Santa Sunday at Bolton Valley
If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, then Sunday River should be all a shiver as Bolton Valley in Vermont follows suit with a Santa Sunday at Bolton Valley in Vermont on Dec. 18. The River's 12th annual Santa Sunday earlier this month brought out 250 Santas, preregistration sold out in 8 minutes.
This will be Bolton's third annual Santa Sunday, and skiers and riders must dress in the complete Santa outfits - just a red hat won't fly - to earn a free lift ticket for that day. Last year, two dozen Santas graced the slopes on skis and snowboards at Bolton, so this tradition could soon become as booming as the one in Maine, since most everyone loves Santa and free lit tickets (not sure the order of preference there).
Bolton Valley's Happy Holiday Week celebration continues Dec. 19-25 with $25 lift tickets and $5 Nordic tickets. Those $25 tickets are good for alpine night skiing too on Wed.- Fri. nights. Bolton Valley's ski and stay packages start at $55 per person that week as well, and the resort plans to ring in the New Year with fireworks and a torchlight parade beginning at 8 p.m. on Dec. 31.
Bolton Valley offers three mountain peaks, with a vertical of 1,704 feet, 70 trails served by five chairlifts, plus three terrain parks including a Burton Progression Park.
Bolton plans to open with limited terrain for skiing and riding this Saturday.
Photo by Greg Burke
Contributors
Eric Wilbur is a lifelong recreational skier who spends most of his winter and spring in the mountains of New England. He does not ski in jeans. You can read more of Eric's work here.
Heather Burke is an award winning ski journalist with over a decade of ski news coverage. As a former ski instructor and a ski parent, she knows the ski biz from the inside out. She and her family visit New England ski resorts, as well as the West and Canada, to report on the latest trends and their best family finds. Her husband Greg takes all the accompanying photos, and their work can be seen at www.familysktitrips.com and www.luxuryskitrips.com.
