Here’s what’s new at New England ski mountains this season
From gourmet grilled cheese to a bubble chairlift.
If you want to experience the rush of skiing down a slope and discovering something new at area mountains this winter, here are your best bets.
Hop on a high-speed bubble chairlift in Killington, Vt.
You won’t have to brave the elements as much at Killington this season — at least on the way up the mountain. Killington, which offers six peaks and 92 miles of terrain in central Vermont’s Green Mountains, has introduced the new high-speed Snowdon Six Express, which features a bubble shield that protects up to six skiers and riders from the weather as they climb 1,100 feet to the peak of Snowdon Mountain. At the top, riders will find mostly intermediate terrain. (4763 Killington Road, Killington, Vt.)
Après ski on a new outdoor deck at Mount Snow in West Dover, Vt.
The après ski scene has been kicked up a notch at Mount Snow’s Carinthia Terrain Park now that the $22 million Carinthia Base Lodge opened in December. The new lodge is five times the size of the old one, which only had a cafeteria and small retail store. Now the 42,000-square-foot lodge has three bars and two restaurants and hosts live music on its large outdoor deck. (39 Mount Snow Road, West Dover, Vt.)
Nab a gourmet grilled cheese between runs at Wachusett Mountain in Princeton
Get your fill of cheesy sandwiches at Wachusett Mountain’s newest restaurant: O’Brien’s Deck Bar & Grill, named after longtime general manager Joe O’Brien. The spot, which opened in December and is located outside of the area’s base lodge, serves gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches — the beginner melt, easy melt, intermediate melt, and expert melt — as well as draft beer. (499 Mountain Road, Princeton)
