Mid-December Vermont Ski Vacation?

[Anonymous]

We (5/6 adults, 1 8yo) are trying to plan a mid-December get away that has skiing and other stuff to do - including a day camp (ski lessons) and activities for the 8yo. I know last year there was little to no snow most of the season in New England but we were thinking of New England, specifically Vermont and wondered if anyone had suggestions for nice place that would have ski lessons for 8yo. Dates probably Dec 16-23. Most years we go to a place where we are all together in a very large house with kind of a house manager so meals etc all taken care of (but because of zika/pregnancy - deciding on non-tropics this time!) so while we would be OK with several rooms in a hotel we want to feel like we are together BUT - not really looking for a situation where we had to make meals/drive far to eat out. I have no idea of where to start as I don't know Vermont at all. At least one of us will not downhill ski though maybe snowshoe / cross country so where ever we go has to have more than slopes. We know that out west would be a better choice for good conditions but travel time and need to leave due to a family issue is keeping us on the east coast. Also with suggestions let me know where you flew into. TIA

[Anonymous]

we love Stowe. We drive, but you can fly into Burlington and rent a car ( 30 min drive) or they have shuttles. If you stay at Stowe Mountain Lodge then you will be right on the mountain and have restaurants and things there ( also a pool). However, there are some cute little spots in the town and you might want to venture out to these places also. You could also rent a home nearby if you rent a car.

We have gone the week before Christmas in the past and there was snow. There is no guarantee though! The "snow forecast" this year predicts there will be a fair amount of snow, but i don't know how anyone comes up with that formula. And even though we had snow while we were there, only a limited number of trails were open.

I love Stowe. It's so scenic. You can always spend a day in Burlington. There are other things to do besides ski.

[Anonymous]

Caution - many years there has been little snow - even the man made kind.

[Anonymous]

Killington is a pretty good bet for snow if the weather is cold enough. I'd do Tremblant though.

[Anonymous]

Just saw you are willing to fly (we always drive to VT). In that case I'd opt for Tremblant. Fly to Montreal and it's 1.5 hours on highways. Stay at the Fairmont.

[Anonymous]

Also, just note that mid-Dec is pretty early for ski season so conditions may not be good (Xmas was horrible last year). So you may want to try to fly Southwest so that you can use the tickets for something else if there is no snow. Or at least go somewhere with enough non-snow activities if necessary (Tremblant would be good for that I would think)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Caution - many years there has been little snow - even the man made kind.

Because of this possibility, it'd be best to go someplace that has a village -- that has fun things to do if the snow isn't good.

[Anonymous]

There was no snow at all in VT/ northern NY last year until the first of the year. We were there right around Dec 29/30/31 (can't recall the exact dates) and we added an extra day at the end b/c there was finally enough cold weather to make some crud and ski one day. I've had the same thing happen in Tahoe in December. It's just not worth the risk, in my opinion, that early in the year.

But we love Stratton in VT. We haven't been to Smuggler's Notch, but it's supposed to be great for families, so there are probably lots of things for the 8 y.o. to do if there's no snow.

[Anonymous]

We're usually going to VT/upstate NY/NH for a week between Christmas and NY. Snow condition is hit or miss, be prepared for that
We've been at Stowe, Killington, WildCat, Whiteface, etc
Last year was crazy - rain on Christmas. We ended up hiking instead of skiing around Stowe.
My favorite so far is Stowe. Not too crowded, kids had a blast with ski school, new village looks lovely. Our party is relatively low-key, we usually rent a big house together with couple other families, so we can find something to do together besides skiing.