Are you planning to go skiing? Not sure where to go skiing in the Northeast? We are fortunate to be within driving distance of several ski resorts in the Northeast. Here are some tips to help you find the perfect ski resort in the Northeast.
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Ski Resorts in the Northeast: Location
With so many ski resorts in the Northeast, you first need to narrow down your location. How far are you willing to drive? Are you going for the weekend? Or is this a day trip? If you are just going for the day, you may only want to limit your drive to 1 hour or 1.5 hours from the New York Metro area. That limits your search to closer mountains near NYC such as Thunder Ridge Ski Area which is only 1.5 hours away from NYC or Mt. Peter Ski Area which is 1 hour and 19 minutes away from NYC. However, these are beginner mountains and may not be challenging for the advanced skier. You can drive another hour in New York and Massachusetts to places like Hunter Mountain, Windham or Jiminy Peak. Hunter Mountain is 2.5 hours from NYC, Windham Mountain is 2 hours and 42 minutes from NYC and Jiminy Peak is 3 hours from NYC. Although driving 3 hours for skiing may feel a little too far for a day trip. Fortunately, Jiminy Peak, Hunter Mountain and Windham Mountain all have onsite lodging so you can plan an overnight trip or an easy weekend getaway.
Tip: Use our Northeast Ski Resort Finder and search ski resorts near your location so you can narrow down which ski resorts are suitable for day trips and which ski resorts are suitable for overnight trips.
[Get discounted lift tickets! Check out these deals from Liftopia: Windham Single Day ticket from $40 (save 26%), Thunder Ridge Single Day ticket from $14 (save 30%), Jiminy Peak Single Day ticket from $43.99 (save 34%)]
Ski Levels for Everyone in your party
Another factor for finding the perfect ski resort is to take into consideration your group. What type of skiers are in your group? Are there kids in your group? What level skiers and what age? If you have little kids, you will need to look into the minimum age to be enrolled in ski schools. Some ski schools start at 3 years old while some ski schools start at 5 years old. If your child is too young for ski school, you should also look into daycare options. Some daycare incorporates a short ski instruction for children as young as 2.5 years old (for example, Bromley Mountain, Stratton, Hunter Mountain offers it). While other ski resorts only offer daycare with no ski instruction. You should also look into the minimum age for daycare, some take infants as young as 6 weeks old. Smuggler’s Notch, Stratton, Jay Peak, Bromley and Mount Snow have daycare facilities that take children as young as 6 weeks old. You may also have children with severe peanut allergy and may only want to enroll your child in ski schools that are nut-free. Windham Mountain, Stratton Mountain, Bromley Mountain and Whiteface have peanut-safe ski schools.
[Check out our ski trip packing shortcuts: What to Pack for a Family Weekend Ski Trip: The Ultimate Packing Guide]
Do you have advanced skiers in your group? Then you will want to find a more challenging mountain that can accommodate both novice and advanced skiers. For the advanced skier, it’s important to find a mountain challenging enough with advanced trails. Good ski resorts in the northeast for mixed group of novice and advanced skiers are Stratton, Mont Tremblant, Whiteface Mountain and Smuggler’s Notch. Smuggler’s Notch is home to the only triple black diamond in the Northeast and Whiteface Mountain boasts the greatest vertical drop east of the Rockies with 90 trails encompassing 3 peaks on the Adirondacks.
Tip: Use our Northeast Ski Resort Finder and filter by ski school minimum age or daycare minimum age. And to find out which ski resorts have the combined daycare with ski instruction, filter by daycare with ski lessons.
[Plan ahead and save on lift tickets! Check out these deals from Liftopia: Stratton Lift Tickets from $29 (save 63%), Mont Tremblant 2 Day lift ticket from $42/day (save 42%), Smuggler’s Notch Single Day ticket from $40.99 (save 40%), Whiteface Single Day ticket from $38 (save 34%)]
Are there Non-Skiers in your Group?
Do you have any non-skiers in your group? If so, you may want to look for a place with options for non-skiers. Perhaps a ski resort with non-ski alternatives like snowshoeing, cross country skiing or even a spa. Or you may want a ski resort that has a village onsite for easy access to shopping and restaurants. Stratton is a great place for this because there is a village onsite and Manchester is only 20 minutes away which offers a lot of shopping (outlet shopping!) and non-ski activities.
