New England Southern Vermont for 1st week December

[MadPatSki]

I’ll be at Killington two weekends in a row (World Cup and following Thurs-Sun).

As a skiing geographer, I loved exploring ski areas. Call it an addiction. I’ve skied at a good number of ski areas, but I’ve never skied Vermont south of Killington. I would like to take advantage of staying near K to ski at least one new ski area.

I’m a ski coach in the heart of the ski season, so I can’t go exploring during the heart of my season (mid-Dec to end March). I also decided to get an Ikon Base Pass as I was going to Mammoth in June of last year.

Beside of days I’ll be using at K, I have 5 days Sugarbush, Stratton. Never been to Stratton, so planning at least one day there. I’ll be using at least 4 of my 5 K days during that week. I’ll probably be keeping one for late season. This gives me 3 days of skiing elsewhere in Vermont. I was thinking of skiing both Bush and Stratton, then maybe only Stratton as SB is way closer to get to from Ottawa.

But now I’m thinking of taking advantage of being so close to Southern Vermont to explore. There are a few big areas, some medium and smaller hills too.

So if I use one day at Stratton... what should my next two hills (considering that we are talking Dec 2-4 period).
Mount Snow?
Okemo?
Magic? Too early?
Suicide Six? Too early?
Any others?
Any opinions on Stratton? On these? On these in early season?

I’ll try to find deals as I’m not willing to pay close to full price.

Thanks in advance.

 

[KingGrump]

Mount Snow & Okemo are both Epic. Discounts? Much depend on Vail.
Magic - Probably too early unless we get some real snow.
Suicide Six. Great name. Targeted opening day - 12/14/2019.
Both Stratton and Bromley should be open. Probably running with a few WROD.
Doesn't look like we'll be getting early snow like last year.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

Bromley is open weekends only til December 13th. No WROD, just a few death cookies here and there. Other than that it's soft packed happiness. Bromley has various discount opportunities. Check our web page.

Magic is scheduled to open 2 days after Thanksgiving but we haven't started blowing snow yet. If we do open on 11/30 it is only green chair and mid mountain down. We open friday though Sunday unless t's a powder day. I get the $39 tickets for magic so HMU if interested.

 

[mdf]

A bit redundant with what @KingGrump said, but I already started typing....

Mount Snow? -- never been there
Okemo? -- it gets a bad rap, but I enjoyed it. I never skied it very often, but probably will even less now that it is in the Epic camp and I'm on Ikon.
Magic? Too early? -- yes
Suicide Six? Too early? -- yes. Never been, but I've driven by. I think the only reason to go there is if you are a local with kids, or a history buff. It has a big history for such a tiny place. (And a great name.)
Any opinions on Stratton? -- I'm planning to go there for the first time ever the week after your dates.

I had a great early season weekend at Sugarbush a few years ago.
Killington always used to be the obvious choice for early season, but there has been a lot of snowmaking investment by their competitors lately, so I need to recalibrate my assumptions.

 

[dbostedo]

I've skied Sugarbush a few times, Okemo a few days, and Stratton and Mount Snow one day each.

You can see my report on Stratton and Mount Snow here : https://www.pugski.com/threads/southern-vermont-mount-snow-and-stratton-1-25-19-1-26-19.13789/

And here's a report from the first time I skied Sugarbush : https://www.pugski.com/threads/sugarbush-1-19-and-1-20-2018.8233/

Okemo I don't have a trip report on, but I liked quite a bit - particularly when it's a sunny day as it faces east/southeast. Overall, I think I'd rank them:

1. Sugarbush
2. Stratton
3. Okemo
4. Mount Snow

With Stratton and Okemo being very close.

 

[SKI-3PO]

If it snows, go to Magic
I’m not a big fan of Stratton, but I am a fan of paid for skiing on a pass
Bromley is probably worth a day if you’re in So. VT
The North Face at Mount Snow is decent - otherwise, I agree with it’s placement at the bottom of the hills in the area.
Stratton and Okemo would be best skied midweek

I may be at Stratton first weekend of December

 

[Marker]

I like to try and hit one new area each season. Last year was Pico, which shouldn't be open by your trip. We've been to Mount Snow several times midseason, never this early, but they have a reputation for making snow to open early like Killington. It really feels like three different areas with Carinthia terrain parks, Main Face and North Face. We spent a lot of time on North Face skiing the more interesting runs. No idea how much will be open by your trip. You probably should just wait and monitor conditions while enjoying Killington.

