Sprawling. Crowded. Pricey. As a longtime skier in the northeast, I lose a little bit of ski soul…read moreevery time I encounter the reality of $249/day window rate lift ticket pricing, like what Sugarbush and its corporate overlord Alterra have unleashed on former independent gems like Sugarbush. Yes, most people will never pay $249/day because they're buying $200 online tickets, but sit with that for a second... $200/day x 2 days for a weekend + food/gas/etc means at least $500 for an average weekend of skiing before you even get to lodging. And that's absurd. Its no exaggeration to say that setting day-of pricing to over $200/day is a marketing (read: extortion) ploy to advance sales of even more expensive multi-mountain passes like Ikon, intended to lock customers into a collection of other overpriced mega-mountains, ensuring customers never know what alternatives there are out there to the over-priced, over-skied, nickel-and-dime experience that modern corporate skiing with has become. And while most customers will mindlessly one-click renew their Epic (Vail) and Ikon (Alterra) passes each year, economically the only reason these passes makes sense is when you have plans for a week away at a different exotic ski resort under the same corporate ownership that epouses equivalently over-priced day rates. In case you missed it, that's an increasingly large array of Vail and Alterra's mega resorts, as consolidation within the ski industry continues its supernova trajectory, targeting any mountain nearing triple-digit trail counts as the next pin in their corporate hats. If that sounds extreme, it's not. It's the reality many of us who've been around a while have seen play out. And it's important to understand because of the very real, far superior options available to the mainstream corporate pass skiing experience. Let me illustrate by a simple comparison: one day at a local independent mountain (Bolton Valley) vs one day at a corporate machine (Sugarbush). SUNDAY AT SUGARBUSH: riding up high-speed 5m lifts with few lines, but dumped into crowded trails laden with bumpy pockets of snow atop an icy, unpredictable base - a natural consequence of pushing hordes of skiers faster and faster up a mountain without any ticket limits that might ensure a better skiing experience. I consider myself an expert skier, who's skied some of the steepest terrain in the world, but skiing icy, unpredictable slopes like Sunday at Sugarbush force-limits anyone's ability to improve, by defaulting to minimum viable slopes stripped of any natural snowfall. It's the equivalent of the mafia offering to fix your garbage problem that it, itself, created. It's the false claim of fixing over-crowded, over-skied trails with more snow-making and faster lifts... which just put more bodies, scraping more snow, creating more of a problem than existed before. However, more bodies on mountain = more food/bev sales for corporate coffers, which ever-present signage reminding you of $1/paper cup charges won't let you forget. Heaven help anyone who just paid $249/day at the window is not also paying for double-digit drinks and $38 pizzas - the horror! SATURDAY AT BOLTON VALLEY: riding up 10m lifts with zero lift lines, skiing uncrowded glades/trails laden with soft, natural powder atop zero ice - a natural consequence of force-limiting ticket sales with smaller parking lots, less traffic, and a family-friendly, independent focus. Window pricing $49 - $109/day, but equally skiable for an entire weekend on a modest $300 season pass (Indy). TL;DR: a split-view compare of independently-owned resorts who prioritize experience over exploitation, independence over incorporation, and presence over pace. Most folks reading this review will assume it's an advert for competitors. It's not. It's a rare insight into two mountains 45m from each other who've taken entirely different paths to profitability and achieved radically different outcomes: one driven to maximize pricing and bodies on the hill, another by nearly six decades of family ownership that's driven by affordability and great experience. As with all things consumer, we all have a choice of where to spend our dollars. Having spent decades skiing the mega-mountains, traveling across the world to ski other Alterra/Ikon resorts like A-Basin, Mammoth, Stratton, and Palisades I can legitimately say the experience is the same: over-crowded, icy weekend skiing in the corporate Frankenstiens trying to solve an unsolvable problem of over-sold slopes with fake snow and higher pricing vs the still-here, uncrowded Indies indexing for reliability, affordability, and uniqueness. There's value in slowing things down, taking in stunning vistas, and paying a lot less to experience a lot more. See beyond trail counts and lift speed and you'll find an entire world of better skiing by generations of family-owned resorts beholden to a different master: your enjoyment, not corporate's bottom line.

The farmhouse rental and ski repair shop which is the sugarbush ski service shop did a great job…read morewax and tuning the edges on my skis. I felt as though I had a new pair of skis after they worked their magic (took about a half hour in the morning). The grooming of the slopes and the friendly lift operators and mountain representatives were also great when I visited the mountain yesterday. The Ted's beef chilli stew topped with cheese and Jalapenos was a great lunch.