Tip: Use our Northeast Ski Resort Finder and filter by Non-Ski Activities (find nearby non-ski activities like dog sledding, ice skating, casino, outlet shopping, indoor waterpark, etc.)
[Plan ahead and save on lift tickets! Check out lift ticket deals from Liftopia: Stratton Lift Tickets from $29 (save 63%)]
[Are you thinking of skiing in Mont Tremblant? Here is everything you need to know to plan a family vacation to Mont Tremblant: Why I Love Mont Tremblant]
Ski Resorts in the Northeast: Type of Accommodations Available
How long do you plan to stay? If you are looking for a weekend trip, you may want to check to see if there are hotels on site. Do you plan to go for the season? If you are planning to go for the season, then you may want ski resorts that have seasonal lodging rentals. Do you want easy access to the slopes? Check to see if there are ski-in /ski-out accommodations. And definitely check where these ski-in/ski-out accommodations are located. Are they at the bottom of the mountain or the top of the mountain? You need to be aware that some ski-in/ski-out accommodations may be located at the top of the mountain which makes it difficult to access when the chair lifts are closed. Is it near the lifts you will be using? Or are they located on the opposite side end of the mountain? In that case, it is really inconvenient to have to go from one end of the mountain to the other.
Tip: Use our Northeast Ski Resort Finder to filter ski resorts by accommodation type to find out whether or not there are ski-in/ski-out accommodations onsite.
[Check out our ski trip packing shortcuts: What to Pack for a Family Weekend Ski Trip: The Ultimate Packing Guide]
What is the Ski Vibe?
Some mountains cater to the 20s crowd while some are family-oriented. You should look into this to find out what is right for you and your party.
Want to know the best places to ski within driving distance from NYC? Top 5 Family Ski Destinations near NYC
Ski Resorts in the Northeast: What time of the year are you going?
Are you planning a ski trip in March? Do you plan to go as early as Thanksgiving? If so, you may want to venture further north to Vermont resorts or even Canadian resorts to make sure you have enough snow as the southern resorts such as the ones in Pennsylvania may not last that late in the year. Killington, Jay Peak, Mont Tremblant are great choices for skiing in November or skiing in March. Of course, you should always check with the ski resort to make sure they are open because the weather can vary from year to year.
Pro Tip: How To Dress for Skiing
The secret to being comfortable on the slopes is to dress in layers. You start with the thermo base layer and leggings. Then you layer over a thin moisture-wicking turtleneck or mid-weight fleece (your choice depending on the temperature). Then you top the layers off with a ski jacket, ski pants and ski gloves. You need to take care of your neck too with a neckwarmer. If it’s cold, you will want a balaclava instead of a neckwarmer. Then for safety, you need to wear a ski helmet. I suggest buying your own ski helmet instead of renting (it’s more sanitary). You can usually buy discounted ski helmets from Backcountry.com. You won’t feel bad buying kids ski helmets because they are adjustable, so it will last you a few seasons. For your feet, don’t use regular socks, you will need ski socks because they are moisture wicking. I suggest keeping a few toe warmers and hand warmers handy for cold days. Below is a list of all our recommended ski gears for a comfortable day skiing.
- Ski gloves
- Ski pants
- Ski jacket
- Thermo Base Layer
- Leggings
- Thin moisture-wicking turtleneck
- Mid-weight Fleece
- Ski socks
- Neckwarmer
- Balaclava
- Toe warmers and Hand warmers (for cold days)
- Ski Helmets (You can rent ski helmets but I recommend buying your own. You can usually buy discounted ski helmets from Backcountry.com)
Plan Your Ski Vacation via Booking.com
Booking.comYou May Also Be Interested in these Ski Articles
Tip: Use our Northeast Ski Resort Finder to filter by typical open and closing month.
Check out our ski trip packing shortcuts: What to Pack for a Family Weekend Ski Trip: The Ultimate Packing Guide
Are you thinking of skiing out West? Check out our article: Where are the Best Places to Ski in Colorado?
Do you need a good laugh? Do you know we have a column that takes a lighter look at suburban life? Sam takes us through her love hate relationship with skiing. Seriously, Sam? Mountain Mama
How Much Does it Cost to go on a Family Ski Vacation? Use our Ski Vacation Calculator to Find out!
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