Hey now.  

Heading to Okemo around 16/17 of Feb and am having trouble finding a place to stay.  Anyone have any hints or room for a few people :-).  Has anyone done any guided snowmobiling in that area?  Would love to hear about your experience and what vendor you used.  

On the drive home I am thinking of hitting Wachusett in Mass, anyone have hotel recon, any discount codes or extra tickets for sale? or helpful hints? Or an alternative hill for 1/2 a day between Manchester and Philly (where I drop someone off).

Oh yeah, and pray for snow for me . . . ha ha. . .  rough start hear locally too.

Midweek or weekend skiing going from Manchester to Philly?  Makes a big difference.  I avoid driving anywhere near NYC or the NJ turnpike when driving between NC and New England.  I usually go across CT on I-84 and cross the Hudson River at Newburgh.

Wachusett is fun on a weekday because of the high-speed detachable lifts for the blue and black terrrain.  Can get in a lot of laps in a couple hours.  The old CCC lodge that's now mid-mountain is a great place for a break . . . and a cider doughnut.  Wouldn't go on a weekend.

On a weekend, consider Berkshire East on RT 2.  There weren't long lift lines there last Pres. Day weekend when I was doing an Indy Pass ski safari based in the Berkshires.  Lifts aren't fast but the terrain is pretty interesting.

I like Jiminy Peak but definitely not a place to go if you are looking for a bargain.  Only cheap if get a night ticket, which starts at 3pm.  The high-speed detachable 6-pack serves perhaps 80% of the terrain, including most of the blues and all the blacks.  A few blacks are not groomed if you are looking for bumps.

I will be staying in the town of Ludlow at the base of Okemo. I am staying at The Point at Castle Hill Resort. I have stayed here before. Very nice place and not too expensive. I booked thru booking.com.

There is a discount code for Okemo lodging and tickets here - vermontlifttickets.com

.... Okemo getting tons of snow right now too!

I'm at Okeydoke now. I like this hill. Especially during the week. Storm a couple days ago put about 8-10 all over this place. Prior to that the locals were saying the conditions were crap.

Might get some more snow tonight. But this place might be on the sad side of the rain line. Tough call. 

Lodging is pricey and scarce. Stay in Ludlow and book in advance. 

Echo what Marz posted. Berkshire East - Beast - over Wa Wa. Fun little area, not too crowded. Closer to 91.

Depending upon your driving path, Catamount worth a look. 

Are you skiing over Prez weekend or before?

Agree, Skied Catamount and Berkshire East last season. Both are Indy Pass resorts and both have the same owner who is committed to improving the resorts. If I had to choose between the 2, Berkshire East would easily win. The snow making system at Catamount is ancient and thus conditions should be better at BE.  

JohnL wrote:

Echo what Marz posted. Berkshire East - Beast - over Wa Wa. Fun little area, not too crowded. Closer to 91.

Depending upon your driving path, Catamount worth a look. 

Are you skiing over Prez weekend or before?

Thanks for the advice everyone!

Reservations coming together.  Current plan is a Southern VT/NH Epic trip.  Hotels were easy everywhere but Okemo.  I did end up picking The Point at Castle Hill Resort (thanks Snowsmith).  I really try to get places that include breakfast but not many do near Okemo.  

Looking at a half day at Berkshire East based (thanks MarzNC and JohnL) on the comments before driving back to Philly and dropping my daughter off there.  

I did the Northern VT/NH Epic hills last year.  We hit the weather perfectly.  We had freshies 3 of the 6 days.  Hoping for the best, skiing at WT and Liberty has been pretty humble this year. 

I really enjoy the road trips hitting multiple places.  Maybe I will get an Indy pass one year.  

If anyone has any great restaurant recon, happy to hear them.

I did Okemo On Thursday and Friday. Crowds were light, but traffic looked brutal when I drove by on Saturday. Talk from the locals was that it gets  swamped most weekends? Midweek, Solitude was living up to its name. It and Evergreen Express had shortest lines for the middle of the mountain. Sachem and Glades Peak were not running so the Sunburst 6 was getting the crowds.   

I'm a choice hotels points collector, so I bit the bullet and stayed up in Rutland. Comfort Inn Trolley Square. Next time I will stay in Ludlow

Saturday was a trip over to Ascutney. Resurrected all-natural small community hill. Trip report upcoming. 

Greetings from Okemo. 3” of fresh last night. This is a great resort. Not sure why photo is sideways????

wojo wrote:

 Maybe I will get an Indy pass one year. 

The number of resorts on that pass is growing so fast, next year should be pretty impressive.

snowsmith wrote:

Greetings from Okemo. 3” of fresh last night. This is a great resort. Not sure why photo is sideways????

 Snow looks just about perfect!