What skiing and boarding used to be...., before hedge funds and satanic corporations bent on…read moreextracting every penny from the public went on acquiring the vast majority of ski areas. Middlebury still has the mojo. It still has the customer service. It still has the small town ambiance. Still a place where kids can get dropped off by mom and dad to have fun. We came here through Indy Pass, the multi-resort pass that honors and supports independent ski areas. What a joy We got here and it was evident we were going to have a great time. No crowds. The customer service people were just super. A couple of skiers gave us points on where to go. The place has glades galore. A couple of the best runs can be pushers and so is the top transition between the two mountain side terrains. Other than one or the main runs used for racing and therefore groomed accordingly from top to bottom, some of the rest were groomed but still leaving plenty of room for ungroomed runs and natural skiing. We got there at 9:30 and had freshies and powder to suit us. Their cafeteria is small but plenty for the place. Truly a congenial and old school ski area. May it multiply to bring the best experience to every skier and rider.

Wowwww. I loved this lil mountain. One of the last remaining holdouts that hasn't been usurped by…read moreevil-company-that-shall-not-be-named, & you can literally feel it in the air when you get there. The vibes are so good. I can't even remember the last time I got a hand-written lift ticket - I laughed out loud when I got mine! It was only $55 for a half day which was 1 PM to 4 PM. That would be like one bazillion dollars if it was run by evil-company-that-shall-not-be-named. A pass for an ENTIRE day (9 AM to 9 PM) is $75 on non-peak days & $85 on peak days. That would be like fifteen bazillion dollars if it was run by evil-company-that-shall-not-be-named. I went to Middlebury Snowbowl with two friends, both of whom needed to rent gear. The attendants in the rental shop were super friendly & fun to converse with, & my friends were both geared up (snowboard & skis respectively) for a sensible $50, helmet included. It was time for me to put my teaching chops to the test, so we tackled the bunny hill first. It was equipped with a magic carpet thingamajig & had the perfect amount of slope for beginners - Not too flat so that you have to scootch uncomfortably to get any speed, & not too steep that it's intimidating for a newbie. We made excellent progress! My BFF/student was ready to tackle the chairlift, so that's where we went next. We asked the liftie if he could slow the lift down, since it was my friend's very first time riding a chairlift - & on a snowboard, which is even scarier! He gave us an evil grin, reminding me of Scar from the Lion King, & I swear he SPED the chairlift up. No matter. We made it work. So we took the Sheehan Chair up & the Lang Trail down. The best conditions I've ever seen? Absolutely not. Still very much enjoyable? Absolutely. After our tired & very accomplished newbie retired to the lodge, my skier friend & I explored the other side of the mountain using the Worth Mtn. Chair. Not as good! Many ice patches! Many flat spots! I even had to unstrap & basically ice skate across a flat sheet of frozen terrain at one point. We went back to the original side of the mountain & ran Lang & Kelton a few times to cleanse our palettes. We retired just before 4 PM, feeling incredibly satisfied & like our money was well spent. The whole experience honestly made me a bit emotional. Bear with me here. For me & so many other people, snowboarding has become almost inaccessible. I started at Yawgoo Valley (shout out Yawgoons) in 2011 on borrowed gear & a dream. For years after, I just made it work. I slept on couches, took 5 AM busses, saved up my paychecks to buy season passes, waited in line for Burton warehouse sales, rocked FLOW BINDINGS (ew) until they snapped, & generally just lived the snowboard bum lifestyle. I snowboarded, like really snowboarded, all the time. That's basically impossible now. It's not ONLY the fault of evil-company-that-shall-not-be-named, it's also the fault of the commodification of the entire industry, with a generous sprinkle of isms. That's why the SPARK is gone. That's why it costs more & not only do you GET less, you FEEL less. When an industry defined by "bum culture" is now financially, logistically, & socially impossible for bums to partake, what happens? It becomes a ghost of what it once was. If you've made it this far in my review/rant/diary entry, I commend you. Thanks for coming along for the ride. Shoutout Middlebury Snowbowl, I will definitely be coming back.

THE BEST ski area I've been to. It's not overly crowded, it's very clean, everyone is kind and…read morehelpful and ready to answer your questions. Prices are not too bad (if compared to Killington) and the slopes are well maintained. The people there helped to put on and take off my ski boots (which is always a hassle after being exhausted from the day). I wish I lived closer because this place was perfect. They have a food court with quick options, a bar with a more elaborate menu, and an indoor and outdoor fire pit. Their bar/restaurant Perley's is where we had lunch. My only complaint was the prices for this place. $25 for a cheese burger and fries is criminal. I would stick with the foodcourt instead of bar food.

