tish

Am interested in finding a family vacation spot for two families (possibly three) to share and ski. 4-5 adults, and 5 to 7 kids ages 6 to 16, all relatively novice skiiers. Would like to be able to have cooking facilities. Any suggestions?

bitterly cold

Unless you like and crave subzero freezing misery, I would never ski New Hampshire or anywhere in New England or Eastern Canada. It is truly miserable, unbearable, icy and despite all of the above, crowded! Get a package to Colorado, maybe Keystone, and share a house or condo rental. Not sure where you live, assume East Coast if you are considering NH. Considering you are all novices, maybe even some of those places in Pennsylvania or West Virginia that would be driveable would be better. You will never want to ski again after NH temperatures! I think Keystone would be perfect, check it out.

bitterly cold

Unless you like and crave subzero freezing misery, I would never ski New Hampshire or anywhere in New England or Eastern Canada. It is truly miserable, unbearable, icy and despite all of the above, crowded! Get a package to Colorado, maybe Keystone, and share a house or condo rental. Considering you are all novices, maybe even some of those places in Pennsylvania or West Virginia that would be driveable would be better. You will never want to ski again after NH temperatures!

lenny

I LIKE LOON NH....great for families....good conditions....everyone cannot afford to fly their whole family to Colorado!!

nnn

Try Waterville Valley - they have a quaint, fun little village with an ice skating rink, restaurants, Gym, and shops. Plenty of condos or hotels in the area to stay at.
I also agree with Loon Mountain.

hunter

The skiing in NH is not bad but for a real treat you folks should really ski Vermont.Go to Bolton Valley it is very family frendly.Very goog skiwee program for the kids snowboarding and groupe lessons for the adults.They have all kinds of rental prop.Allso close to Stowe and Burlington which is a very cool small city.If you have to ski NH Waterville Valley is OK.

xx

If I were you, I'd pick a destination that has additional activities aside from skiing. Natural snow is iffy that time of year-most areas have snowmaking, but only on limited trails. That said, if you're stuck on NH, go to the North Conway area. You've got 4 ski areas to choose from (Attitash,Wildcat, Black, and Cranmore). I'm partial to VT myself, and if you're looking at VT as well, Stowe would be a great choice. Have a great time!

Where do you live now

I still maintain that the only thing COLDER than NH is Vermont or Quebec. They are literally so cold you can take one short, icy and crowded run, and then huddle in the warming hut over a cup of hot chocolate until you can go out for a second icy, crowded run. If you live in a part of the country where this is normal, then okay you are good to go. I would rather pile everyone in a couple of minivans and drive straight thru to Colorado, switching drivers and listening to the whining of the kids all the way than take a single run down a New England slope. It is just misery! Are you aware of this........

PS to above

If you are convinced that being frozen into suspended animation is a fun holiday, you really should ski Quebec. With the difference between the US and Canadian dollars, you can save tons. Skiing costs a fortune anyway, all the gear, lessons, clothing, etc. At least in Quebec you get really nicely behaved families who dress up a bit for dinner and great food with a French flair. You can get package deals there including all meals that aren't available in the states. If I can remember the name of the place we stayed as novices and liked alot, I will post again. We didn't do too much skiing though! We spent most of the time in the hot tub, sauna, heated pool and around the fireplace. We have skied in zero visibility blizzards high in the Alps and the US Rockies and the temperature was always at least 20 degrees warmer than a sunny day in Vermont or Canada.

ski chantecler

Okay, I found it! It is called Hotel Chantecler in the Laurentian mountains about a hour north of Montreal. They have tons of great deals, like $95 Canadian per day per person, including lift ticket, huge breakfast and dinner. Slopes are illuminated for night skiing as well. Kids sleep in their parents rooms for free. Toll free 1 888 916 1616. Cooking for a gang that big means a few people don't get to ski. It is good enough for novices and the people are very friendly. If you must encounter bitter cold, better with a belly full of good food. The rooms are cute and decorated Provence, ski in and out. Probably perfect for your gang.

Donna

Here's another recommedation for Loon (Lincoln, NH) where there are a plethora of condos always available. And, Cannon Mountain is nearby, also great for novices. Pay no attention to the nonsense above. Bolton Valley and Stowe are also good possibilities, along with the Mad River Valley, in Vermont.

Oh Donna!'

Places like Mad River Valley and Loon must be named to reflect the mental state of people who select them! Tish wants to have FUN! I adore New Hampshire IN THE SUMMER but get real....if you must freeze to save money at least do it in Canada where you pay about 70 cents on the dollar.

nnn

What is the big deal! I have been skiing in NH and Vermont for over 25 years. Sure, there are some cold days - but if you are dressed appropriately and are tough enough to handle the conditions and the weather on those days than it is a great place to ski-
It's part of the fun and the experience of New England skiiing

gc

Tish,

It's unclear what "relatively novice skiers" means, but here are a few suggestions.

