Burke, Burke, Burke...

I'm biased...I readily admit it.
I LOVE BURKE MOUNTAIN!

I learned to ski in my early thirties at Burke Mountain. I had heard so many great stories about skiing Burke, that one day I packed up my kids and decided we were going to become "skiers" or "boarders". I remember walking out the front door, my wife kissing me good-bye and telling all of us (me specifically) to be safe. I was convinced the kids were more than old enough to take on the challenge. My oldest daughter and son quickly decided that they were skiers. My youngest son and I were determined to be rebels and ride boards. After arriving, renting equipment, each of us went off to our individual instructors. My early experiences riding the j-bar were "interesting". As I struggled just to get up the bunny hill, my kids were slowly gliding downhill with their instructors. Occasionally, they would look at me with sympathy and wave awkwardly. I'm not sure whether it was during day one or two of snowboarding lessons, but I had amassed enough self-inflicted bone bruises to decide that I was not a boarder.

After picking up the broken pieces of my ego, I was left with trying to ski. Something about my legs potentially going in two distinctly different directions while sliding 30-40 mph on snow/ice...just had me concerned. To everyone's amazement (mostly mine), I was a natural born skier. After one weekend of lessons, I was parallel skiing from mid-Burke. Within a week or two I was skiing from the top of the mountain. I've never seriously hurt myself and despite stories around my family's dinner table...I think I am a pretty decent skier.

There was the time after a minor fall that I didn't properly lock on my ski before preceding down a steep section of the mountain. It wasn't long before the unattached ski went in one direction and I (after trying to ski on one foot) went another. Then there was my first and only attempt at skiing the trees. I won't get into the specifics but my body did things that defy gravity and physics. I figure two funny stories over ten years isn't half bad.

Over the years, I've made it a point ski mountains throughout New Hampshire and Vermont. Each has had advantages and disadvantages. For the college crowd...there are better party mountains. For those that genuinely enjoy risking their lives...there are plenty of icy New England slopes to conquer. For those that appreciate skiing versus standing in lift lines...Burke. If you enjoy immaculately groomed classic ski trails versus massive open corridors...Burke. If you are looking for a mountain that can provide challenges for an Olympian as well as lessons for a beginner...Burke. Burke is hands down the most family oriented and non-pretentious mountain I've ever had the pleasure of skiing.

All these years later, I am still a laid back skier. Slow and steady...I enjoy taking in all the views and just being outdoors. My kids...well...for the most part I haven't seen anything but the back of their jackets in years. Of course, they still take a moment to wave awkwardly when they catch a view of me gliding along.

Early Bird Skiing Packages - Burke Mountain, Jay Peak, or Bretton Woods

Both Thanksgiving and the lengthy/exhausting ski show season are in the rearview mirror

{{{The hotel's sales teams collectively let out a thunderous cheer}}}.

We are no longer eagerly looking forward to the start of the ski season... it is here!

I am offering three early bird specials that no one can touch. Your ski and stay packages includes: your overnight accommodation, hot breakfast, and TWO adult lift tickets. Both your stay and skiing must occur before December 25th, 2009.



COMFORT INN & SUITES
ST. JOHNSBURY, VERMONT (802) 748-1500

www.vermontvacationland.com

Burke Mountain is only $129.99
Burke opens in early December

Jay Peak is only $129.99 Per Night

HAMPTON INN - LITTLETON, NEW HAMPSHIRE (603) 444-0025
www.littletonhotel.com

Bretton Woods is only $119 Per Night

SKI YA' SOON!!!

Two FREE Lift Tickets!?!?!?

Ok, so I've come to grips with the fact that it is only mid-October and has snowed three times. I just need to accept that winter is already here...I don't have to like it! Living in northern Vermont you either embrace Mother Nature or go completely stir crazy. Some would say I've chosen the latter of the two...

If you ski or snowboard, take five minutes and do some "vacation math"...award winning accommodations, hot breakfast, and TWO FREE lift tickets included with every ski and stay package. What would you expect to pay? You learned growing up that "nothing is free" and while that maybe so...our ski and stay packages will make you wonder. There's no smoke and mirrors involved here, just a great vacation deal.

My four hotels offer the best value in ski and stay packages on the entire east coast. We work in conjunction with SEVEN mountains offering New England's best value in family winter vacations. For ten years, my Comfort Inn & Suites and Fairbanks Inn, St. Johnsbury, Vermont (2 hours and 45 minutes from Boston) have been hosting skiers and boarders visiting Vermont's majestic "Northeast Kingdom". Families discovered Vermont's best kept secret at Burke Mountain and fell in love with the amazing skiing at Jay Peak. After opening the Hampton Inn, Littleton, New Hampshire, (2 and a 1/2 hours from Boston) I developed relationships with Bretton Woods and Cannon Mountain. This past summer, I accepted responsibility for the incredible Hampton Inn, Burlington, Vermont (3 and a 1/2 hours from Boston). As a result, I was able to form new relationships with STOWE, SMUGGS, and BOLTON VALLEY!

ROOM + HOT BREAKFAST + TWO LIFT TICKETS =
Bolton Valley $159.99 Ski and Stay Package
Bretton Woods $199.99 Ski and Stay Package
Burke Mountain $179.99 Ski and Stay Package
Cannon Mountain $179.99 Ski and Stay Package
Jay Peak $179.99 Ski and Stay Package
Smugglers' Notch $159.99 Ski and Stay Package
Stowe $179.99 Ski and Stay Package

So what's so special about our ski and stay packages...the overall value you and your family will get when staying with us. At the three franchised hotels you will get overnight accommodation, hot breakfast, and TWO lift tickets to the mountain of your choice. There are no strings attached to this offer...the price is per night not per person. Our offer is good mid-week and weekends throughout the 2009/2010 season. The only time the package price climbs is during Christmas Week, Martin Luther King, Jr Weekend, and Presidents Week. Book now for the holiday periods as all the hotels fill up three to four weeks in advance.

Ok...I can hear some of you..."we don't need all the bells and whistles...the free breakfast, indoor heated pool, and whirlpool are nice but we're all about the skiing". To you I say...check out my Fairbanks Inn Ski and Stay Packages! Spacious modern rooms that offer all the comforts of home and of course TWO lift tickets with each night of your stay. ONLY $139.99 A NIGHT AT THE FAIRBANKS INN...SKI EITHER BURKE OR JAY PEAK!!!

Hope to ski ya' soon!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!