Our first indication of the approaching weather arrived in the form of an email a few days before Christmas. The message was from the woman whose Vermont cabin we were due to rent for four nights leading into New Year’s. This would be our family’s first time taking a Vermont holiday ski trip and everyone … Read More
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Smugglers’ Notch Resort bills itself as America’s Family Resort, a well-justified title. In addition to three mountains for skiing and riding, the resort has all the things that children and their parents love including fantastic kid-friendly lesson programs; a full-service, accredited daycare facility; indoor pools; a nice tubing hill; and hot chocolate so copious that … Read More
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Smugglers’ Notch, more often referred to as “Smuggs,” is well-known as a top family ski destination in Vermont, and is often found on the Top 10 lists for family ski destinations in the world. I’ve mentioned this friendly fact to multitudes of families planning ski vacations to Vermont, but have never had the firsthand … Read More
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As a lifelong skier and nearly lifelong Vermonter, it’s natural to assume that I’ve traversed every ski area in Vermont. I grew up skiing at places like Stratton, Bromley, and Magic, and later spent many days at Stowe, Sugarbush, Smugglers’ Notch, Bolton, and Burke. Until recently, I had never skied at Mount Snow. I’m not … Read More
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Our motley crew of 14 covered plenty of ground over a ski weekend at Okemo! Vermonters call it the January Thaw and it’s notorious, wreaking havoc on the carefully honed snow base that ski areas begin nurturing in November. After a couple of weeks of frigid, blustery weather after the holidays, the mercury began to … Read More
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I huffed and puffed and my legs were like Jell-O. I still had half the run to make, but had to stop repeatedly to catch my breath and recenter. This was hard and exhausting, but also incredibly rewarding. I was so happy to be on the mountain, and smiling so much I almost starting laughing … Read More
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It started with a series of texts. “I’m taking a mental health day next week.” “Next Thursday.” “Just letting u know.” I was traveling on assignment in Finland’s frozen Lapland when Stella, my fifteen-year-old daughter, ping-ed me from the other side of the world. She’d been studying like crazy lately and needed a break. This … Read More
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Twenty alpine ski resorts, one mom and two kids, and roughly 100 days between now and spring. With one Ski Vermont Fifth Grade Passport in hand, our goal now strikes me as almost comically ambitious: to ski every one of the resorts in the passport. From Jay Peak near the Canadian border to Mount Snow … Read More
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Ever since our first family ski vacation back in February 2014, when my three girls and I surprised my husband with a visit to Stowe, we’ve made it a tradition to hit the slopes for his birthday. We haven’t always managed to time our travels to the actual day, but looking back, we’ve celebrated Daddy … Read More
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