There’s a school vacation week bearing down on us and for the first time in what feels like a very long time, New England is the place to be for snow.
Social media sites are peppered with western skiers looking for advice on where and how to ski the east. Hotels are booking up and with no warm spell in sight before that vacation week begins, it promises to be a ski week to remember.
Except this: You never planned a trip. You dragged your feet on purchasing advance tickets. So while all that beautiful and near totally natural snow is just a car ride away, it feels farther for you than for those poor, lack-of-snow western folks looking to come this way.
It’s not too late. True, while most slope side lodging may be booked and most big name ski resorts are anticipating record-breaking crowds, there’s still room for you, my last minute-planning ski friend. With creative thought and a fresh approach, a ski day (or more) are still within reach.
Take these tips and apply them and you, too, will be cruising the perfectly covered groomers, going knee deep or more in the fluffy tree skiing snow or just hanging out and soaking it all in.
Here’s how:
Think smaller: It’s natural to dream of skiing a big mountain. But I’m here as a skier who’s skied pretty much across the globe to tell you some of my best runs and most memorable days have taken place at smaller spots.
Why? It’s not that they’re less crowded (though smaller does tend to attract at least a few less on busy days); it’s more about what you find there. Smaller hills are like your super fun, chill and interesting country friend. There may not be an eight-pack lift to zip you to the top, but the folks loading the triple will know your name by midday.
You’ll save money at a smaller resort as well. As dynamic pricing sweeps the industry (and to be honest, ramps up the day ticket prices at some popular resorts to amounts that will make you say “no,”) smaller resorts, for the most part, tend to stick to their season long prices, which are usually reasonable in today’s ski world.
Take Tenney Mountain (https://www.skitenney.com/) the recently reborn ski area that offers classic New England skiing, a lovely lodge and a great ski school. There, advance tickets stand at $69 for adults; the same price they are any other week. They stay at that price on weekend days as well. If you’re not sure of your day yet, you can purchase an any-day ticket for just $10 more.