1. Cranmore, in North Conway is a family/novice mountain, and it faces south. The good news is that it's not as cold as some, the bad news is that snow can be iffy, especially in December. If you want variety, I believe a multi-day pass at Cranmore is also good at Loon and Waterville. Check the cranmore site for details...or give them a call.

2. North Conway is also the center of the White Mtns. commercial area. There's a great diversity of activities, shopping, restaurants, and traffic. But if you're there for a week, traffic is less of an issue than if you're there for a weekend.

3. Smuggler's Notch in Vermont is an award winning family resort. You might want to check that out.

4. For all those telling you you'll freeze to death, well DUH! You're out playing in the snow, during the shortest days of the year! If you want to turn your kids on to the best family sport there is, make sure you dress them warmly. Not stylishly, warmly! Cold toes and fingers will ruin the experience. Make sure you layer, have dry socks/mittens and hats, and dry everything indoors at night.

5. And lastly, there's plenty of lodging in the Conway area, but Christmas week is very busy, so don't delay!

wet blanket back again

Tish, I will not let this cold weather thing drop. I was born and raised in CHICAGO which can freeze your toes waiting for an El train so I know cold! I skied Killington and it was totally miserable. The apres ski was great for 20 somethings from Philly, Boston and NYC. Even with heater packs in boots and mittens, down and layers galore, it was PAINFUL. I have kids 11 and 13 -- getting 5 to 7 kids bundled up is going a major effort. Novices won't stay motivated in sub-zero wind chills. Even Killington which does very well on high speed lifts and has some pretty long runs, has enough slower older chairs that by the time you get to the top, you are just so miserable you cannot enjoy anything.
They blast artifical snow makers all day and you get sprayed with frozen ice!I still say either 1. Go to Quebec which at least has plenty of natural snow fall and cheap prices or 2. Trek it out west but enjoy the SKIING!!!! 3. Holiday skiing everywhere is crowded, it will be 50 times worse in New England. Wait until February or March and get a cheapie to Colorado for the kids's spring break, this will also give you another few months to save up...delayed Xmas present. North Conway and Lake Ossippee in summer are divine! Enjoy them then!

Linda

If you are interested, I own a home on Conway Lake - It's 6/7 bedroom & 4 full baths. I am looking to start renting (since I am currently unemployed) but want responsible people since I use the home quite a bit myself.

I am 15 minutes from King Pine (easy trails with tubing) and 15 minutes from Cranmore (Good family mountain).

Attatash/Bear Peak is 1/2 hour away.

It's 10 minutes to the outlets.

The house is 4000 sq feet and sleeps 16- 20 comfortably. Jacuzzi, W/D, dishwasher, gas grill, wood stove, satellite TV, ping-pong, and medium sized private beach area.

E-mail me for pricing and availability.

Susan

We stayed at Waterville a couple of years ago and enjoyed it. It was during the Xmas break. There was very little snow and it rained our second night there. It looks like a nice ski hill but we only saw the one beginner's slope that was open.

hiker

Try Bretton Woods, across from Mt. Washington. Nice view! Another vote for Loon and the North Conway area for other leisure activities. I hike in this area year round and if you know how to layer, you'll enjoy it. It's not always absolutely freezing. I've hiked sunny, beautiful days in the middle of January.

mm

Loon, Attitash, Black Mtn., Breton Woods, Cranmore, and Waterville are all good choices.

Avoid Cannon and Wildcat for temps and difficulty.

Waterville is pretty much a self-contained resort area with skating, x-country skiing , dinning.

Breton Woods is across the street from the Mt. Washington Hotel and has great views of the Presidential Range.

Attitash, Bear Peak, and Black are all close together and close to N. Conway, home to hundreds of shopping outlets and tons of restaurents,...

Also, if you stay in the N.Conway area you are about 45 mins. from Sunday River in Maine.

Have fun.

Beth2

Is there a place you can snow ski without being cold? What's the complaint?! Well, we did have a trip to Sunday River one February that included 3 days out of 5 that were like Spring skiing, but that's not the rule. Sunday River in Bethel, Maine has a great learn-to-ski program, and nice long gentle runs for the novice. Lots of non-ski activity, too! In NH, I'd recommend either Loon or Waterville. If you mean Xmas/NY holiday, the prices will be inflated. If you mean Mass or Maine Feb school break - it will be PACKED. NH school break is one week later, but NH will be busy that week, too. Consider Maine or way up in Smugglers Notch, VT in that case. Hope you have a blast!