 

[Crank]

Save some Killington days for the eastern gathering end of March or beginning of April. Stratton is Ikon and has decent snowmaking.

 

[Dave Marshak]

The first weekend in December is too early to plan in Vermont, but...
Avoid Killington on the weekend until it’s 90% open, Stratton, Mt Snow and Okemo are mostly blue groomers, so pick the one with the best conditions or the cheapest one, and do Sugarbush on the weekend. More north is more better.
A good storm will change everything.

dm

 

[Crank]

FYI, second week of December Mt Snow has lift tix available for $12 on 12/12 which they call founders day. You have to buy them online at least 24 hours in advance to get that price. I am thinking about going there and Stratton. Only going to Mt. Snow because a bunch of my ski club peeps will be there.

 

[PinnacleJim]

Early season in VT is all about the snowmaking. Killington has the advantage of elevation and thus is the first to open. This attracts crowds on limited terrain. The recent stretch of cold weather has allowed others to open and thus will spread the crowds out. If you are staying near Killington, Okemo is the logical second area to try as it's so close.

 

[jimmy]

Bromley is probably worth a day if you’re in So. VT..............

I may be at Stratton first weekend of December

I second Bromley unless you want to meet/ski with @SKI-3PO. Don't worry about strangers on the internet i will vouch that he is mostly normal.

 

[MadPatSki]

Mount Snow & Okemo are both Epic. Discounts?
Both Stratton and Bromley should be open. Probably running with a few WROD.

Mt. Snow has few $37 tickets left on Liftutopia for midweek.
I never really thought of Bromley, but surfsnowgirl mentioned, they aren't open midweek when I'll be in Vermont.

I didn't mentioned the exact time I was planning to explore, it would be Monday-Wednesday Dec 2-4. So Bromley and Magic (unless they is a powder day) are out of the running.

Bromley is open weekends only til December 13th.

Magic is scheduled (...) We open friday though Sunday unless t's a powder day.

Suicide Six? Too early? -- yes. Never been, but I've driven by. I think the only reason to go there is if you are a local with kids, or a history buff. It has a big history for such a tiny place. (And a great name.)
(...)
Sugarbush &
Killington

The first weekend in December is too early to plan in Vermont, but...
Avoid Killington on the weekend until it’s 90% open, etc etc

Yep, that is one of the main reason with my desire to ski S6.

I've been to Sugarbush a few times and it is closer to me, so I'll focus on the South. As for Killington, I've been numerous times. I'll be skiing there for 4 days as our race team will be showing up on Thursday evening. I'll checkout the conditions and terrain available on Thursday then ski with a group of racers on Fri-Sun Dec 6-8.

With Stratton and Okemo being very close.

If it snows, go to Magic
I’m not a big fan of Stratton, but I am a fan of paid for skiing on a pass
Bromley is probably worth a day if you’re in So. VT
The North Face at Mount Snow is decent - otherwise, I agree with it’s placement at the bottom of the hills in the area.
Stratton and Okemo would be best skied midweek

As stated above, Bromley and Magic wouldn't seem to be an option with my schedule.

Currently not seeing any deals for Okemo and I'm not willing to pay the high price especially that I shelled out serious cash (for me) for the Ikon pass. The skiing will definitely be midweek (Monday-Wednesday).

FYI, second week of December Mt Snow has lift tix available for $12 on 12/12 which they call founders day.

How crazy is it? I might considered returning to Vermont for that day, however it will be hard to justify another trip to Vermont and staying almost 3 weeks in VT.

Save some Killington days for the eastern gathering end of March or beginning of April. Stratton is Ikon and has decent snowmaking.

I second Bromley unless you want to meet/ski with @SKI-3PO. Don't worry about strangers on the internet i will vouch that he is mostly normal.

No worries, I'm non-stranger to internet hookups for skiing.

I'm saving one day for the Spring, no choice of skiing K for 4 days due to the team. Timing at end of March/early April might be difficult as it's the end of my coaching season and I'm serious thinking of going on a Western ski safari in April.

I like to try and hit one new area each season. Pico (...) Mount Snow (...) You probably should just wait and monitor conditions while enjoying Killington.

As stated above, K is going to be on the tail end of this trip.

I've been to Pico. I've been collecting visit at ski areas for a long time. My ski area count is at a minimum 153, at a minimum because I might have visited a ski area as a young kid that I don't exactly remember.

