Fun ski weekends away with friends make the chilly temps of winter totally worth it. Like in years past, a big group of friends and I headed 4 hours north to Vermont for a couple of days on the mountain and casual nights hanging by the fire.
While NYC has gotten a lot of snow this year, oddly Vermont hasn’t had any, which makes for iffy conditions on the mountain. Because it’s been cold, the mountains have been able to make enough snow to keep a good amount of the slopes open. And even though it was a bit icy, because of the not-so-perfect conditions, the lines were short and the mountain was wide open for us! 
We spent the first day at Okemo Mountain. We visit Okemo nearly every winter; it’s the perfect location for travelers coming from NYC. It’s a nice, big mountain and it’s far enough away that you feel like you’ve escaped the city, but it’s only a four hour drive. This past Saturday it was way colder than expected and I was extra thankful for the heated bubble lift. The seats are heated and a bubble comes down to protect you from the wind, so luxe.
We stopped for lunch mid-mountain at Sugar House. If you visit, make sure to check out the heated outdoor BBQ area, such good sandwiches that are very well deserved during a ski day.
After 4 hours on the mountain we called it quits and headed to Tom’s Loft Tavern, an apres ski must. It’s the dive bar just beyond the bottom of the mountain, the perfect spot to cool down with a beer and snack on the nachos (that are HUGE).
Making it a truly packed day, after relaxing at the house, we visited SoLo Farm & Table for a fancy group dinner.
As any skier knows, after a day this long, it was time to turn in and rest up for another full day on the mountain.
