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Hitting the Green Slopes in the Green MountainsSmugglers’ Notch, VermontBy Caroline WoodsRight around midnight, six hours into our drive up to Vermont, it started to snow. “What are they?” I asked when I noticed the little white things swirling around a streetlight. “Moths?” I knew they were snowflakes. I was just in denial. We’d already made one wrong turn and were in the process of backtracking more than twenty miles. I didn’t want to consider the possibility that we’d get caught in a snowstorm with at least an hour to go.
Neither of us are big-time skiers. In fact, we’d already studied the map of the slopes to determine which chairlifts we would take to ensure that we’d never be stuck on anything but a green. That wasn’t going to be difficult. Smugglers’ Notch, a charming village-style resort in Vermont’s Green Mountains, devotes one of its three interconnected mountains entirely to beginner skiers. What concerned me was the fact that I was not only a beginner skier but also a childless single woman, heading to a resort that is rated #1 for Family Programs in North America by Ski Magazine. Would I have to be sharing the slopes with tons of little kids who would be annoying, noisy, and worst of all, better skiers than I am? In the morning it was still snowing, so we wrapped ourselves in layers of wool and waterproof gear and headed out to pick up our skis and join our group lesson. The staff had determined we were at the 3-4 ability level: we were beginners, but knew the basics like how to ride a chairlift. Our “Tune Your Turns” beginner group lesson was very helpful, and far more informative than the “pizza, French fries” lessons I’d previously gotten. The other people in our group, even those under eighteen, were polite and patient.
Everyone at Smugglers’ Notch, from the guests to the jolly chairlift operators who groove to classic rock and soft pop tunes as they help you into your chair, seems at peace. The family atmosphere is not at all reminiscent of a haggard Griswold family trip to Wally World, where compromise makes everyone unhappy. Instead, the folks who designed Smugglers’ Notch Resort takes the stress out of the family vacation by providing ways for each family member to entertain him- or herself on an individual basis. Perhaps the reason that most of the adults I encountered seemed so serene was that they could enjoy the challenging slopes while their toddlers were in good hands at the fully-licensed Treasures child care center, their grade-schoolers were learning to snowboard at Snow Sport University, and even their angsty teens were having fun meeting other angsty teens at one of the two teen centers. Smugglers’ Notch even provides an impressive list of activities for the non-skier: dogsled rides, ice skating, snow tubing, snowshoe trails, pools and hot tubs, a massage center, and good eating. You can get everything from Ben and Jerry’s ice cream to decent pizza at Riga Bello’s to filet mignon at the award-winning Hearth & Candle, without ever having to get in your car. But when we woke from our nap to discover that it had stopped snowing, we decided to in fact venture out for dinner at Smugglers’ Notch Inn, which is less than ten minutes away from the resort. I ditched the cute high heels I’d packed for trusty Bean Boots; there was, after all, fourteen inches of snow on the ground. The resort provided us with a shovel but after a good fifteen minutes of moving snow away from its wheels, our city-slicker VW Bug was still going nowhere. We were ready to give up and cancel our 8:00 reservation when a voice cracked: “Do you need some help? Do you need me to push?”
Smugglers’ Notch Inn features a wide, welcoming front porch and colonial décor. The interior is painted in jewel tones and was lit mostly by candlelight and a smoldering fire. A jazz band was playing in the corner…and they had attracted a few toddlers whose parents were letting them be-bop around the waitresses’ legs. “I’ll seat you over here,” said the maitre d’ knowingly, and he led us to a far corner where the music wouldn’t drown out our conversation and we wouldn’t have to watch the dancing children, worrying that they, a busy waitress, and a full tray of food were headed for disaster. The food at the Inn was exactly what we needed: classic hearty American dishes with fresh seasonal vegetables. The servers were warm and attentive, keeping our candle lit and offering nightlife suggestions and sharing their favorite desserts and local beers. When we were done eating, we ventured downstairs to the Inn’s bar, where we had fun tasting local brews and mingling with locals and tourists who had come to play pool, drink beer, and watch Canadian hockey. It was good to know that there were yet more entertainment options for adults in the Smugglers’ area.