I won't give you the entire list, but here is what I skied in the Northeast US:
Gore NY
Snow Ridge NY
Titus NY
Whiteface NY
Bolton VT
Burke VT
Jay VT
Killington VT
MRG VT
Middlebury VT
Pico VT
Smuggs VT
Stowe VT
Sugarbush VT
Attitash NH
Balsam Wilderness NH
Black NH
Bretton Woods NH
Cannon NH
Cranmore NH
Loon NH
Waterville NH
Wildcat NH
Mt. Washington NH
Sugarloaf ME
Sunday River ME


Here is current plan (thinking aloud). Comments are welcomed.

Some people have mentioned Bromley. I don’t know anything about the place besides the name. It would seem they are closed mon-wed in early December. I noticed a $36 deal for Mt. Snow on lift utopia, I believe that I’ll probably not find cheaper. Okemo was on my radar because it seemed fairly major area, but didn’t find any deal. If nothing else is open in the south, I might use my pass for Stratton twice.

Right now, I’m thinking ...
Sat-Sun Nov 30-Dec 1: watching World Cup
Mon-Wed Dec 2-4: Snow, Stratton, 3rd day: Stratton on pass or other (not necessarily in that order)
Thurs Dec 5: checking out what’s open at K?
Fri-Sun Dec 6-8: coaching our team at K.
Of course I could use some of the Ikon days at Bush, but the place is much closer to reach for me plus I’ll try to avoid too much driving. Sleeping would be K on Friday(?), Saturday and Wednesday. I have a paid room at the Grand for Thurs-Sat nights. For the Sunday-Tuesdaynights, I’ll sleep further south. Found a cheap place in Londonderry.

 

[Dave Marshak]

Okemo skis pretty small in the early season, and discounts are harder to find since VR bought it. Stratton is usually better and a little steeper.

If you do Mt Snow on Founder's Day (December 12) plan to be there early enough to get the first chair, leave when the crowd shows up, or avoid it altogether.

dm

 

[Marker]

Right now, I’m thinking ...
Sat-Sun Nov 30-Dec 1: watching World Cup
Mon-Wed Dec 2-4: Snow, Stratton, 3rd day: Stratton on pass or other (not necessarily in that order)
Thurs Dec 5: checking out what’s open at K?
Fri-Sun Dec 6-8: coaching our team at K.
Of course I could use some of the Ikon days at Bush, but the place is much closer to reach for me plus I’ll try to avoid too much driving. Sleeping would be K on Friday(?), Saturday and Wednesday. I have a paid room at the Grand for Thurs-Sat nights. For the Sunday-Tuesdaynights, I’ll sleep further south. Found a cheap place in Londonderry.

What I meant is monitor the S Vermont conditions while enjoying the WC at Killington. We are planning to be there Dec. 5-8, but will miss the WC due to family commitments back home.

 

[MadPatSki]

I just did a few calls and it looks like I'll be skiing with my 2 days with pass at Stratton then buy that cheap tix for Mt. Snow. I didn't find any good deals for Okemo.

Now I'm looking for a place to crash around Stratton that is pretty cheap. I had found a place last week available for midweek, but it is no longer an option. Looking for dorm/couchcheap room/AirBnB for 3 nights starting Sun Dec 1. Sleeping back at K starting Wednesday night.

 

[Sugarbushskier]

I've done the Founder's Day trip to Mt Snow 3 or 4 times in the past 5 years. It's crowded, very crowded typically, but if you go with the expectations that it will be that way, it's a fair amount of skiing for cheap $$.

As of right now, (and I preface this since between now and early Dec the weather will change), the skiing at MS is quite good. I've got Epic and Ikon so figured I'd start off my season at MS since it wasn't costing anything but gas. The amount of terrain via their snowmaking arsenal is impressive and the quality was very good. I've been twice already and wasn't really bored for early season turns.

Just my two cents.......

 

[surfsnowgirl]

Powder day on founders day a couple years ago which was divine. With mount snow I avoid the main lifts and stay off certain trails like long John and it's not so bad. I like the sun brook area. I hear the north face isnt bad.

 

[MadPatSki]

I've done the Founder's Day trip to Mt Snow 3 or 4 times in the past 5 years. It's crowded, very crowded typically, but if you go with the expectations that it will be that way, it's a fair amount of skiing for cheap $$.

December 12 would be great, but I think I would be pushing my luck on the home front as I'm already going to be in Vermont from November 30-December 8.