Okemo & Sugarbush, VT: 03/30 & 03/31/2018

We kicked off Easter break with an overnight excursion to Vermont to use our remaining Mountain Collective day at Sugarbush. Since the long weekend started with a round of rain across ski country Thursday night, we warmed up with a day of at Okemo, where we knew the grooming crew would do a good job getting the mountain back into shape.

Sugarbush, VT: 03/17 & 03/18/2018

It’s been an amazing March for Vermont ski areas, with monthy snowfall totals in the 4 to 5 feet range. We headed up to Sugarbush this weekend to make use of our Mountain Collective passes.

2014-15 ski season wrap-up and highlights

I intentionally held off writing my season wrap-up for a couple weeks, holding out hope that I’d find some way to squeeze in one more day. Killington is still open and there’s always Tuckerman Ravine, but the reality for me is the fat lady has sung.

No regrets though. Our ski season spanned six calendar months, from mid-November into April. We had powder days, spring days, cross-country skiing, lots of tree skiing, the slides at Whiteface and our first family trip out west.

Sugarbush, VT: 04/03/2015

I guess we've now made a family tradition out of heading up to Sugarbush for a day of late season skiing. Last year we skied on Daniel's 10th birthday in early March, this year we pegged the Good Friday holiday to use our free lift ticket vouchers from the local screening of Warren Miller's No Turning Back. As Friday approached, we fretted over the changing forecast (showers, clouds, sun, all of the above), but we pulled into the parking lot with bright blue skies and temperatures that screamed "Spring's here!"

2013-14 ski season wrap-up and highlights

The winter of 2013-14 will likely be long remembered by both skiers and non-skiers for its persistent cold weather. Monthly average temperatures for the entire November - March period registered several degrees below the long-term average, and the term “Polar Vortex” seemed to filter into everyday conversation. The emduring cold gave skiers a season spanning six calendar months, with Gore and Whiteface logging their earliest-ever openings in mid-November. Gore closed last Sunday, April 20, but Whiteface may hang in for a record late closing in May. Stay tuned.

Early season packed powder with a view of the High Peaks. Gore, January 4:

Sugarbush, VT: 03/03/2014

We had a few Sugarbush freebies burning a hole in our pockets from last November’s screening of Warren Miller’s Ticket to Ride, and we decided to pull the trigger for Monday. I know, Monday’s a school day, but outdoor physical activity and experiencing a foreign culture (Vermont) trump a day in the classroom. Plus it happened to also be Daniel’s 10th birthday.

Sugarbush's Lincoln Peak base area on an uncrowded Monday morning

The Bush is a bit too far from Saratoga (two and a half hours) to be feasible as a family day trip, so we drove up Sunday and overnighted at the Sugarbush Inn. Monday morning dawned crisp and clear, and after an excellent breakfast at the Inn (included), we were booting up in the lodge as the lifts started spinning at 9am.

Northeast pre-season ski stoke, "best of" edition

Some of the best pre-season images from ski areas around the northeast over the past week or so:

Whiteface, October 12:

Sugarbush, VT: 03/15 & 03/16/2012

For the last five years or so, I’ve gone away around Saint Patrick’s Day with a group of work associates for a couple days of skiing and “professional development.” OK, forget about the professional development, it’s really all about the skiing.

Heading down Ripcord, off the Heaven's Gate chair