With high speed this and WiFi that, it’s hard to escape, unplug and
unwind. Technology and a twitter pace have made their way up to the
mountains too. Detachable lifts and handheld devices have brought suburbia
to what was once a serene sport of skiing. Do you ever wish you could get
away from the modern mayhem and just glide down a quiet snow covered trail?
In our family travels, we have found a few ski areas where time travels at a
slower, gentler rate. It’s refreshing to pull up to a ski area without valet
parking or shuttle buses from parking lot E. Imagine, no rows of ATM-style
ticket kiosks, no lesson assembly lines, or Disney-style lift corrals with
electronic ticket checks.
Here are a few ski resorts that hearken back to a simpler time when skiing
was a hardy sport with a human touch, and base lodges were a place to
fraternize by a stone fireplace (not check your
facebook).
Saddleback takes you back in time. Our
winter weekend in this
neck of Maine woods was such a treat from our usual
high speed laps on groomed wide boulevards. Arriving at Saddleback, you park
a snowball’s toss from the slopes and walk to a welcoming post and beam base
lodge (which is actually new but has a classic homey atmosphere). Ticket
prices are a flashback at $49 a day, every day.
Saddleback’s terrain is certainly worthy of higher rates, 2,000’ vertical on
a 4,120’ summit, but that’s part of the humility and success of this
Maine-family owned spot.
When is the last time you skied a two-mile long top to bottom run with
twists and turns undulating along the natural contours of the mountain, not
another skier in sight? That’s Saddleback for you.
Fixed grip chairlifts keep a slow but steady pace, spreading skiers and
riders out over 66 trails and glades. Saddleback offers big mountain skiing
without the big crowds – given its remote location in beautiful Rangeley,
Maine.
We quickly felt the warm welcome from local folk, several skiers invited us
to après ski at the upstairs bar, the Swig and Smelt, which we did while our
kids went sledding outside the mountainside condo we rented for the weekend.
We’ll be back to Saddleback.
A day on the slopes of Black Mountain in Jackson,
New Hampshire, is like skiing in a museum. From the authentic chairlifts
that chug up the scenic 1,100’ vertical looking out at Mt Washington, to the
cozy base lodge nestled in a horse pasture, Black is a step back.
The terrain at 75-year old Black is challenging enough with natural snow and
inherent trail features, although there is a modicum of snowmaking. Black is
not too different than it was in 1935 when
the first overhead cable lift in
the country was installed here, the scenery is unchanged and unbelievable
too. With just enough steeps, glades and winding trails to keep a family
amused for a day or two, Black is a bargain at $29 midweek and $39 weekends
($20 and $25 for kids). Make a family weekend out of it by staying in
charming Jackson, or North Conway to broaden your lodging choices.
For Vermont ski classics, Bolton Valley
and Burke Mountain come to mind. Both offer substantial ski terrain,
1,700’ and 2,011’ vertical respectively served by quad chairlifts, with ski
in/ ski out lodging or quaint local inns. So while these ski areas aren’t
entirely “retro” like Mad River and Magic, they are less-visited than
Vermont’s major ski resorts. Bolton has 64 trails, many with extraordinary
views of Lake Champlain and New York’s Adirondacks beyond. Burke’s setting
in the Northeast Kingdom is spectacular, and Burke Academy’s history of
producing 45 Olympians on these slopes is equally impressive.
A getaway to these lesser known ski mountains offers a break from the fast
paced family ski factories. Your kids will get a glimpse of what skiing was
like before mountain monopoly became the game and every trail and ski
surface started to look the same. And they shouldn’t whine about the
withdrawal from the main stream, all of these places have terrain parks,
most have wifi.
Maine | New Hampshire | Vermont | Rockies | Sun & Sea Travel
