Stuart, thanks for writing this up - super helpful, and I'm now a subscriber. Hoping for advice from you or your readers. I skied a ton as a kid, all over the northeast, my mom and aunt would take us - Mt. Snow, Windham, Brodie, Stowe, Killington, Sugarloaf, Hunter, "Vernon Valley Great Gorge" and Hidden Valley down the road, Okemo, etc. I have great memories of skiing as a kid, but almost zero recollection of particular mountains. Last year I got my two boys (8 and 11) into it after 20 years off the slopes - they learned at Mount Peter and Mountain Creek, and graduated to Windham quickly. I want to spend this season exploring different mountains with them, just the Northeast, and mostly 1-2 day weekend trips. Kind of overwhelmed by choices, here. Ikon pass looks good because I have a buddy with a house at Windham, and Stratton is pretty close to us (we are from Long Island), etc. Epic also looks good and has a few mountains I recognize from going as a kid. The Indy Pass has a ton of options for 2-day passes, including some closer to home, but most I've not heard of . . . And the NYSki3 pass seems like three solid mountains that we'd certainly not tire of, but it's just the three.
What do you think? I kind of like the idea of the Indy Pass - variety, places I've not seen, and it's "indy" - but I'd be lucky to explore 6-8 of them over a winter, and if it's a lot of mediocrity, I'd probably just grab the Ikon, Epic, or NY3. Got any guidance?
My first instinct is to tell you to go Indy - they have lots of good stuff that's overlooked mostly because they're sandwiched between more well-known and larger Epic/Ikon resorts. Bolton Valley, for example, is between Stowe and Sugarbush, but is big and sprawling and fun for kids. Magic is between Mount Snow, Stratton, and Okemo, but it's a big mountain with great terrain and no crowds. Berkshire East is the best mountain in Massachusetts - you'll be shocked how good it is. It really shares a weather system with southern Vermont, so it gets way more snow than you'd expect. And Catamount (owned by the same owners as Berkshire East), is a nice 1,000-footer with a surprising variety of terrain. Shawnee, Montage, and Mohawk are all good day-trips to take with your kids and very easy from Long Island.
Those are just bonuses, however, as the real selling point for Indy in the Northeast are the big four: Jay Peak, Saddleback, Waterville Valley, and Cannon. These four are as good as anything on Epic or Ikon. Jay is the best ski area in Vermont. Cannon and Waterville are as good as Loon. Saddleback is not as big as Sunday River or Sugarloaf, but it gets more snow and it has a reborn energy under its new owners. Just check the blackout dates as they are extensive for Cannon. The Indy+ pass would take care of that.
Another good option for you would be the Northeast Epic Pass - it's cheap and covers tons of mountains. Hunter and Jack Frost-Big Boulder are the closest to you most likely. The only downside of the Epic Northeast is that those mountains mostly get mobbed on weekends. But it does come with 10 Stowe days and only has blackouts there and at Okemo, Mount Snow, and Hunter. It's a lot of access for not a lot of money. I believe they do not offer a kids version of this and you'd have to buy them Epic Local instead.
Ikon is going to be the most expensive option, but it also has the best overall collection of mountains. They are all far though, other than Windham and Stratton.
As far as Ski3, that's a solid pass and I like all three mountains, but if you want 6-8 mountains you may want to wait on that one.
For what you're describing - exploring different mountains over a bunch of weekends, Indy would be a home run, and you could do the whole thing for less than $600 for you and your boys.
Stuart, thanks for this thoughtful reply. I spent the hours after I made this comment going through your site, and listening to the interview you did with the NYS ski president Scott Brandi. Great stuff here - how is this not your "full time" job, again?
As to the pass, I came to the same conclusion after doing more research- Indy. That I've never been to most of these areas is a plus to me; that I've never heard of many is also a plus (hoping smaller crowds); there are enough that are "close enough" for me to cram them into a weekend road trip (a tiring one, but doable); and the fact that some of these mountains are on the smaller/more old school side is actually a plus for me, because (a) smaller = more manageable with kids, (b) with 20 years off, I'm the one who is old school, and these should feel familiar, (c) my kids compare everything to Mt. Peter, so most of these will blow their minds anyway. And I can't beat that price. Maybe we try this and decide to do something different next year - a different pass, or decide to make one mountain our base - but I know this will be fine (and possibly better than fine) for the year of "random road trip" skiing I have in mind. And, as you point out, Jay, Cannon, Saddleback, and Waterville - none of which I've been to! - are as good as the offerings on other passes, and will be great choices for the 2-3 longer trips we hope to do. I'm going to watch a few YouTube videos on some of the closer mountains I know I will hit, but I think I will pull the trigger today on the Indy Pass.
