It’s February vacation. Here’s how to make the most of your ski trip

Let's try to deliver some tips for maximizing your ski time during February vacation week.

Skiing during February school vacation week is a rite of winter. Whether you have a place up north, booked through a resort when there were still leaves on the trees or simply plan to wing it and let the chips fall where they may, you are among thousands who plan to hit the slopes this week.

The sooner you come to the realization that you will not be getting 35,000 feet of vertical, the better off you will be.

It might be midweek on the calendar, but the reality is, it’s a stretch of seemingly never-ending Saturdays.

Here are some steps to ensure everyone in your group has a good time.

Be prepared

If you can get it done the day before you intend to start skiing – whether it is picking up lift tickets or rentals – do it. Guest services is typically quiet during afternoons and able to accommodate. Having your passes already in hand beats having to wait in line the following morning for an online pick-up box or at a ticket window.

Success at picking up rentals – whether directly at the resort or off site – will vary, but the time savings make it worth looking into. Think of it this way: the rental shop employees know a tsunami of visitors are on the way. If they can bang out some of tomorrow’s workload during a down period and lighten the load, chances are you’ll be able to get sized up. And if you can, don’t hesitate to show the staff some love for accommodating your group early. The rental shop is no place to start a ski trip.

Do not attempt this as lifts are closing and all that day’s rentals are being returned. This is a thread-the-needle-type move between lunch and 60-90 minutes before lifts close for the day.

Get there early

The early bird gets the worm. That’s so true when it comes to skiing.

Getting a better parking spot means not needing to lug your gear as far to the lodge. The fresh cord is just sitting there waiting to be carved into.

Those who can rise with the roosters get to reap the benefits. Yes, it is going to be a busy week across the mountains of New England, but if you can be there for when the lifts fire up to start the day, you’ll be able to get at least a few runs in before the sleepyheads start making their way over and the lift lines start backing up.

Taking a lesson

Lessons for the littles means the adults have a bit of time to explore the mountain on their own. The kids will be able to use dedicated lines – meaning more runs for them – all while picking up a few pointers from instructors. Get a morning lesson and they can show you what they learned during the afternoon. And since we should never consider ourselves too old to learn something new, put yourself in a lesson and bypass the lift line when it is at its busiest part of the day.

Fuel

If you were successful in getting to the mountain early and enjoyed those runs before the lift lines started backing up, chances are you could use something to eat or drink. Do it before 11:30, when the masses start searching for chicken nuggets. By coming in early, you get the lodge when it isn’t slammed, and then you are back on the mountain when everyone else is taking a lunch break.

The smallest of kids are going to need a legit break, but if the kids are older, throw some snacks and a bottle of water in everyone’s jacket and keep the ski day going. We all know that snacks bought at the supermarket are a lot cheaper than from the lodge.

Move along

When on the mountain, the best way to avoid lift lines is to get away from the lodges. The sooner, the better. The chair that runs from mid-mountain to the summit and typically only spins on weekends and holidays is begging to be lapped. Skiing section by section limits the amount of traversing one needs to do at most places. The bubble chairs and enclosed lifts look good on the website and are the go-to spots for people who often only go on a yearly ski trip. So avoid them as they more likely to back up quickly.

Think smaller

Depending on which pass you have — if you have one — consider smaller mountains and leave the hustle and bustle of the bigger resorts to everyone else. This is supposed to be a vacation, after all. Save all your energy for being out on the slopes instead of stressing over how much crowded the base area is going to be. The lift tickets and food will be cheaper, while there will be more space on the trails to carve some turns without needing to worry about getting plowed into from behind.

One important thing to remember. If we can get through this week, it will be clear sailing for March, April and hopefully beyond.