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.

Blueberry Lake is a beautiful lake known for swimming, fishing, kayakers, bike trails and hikers in…read morethe summer and snowshoeing, skiing and ice skating in the winter. Directions to the parking area: From Main Street in Warren, Vermont, head east on Brook Road for 1.9 miles. Turn right onto Plunkton Road. After 1.8 miles you will reach Blueberry Lake. There is a parking lot on the left. Trailheads are on the opposite side of the road from the parking area. Port-a-potty and picnic table were located at the end of Blueberry Lake Road (Town Highway 28) where you can launch a canoe, kayak or stand up paddle board.

Very easy to find place in Warren Vermont. It has its own parking and then you cross the street to…read moreget the rentals - we got some cross country skis. The place is very reasonably priced and had really good equipment. And also had an amazing woodstove inside so it was pretty warm. And the guy was very helpful telling us about the trails around. We chose Trail trails one and two we didn't get to three because we had to meet up with friends. The trails were very well-maintained and actually passed by a form that had beautiful horses - the snow was gorgeous that day and we really enjoyed the trails. Highly recommended

Useless and disinterested in making any effort to help. Manager 'off-duty' as couldn't be bothered…read moreto address an issue. Why would one stay here again?

Horrible room. $310 for a dungeon with a canopy bed on the first floor facing the parking lot…read more We were promised a @view of the mountain". We got a view of the empty parking lot. The room had 2 60 watt bulbs situated so that there is dim light and not possible to read a book in bed The tv closet is so large that you cannot walk around the bed without banging your shins on the bed or closet. All restaurants at sugarbush are 100% closed on sept 14 2021. The shower took 8 minutes to get warm tepid water to come out the nozzle. Why? The hot water tank had been turned off fir such a long time that it took a while before new hit water could be delivered. There is no place to have breakfast if any sort without driving 6 miles to town. Sugarbush closed the summer lifts m- f, so that likely explains the de-facto ghost village. I think we were the only paying guests ... plus 1 owner was there Overall. The room is weird dark and badly laid out The towels were plush The hot water was non existent There were zero services ( restaurant, lift) at the base There is no reason to stay here in September. If you want to play golf at the nearby course, then you will be better off staying in town Warren/ waitsfield The front desk apologized and offered a 20% discount. But they did not provide the discount after we got the invoice. We will not be back for the fall colors. Neither should anyone else expecting service

I loved staying here. At their checkin counter is keurig…read moremachine with coffee and tea k-cups. The space was neat and clean. Kitchen had coffee filter and brewing machine. Very close to the sugarbush ski resort. Around 10 minute walk. You can also call the shuttle service.

Stayed at the Center Village condos in Sugarbush Village, which are the 1st set of condos to the…read moreright of the Lincoln Peak base lodge (if you're looking up at the mountain). We reserved a small studio style room, which is actually a one bedroom w/ 1 bed and a pullout couch in the living room area. Check in (and check out) is at Sugarbush Inn, which is located further down the access road- (you pass this before getting to the Sugarbush base lodge, hang a right and the Center Village condos are right there). Check-in went smoothly...they provide a welcome packet, maps, free shuttle schedule, and actual keys (rather than the more modern credit card style swipe cards that are now so common). For our checkout, we wanted to ski the day we were leaving so we called the desk and asked if we can leave the keys in the room as we vacate to allow for housekeeping and sign our paperwork when we leave for the day on our way down the mountain...very flexible, and allowed us to enjoy a great partial day of skiing before heading home! Would have been avoided though (and saved me a phone call), if we were automatically checked out and if the keys were electronic, we wouldn't have to leave them. Great location- we could walk to the base lodge in the morning (and not worry about parking and such) and back to the condo for lunch during the day. Parking was very easy- you can park right in front of the entrance to the condo building. Having a kitchen is a huge bonus- you can bring food and have it in the comfort of "home", rather than going out to restaurants or eating in the base lodge amongst the herds of people. There are not too many large markets nearby through- Shaws is in Waterbury 20-30 min away. You're pretty much confined to smaller grocery stores/vt country stores and convenience stores in the area so bring what you can with you. The condo has all dishes, silverware, cooking utensils, etc. so that was really convenient. Each unit has a ski locker in a little room that is the connector from the condos to the path that leads to the base lodge- very convenient place to put all the ski gear. For convenience, Sugarbush Village has a couple of on-site dining options- a pizza place, a deli, a pub, a little French restaurant (Chez Henri)...we didn't go to any of these places on this visit, but nice to know they were there. I've been to Chez Henri in the past and it's has great food w/ a cozy atmosphere. VERY dated- think wood paneling, 80's style appliances and electronics and your typical worn ski lodge decor. Definitely more functional, rather than fancy. Sugarbush Village itself is also very dated- it is such a great location that I would think that this may also be due for an overhaul, like the Clay Brook condos & new base lodge were. Skimped on the toiletries- very cheap stuff in the bathroom and not enough to cover our stay. Easily fixed by dropping by either Clay Brook or Sugarbush Inn to ask for additional shampoo/conditioners... the fancier kinds too :) And one weird complaint- Static everywhere...carpet, blankets, mattress pads on the bed, pillows, everywhere! The dry air probably contributed to all the static as well. All in all, exactly what I expected...Sugarbush itself is one of my favorite mountains to ski (so it ranks way higher than the lodging). I wanted the convenience factor during a holiday week so I paid a premium for it and I knew I was renting one of the older and less expensive options at Sugarbush, so my expectations were a little lower (and met by Center Village)!

