Vermont offers a variety of ski destinations for everyone from the beginner to expert skier.
With its long cold winter, Vermont offers some of the best skiing in the Northeast. There are a variety of mountains to choose from, each with its own unique flavor.
The "granddaddy" of all Vermont ski destinations is Killington Resort. Located in central Vermont in the Rutland/Woodstock area, Killington is one of the most famous and largest ski areas in the Northeast. With over 200 trails, there is something for skiers of every ability - trail difficulty is evenly distributed between novice, intermediate and expert terrain. Killington features 33 lifts, including two high speed express heated gondolas with three separate loading areas and twelve quad chairs. The area boasts the world's most extensive snowmaking system and claims the largest vertical drop in New England. Killington also caters extensively to a freestyle skiing and snow boarding crowd with five terrain parks. Adventure skiers will be drawn to the "Outer Limits", the steepest mogul slope in the East.
Not surprisingly, Killington has extensive on- and off-mountain offerings to support an area of its size. The mountain itself is so large that the seven base lodges are color-coded so skiers don't get confused. Lodging options include everything from the on-mountain Killington Grand Hotel and Resort Villages to a myriad of off-mountain hotels, motels, town homes and full winter rentals. Dining and nightlife options are exhaustive, as Killington tends to draw to a young single crowd. This is evidenced by a five-mile stretch of bars and entertainment called Killington Road and a sushi restaurant in one of the base lodges.
If Killington seems a bit overwhelming, Mount Snow in southern Vermont offers big mountain skiing on a slightly smaller scale. Located in West Dover, Mount Snow features 145 trails and 23 lifts, including three high speed quads. Sixty percent of the trails are labeled intermediate, but they are also some of the widest and most comfortable intermediate trails in Vermont. The area also has an entire expert area on the north face of the mountain, featuring "Ripcord", one of the steepest trails in New England. Mount Snow is the home mountain of an Olympic gold medalist in snow boarding, so terrain parks are popular here as well.
Mount Snow has three base lodges with a variety of dining services, including the Summit Lodge and Bar, offering spectacular views from high up the mountain. One of the more unique dining offerings is the Waffle Haus, a homemade waffle and breakfast service in one of the base lodges. Lodging and dining options abound, both at the mountain and in the quaint town of Wilmington. Mount Snow just opened the new Grand Summit Hotel & Spa, a luxury hotel at the base of the mountain.
Okemo Mountain, located in central Vermont, offers a big mountain feel with a family emphasis. Its 115 slopes are evenly distributed by difficulty, and its eighteen lifts include nine quads. Okemo also has a large offering of varied terrain, including a terrain park expressly for kids. The mountain includes Jackson Gore, a relatively new expansion that features 14 trails including glades, and its own base lodge. Okemo offers luxury accommodations at its base and plenty of area town home options, as well as extensive dining options in both the base lodge and a mid-mountain lodge.
One mountain known for its adventure skiing is Sugarbush Mountain in Warren. Located in the Mad River Valley of north central Vermont, Sugarbush has 111 trails and over 40 acres of wood skiing. The area also has 16 lifts including seven quads. Its on-mountain services are comparable to other resorts, offering five base lodges with a variety of basic dining choices. The lodging and dining options off-mountain are less extensive than other areas, however, as Sugarbush tends to attract a more "hard core" skiing enthusiast audience.
Stratton Mountain would be considered the opposite of Sugarbush, with its extensive European-style base village offering a myriad of apres ski and shopping services. The mountain itself is located in the picturesque Green Mountains of Vermont, close to the historic resort town of Manchester Village. With 91 trails and 42% of those novice-rated, Stratton is a very family- and beginner-friendly mountain. Sixteen lifts include a twelve passenger high speed gondola from base to summit. Stratton is currently expanding to add more challenging skiing and riding, including terrain parks and tree skiing and riding. As would be expected from its base dining and activity options, Stratton has extensive lodging options both on and off the mountain.
Featuring the longest average trail length in New England, Stowe Mountain in north central Vermont is located at Mount Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak. Its 48 trails are serviced by twelve lifts, including an eight passenger high speed gondola. Sixty percent of Stowe's trails are intermediate, and the area also features a well-developed boarding and freestyle scene. Despite its smaller trail offering, Stowe is known for its amenities, including a "web cafe" at the top of the quad chair and fine dining at the top of the mountain. Lodging includes the luxury Spruce Peak, ski-in/ski-out accommodations with a spa at the base of the mountain.
Smugglers Notch Resort, in northern Vermont, boasts the highest snowfall and one of the longest ski seasons in the area. Over half of its 78 trails are intermediate, and the mountain features "The Black Hole", the only triple Black Diamond trail in the East. Smugglers Notch is an affordable family oriented resort, offering predominantly town home lodging options and relatively limited dining options.
