Ski Vermont ready to hit the slopes

The ski resorts of Vermont were once again in the spotlight recently, as the autumn chill in the air reminds skiers that it won’t be long before the white stuff begins to cover the slopes.

The annual reception, this year coinciding with the Toronto Snow Show, once again featured the renowned ski region’s top resorts, including Jay Peak Resort, Stowe Mountain Resort, Smugglers’ Notch Resort, Sugarbush Resort, Okemo Mountain Resort, Mount Snow and Killington Resort.

Sarah Wojcik, director of public affairs for Ski Vermont, told PAX that a number of resorts are unveiling new developments for the coming ski season, with the Toronto show seen as the “kickoff to winter,” she said.

Among the new features offered at the state’s many resorts are the opening of new adventure centres at both Stowe and Killington (the latter of which announced they were opening early on Oct. 18, Wojcik said), along with a new 116-room hotel and conference centre at Q Burke Mountain Resort, which opens on Dec. 11.

“We haven’t had a lot of lodging in that area, so it’s going to be a big boost for the economy in the area and will become more of a destination than it ever was before,” she told PAX.

Other projects include a new bubble-style chair lift at Okemo, a quad chairlift under construction at Sugarbush, and new cottages at both Sugarbush and Jay Peak, she said.

Not surprisingly, Canadians living near the Vermont border provide the strongest market for the state's resorts, Wojcik said; for example, Jay Peak (located near the Canada-U.S. border) counts Canadians as approximately 50 per cent of its annual visitors. While Wojcik said that the majority of Canadian skiers visiting Vermont are crossing the border by car, Porter Airlines’ direct, non-stop service will again continue for a fifth winter starting in December. The service from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to the Burlington International Airport will feature weekly departures on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, until April 2016.

Wojcik also provided an update on Vermont’s energy-efficient snowmaking program, which was introduced last year with the scrapping of 1,800 snow guns for 2,300 newer devices which use less water and air pressure while producing better snow. The results drew rave review from skiers last season, Wojcik said, while the new technology also allows resorts to begin producing snow at higher temperatures and therefore open earlier. Coincidentally, Vermont also boasted its best season on record in 2014-15, welcoming 4.7 million visitors, due in part to consistently low temperatures, Wojcik said.

“The last three seasons have all been stellar - we’re improving on numbers and the quality of the experience which skiers are getting in Vermont,” she said. “The resorts’ expanded amenities are also attracting non-skiers as well.”

PHOTO: Rob Aiken, Smugglers Notch; JJ Toland, Jay Peak; Parker Riehle, Ski Vermont; John Bleh and Candice White, Sugarbush Resort; Steve Cook, Vermont Tourism; Dave Young and Michael Joseph, Killington Resort; Betsey McKeever, Okemo Mountain Resort; Jack Fagone, Mount Snow; Sarah Wojcik and Kyle Lewis, Ski Vermont.