New England 2013-14 ski season: What's new?
With more than 60 alpine skiing and snowboarding areas, dozens of cross-country skiing spots and a range of other fun winter activities, New England is the perfect choice for a Stateside wintersports break. The region's premier ski areas are located in the states of Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire, most between a two- and four-hour drive from the gateway city of Boston.
For the 2013-14 season, continued investment in the region's ski product sees the introduction of new accommodations, enhanced snowmaking facilities and more skiable terrain than ever. Here are some of the highlights in areas popular with the Brits:
Vermont
Jay Peak unveils $43 million improvements in latest phase of development
Set in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom near the Canadian border, Jay Peak Resort will unveil $43 million in improvements for the 2013-14 winter season. Projects include a new 80,000-square foot Stateside Hotel and base lodge with restaurants and locker rooms, a rental centre, 84 new mountain cottages, and a complete revamp of the resort's entrance. Nearly all accommodation at Jay Peak Resort is ski-in/ski-out, while off-the-slopes options include the exhilarating Pump House Indoor Water Park. This year's new initiatives are the latest phase of Jay Peak's continued revitalisation programme which has already seen more than $300 million invested in resort-wide improvements, including a pioneering collaboration with Burton Snowboards, Disney and Snow Park Technologies to offer the one-of-a-kind Playtime Riglet Park, specially designed to get children as young as three snowboarding in a fun, interactive environment.
jaypeakresort.com
Snowmaking upgrades at Stowe
Stowe Mountain Resort's continued investment in state-of-the-art snowmaking operations includes an additional $3.4 million in new equipment and upgrades for the 2013-14 winter season, which consist of 120 HKD tower guns, 4 Super Pole Cat fan guns and miles of new snowmaking pipe. Together with last summer's improvements, these initiatives enable Stowe to operate with greater energy efficiency, provide increased potential for early season terrain, increase overall snow quality and allow quick resurfacing of the mountain.
stowe.com
Topnotch Resort & Spa reopens after $15 million investment
Topnotch Resort reopened in June 2013 after a $15 million investment. Situated in Stowe, the new Topnotch offers a fresh experience for guests with handcrafted Vermont touches. Guests are welcomed to the resort with a new arrival experience and lobby; two new restaurants: Flannel and The Roost, both using Vermont fresh ingredients in contemporary menus; all new guest rooms; a new spa treatment menu with healing pathways, a refurbished Tennis Center and more. Two outdoor pools and an outdoor hot tub are perfect places to relax after a day of skiing on Topnotch's Nordic trails.
topnotchresort.com
New Peak Lodge to open at Killington
Killington Resort and Pico Mountain are set to welcome the state-of-the-art Peak Lodge facility this season. Projected for completion in December 2013, the $7 million sustainably-designed facility sits atop the highest lift-serviced peak in Vermont, at the 4,100 feet level of Killington Peak. The Peak Lodge is set to become Killington's most versatile facility, offering unparalleled vistas, a custom local menu, lounge space, event opportunities and an ambience all of its own. Construction is also underway at the base of Pico Mountain of the new Andrea Mead Lawrence Lodge, a $1.3 million facility for Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports and the Pico Ski Education Foundation.
killington.com
Maine
Sunday River Resort unveils new 15-acre terrain park trail
For those skiers and snowboarders who like to venture off trail and into the woods, drop into a superpipe, hit some rails or even jumps, Sunday River Resort has introduced T72, a 15-acre terrain park trail and five new gladed areas for the 2013-14 winter season. Set amidst the scenic Mahoosuc Range, this new terrain adds up to 75 acres for a total of 820 acres of skiable terrain at the resort in Newry, Maine, making Sunday River the second largest resort in New England behind sister resort Sugarloaf.
sundayriver.com
New England's largest ski area continues to expand
Over the last two years more than 300 acres of new terrain have been opened in the Brackett Basin and Burnt Mountain areas, officially making Sugarloaf Mountain Resort the largest ski area east of the Rocky Mountains and the largest in New England. For 2013-14, continued glade cutting on Burnt Mountain is providing greater access to higher elevations, offering skiers and boarders a taste of the backcountry experience while still within a patrolled environment; while on a more relaxing note a new $240,000, 30-person outdoor hot tub has been installed at the Sugarloaf Mountain Hotel. New low energy snowguns and a larger snowmaking pipe on the resort's Gondola Line are also introduced for the coming season.
sugarloaf.com
New Hampshire
Bretton Woods Canopy Tour just got even better!
Four new ziplines, providing an extra 1,000 feet, have been added to Bretton Woods' hugely popular Canopy Tour for 2013-14. Descending over 1,000 feet of elevation, the tour takes thrill-seekers across a series of treetop ziplines through a network of platforms, all amongst the canopy of ancient New Hampshire hemlocks. Nestled in the heart of the White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire's biggest ski area has also added more Nordic terrain for the new wintersports season, its 100km trail network meandering through woods of spruce and fir, passing beaver ponds and running alongside mountain streams.
brettonwoods.com
More snowmaking and less down time at Loon
Loon Mountain Resort in the White Mountain National Forest has increased snowmaking capacity by more than 40 per cent with the addition of two new snowmaking pumps, as well as 100 semi-automated snowmaking hydrants. It is anticipated that these innovations will reduce set-up and shutdown time on some trails by 75 per cent. This winter also sees an expanded Burton Lil' Stash children's terrain park, which is doubling in size with the addition of new berms, rollers, jumps and fun animal carvings.
loonmtn.com
For further information on New England, visit discovernewengland.co.uk.
