Montpelier, VT – The heart of winter beats strong in January and with up to 50 inches of snow blanketing the state’s slopes, Vermont ski resorts are celebrating the season to the fullest. A bounty of events and family fun celebrations dot the monthly calendar, as well as steals and deals on lift tickets and lodging at resorts across the state.
Ski Vermont is offering its $29 Learn to Ski and Ride Month promotion once again and participating in Winter Trails Day this Saturday, January 12, with Nordic skiing and snow-shoeing promotions, but here’s a list of January deals and events at the state’s resorts, including MLK holiday weekend fun.
Stratton Mountain Resort
The Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday will feature free afternoon music in Grizzly’s, free hot cocoa and sugar on snow, games and trivia, and quintessential winter activities including ice skating, snowshoeing, tubing and more.
Mount Snow Resort
Monday, January 14 is Grommet Jam #2 for young skiers and riders age 12 and under to get 90 minutes of instruction from Mount Snow freestyle coaches on how to properly and safely enjoy small freestyle features. A friendly competition follows with winners going home with gear from event sponsors. Registration and information is available online at www.mountsnow.com.
Bromley Mountain
PHAT (Protect your Head at All Times) Day at Bromley on January 19th offers Free Helmet Rentals, and a raffle for five KidsRule helmets.
As if a $49 ticket wasn’t good enough, ski or ride Bromley on Monday, January 21, and save your used MLK Day lift ticket. It’s good for $10 off your next weekend or Holiday All-Day Ticket at Bromley. The $49 lift ticket is available with printed E-Coupon only, with the $10 off good only with returning MLK Madness tickets. Download your e-coupon here.
Okemo Mountain Resort
With MLK Weekend ahead, Okemo is ready to welcome families with a multi-day deal on lift tickets. When skiers and riders purchase lift tickets online at Okemo.com, at least 48 hours in advance, they can celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a special three-day lift ticket, valid January 19, 20 and 21, for $185 for adults (a $61 savings); $160 for young adults (a $56 savings); and $125 for juniors (a $43 savings). Additional online deals are available throughout January.
Bolton Valley Resort
The famous Bolton After Dark returns this season, where every Saturday night lift tickets are priced at just $19 from 4 to 8 p.m. Inside the lodge, Fireside Flatbread offers up $2 flatbread slices and $2 sodas or PBR drafts. At 8 p.m., watch a free showing of a ski or snowboard movie – a great way for the whole family to enjoy after dark hours together. For parents with little tykes, Bolton Valley has introduced new Ski and Play Days, where on Wednesdays, parents can ski or ride with a full day lift ticket and receive a full day of daycare for their child for $79, a savings of 40% off the retail rate. Ski and Play Day is also available on Sunday afternoons from 1 to 4:30 p.m., and includes a half day of daycare and a half day adult lift ticket, also for $79. Space is limited and reservations are strongly encouraged. Extra children may be added to either day for $30 each. Call (802) 434-6866 for details.
Smugglers’ Notch Resort
For the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, Smugglers’ lowest rates start at $85 per youth and $115 per adult per night apply to stays of five nights or more, with arrivals January 16-20. The resort offersa ski-and-stay package featuring children’s snowsports instruction, and a package including on-snow instruction for the entire family. Each package includes mountainside condominium lodging; lift tickets; use of the indoor pool and hot tubs; access to Nordic ski and snowshoe terrain; snow tubing; ice skating; use of the FunZone and teen centers; and family and adult entertainment. Call (855) 814-7325 for reservations.
Sugarbush Resort
For the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend Sugarbush has a line-up of events for the whole family including a torchlight parade and fireworks, Kids Pizza and Movie Night, Family Italian Dinner Night, live music for après-ski and more. Ski & Stay lodging packages and a complete list of events are available at sugarbush.com or by calling (800) 53-SUGAR.
Mad River Glen
Watch ripping young competitors fight for the win this month as Mad River Glen hosts the Junior Unconventional Terrain competition this Saturday. The competition starts at 11 a.m., and includes skiers 13 and younger. Top finishers will qualify for the Triple Crown Unconventional Terrain competition and the Ski the East Freeride Tour.
Enjoy one of MRG’s award-winning naturalist programs over the MLK holiday:
- Family Snowshoe Adventure, January 19, 2013 – Join MRG for this special outing for families. While snowshoeing on easy terrain, explore the flora and fauna of the slopes. Appropriate for ages 5 and up.
- Twigs, Buds and Bark, January 20, 2013 – Explore the ecology of the hardwood and boreal forests of Stark Mountain, and learn how to recognize the buds and bark of some of the mountain’s most common trees.
Stowe Mountain Resort
Stowe Mountain Lodge offers an abundance of activities to participate in over MLK weekend. Saturday and Sunday are host to:
- The Recess program from 12-2 p.m. – Join the SML fitness team and learn how you can work out, get in shape and stay healthy as a family
- Movie Time at 4 p.m. – Snuggle up in a bean bag chair and fill up on free popcorn as you watch some of your favorite films on the big screen.
- Bear Factory at 4 p.m. – Create your own stuffed polar bear, penguin, and other fun winter animals while also designing a t-shirt just for your new friend. Fill out a birth certificate to take home, too.
- Laser Tag in the Hotel at 6 p.m. – Come see how fun indoor laser tag can be at SML.
Stowe also offers specialty snowshoes tours including the Saturday Night Starlight Snowshoe and Yurt Tour and Just Leave Tracks Snowshoe Tour.
Killington Resort
Fun-filled sliding under the lights? Look no further than the Killington Tubing Park. Located on East Mountain Road across from the Killington Grand Resort Hotel, the multi-lane, lift-serviced park has good times for all ages, right at the heart of the resort. Looking to warm up? Step inside for a pick-me-up at the all-new Parkside Pizza Pub. They’ll be serving up hand-tossed pizzas, family-style pasta, and hearty warm snacks and drinks to round out the evening.
Cap off your day of skiing or riding with a snowcat-drawn sleigh ride. Killington is offering sleigh rides at 5 p.m. every Saturday through March 16, and on select additional dates as well. Guests will depart from Cooper’s Coffee in Snowshed Lodge and enjoy a 20-30 minute sleigh ride at dusk on Killington’s trails. Dress appropriately for the weather, and seats are limited.
Topnotch Resort and Spa
Topnotch Resort and Spa is a proud sponsor of The 2013 Stowe Tour de Snow – a showcase of the best of what Stowe has to offer winter visitors, locals and neighbors alike. Scheduled this year on January 20th from 12-4 p.m. all along the 5.3-mile Stowe Recreation Path, families and friends ski, walk, snowshoe or run and participate in fun-filled activities grouped into stations sponsored by local and area businesses and organizations.
As a starting point for the event, Topnotch offers warm-up exercises courtesy of the Spa’s Fitness Director as well as warm-up and cool-down beverages. Other stations on the Tour feature everything from yoga intro sessions, Nordic terrain park, and “Learn to Ski and Snowshoe” clinics, to sled-pulling contest, slalom ski course competitions, a winter survival station, food and drinks, and other games and contests on skis and snowshoes.
All proceeds from the Tour contribute to the enhancement of the winter use of the Stowe Rec Path and the S.K.I.S. (Skiing Kids in Schools) program providing cross country ski equipment and professional instructions to Stowe School students grades 3-8. Participants can register at Topnotch’s Nordic Barn the day of the event from 12-2 or in advance online at www.stowetourdesnow.com.