Food and Beverage Options

The power came back on here at around 11am. We will still remain closed for skiing and riding today, but you have a few entertainment and food and beverage options:

• Fireside Flatbread is open and will be open until about 4:30pm for flatbread and drinks. 
• The deli is open until 5pm. 
• We plan to get the James Moore Tavern open by 4:00pm. 
• The Sports Center is also open today until 6pm. 

Closed on Sunday, Dec. 22

Bolton Valley will be closed for skiing and riding on Sunday, December 22. The ice storm is expected to continue throughout the day. As of 8:45 am we lost power and even if we do get power back for some time this morning more power outages are probable. We plan to open again on Monday and will keep you posted later today. If we do manage to get power back, we will try to open the Sports Center for anyone staying in the hotel.

New England Weather is Weird

"I'm never going to listen to the weather guys again!"

I say this to myself every year, and every year I break that vow. It usually only takes a week or so. This season, it happened in December.

Seriously though, what a weird December this has been. It was bitterly cold early on with plenty of sunshine, then it warmed up a bit, only to drop back down to single digits once again. Then Winter Storm Electra hit us with 18-20" of fresh pow pow, and now we're in the aftermath of a 50 degree day and an overnight ice storm. All in the span of a week. It doesn't get any more strange than that, folks.

As I'm sitting in my office at 8 a.m., we still plan to open today, but it will be delayed. There are some downed power lines across the road just after Timberline Base Lodge, and right now, traffic can't pass that point in the road. Ski Patrol and operations staff have opened Timberline Lodge for anyone trying to get up the hill this morning, and crews are on the scene now trying to fix the issue, so don't rush up here this morning, unless you just really miss sitting inside Timberline.

Once the road is cleared, we'll still need Patrol and Mountain Ops to sweep the trails and assess snow conditions before we can make a final decision on what will be open today. Until then, sit tight, enjoy an extra cup of coffee or tea or whatever tickles your fancy, and we'll have more updates for you on the snow report soon.

~Mike

Wake Up - It's Wednesday!

It. Just. Keeps. Snowing.

Seriously, I have yet to come to work this winter on a bright blue, sunny day. And, to be honest, I'm quite OK with that. Now, if some of this fluff can turn into the heavy, wet stuff, we'll really be in business.

Weather:
Let's be honest, yesterday wasn't the most fun day to ascend a mountain. Now, I'm not saying it wasn't any fun, but it certainly couldn't have been much. Like most sane people, I barricaded myself indoors as soon as I saw the -18 on my thermometer. No bueno. Fortunately, it was my day off and that's an acceptable thing to do. But I digress.

Now that yesterday's bitter cold has moved on, it's comfortable up here in the upper teens. The forecast calls for increasing temperatures through this weekend with some sunny weather on the way as well. I'll believe it when I see it.

How's the skiing:
Our snowmaking crews have really had their "A" game thus far. We've been open for a total of six days and already I've heard people calling this "some of the best early season conditions" they've ever seen. Alta Vista is open earlier than we've ever seen it, and it's skiing great, to boot. Sherman's is holding up well for being the main highway down to the base, and after Winter Storm Electra dumped 7-9" on us, folks have been finding some sweet powder stashes all over the hill. Really, if you're in the area, I highly suggest beating the holiday rush and getting in some turns in the next few days. And it only gets better from here.

What's Going On:
This week, it starts. Night skiing commences tonight, with skiing and riding on five trails. Saturday, we're doing a "soft start" of Bolton Valley After Dark. Originally slated to begin in January, we wanted to throw one of these mini-parties earlier in the season. We'll screen "Snow Gods" from Meathead Films at Fireside Flatbread, which will now be open for the season.

Don't forget to check out the 12 Deals of Christmas sale going on at BV Sports! Every day one pre-selected item will be discounted until Christmas Day. Sort of like an advent calendar. But with outerwear.

Looking ahead a little, Holiday Week happenings will begin on Dec. 26 with fun family events each day until New Year's Day, culminating in our annual Torchlight Parade on New Year's Eve.

Opening Weekend Presses On

Yesterday was one of the best opening days we've ever had here at Bolton Valley. We received six inches of fresh snow just in time to open the lifts for some first-day freshies. If you've been watching the weather like we have, it might be even more epic tomorrow. But we'll let you know when we find out for sure.

