Statewide, Vermont (PRWEB) November 12, 2013 -- Spending time in Vermont during the holidays is as majestic as it sounds. Snow covers the mountains and pines, fireplaces glow in windows, delicious smells come from kitchen stoves, and holiday cheer is abundant. Vermont ski and snowboard resorts want to share their holiday cheer with their visitors by offering entertaining activities to keep families celebrating and great deals to get the them there.
Mount Snow Resort
Thanksgiving weekend at Mount Snow is stuffed with fun events including the Turkey Hangover Hill Climb on Friday, November 29 with three course lengths for all ability levels. Silly costumes are encouraged. On Saturday, November 30, enjoy a huge fireworks display and, conditions permitting, a torchlight parade followed by a visit from Santa. Saturday, December 29 will feature another huge torchlight parade and fireworks display to celebrate the season. Then on Monday, December 30, is the Grommet Jam #1 for kids age 12 and under to get some freestyle coaching in the morning followed by a friendly terrain park competition in the afternoon.
Stratton Mountain Resort
Winter kicks off with enticing ways to ski, ride and save at Stratton including the popular Kids Ski and Stay Free package, along with an invitation to share the love. Introduce a friend to the sport of skiing or riding; get a one-day all-mountain ticket and a friend gets a learning park lift ticket, one beginner lesson, and ski rental -- all for only $49 from opening through December 20. Available online http://ticketsale.stratton.com/#extras.
Make it a Thanksgiving tradition with fresh tracks and cool events including the Gobble Gobble Wobble 5K, Village Rail Jam and a gala fireworks kick-off to the 2013-14 season. Celebrate the holidays and ring in the new year with a Stratton Mountain ski and snowboard getaway that is packed with events, entertainment and activities for the whole family from full moon snowshoe hikes to dog sledding, snowmobiling, and fast-paced snow tubing under the lights.
Magic Mountain
For the first time ever, Magic Mountain plans to open southern Vermont's original snow tubing park by Thanksgiving weekend, along with its base beginner area. Magic will make more snow than ever before with the addition of new West Side snowmaking terrain and new HKD mobile tower guns. With a planned top of the mountain opening on December 13th, a Winter Kick-Off Concert on December 21 with Twiddle, and a New Year's Eve fireworks bash, Magic is ready for a snowy Christmas week. Make walk-to-slopes reservations at the Upper Pass Lodge or Blue Gentian Inn now before they're booked. And hurry for low holiday ticket prices at the online Magic Store. http://www.magicmtn.com
Okemo Mountain Resort
Okemo Mountain Resort has decked the halls for the holidays. The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are full of family traditions, and with lodging rates set to “Super Value” prices, savvy skiers and riders include Okemo in those holiday customs. It’s also a great time to demo new equipment so Santa can update his list. Demos are available every day in Okemo’s Snowsports Shops and on Dec. 14, Okemo hosts its annual Super Demo. This event is at no cost and open to the public and features top brands from a variety of ski, snowboard and snowshoe manufacturers. A credit card imprint and waiver is required. Call (802) 228-1600 for more information.
Sugarbush Resort
Sugarbush hosts numerous fun activities for the whole family starting now through the holidays. Don’t miss The Big Kicker, the winter kickoff party complete with films, freestyle expos, food, presentations, and more. The annual Taste of Timbers event takes place on December 9 where visitors can sample locally inspired foods prepared by the culinary team. Christmas week, enjoy everything from culinary demonstrations and cookie decorating to dog sled demonstrations and family fun nights with street performers. Be sure to enjoy the Torchlight Parade and Fireworks Display on New Year's Eve, as well as a dog parade earlier in the day.
Bolton Valley
On Sunday, December 15, skiers and riders who arrive at Bolton Valley dressed head to toe in official Kris Kringle attire will ski and ride free that day. This challenge is not for the faint at heart—a red hat won’t cut it. Guests must be dressed in the complete Santa package to earn the lift ticket. Happy Holidays lodging packages are $65/person for a night of lodging and a day of skiing when booking a slopeside hotel room for two with arrival on one of the 12 days from December 13-24. Then the festivities continue into the holiday week, December 26-January 1 with special events for the whole family: snowshoe tours, bonfires with hot chocolate, ice cream socials, and more. All leading up to the holiday week showstopper: New Years Eve Torchlight Parade and Fireworks. To view photos from year’s past Santa extravaganzas, click here. Visit boltonvalley.com for lodging details.