History, class, comity, and fun. Saskadena Six is a wonderful place for a family and everyone…read moreelse. A skiers' and rider's mountain where old New England still lives. The resort is owned by the venerable Woodstock Inn, a gem of national distinction. And the upscale air is evident in the friendliness and poise of the staff at Saskadena. A huge lodge with historical pictures everywhere, including memorializing the first motorized life transportation in the US, a 900 foot rope tow built in 1934. Formerly named Suicide Six, the resort centers around a modern yet charming lodge with a huge hearth, a bustling cafeteria, and a well stocked bar. The resort is a scant eight minute ride from the beautiful town of Woodstock, where the Rockefeller and Billings legacy is still visible. Parking at Saskadena Six is not an issue, the parking areas are close to the lodge and a ramp takes the visitor to the lodge area. Saskadena Six has been a part of the Indy Pass for a few years now, and it has become a family favorite. Entering the lodge, one can perform ticket purchases inside or outside. Donning boots and equipment is done in benches and chairs in the lodge, with inside cubicles around the walls. The lodge has plate glass windows on its entire slope facing side, providing beautiful views of the ski area. Once ready to hit the slopes, the nearest lift is the fixed quad that takes the visitor to the 1,200 foot summit. The resort has a 650-foot vertical drop, featuring 24 runs on 100 acres.. Besides the quad, Saskadena sports a double lift on the far side of the resort, and a J-bar. The challenging Show Off run is a steep, mogul filled track, while The Face and Crystal are parallel black diamonds. Several other runs feature both natural, groomed and mogul filled. Saskadena Six usually gets 110 inches of yearly snow, augmented by a vigorous snowmaking system. Dining at Saskadena Six is quick and efficient. A roped off area separates the alcohol-served areas from the rest of the lodge. Several local brews are on tap, as well as national selections. Skiing Saskadena is a pleasure. Small but quite pleasant, devoid of the stress of the larger ski areas in New England. Its history and charm are welcome assets in an industry where sterility seems to be popular. Terrain is rated 30% beginner, 40% intermediate and 30% advanced.

This place is old school. Loved it. Strongly recommend going when there is heavy snow on the ground…read moreas it can get thin. Loved every second of it.

Excellent groomed trails that cover a lot of terrain, good rental equipment.read more

This review is for the Adventure Center specifically. I…read morewanted to love the experience but the staff is very scattered and the process to rock climb is ridiculous. We tried to climb multiple times and were told to come back. When we did come back at the right time (two separate times) they said the time changed. They don't let you reserve in advance (which would alleviate this problem) but most of all the staff was super rude and went out their way to be unhelpful (Katelyn from st albans - most of all). They could easily have helped but they did not and walked away with us standing there with upset kids (for the third time) For a cost and supposed level of service-- this is shocking. Been a big advocate of this resort my whole life but the atmosphere has sadly changed.

Our tour group took us here, for the Gondola View for Falls colors…read more I'm not disappointed, there were lots of snow up there, by the time we got there, it was very windy, and we're dressed like winter. Inside the upper building, there are shops, restaurant, a coat section with warm setting, and restrooms. We weren't having lunch here, it was packed! We already made plans, to eat elsewhere. Going up or down, even though it was foggy, and spitting, we were able to enjoy some of the view of the season! The gondola ride was still pretty amazing, being up there. It was fun!

A community treasure. We are so grateful to the Cochran family for making skiing accessible to…read moreeveryone and for being a shining example of generosity and goodwill to all.

Make no mistake: only 1 star because we did get a refund…read more Advertised night skiing for Friday night from 3-8pm. Even let us purchase tickets for that time slot 2 days prior. We called around 10am that day to double check our reservation and got no answer. I figured it was because they might not be open yet but no they were and just didn't answer. We drive an hour to come ski only to be told by the car next to us that they closed at 4 when we showed up at 3:30. The staff seemed confused were the mishap was and offered to just move our reservation to another night and eventually just gave us a refund. It said in very small print that they changed the hours for this week. Looked like an alright place to ski for an hour or two, really we were just excited to ski for our Friday night. If you're from out of town I'd steer clear of this place for lack of communication. :(

Beautiful place full of activities, from ski to tubbing and riding the gondola just to enjoy the…read moreview in case you don't ski . They have lots of gift shops . Tubbing is great , except for the line that pulls you back up the hill . That is simply terrible , difficult to get out of and it's just a matter of time before someone gets injured trying to come out of it . I almost fell on the other side of the line and the staff just stood there and made no attempt to help , with that I injured my hand trying to hold on to the line . They certainly need better staff and a better system .

I am really enjoying Killington more and more. Every spring I now look forward to just to still ski…read moreuntil as late as possible. Skiing opening day this year too set the tone for the season. This past visit I was absolutely thrilled with the lift crew on Bear Mountain. I think they enjoyed my company as much as I did theirs. The fresh snow made it easy to ski all day. Minimal stoppage as I wanted to ski a marathon and then some, successfully accomplished. Looking forward to my next upcoming visits.

I was here with family because my cousin has a timeshare at Eagles. Great place, friendly staff,…read morelocal area is amazing. Can't wait to return again next year.

I rated this a four star. it was a great place to stay, each unite was 2000 sq ft a garage and a…read moresingle house two bed room the staff was very good to work with our stay, turned out very nicely.