# VT advice



## 8lifeGREAT (Dec 21, 2007)

Wanna ski/snowboard VT, just don't have the skinny on best bang for the buck. I lived in CO and so I expect long runs and cheap places to stay. But friends live in Middlebury and want to go north.

Looking for advice to go mid January and have been sent to Jay's Peak. Seeming pricey, want to just sleep in the truck. But there's 3 of us and only room for 2, well and you just get stinky that way.

Appreciate the skinny. Willing to consider other locales.


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## SilverBullet (Jul 18, 2008)

Mad River Glen and Bolton Valley are great areas that are pretty cheap. Less grooming, crowds and attitude. Bolton has some great back country stuff that is very accessible too. The ski shop on the way up to the parking lot can give you the skinny. Also if you have climbing skins the back side of Mt. Mansfield (Stowe) is fun. Google the Teardrop trail in Underhill state park.It's free, steep and very accesible.

I guess it depends on what you are looking for. Trees and natural terrain would be Mad River Glen. Groomers with less crowds and some glades would be smugglers notch. I never skied at Jay but I know that get lots of snow for the east. Stowe's pricey but has the biggest vertical in Vt and some great trails as well as tons of gondola accessed sidecountry.


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## Vermont Refuge (Sep 1, 2007)

I can't claim recent knowledge (I moved from Grand Isle VT to CO 15 years ago!), but I think that the best experience would be the shift from the CO mega-resorts to the smaller scale of VT. COming out of Middlebury you shoudl definately ski Mad River if the weather is good - The place is small, cheap, and has the best attitude in the world (think A-Basin for the whole family). You will pay more to ski Jay, but that's also a great place - good BC shots, but again very weather dependant - easy place to get frost bite because of the wind. I did a lot of X-C skiing while I was there; if you get up around Stowe the Trapp Family trails (and the snowmobile connections out of Moscow) are just as much fun as the SKi runs and much cheaper.


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