5+ stars for Top of the Valley! We've been skiing at…read moreSugarbush for over twenty years and these are best accommodations we've enjoyed as a family. Visiting with another family we needed to sleep 4 adults and 4 teenagers/college students and this exceeded our expectations. The kitchen had everything we needed to prepare breakfast and dinner and a very large table so everyone could enjoy our meals together. The bedrooms were very comfortable with plenty of space for your personal belongs and enough bathrooms so no one had to wait for a shower. Master bedroom had beautiful views of the valley, a wood burning fireplace and private bathroom. The Living room had plenty of seating for family movies, a fireplace along with puzzles and games for the kids to enjoy. Having both a sauna and hot tub, after a day of skiing, was amazing. With the condo only minutes form downtown Waistfield you won't have to go far for the ski resorts, shopping and restaurants. Lance was a great host, super friendly and always available to address any questions, from firewood to WiFi. I love that the condo is pet friendly which is rare to find. You and your family will love your stay at Top of the Valley.

Brought my favorite skis in for full tune after doing a lot of damage to the bases and edges in a…read moreweek in dry Colorado. Folks are so friendly and knowledgeable. Picked them up the next morning. They looked great but that's not the proof. Took them out for a day and what a difference. Skied like they were brand new. Can't thank Alpine Options enough for their great work.

service is not customer focused - was told to bring skiis in and got there at 4:37pm and they close…read moreat 5:00 but was told i was to late to get skiis sharpened and waxed. They need to be more clear on when they actually close the service as it is different than the store hours.

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.

I recently stayed here for a place to crash before an early morning hike. The check in person and…read moreprocess was excellent. The building has an old ski lodge feel to it. However, it's very dated. The room was very small with basic amenities. There was no way to control the air conditioning temp which I would have preferred (at least I couldn't easily locate a thermostat). The beds were okay. Sheets and pillows were great. The tv was TINY and had a pretty legit delay when changing channels. The outlets are old and my cell phone charger kept falling out if it. I also found no available open outlets, had to unplug the lamp and alarm clock to accommodate two chargers. For the price you pay ($190/night) it's reasonable. I left far too early to see any of the continental breakfast offerings. And was disappointed to learn their gym is not on property. Overall suited my needs for night.