Today, we're running the Vista Quad (8:30), Mid-Mountain (10:00) and Mighty Mite (9:00) lifts, with seven trails open for top-to-bottom skiing and riding. Alta Vista, Sherman's Pass, Hard Luck Lane, Spillway Lane, Bear Run, Primer Loop and Mighty Mite are all open, giving you plenty of variety in your journey down the slopes. We're also making snow on Jungle Jib and Beech Seal. We hope to get those open by early next week, as weather conditions allow.

We're also running a retail special from now until December 25 called, "The 12 Days of Christmas". Original, I know, but bear with me here. It's a cool special. Each day the retail shop will have one specific item for sale, and it will continually rotate each day until Christmas Day. For instance, today, Gordini face masks will be 20% off for guests and 30% for season pass holders. And, what a coincidence, it's pretty chilly out there today. It might be a good thing to pick up in the morning, and Gordini makes some of the warmest clothing I've ever owned.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's special deal. And don't forget you can still purchase $25 lift tickets in advance when you order online. These will be valid until Dec. 25 and can only be purchased until Sunday!

Also, check out our new Bolton Valley Access video series that will be running all winter long for an inside look at conditions and general goings-on around the mountain.

Until next time, stay warm, be safe and have a blast, Bolton! Welcome back to Winter.

~Mike

Opening Day is Friday, Dec. 13

Who's pumped for Opening Day?!?

Thanks to some cold days that helped the snow makers get ahead of schedule, Opening Day has been bumped up a day and we'll open for the season on Friday, December 13th! There's some snow in the forecast for this weekend.

We’re super excited to announce that we'll have top-to-bottom skiing from the Vista Quad with a 1.5 mile run down Sherman’s Pass and Bear Run. Hard Luck Lane and Spillway Lane will be open as well, giving some variety to the upper mountain. The Mighty Mite learning area will be open for beginners, too. Expect conditions to be groomed with a mix of packed powder and granular on a firm base.

We can't anticipate what future conditions might allow, but we are making snow on Alta Vista and hope to open it on Saturday. Once that is complete, snowmaking will move to Beech Seal. We will not have any terrain park features this weekend but plan to add some in the near future. The first night of night skiing will be on Wednesday, December 18th.

Pre-purchase lift tickets and save $10 per day this weekend. Lift tickets on Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be $35 for all ages at the window. Purchase online now for just $25 and save $10.

Get ready for the season by purchasing a 2013-14 Bolton Valley All Access Season Pass.

Powder Passes are also on sale now and allow you to ski 5 days for the price of 3. Each Powder Pass is loaded with five All Access Lift Tickets that you can use any day this season for just $199 Adult and $149 Youth/College/Senior. Hurry, Powder Passes will not be on sale after December 13th.

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Welcome to Winter 2013!

Hello, Bolton Valley!

I'm Mike and I'm the new Snow Reporter for the '13-'14 season. I'm stoked to be here at Bolton and I can't wait to get to know everyone. We're going to be doing some really fun things with the Snow Report this year, so be sure to follow that when we open up next week.

Now, trust me when I tell you we're all as excited as you are about getting up on the slopes again, and fortunately, after a bit of a warm spell, we're looking at some colder temps outside today. Overnight drizzles turned into snow early this morning, and we've picked up about an inch or so of the white stuff. It's currently 29 degrees and overcast here at the base, and it looks like we could be seeing some more snow showers starting this evening and on-and-off through Monday night.

Our snow makers are also expected to start working their magic again tonight. So that's awesome.

We're in full-on winter mode here around the resort and hopefully you're all ready to get going when we open up on December 14th. With a little luck, who knows - we might even be able to start the season on Friday the 13th instead.

So, who's got dibs on first chair?

~Mike

Happy Holidays $25 Lift Ticket Special

Love to rip all the early-season turns? This is your chance.

• Lift tickets from Opening Day through December 25th are just $25 when you purchase online by December 15th. You'll get an email with a print-at-home voucher that you can use any day from Opening Day through Dec. 25th. This makes a great early holiday gift for friends or family. Or, heck, treat yourself! You deserve it.
• $65 Happy Holiday ski and stay lodging package. When you book a slopeside hotel room for two and arrive on one of the twelve days from December 13-24, you pay only $65 per person for a night of lodging and a day of skiing. 
• Includes continental breakfast and free access to our Sports Center which includes an indoor pool, hot tub and sauna.

Powder Pass

• Get a 5 lift ticket package for less that the price of 3 when you purchase by Dec. 15. Redeemable at any time during the '13-'14 season.

Santa Sunday

• On December 15th, guests dressed in full Santa Suits will receive a FREE lift ticket for the day.