Mt. Snow is a place of contrast with its nine chair lifts and slopes that range from expert to cow pasture, complete with snow bunnies that splash in the heated outdoor swimming pool at Snow Lake Lodge during the day and gambol in the lounges of several lodges at night.
If the cost of the lodges and resort motels at the base of the slopes are too heavy for the budget, the nearby towns of West Dover and Wilmington abound with accomodations from economical dorms and private guest homes to modern motels with meals and recreation facilities at moderate rates.
Vivid With Color
As vivid with color and attractions as Mt. Snow is, Vermont does not end there. A very short drive brings the slopes of Big Bromley at Manchester to the skier who is looking for some rugged down-hill runs. Or one could continue North on Route 7 to the less crowded but equally challenging slopes of Pico Peak and Killington Basin in Rutland.
In fact Killington Basin claims the highest skiing in Vermont with a base elevation of 2200 feet rising to a top elevation of 4241 feet with December to May skiing.
Although lodging at all prices are available in and around Rutland, the student skier may find the three-quarters of an hour drive to Middlebury worth his while. In addition to being the site of an annual Intercollegiate Winter Carnival and host to several ski jumping meets, Middlebury is also the home of Middlebury College and some of the most charming coeds in the east.
Most social activities center around the Middlebury Inn, which boasts room rates as low as $4 per person.
Mad River Parties
Back onto Route 100 North, a half-hour's drive in the morning opens up the twin challenge of Sugarbush and Mad River Glen to the serious and not-so-serious skiers.
Reputed to be the center of winter operations for the jet set, Sugarbush is a whirl of impromptu private parties and socializing. And across the river, Mad River Glen offers five full miles of expert rated slopes alone--which are not recommended for the cocky beginner who feels he is "ready."
A new attraction at Sugarbush this year is the famous Norwegian ski champion and now top instructor, Stein Eriksen, who is now top instructor at the area's ski school.
Should your wallet and limbs still be in good shape after a whirl at Sugarbush and the Glen, point your radiator North on Route 100 again to the appropriately named "Ski Center of the East" -- Stowe, Vermont.
50 Instructors
The virtual "home" of U.S. skling, the Stowe area is typifield by the Mt. Mansfield Co. which operates multitudes of trails and lifts on Mt. Mansfield and Spruce Peak. The area is so vast in its development that the ski school alone employs 50 instructors.