Quality time and new luxuries on the slopes

It’s still possible to get reservations for quality time on the slopes and some luxuries for après ski, during the upcoming Christmas school holiday. If the past few days are any indication, the weather is getting colder but more people who can’t get enough of the white stuff are waiting a little longer to make reservations.

The Poconos have Camelback, Big Bear, Big Blue, Jack Frost, Alpine and Shawnee Mountains in addition to the Tanglewood and Big Boulder Ski Areas and the Fernwood Hotel Winter Fun Center all still have some openings to guarantee a wonderful winter holiday.

I remember spending a lovely extended February weekend at the Fernwood Hotel some years ago with my daughter Jill Wasser, her husband Stuart and their family of the young preschooler Bradley and his younger sister Maris. The hotel has a great deal to offer a family.

They do have a fair size hill on the grounds and an excellent ski school for the novice and preschool skier. The nursery also met with Grandma Marcia’s approval. There is also six-chute snow tubing with three tows, ice-skating, horse drawn sleigh rides, horseback riding, great meals and good snacking at the Wintergreens Lodge at the Fernwood Hotel.

My family has also enjoyed Shawnee Mountain Ski Area with 23 slopes, nine lifts, 100 percent snow-making and great grooming. Their children’s Skiwee program is top-ranked and their rental shop is very large and accommodating facility. Camelback Mountain is also a favorite with Long Islanders who enjoy night skiing. This mountain has 33 trails, 13 lifts, two terrain parks and family or

single tubes.

Another plus for this area is its proximity to New York, just an estimated two-hour drive. More information is available by visiting www.800poconos.com or calling toll free 1-800-762-6667.

Mount Snow, Okemo, Stratton Mountain and Smuggler’s Notch have always been great winter get away for mine and many other families. They are a fairly easy drive from Long Island and have enough activities for every age group. Now after decades of historical separation, the Northeast slopes have finally followed their Western counterparts, building comprehensive base villages complete with luxury slope side lodges.

Okemo, for one, has a new fitness center and an outdoor skating rink. The timber Ripper, a 3,100-foot long mountain coaster, is set to open later this month ($9-13 a ride). Renovations are continuing at the original base, while snowboarders can take heart in upgraded terrain parks. Ski and Stay packages at Jackson Gore start at $371 a night.

Stratton has also been a favorite of ours as it is one of the first Eastern resorts to have its own self-contained village. It’s one of the first that I remember where you could ski right from your condo right to the slopes.

If you do want to take a ride, I always enjoyed shopping at the outlet shops at nearby Manchester village. Stratton has been renovating for a while and now has the East’s most efficient lift system capable of moving 33,525 skiers an hour. Good thing as it is the closest big mountain to New York City and often very crowded. Packages begin at $469 a night. For more information, visit www.stratton.com or call 1-800-787-2886.

Going further north in Vermont is the quintessentially glamorous New England Skiing village, Stowe.

For those who want to visit in the winter, the town is alleviating the notoriously congested seven-mile commute by adding to the 32 hotel rooms that are actually on the mountain so there will be a total of 344.

They are also making a statement with a $400 million Spruce Park redevelopment project and adding a second wing to the super-luxurious Stowe Mountain Lodge.

Modeled after Colorado’s Beaver Creek and Utah’s Deer Valley, the lodge is the anchor of a comprehensive alpine village, which includes an upscale shopping mall.

I would be remiss if I talked about northern Vermont and didn’t mention the ultimate family favorite, Smuggler’s Notch. They have pioneered the concept of the all-included (but not necessarily all inclusive) family resort back to the 1970s.

It has no equals when it comes to special programs for kids and their parents especially through the winter season. Teens have two activity centers and there is a new day care center for the very young from three months to 2-years of age. Prices may be higher during Christmas week but worth it if you can get a reservation. For specific rates and information, call 1-800-451-8752 or smuggs.com.

If you’re determined to go out west, I understand Telluride has some great winter packages. According to Telluride Central Reservations, there are numerous packages being offered for as little as $89 per person per night. They are valid from Nov. 25 to April 3, 2011. For more information, contact 1-888-605-2578 of www.visittelluride.com.

To get more information on any of above special offerings, contact your travel professional.

Copyright by Marcia Abramson

E-mail: mascribe@aol.com