March 3, 2009 E-MAIL PRINT

Best of spring: Warm up to the slopes

Jay Peak�s glades and trails are best explored in spring. (photo: Jay Peak)

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You know the old line: “In the spring, a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.”

Love of snowsliding, that is.

Ah, but there’s no better time to take to the slopes than spring: soft snow, warmer days, more daylight, more celebrations and — least known — more snow. Yes, statistically, March is the snowiest month in most mountain states.

Springtime — you’ve gotta love it. It’s the best time to ski, ride and party. Here are some of the best spots in New England to milk the most from the season.

Mountain features

BEST CHANCE TO SKI AND GOLF

Okemo

Here’s the thing: Okemo’s indoor golf center is open year-round, so even if the superb links aren’t quite ready to go before the snow’s totally gone, you can sashay over there and play courses such as Pebble Beach and Pinehurst No. 2 on the all-too-real Full Swing Simulator. And, of course, if Ma Nature cooperates and allows the 6,400-yard, championship Okemo Valley Golf Course to open, well, that affords a special ski/golf combo indeed. Another option: Lodge at the Inn at Essex (in Burlington), ski Smugglers’ Notch, and golf indoors at Gonzo’s Indoor Golf Club, which features course simulation in Hi-Def.

BEST SNOWBOARDING

Stratton

If nothing else, this is the site in March of the annual Burton US Open, the nation’s longest-running and premier snowboarding contest. That alone qualifies Stratton as the snowboarding place to be, especially since Average Joe and Josephine riders can use the Open’s halfpipe and other set-ups after the contest. There are five terrain parks here, plus a superpipe and a rider-friendly reputation that dates back to when it was the first major resort to allow snowboarding and was among the first to be a Burton Method Center.

BEST EVENTS

Multiple resorts

Nearly all resorts get into the action come spring, with slush pond competitions, big air contests and cardboard sled derbies. But, a few events stand out: the Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships at Stratton, Reggae Weekend at Sugarloaf, Reggae Fest at Mount Snow, Killington’s Spring Loaded Fest and Bear Mountain Mogul Challenge, the three-weekend Spring Summit at Stowe, and the inimitable Parrot Head/Bust n’ Burn Festival at Sunday River. Attend them all and you’ll be ready for a quiet, relaxing, sun-soaking beach weekend.

BEST VIEWS

Wildcat

Location is everything, and fabled Wildcat is across the road from Mount Washington. In spring, Wildcat’s 2,112-foot vertical drop is loaded with corn snow on classic trails from the resounding Lynx to agreeable Polecat. The Presidential Range view includes Tuckerman Ravine, a trip all real skiers and snowboarders should make in spring at least once in their lifetime.

BEST WEATHER

Jay Peak

Jay is well-known for sitting in its own snow belt, and this stands it in good stead during late season. Combined with a northerly location that allows the season to linger, this phenomenon means more natural snow falling for longer than at other resorts, and more time to ski the soft stuff in Jay’s famed glades.

BEST DECK FOR SUN

Bretton Woods

For a combination of sun and view, you can’t do better than the deck at the Taco Quad Restaurant, located (you guessed it) at the top of the main quad lift. It reveals Mount Washington in all its glory, with the Mount Washington Hotel looking like a kid’s toy at its base. For those who prefer a base lodge option, the Slopeside Restaurant & Pub has a quiet deck from which you can watch folks make their final approach to the bottom.

Après ski

BEST ON-MOUNTAIN APRÈS SKI

Sunday River

If there’s a problem here, it’s too many choices. After all, the place has eight peaks, three base lodges and two major hotels. So, it’s possible to be making the scene at Point A but worrying that Point D has better action. On-mountain, Foggy Goggle at South Ridge, Barker Pub at Barker Mountain and Pugsley’s Pub at White Cap rank best. The Well has a sophisticated ambience. Off-mountain, the Sunday River Brewery and Matterhorn flow with beer, munchies and good folks.

BEST SINGLES MOUNTAIN

Killington

It’s the best singles mountain year-round, so there’s no reason it would slump at season’s end. Tons of special events and the Killington Road’s long list of après spots — from the loud and rowdy at the Wobbly Barn, Pickle Barrel and Charity’s to free happy-hour buffalo wings at Casey’s Caboose — makes this the place.

BEST LIVE BANDS

Mount Snow

Well, this is a tough choice, but Mount Snow offers an excellent range of live music — from rock in all its variations to low-key acoustic and jazz. The Snow Barn is the main stage, with live music most weekends and holidays, sometimes with up-and-coming national acts. Cuzzins mixes DJ and live music, as does The Silo. It’s “unplugged” music on Saturday nights at Walt’s Pub in the Snow Lake Lodge, and live jazz at Harriman’s Restaurant in the Grand Summit Hotel on Fridays and Saturdays. The Midstation Bar has acoustic music. There’s something for everyone.

BEST PARTY SCENE

Killington

A place that’s best for singles and après ski logically will reign for parties. As the weather warms, the various base lodge decks fill with happy folks, beers in hand, celebrating all the rites of spring. Meanwhile, the happiness spreads like fast-flowing lava down the Killington Road.

BEST MARGARITAS

Stowe

For good margaritas, go where the best Mexican food is found. Stowe offers two options. On-mountain is Jose’s Cantina in the Midway Lodge, where you can savor the drink over lunch or après ski. On the Mountain Road is Cactus Café, where the margarita menu stretches to more than two dozen options, and all are 16 ounces and handmade with a barrel full of tequila choices.

BEST DEALS AND DISCOUNTS

Sugarloaf

After mid-March, Sugarloaf puts itself on sale in a big-time way, with ski/stay packages known to be as low as $65 per person/per night, including lodging, lift tickets, sports and fitness center for condo/inn guests, or spa privileges for hotel guests, daily breakfast for hotel guests and, until April 10, daily complimentary adult Perfect Turn ski/snowboard clinics. Mix that with special events such as mid-April’s Reggae Weekend, and you have a formula for getting a serious bang for your buck.

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