And maybe I should put this comment elsewhere, but a shout out to Mt. Peter and other "community" slopes that you discussed a bit in your podcast with Scott Brandi. This will sound odd, but I actually feel grateful such mountains exist to take my money. I think we made 6 weekend day trips to Mt. Peter from Long Island last winter, and it was my kids' introduction to skiing. There are few places better suited to that task. A 2.5 hour drive from Long Island. Parking mere yards from the lodge, lifts, bathrooms, restaurant and food trucks. An army of instructors to give lessons. A carpet and small lift for beginners, and the "big" lift to a completely manageable hill, with virtually no lines. My boys insisted on a snowboarding lesson first time - disaster, as expected - but they liked the experience enough that they wanted to go back the next weekend to try skiing, which I was able to do for them because it was so close and relatively cheap - get in the car, ski all day, and hit a drive-through on the way home. Over the course of a month we got my sister back into skiing (same hiatus as me), my wife took lessons with the kids and enjoyed it, and then we started going with other families who wanted to try skiing after hearing about our road trips. Sure, we were all ready to try other mountains by the 5th trip, but that is a good thing - my kids and wife had the basics down because of Mt. Peter, were ready for longer runs and bigger crowds, and because they had a taste of what skiing was about, they didn't complain about driving 1-2 more hours to get to a bigger hill. These early days of skiing simply would not have been as enjoyable at bigger places.
Thanks again for this site - really enjoy reading it.
Totally agree with everything you're saying. I bought my family Mt. Peter season passes this year so we can immerse my 5-year-old in the sport. Hopefully he's feeling pretty comfortable by the time we head to Montana in March.
Enjoy those Indy Passes. You'll find some gems out there, and you have plenty of options. If you go back in the podcast archives, I've got conversations with the owners or GMs of a bunch of them: Montage, Titus, Berkshire East, Catamount, Magic, Bolton Valley, Cannon, Waterville Valley, Jay Peak, and Saddleback. You will be happy to support these places after listening to those interviews. Keep me updated on where you go - you can email skiing@substack.com anytime.
Great to see mount southington featured! I grew up in that town and learned to ski on that hill nights after school during the week. Night skiing on that sheet of ice taught me to handle myself on ice right out of the gate. I recently moved to NJ and you inspired me to grab a Mountain Creek seasons pass. Looking forward to early weekend turns and weeknight laps after work. I love your content, please keep it up. If we ever cross paths, first beer is on me! Thanks!!
Stuart, thanks for writing this up - super helpful, and I'm now a subscriber. Hoping for advice from you or your readers. I skied a ton as a kid, all over the northeast, my mom and aunt would take us - Mt. Snow, Windham, Brodie, Stowe, Killington, Sugarloaf, Hunter, "Vernon Valley Great Gorge" and Hidden Valley down the road, Okemo, etc. I have great memories of skiing as a kid, but almost zero recollection of particular mountains. Last year I got my two boys (8 and 11) into it after 20 years off the slopes - they learned at Mount Peter and Mountain Creek, and graduated to Windham quickly. I want to spend this season exploring different mountains with them, just the Northeast, and mostly 1-2 day weekend trips. Kind of overwhelmed by choices, here. Ikon pass looks good because I have a buddy with a house at Windham, and Stratton is pretty close to us (we are from Long Island), etc. Epic also looks good and has a few mountains I recognize from going as a kid. The Indy Pass has a ton of options for 2-day passes, including some closer to home, but most I've not heard of . . . And the NYSki3 pass seems like three solid mountains that we'd certainly not tire of, but it's just the three.
What do you think? I kind of like the idea of the Indy Pass - variety, places I've not seen, and it's "indy" - but I'd be lucky to explore 6-8 of them over a winter, and if it's a lot of mediocrity, I'd probably just grab the Ikon, Epic, or NY3. Got any guidance?
Thanks so much for the note and for subscribing.
My first instinct is to tell you to go Indy - they have lots of good stuff that's overlooked mostly because they're sandwiched between more well-known and larger Epic/Ikon resorts. Bolton Valley, for example, is between Stowe and Sugarbush, but is big and sprawling and fun for kids. Magic is between Mount Snow, Stratton, and Okemo, but it's a big mountain with great terrain and no crowds. Berkshire East is the best mountain in Massachusetts - you'll be shocked how good it is. It really shares a weather system with southern Vermont, so it gets way more snow than you'd expect. And Catamount (owned by the same owners as Berkshire East), is a nice 1,000-footer with a surprising variety of terrain. Shawnee, Montage, and Mohawk are all good day-trips to take with your kids and very easy from Long Island.
Those are just bonuses, however, as the real selling point for Indy in the Northeast are the big four: Jay Peak, Saddleback, Waterville Valley, and Cannon. These four are as good as anything on Epic or Ikon. Jay is the best ski area in Vermont. Cannon and Waterville are as good as Loon. Saddleback is not as big as Sunday River or Sugarloaf, but it gets more snow and it has a reborn energy under its new owners. Just check the blackout dates as they are extensive for Cannon. The Indy+ pass would take care of that.
