Ski Vermont celebrates the upcoming winter season with a stop in Toronto

In town for the 2016 Snow Show, Ski Vermont – together with six resort partners and airline partner Porter Airlines – hosted a travel industry event at the Thompson Hotel in Toronto last night (Oct 13) to showcase all that winter has to offer in Vermont.

Home to some of the best ski resorts in the U.S., Vermont is easily reached from Toronto with Porter Airlines, which starting Dec. 22 and running through until Mar. 28, 2017 will operate twice weekly flights from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to Vermont's Burlington International Airport.

Once in Vermont, the choice of where to go and what to do is vast.

Joining Ski Vermont at last night’s reception were representatives from the Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe Mountain Resort, Sugarbush Resort, Mount Snow Resort, Smugglers’ and Jay Peak, which is located just five kilometres from the Canadian border.

Here’s a quick overview from each resort:

1. Trapp Family Lodge (Stowe, VT): Spread over 2,500 acres, this is a unique mountain resort that features Austrian-inspired architecture and European-style accommodation. With its own on-site brewery, von Trapp Brewery, the lodge just recently opened a new bierhall for guests to enjoy.

2. Stowe Mountain Resort (Stowe, VT): A year-round destination, the resort was shining the spotlight on its new Adventure Center, an approximately US$100M investment, that is “unlike anything ever built today.” Starting point for a ZipTour Adventure, TreeTop Adventure and the Stowe Rocks indoor rock-climbing centre, it is also home to a childcare centre and summer adventure camp for kids 3-12.

3. Sugarbush Resort (Mad River Valley, VT): Another four-season destination, the highlight of a getaway here is that it is located in a very unique setting where there are “no stoplights, no fast food restaurants,” just local shops and a “very authentic Vermont experience.”

4. Mount Snow Resort (West Dover, VT): Located in the Green Mountains of Southern Vermont, and featuring four mountain faces of downhill skiing and snowboarding, this area’s big attraction is March Break, which tends to be a little less crowded than some of the resorts closer to the border. Offers great value for families with ski and stay packages that include five nights’ accommodation and five days of skiing for a family of four available for around US$1,000.

5. Smugglers’ Notch (Cambridge, VT): Located in Northern Vermont, this resort is known for being family-friendly and has been named the #1 kid-friendly resort in the eastern U.S. Accommodations here are slope side, and new this year is the kids’ Fun Zone, a play area that comes included in every package. The resort also offers an adapted program for anyone with mobility issues.

6. Jay Peak Resort (Jay, VT): Another four-season destination, Jay Peak features a year-round indoor waterpark, ice arena, championship golf course, and premier skiing and snowboarding. Close to the Canada-U.S. border, it offers a Canadian dollar at par program and in the last five years has invested US$300M into offering what it calls their “weather proof ski vacation.”

Already looking forward to a good ski season, Ski Vermont noted that Killington, which wasn’t able to make last night’s reception, started snow-making on Oct. 10 and plans to open for the season before Oct. 31, making it the first ski resort open for winter in North America. It will play host to the Audi FIS Ski World Cup on Nov. 26 & 27, which will include the women’s giant slalom and slalom races.

For more information, visit skivermont.com.