How to Enjoy a Ski Destination When It’s Not Ski Season

[RNCollins]

How to Enjoy a Ski Destination When It’s Not Ski Season
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/16/...-ski-destination-when-its-not-ski-season.html

By Shivani Vora / Travel / The New York Times / August 16, 2018

“Vail, Colo., Jackson Hole, Wyo., and Park City, Utah, may all be mainstay skiing destinations, but trips to their resorts — or those in any other ski spot in the United States for that matter — shouldn’t be confined to ski season. Pamela Lenci, general manager of Caldera House, a new hotel in Jackson Hole, said that top ski locales offer plenty of diversions in the summer and fall, too.

“You can have just as much fun without hitting the slopes,” she said. Here are some of her best tips to enjoy those ski destinations when the slopes aren’t covered in snow....”

Illustration by Lars Leetaru / for NY Times

 

[heathpack]

Here’s how I do it: mountain biking.

Works well for timeshare owners because the summer is a non peak season at a lot of places with great riding.

 

[missyrcrews]

As I've shared before, Smuggs is our hands-down favorite exchange, but we don't go in winter! We've gone for April break, long weekends in fall, and then summer. We also like Attitash, Waterville Valley, the Bethel, Maine area (Sunday River) and would like to stay in Lincoln, NH (close to Loon)...all ski areas. These places tend to have at least one pool, larger rooms, and then many now have some sort of on-site summer activity. (Mountain coaster, scenic chairlift, etc.)

We did visit Attitash for Feb break 2018, and will be back for 2019. It was a whole different place...we enjoyed it that time of year, too.

All of that is to say, don't ignore those ski destinations just because it's off-season.

Edited to add: We also like Jackson Gore Inn (Okemo) and The Grand Summit at Mount Snow. Guess we really use the "ski area in off-season" strategy!

 

[klpca]

We're big hikers so ski destinations are usually great hiking destinations. The only issue is that often the towns are pretty sleepy in the off season. Also, skiers are a bit hard on the rooms - lots of dirty carpet and scuffed walls so sometimes the units look worn. We just got back from Northstar and I told my (adult) kids that I liked this better than camping. They were pretty horrified as we are also big campers. I see the future for us and it doesn't include a tent.

 

[WinniWoman]

In New England there is actually more to do in the Summer and Fall and late Spring than in the winter. In the winter you- umm- ski. Then you are too tired afterwards to do anything else. Maybe go in the hot tub. And it's dark and cold.

In Summer and Fall and late Spring, there are limitless activities: hiking, walking, swimming (pools and lakes), mountain biking, sightseeing, fly boarding and paddle boarding, segways, kayaking, wineries and breweries (ok- you can do those in the winter), berry and apple picking, outdoor museums, local summer theater, horse back riding, ATV's, fishing, etc. The towns are bustling. But-No- you can't ski.

We don't ski, but we have been to Smuggs twice during the winter. We went dog sledding, snow shoeing, snowmobiling through the notch at night, horse drawn sleigh in Stowe and a ski lift excursion at dusk up Sterling Mountain where they prepared a gourmet candle lit dinner in the cabin at the top and then we all snowshoed down the mountain in the moonlight.

Wonderful at XMAS also, with fireworks on XMAS eve and a torchlight parade of snowboarders coming down the mountain and Santa. An old fashioned non-demoninational service in the meeting house.

Both our timeshares are in ski areas and both are summer ownerships.