New England
How
can a family possibly afford to ski? Lift tickets for adults are $50 –
60 a whack on weekends; the kids’ tickets are half that – but that
still adds up to two Benjamin’s a day. And we haven’t even talked
about lodging or equipment yet.
There are some deals for skiing families– but they require a little digging. You may need to find your shovel; it’s buried in the garage – since you had no use for it last winter. Hitting the slopes before the Christmas holiday can be a money saver and a season stretcher. Early season skiing and riding means deals, as areas tempt you to break out your boards before any evidence of snow in your backyard. It is highly likely ski areas will not have all their trails open – but there should be sufficient terrain to get your ski legs under you and to get the kids making some turns. Focus on resorts with strong snowmaking reputations. Here are a few: Sunday River has a well-deserved reputation for making a ton of snow, good quality snow too I might add. The River offers early season lift and lodging packages starting at $69.95 per person - only $17 more than a day ticket. If you go to the River on Thanksgiving, they’ll even flip you the bird. It’s a tradition that all lift ticket purchasers are welcome to a free Thanksgiving dinner. Spend the day on the cool slopes skiing with your kids, instead of roasting in the frantic kitchen cooking for the “in-laws.” Sister resort Sugarloaf has $49 per person lift and lodging deals over Thanksgiving. Keep in mind that lift and lodging deals like these are generally coded "max occ," that's maximum occupancy in ski lodging lingo. Translation: your family of four is cozily accommodated in a “deluxe” studio or one-bedroom condo, creating the family “closeness” that you may have thought money could not buy. You have to consider Killington for early season, since they have the longest ski season in the East – 41 years and still blowing, I mean going. Killington also offers a Gobler package at $79 per person, lifts and lodging in a one-bedroom condominium for a family of four over Thanksgiving weekend. Okemo Mountain Resort has early winter “warm up” packages from $68 per person from opening day to Nov. 24, and Dec. 6 -15. Kids 12 and under stay free at Okemo’s slopeside condominiums, sharing a unit with their parents, and kids 6 and under ski free. This season, Okemo debuts phase one of the much anticipated Jackson Gore expansion with the new Quantum Leap quad and half a dozen new trails. If you visit northern Vermont’s Jay Peak prior to December 25, kids 14 and under ski and stay free with paying parents. Obviously, prime holidays fill up and so the deals are not as sweet. Take a look at your kids’ school calendar and pounce on those non-holiday teacher conference and in-service days to make for long weekends, at less than peak rates. New Hampshire’s Attitash is promoting a New Year’s White Sale Jan. 3 - 4 weekend with slopeside accommodations and daily lift tickets at $99 per person/per night, a considerable savings when you compare it to the $179 rate over Christmas, Martin Luther King, and February vacations. If you want to wait for assured conditions, Sunday River's family week of January 12-16 is $149 per night/per adult including lifts and lodging in a deluxe studio at the Grand Hotel plus up to four free junior tickets and four Perfect Turn clinics per stay. As you can see, some of the best early season deals include beds for your family. Not only do you get more for your money by staying overnight, the experience becomes a mini-vacation when you spend more time at your destination than in your car. Enjoy some après ski, let the kids sled in the afternoon, hit the heated pool, and get first tracks the following morning. If you’re die-hard day-trippers, the kind of parents who put the kids to bed in their long-underwear so you can hit the road at 5am, here are a few day ticket bargains for your family: Donate three nonperishable food items at Sugarloaf on Nov. 23 or 24 and get a $20 lift ticket. Attitash will offer free skiing on Nov. 22, provided that is opening day. Bretton Woods will offer free tickets all season long on their new Learning Center Quad, ideal if you are just getting your kids started riding the lift and skiing very gentle terrain. Take the family skiing on Sunday instead of the busier Saturday for a better price and fewer skiers per acre. New Hampshire's Black Mountain and Maine’s Shawnee Peak each sell a Sunday family four-pack of tickets (two adults and two juniors) for under $100. An easy day trip, Gunstock has a family Sunday Four Pack for $129. If you plan to do a lot of skiing at a nearby ski area, purchase a frequent skier card or even a family pass to save dough and get more time on snow. There are added benefits to a pass, as resorts tend to give pass holders discounts on food, equipment and services on the mountain. Sugarloaf even hosts a big bash at season end for proud pass members. We all like to categorize ourselves as above average skiers, getting in more days than the statistical average of three and most importantly - more blue bird days than your neighbor – but it’s important to be realistic about usage. Although owning a pass gives a modicum of pleasure, getting your money’s worth on your pass is achieving alpine nirvana. When you’re not on your boards, surf the web for ski deals. Register for electronic newsletters from your favorite areas so that you will receive “snow” mail. More and more resorts release discounts and last minute deals to their database customers. It’s a win/win – resorts fill vacancies, you save money and can book your trip with an eye on current snow conditions. Lastly, look for local ski sales and equipment swaps this time of year. You are not alone with your fast-growing kids and a garage full of outgrown equipment. Most ski shops offer annual trade in programs. Many town Rec. department and local ski clubs have bulletin boards for trades and some host annual fall consignment sales for unloading and reloading your kids’ gear. |