Another good option for you would be the Northeast Epic Pass - it's cheap and covers tons of mountains. Hunter and Jack Frost-Big Boulder are the closest to you most likely. The only downside of the Epic Northeast is that those mountains mostly get mobbed on weekends. But it does come with 10 Stowe days and only has blackouts there and at Okemo, Mount Snow, and Hunter. It's a lot of access for not a lot of money. I believe they do not offer a kids version of this and you'd have to buy them Epic Local instead.
Ikon is going to be the most expensive option, but it also has the best overall collection of mountains. They are all far though, other than Windham and Stratton.
As far as Ski3, that's a solid pass and I like all three mountains, but if you want 6-8 mountains you may want to wait on that one.
For what you're describing - exploring different mountains over a bunch of weekends, Indy would be a home run, and you could do the whole thing for less than $600 for you and your boys.
Let me know what you decide to do, and have fun!
Stuart, thanks for this thoughtful reply. I spent the hours after I made this comment going through your site, and listening to the interview you did with the NYS ski president Scott Brandi. Great stuff here - how is this not your "full time" job, again?
As to the pass, I came to the same conclusion after doing more research- Indy. That I've never been to most of these areas is a plus to me; that I've never heard of many is also a plus (hoping smaller crowds); there are enough that are "close enough" for me to cram them into a weekend road trip (a tiring one, but doable); and the fact that some of these mountains are on the smaller/more old school side is actually a plus for me, because (a) smaller = more manageable with kids, (b) with 20 years off, I'm the one who is old school, and these should feel familiar, (c) my kids compare everything to Mt. Peter, so most of these will blow their minds anyway. And I can't beat that price. Maybe we try this and decide to do something different next year - a different pass, or decide to make one mountain our base - but I know this will be fine (and possibly better than fine) for the year of "random road trip" skiing I have in mind. And, as you point out, Jay, Cannon, Saddleback, and Waterville - none of which I've been to! - are as good as the offerings on other passes, and will be great choices for the 2-3 longer trips we hope to do. I'm going to watch a few YouTube videos on some of the closer mountains I know I will hit, but I think I will pull the trigger today on the Indy Pass.
And maybe I should put this comment elsewhere, but a shout out to Mt. Peter and other "community" slopes that you discussed a bit in your podcast with Scott Brandi. This will sound odd, but I actually feel grateful such mountains exist to take my money. I think we made 6 weekend day trips to Mt. Peter from Long Island last winter, and it was my kids' introduction to skiing. There are few places better suited to that task. A 2.5 hour drive from Long Island. Parking mere yards from the lodge, lifts, bathrooms, restaurant and food trucks. An army of instructors to give lessons. A carpet and small lift for beginners, and the "big" lift to a completely manageable hill, with virtually no lines. My boys insisted on a snowboarding lesson first time - disaster, as expected - but they liked the experience enough that they wanted to go back the next weekend to try skiing, which I was able to do for them because it was so close and relatively cheap - get in the car, ski all day, and hit a drive-through on the way home. Over the course of a month we got my sister back into skiing (same hiatus as me), my wife took lessons with the kids and enjoyed it, and then we started going with other families who wanted to try skiing after hearing about our road trips. Sure, we were all ready to try other mountains by the 5th trip, but that is a good thing - my kids and wife had the basics down because of Mt. Peter, were ready for longer runs and bigger crowds, and because they had a taste of what skiing was about, they didn't complain about driving 1-2 more hours to get to a bigger hill. These early days of skiing simply would not have been as enjoyable at bigger places.
Thanks again for this site - really enjoy reading it.
Totally agree with everything you're saying. I bought my family Mt. Peter season passes this year so we can immerse my 5-year-old in the sport. Hopefully he's feeling pretty comfortable by the time we head to Montana in March.
Enjoy those Indy Passes. You'll find some gems out there, and you have plenty of options. If you go back in the podcast archives, I've got conversations with the owners or GMs of a bunch of them: Montage, Titus, Berkshire East, Catamount, Magic, Bolton Valley, Cannon, Waterville Valley, Jay Peak, and Saddleback. You will be happy to support these places after listening to those interviews. Keep me updated on where you go - you can email skiing@substack.com anytime.
Great to see mount southington featured! I grew up in that town and learned to ski on that hill nights after school during the week. Night skiing on that sheet of ice taught me to handle myself on ice right out of the gate. I recently moved to NJ and you inspired me to grab a Mountain Creek seasons pass. Looking forward to early weekend turns and weeknight laps after work. I love your content, please keep it up. If we ever cross paths, first beer is on me! Thanks!!
Thanks so much for that. Creek is a great thing to have nearby if you can learn how to manage it. I'll look forward to that beer!