After our trip to the hot tub (which was not crowded and only occupied by well-mannered adults) we settled down to watch the Oscars – the Canadian broadcast of the Oscars, that is. Never had we seen such civil red carpet commentary! By the time we got in the car the following morning, I was a bit sorry to leave. A tour of Ben and Jerry’s original factory, less than one hour south, and a huge dollop of ice cream, made me feel better. America’s Family Resort had treated me to one of the most peaceful weekends I’d had in some time, and I highly recommend that you visit, especially if you’d like to take your family on a vacation that works. If you plan a vacation to Smugglers’ Notch Resort, I recommend that you attend in late February and March, when the weather is not bitingly cold but snow is still plentiful. Skiing at Smugglers’ is possible from November to mid-April. I also recommend that you visit during the week. Many of the more popular activities happen during the week. For example, the Snowshoe Adventure Dinner for adults only, a romantic venture which includes a candlelight dinner at the Top of the Notch followed by a sunset snowshoe trail, happens only on Tuesdays. No matter when you go, be sure to make reservations for activities such as dogsledding before you arrive; spots go quickly. IF YOU GO: Smugglers’ Notch Inn Ben & Jerry’s Factory Tour Photos by Smugglers' Notch Resort |
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Snowstorm?
Make that a blizzard. Later we’d hear Vermonters on the news hailing the
fourteen inches that would accumulate that night, seven or eight of which would
fall while we were driving an all-terrain Volkswagen Bug. Since this winter has
been so mild, these Northerners had apparently been praying for the temperature
to drop and Old Man Winter to hit them with a big bucket of snow. I wasn’t
familiar with that line of thinking. I usually vacation in warm places. When it
came time for me to choose a college, I went south. It wasn’t until after we
were situated in our condo (having nearly kissed the heated sidewalks when we
finally arrived) that it occurred to me that the fresh snow would make skiing
much easier. Or, at the very least, it would cushion my fall.
After
we had lunch at the Morse Mountain Grille, which serves perfect
right-off-the-slopes food like grilled cheese and tomato soup and oozing
quesadillas, sheets of snow were still coming down, but we decided to hit the
slopes on our own anyway. Despite the low visibility and the weekend crowds
drawn by the fresh snow, nearly all the skiers on the green slopes stayed
comfortably out of one another’s way. We only had time to do a few runs before
our pre-dinner nap, since I like to take each slope crosswise rather than plunge
straight ahead (my turns aren’t yet completely tuned). Still, nobody lost their
patience with me as I sliced back and forth across their path, and when I found
myself thigh-deep in a snowdrift, two different people offered to help me out.
Swallowing my pride as I watched a school of five-year-olds whoosh past sans ski
poles, I took the second offered hand.
The
voice came from a teenage boy, no doubt a snowboarder, with shaggy hair and a
skinny frame reminiscent of Shaun White. “Yes,” I pleaded, and with his
surprising strength behind it, the little bug slid right out of its spot like an
ice skate. We thanked him and he smiled politely before he went off to join his
friends. Thanks again, little snowboarder, for proving me wrong about
vacationing alongside teenagers!
The next morning, sunlight poured in through our skylight
and we were greeted by the fantastic view from our living room. We drank our
coffee watching guests hop on the Lower Morse Liftline. From the chairlift that
morning we turned around to see the Green Mountains stretch out behind us. The
view was spectacular, and we weren't even at the Madonna Mountain summit, the
highest point at Smugglers’ with a 2,610 foot vertical drop to the Village.
Later as we ambled down Curley’s Cutback, we got a glimpse of Madonna Mountain’s
Fab Five slopes, five intense black diamonds, and The Black Hole,
the only triple black diamond in the East. The practically vertical face of The
Black Hole glinted in the sun. Yikes. The very sight of it was enough to send me
running for the hot tub.