Trapp Family Lodge
Holidays at the Trapp Family Lodge are not to be missed, with a 100 kilometer trail network and terrain suitable for every level of cross country skier or snowshoer. As the first cross country ski center in the country, Trapps put cross country skiing on the map. After a day of skiing, celebrate the holiday season with the Lodge. Thanksgiving in the Main Dining Room means a delicious feast with Austrian and traditional Vermont specialties. At Christmas, peruse the variety of artfully-decorated trees throughout the Lodge and enjoy one of the most cherished traditions; the family’s annual Christmas Eve carol sing with guests. New Year’s Eve brings a brilliant fireworks display to our mountaintop. Plan a holiday visit with a lodging package: Visit http://www.trappfamily.com for accommodations and specials.
Stowe Mountain Resort
Take everything people don’t like about holiday lift ticket lines and make that easy. As easy as walking from the car directly to the lift and going skiing. That’s the ByPass at Stowe Mountain Resort. Simply register the Evolution Stowe Card online, and go directly to the lift to ski or ride in Stowe. Add to that instantaneous savings by automatically paying the discounted ByPass rate, even during the holidays, the first time the card is scanned at the lift each day. The Evolution Stowe Card has replaced traditional tickets, using RFID technology for optimum convenience and value throughout Stowe Mountain Resort.
Smugglers’ Notch Resort
Celebrating the holiday season at Smugglers’ Notch Resort creates memories that will last a lifetime. Excitement builds as Santa’s elves visit guest condominiums for bedtime tuck-ins and stories for young children a few days before Christmas. Santa arrives on December 24th to receive children’s final wish lists, as families sing carols and enjoy sweet treats. Restaurants in the resort village entice diners with comfort foods and warming beverages after a day of winter recreation on Smugglers’ three mountains.
At Smugglers’, 2014 is ushered in with a grand New Year’s Eve Celebration featuring bonfire, torchlight parade, fireworks, late night entertainment and dance parties, party favors and a variety of dining alternatives. The resort’s Kids’ Night Out program offers children ages 3-11 their own fun with dinner, games and entertainment, available until after midnight at Smugglers’ kid-pleasing child care center, Treasures.
Guests staying 6 nights or more during the holiday week (December 26, 2013 – January 1, 2014) enjoy an additional night at no extra cost. Smugglers’ packages please families with inclusions such as mountainside condominium lodging, daily lift tickets, snow tubing, use of the indoor pool and hot tubs and Nordic ski and snowshoe terrain, and family and adult evening entertainment. (http://www.smuggs.com/skivtw, 1-855-814-7325)
Jay Peak Resort
The holidays up at Jay Peak start and end on a musical note with plenty to do in between. Hot Tuna plays the resort’s opening weekend with a show in the Foeger Ballroom on November 30. On December 14th, the resort hosts the Troops Ski and Ride Free Day. Stateside, the most, ah… “historic” area of the resort, enters the 21st Century when the new Stateside Hotel and base lodge has its Grand Opening Bash on December 20, complete with a live performance from the Grift. And on January 4th, Rusted Root plays the Foeger Ballroom.
ABOUT SKI VERMONT
Ski Vermont (Vermont Ski Areas Association) is a proud ambassador of the thriving winter tourism industry in Vermont, where the legislature has designated skiing and snowboarding as the official state sports. Vermont is not only the #1 ski state in the east and third in the US, but also reigns supreme in snowmaking quality and coverage, variety of terrain and historical impact on the sports of skiing and snowboarding - making it one of the most significant ski and ride destinations in the world. Ski Vermont’s mission is to help create a legislative, economic and social environment in which the state's ski areas can grow and prosper. It serves its 19 Alpine and 30 Nordic member resorts in three major areas: Governmental Affairs, Marketing and Public Affairs.
Sarah Neith, Ski Vermont, http://www.skivermont.com, +1 (802) 223-2439, [email protected]
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