October 21, 2004 -- Ski lovers and snowboard fans are divided into many kinds of groups, not the least of which is the line between those who swear by the kind of snow in the West and that in the East. While the West may have it over the East in wild scenery and sheer height, the East beats the West with its marvelous authentic villages, plus their proximity to metropolitan areas.
Tours de Sport's splendid website, www.tourdesport.com, has hundreds of packages at 15 different resorts in the Eastern US and Canada.
- Mt. Ste. Anne and Mt. Tremblant (Quebec)
- Sugarloaf and Sunday River (Maine)
- Killington, Mt. Snow, Okemo, Smugglers Notch, Stowe and Sugarbush (Vermont)
- Loon (New Hampshire)
- Lake Placid (New York)
- Montage (Poconos) and Seven Springs (Pennsylvania)
- Snowshoe (West Virginia)
Although you can compose your own customized ski package, there are featured "Hot Deals" on the site well worth the look. At the time of writing, a five-night "Any Sunday in January" offer at Mont Tremblant includes a condo sleeping four persons, a four-day lift ticket and all taxes for US$978.90 (or about $49 per person per night) when your stay begins on a Sunday.
You can also head to www.skican.com to find a deal to Tremblant that includes roundtrip air from Boston to Montreal, three nights' accommodations at Les Suites Tremblant, three day's lift tickets and all taxes and tips that starts from $634 (if you pay by check, deduct $25). Prices vary for departures from other gateways. The site has a variety of deals to other ski resorts as well.
The "All For One Pass" allows you unlimited skiing and snowboarding on the over 30 runs at Atitash, Killington, Mount Snow, Pico, Sugarloaf and Sunday River. All for One Passes cost from $379 to $899, with a Super Senior pass at $399; full-time college students can purchase a Sunday through Friday pass for only $199. Passes must be purchased by October 25 (or before they run out, whichever comes first). The passes also carry up to 30% discounts on lodging all winter long, and up to 20% off on buying new clothing, equipment and accessories. The passes are valid throughout the season, except for specific blackout dates listed. You can get more info at www.allforonepass.com.
Be sure to check out the web site of your favorite resort, as you will find specials on most of them. For example, at the site for Okemo Mountain Resort (tel. 800/786-5366; www.okemo.com) in Ludlow, Vermont, you'll find fat list of offers, including:
- A "Flex Card" that carries 25% to 50% discounts every day all season for $89 for adults.
- The "8-Pack" gets you unrestricted skiing for eight days at $469, a savings of 12.5% (they say).
- You ski or ride free Sunday afternoons when you purchase at least a five-day lift ticket for the following Monday.
- Myriad specials or Vermont and New Hampshires.
Moreover, they have a "Try Before you Buy Snow Guarantee" in which the lifts are free for the first hour of operations every morning, so you can check out the snow conditions before you purchase a lift ticket.
