It’s a dilemma that many families face.  You want to find a nice, compact mountain where you can find your kids and know they aren’t going to be at some base area 5 miles away…but you’d really like to have some serious terrain to play on yourself!  Many of the smaller areas just don’t have the steeps and glades that will keep you happy for a vacation, or even a long weekend.

Welcome to Bolton Valley!  I skied there a number of years ago, and remembered that I’d had a lot of fun.  So, when I found myself with a day free in Vermont in January, I decided to check it out again.  It turns out that it’s the same old Bolton…and more.

So, what’s the same old Bolton?  It’s a mountain that’s easy to reach, just a few minutes off I89 between Montpelier and Burlington.

It’s a resort that has parking right by the base lodge, and all the amenities in a compact space right there…park your car, carry your things inside, start skiing.  The slopeside hotel is attached to the base lodge (I did say “compact”), and offers good value.

It’s a mountain where the lifts feed back into the same base area, so you can stand at the bottom and watch for your kids.  Yes, there’s one lift that feeds down to the condominiums …but your kids would have to work at it to end up over there, and even that area isn’t far from the base lodge.

And, for aficionados of the Warren Miller movies, it’s the mountain where Eric and Rob DesLaurier learned their craft (you may have heard Rob’s name in the last couple of years…he and his wife Kit climbed up Mt. Everest and then skied down it!  If they could enjoy skiing at Bolton…there’s room for the rest of us!

Okay, now you know the old Bolton…here’s the “upgraded.”  A few years ago, they added a new chair that goes from the base to the summit in one run.  No more short-chair-to-another-chair-to the top…get on, ride up, get off, ski down.  Last time I went, I didn’t have a full day to spend…family obligations…so, it was perfect.  In a minimum time, I got in the maximum number of runs, had a blast, and went home happy!  In 2008-2009, they had a major snowmaking upgrade; they upgraded their pipes for more consistency, plus added new fan guns.  Result…more snow, better surface, more runs open more often.  And, they added a new Prinoth Bison groomer…that’s a mouthful, but it’s designed for varying terrain, including terrain parks, giving them a lot more flexibility in their grooming.

Other things to know about Bolton include a great 64 trail system (12 of them for night skiing Wednesday-Saturday); three terrain parks for skiers and snowboarders; lots of bumps, glades and hidden tree shots for the hard core; the highest base elevation of any resort in Vermont (that means SNOW); several restaurants; and a good little deli/sundries store if you want to camp out in your room.  It’s a compact version of a Swiss ski village, without leaving the Northeast!  There’s also their Nordic trail system, which runs to about 100 kilometers…see if you can get bored doing that in a weekend.

While we’re at it, Bolton added a BIG wind turbine…it’s expected to produce around 300,000 kilowatt hours each year.  That offsets a LOT of their energy use.  They’re only the second ski area in the country to put one of these beasts up (Jiminy Peak in MA was the first).  Very cool…just think, by skiing there, you’re supporting environmental initiatives!

Get out to Bolton, preferably for a couple of days or more, and enjoy the snow!