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Skiing near Burlington for 4 days
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I'm looking at taking a trip with my son (9 yrs old) for a dad/son trip to Burlington at the end of January. We would have 3 or 4 ski days and wanted to see everyones advice. We're both advanced (he skis for our home mountain's terrain park team) so looking for something fun and memorable.
How would you divide your time?
Am I wrong to pencil in a day at Mad River Glen to cross that off the list?
Thanks!
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I would recommend staying in waitsfield and doing 3 days at Sugarbush and 1 at mad river. Head to Burlington one afternoon or if it’s a bad whether day and do the Burlington stuff then. No need to stay there. Staying in waitsfield means a 5 minute drive to ski vs a 50minute. Plenty of great restaurants to choose from in Waitsfield as well.
3 Sugarbush days (2lincoln peak, 1 mt Ellen)
1 day MRG
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I'd try to get a day in at a few different places..as Dan mentioned you can stay in Waitsfield which is closer to the mountains. Burlington to Sugarbush or Stowe is about 45-55 minutes, but if your already in Waitsfield it's much closer, depends how much shopping/ eating etc.. you want to do, definitely lots more in Burlington.
I'd recommend a day at Stowe at least, and if your up for it make the extra drive to Jay Peak but that's a little further. I never went to Mad River so I can't comment on that, but my friends have said it's great.
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I second what everyone is saying. Is terrain park a necessity? If so check out Mt Snow or Killington. If not, then avoid like the plague. Is lift ticket cost a concern? If so, definitely check out prices and liftopia and buy >24hrs before you go.
I would highly recommend using Airbnb for lodging in a semi-central location of all the resorts you choose to ski at. Or use a travel site to search such as hotels.com. For example 2 years ago my family drove to VT for Xmas. Stayed in Middlesex. My brother and I skied at Jay (90min drive), MRG (30min), and Smuggs. Stowe is a 25min drive from there with plenty of restaurants and stuff to do. If you're lucky you can find cheap hotels in Stowe or Jeffersonville. I stayed at the Smugglers Notch Inn in Jeffersonville last year and it was chill. Bar and restaurant downstairs and plenty of locals to chat with. Smugglers notch is close. Town of Stowe is 30min away. If for whatever reason you go to Jay and need to stay overnight, I'd highly recommend the Snowshoe Lodge. Can only book over phone. Dive bar and dive motel. Bring own blankets cuz it's run down lol. Food is good.
I've never been to Sugarbush but it's right next to Mad River Glen so combining those two could be beneficial.
From my experience, on a pow day nonetheless, Mad River is the real deal and I bet your son would have a blast on all the natural features. Smuggs too. Jay Peak though is by far my favorite place in VT and has so much more to offer from a skiing variety perspective. Their glades are the tits.
I've found that 1 day isn't really enough to explore all that a mountain can offer. I would recommend 2 days at your top choice and largest mountain especially if you're gonna be hitting up the glades.
Not sure if you've been to VT or not but don't set your expectations too high. While it's still a blast, your conditions could be an ice rink every day.
Let us know what you choose and perhaps people could provide some insight on specific resorts and where to ski within them to maximize your experience.
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