historic Register. Not much there, apart from the VCS, a couple other touristy stores and the standard village stuff (library -- WiFi works out front even when they're closed, school, village green, etc.) There's a reportedly-pretty-nice restaurant at the VCS that does lunch, plus dinners on the weekends, but I've never tried it. Fine dining (dinner only) at The Inn at Weston across the street (not cheap.)

Okay, enough about shopping and frou-frous -- it's driving me nuts -- and back to the mysterious art of sliding on snow. If your advanced skiers get bored at Bromley, the fabled Magic Mountain is just 10-12 minutes East on Rte. 11. Hit it on a good day and nothing beats it -- hit it on a bad day... well, let's just say their bad days can get really, really bad. Still, a good, generally uncrowded taste of the classic New England experience with gnarly terrain. Bring your rock skis.

 

[billski]

Good to know. The older I get, the more I despise shopping. No wonder Manch. isn't on my radar. Restaurants, maybe...

 

[OppositeGeorge]

Good to know. The older I get, the more I despise shopping. No wonder Manch. isn't on my radar. Restaurants, maybe...

Yeah, well that's why I am a bigger fan of Rutland, Bennington, Ludlow and Brattleboro -- Wal-Mart, Tractor Supply Co., Aubuchon Hardware and Sam's (Free Popcorn! Woo hoo!) are more my speed.

Those are real pretty guns at Orvis, though (and I don't even shoot.)

 

[gmcunni]

Thank you all for the great insight on options.. i know we'll have a great time wherever we end up. i hadn't considered whiteface but it sounds like an interesting option. i'm a little put off by the distance (same for smuggs) but will include it for consideration. Bretton never came to mind (i'm biased to VT for some reason) but in reading the website it seems like a good family spot.

I've been forwarding all your comments to the group i'm going with. I think this will be the deciding factor for the non-skiing wives:

Manchester is a shoppers wet dream.

gary

 

[crank]

I don't want to start any fights here, but most often I find VT has more better snow than NY or NH.

 

[JimG.]

I don't want to start any fights here, but most often I find VT has more better snow than NY or NH.

I'm from NY and I would agree with this statement.

Although I have had fantastic powder days in all 3 states, more seem to occur with frequency in VT.

 

[OppositeGeorge]

VT = Better snow. Yes.

 

[gladerider]

based on what you have listed i would recommend whiteface if you don't mind driving.
if you do mind driving, okemo.

 

[gladerider]

when whiteface gets snow, none compares in the east coast IMHO and i heard they've been getting consistent snow this year. however, i do agree that VT is more reliable in condition. not all VT resorts are like Stowe either.

my best friend's family and mine travel to ski all most every trip together every year. we have 11, 10, 10 girls and 7 boy. both of our wives ski intermediate.
when we asked our wives which they liked the most, they listed:
1- Tremblant
2- Stratton
3- Okemo
4- Mt Snow
5- Whiteface

interestingly though if we count all of our trips to date the list of frequency looks like:
1-Whiteface
2-Tremblant
3-Mt Snow
4-Stratton
5-Okemo

no matter where you go, you will have fun in snow