I just don't know where to start with this place. I mean honestly, I'm at a loss for words. It…read moreseems like the owners had a clear goal in mind but they've certainly given up. Now before I start getting all negative, I will list some pros Pros: -Not pricey depending on what room you book -On the access road (short drive) and one of the GMT shuttle stops -Clean (For the most part - will return to this later) Now that that's over, here's why this place is 2 stars in my view: The room itself is a standard motel room: Two uncomfortable beds with scratchy, plastic-y linens, a small TV, a desk, coat rack, and a window. The bathroom appeared to be clean, however, the dollar store shower head certainly didn't help make the lukewarm water any more pleasant. Instead, it turned the already lukewarm water into a fine mist. For any of you who haven't skied before, that's the worst way to end a day of skiing in single-digit temps. The bathroom was equipped with a dim vanity light and a light-fan combo that sounded of a helicopter with the de-fogging power of simply leaving the door cracked open. The people running this place certainly aren't generous with the heat, another thing that ticked us off. The breakfast at this place is a true reflection of the lack of effort put into this place. What were the breakfast items available at a lodge right in the center of a state known for its cuisine? Coffee, store-bought Activia yogurt, bagels, cheap pastries and cereal in a broken plastic dispenser. It was served in the bar which other than the food setup had 3 little tables in it (People also ate in the Great Room). It isn't that hard to simply move these tables in the morning, add another table where they were, put out some waffle irons, some batter, and nice maple syrup to help improve this laughable breakfast. This is without mentioning the biggest problem with breakfast - it doesn't start until 7:30. Good luck eating here and getting to the mountain in time for when Super Bravo and GMX start loading. And now, this place's attempt at a cozy, warm vibe - the Great Room. Like the breakfast, this place also resembles the lack of effort put into this place. We headed there to sit by the fire before our dinner reservations at Tucker Hill. We were, of course, the only ones there. I can't blame the other guests, what was there to see? The floor lamps were turned off, the fire was smoldering out (only 6:30 PM, mind you), some crappy pop music was cutting in and out of the iPod on the mantle, and the most uninviting bit, a security camera was very proudly mounted on the chimney. Based on other guest's experiences I can only assume this is in part meant to prevent people from drinking their own booze outside of their rooms (How dare they). By the time we returned from dinner at around 8:45, the fireplace had been covered up and the lights in the lobby were mostly turned off. Upon our morning of checkout, we were confronted with a rude awakening: A freezing cold room, and after we packed all of our stuff, a brown-ish stain (pictured) on the box spring which appears to be spilled coffee, or dare I say, blood. When driving to dinner the night before, we took note of the large number of other places to stay on German Flats, nearly stripping SL's benefit of being much closer to the mountain than everything else. Upon the stain incident, we were sure we weren't staying here again. For curiosity's sake, we looked to see the prices of Tucker Hill to find that a room of comparable size only costs $20 more than SL, and with not a single review under 5 stars. Sugar Lodge, we won't be back.

West Hill B&B is the BEST! We stayed for three nights over the weekend of the Mad River Marathon…read more We weren't running it (originally I was competing in a Highland Games at Sugarbush but it was cacelled) but had a great time with all those who were! When you first arrive Peter and Susan give you the tour of both your room and the house. That's when you meet Smoky and Snowball, their beautiful cats. The house and the gardens are expansive and welcoming, as are the hosts. There is a bar with beer and wine and Peter is happy to serve you Scothes and liqueurs from the Craich in the evenings. (Everything is added to your bill at the end so no need for cash.) We stayed in the Garden Room, with its own entrance. It was very comfortable and made up for us every day with a little tidbit of Vermont history laid on the pillows every night. It was quiet and peaceful. Breakfast was amazing! Susan is a superb cook and made a three course breakfast every morning that included dessert! You won't go hungry at West Hill! She even made up a huge carb load for the marathoners the night before and an early morning breakfast (5 am!) for the marathon runners. My husband took advantage of the breakfast so he could get off early on a hike. I waited until a civilized hour. The gardens are huge! They own the property on both sides of the road so there are multiple ponds, fountains, gazebos, chairs, and a comfy hammock! They even provided a fire pit and ingredients for S'mores. What fun! We spent one afternoon reading and napping in the gazebo in the upper garden. It was bliss. Pater and Susan are great innkeepers. They are friendly, knowledgeable, and so excited to share their home. We met some wonderful people and they encouraged conversation. It was like a family for those few days. TIPS: The cats do not go in the rooms, however if you are severely allergic you may not want to stay here. Definitely let them know if you have any food preferences or allergies--they are very knowledgeable and accommodating of dietary needs! They are not kidding when they say to let them know if you want reservations at a local restaurant--they will call and make them for you. I can't recommend them highly enough! We are definitely returning.

This place is wonderful. Conveniently located to Sugarbush but you don't even need to drive there…read more They now have a shuttle bus that stops at the front door of the B&B and takes you to the slopes. This house has 8 rooms....my favorite being the Garden Room but all are nice and comfy. Peter and Susan prepare breakfast for the guests and have warm cookies at the end of the day. They also now have a liquor license so no need to drive to et a drink. All in all this is a great place to stay when visiting Warren or Waitsfield.