Ski resorts to visit this winter with things to do on and off the slopes

This winter mountains of fun can be had at Northeast ski resorts where skiing and snowboarding are just the tip of the iceberg. While others conquer the slopes (or the bunny hill), non-skiers can dash through the snow on a horse-drawn sleigh or fancy inner tube, splash around an indoor water park, explore a mountain town or relive Winter Olympics or “Sound of Music” thrills.

You don’t even have to stay overnight, say day trippers.

“Get a good night’s sleep, get up early to beat the traffic, and you can be on the mountain by 8 or 9 a.m. for a full day of skiing,” said Donnalee Shapiro, 70, of Smithtown, a semiretired nurse practitioner who’s skied Mount Snow in Vermont and Camelback in Pennsylvania.

Shapiro is often accompanied by her non-skiing husband, Mitch, 71, founder and CEO of Smithtown-based Help America Hear. He finds his own fun taking “little side trips to towns and villages, to eat at local restaurants, go antiquing and just enjoy the scenery.”

Here are five Northeast resorts offering a flurry of activities for all ages, interests and skill sets.

Camelback Resort

Tannersville, Pennsylvania

ON THE SLOPES

39 trails, on 166 acres, vertical drop 827 feet, lift tickets $65.

“Camelback is a lovely little ski resort, with a snow tubing park located right where you pick up your lift ticket,” said Donnalee Shapiro. “You see a lot of families there.”

Located about an hour and a half drive from the George Washington Bridge, Camelback offers ski and snowboarding lessons and “a wide variety of bunny hills, easy and expert terrain,” said Victoria Mercado, assistant director of Snowsports.

OFF THE SLOPES

The 44-lane snow tubing park features music and disco lighting after dark. Camelback’s Aquatopia Indoor Waterpark’s new Mountain Mayhem waterslide also features lighting and music effects. Nearby Strasberg village exudes Pennsylvania Dutch country charm at the Shoppes at Center Square and in The Amish Village.

The Camelback Resort hotel’s guest experience features live concerts and doughnut decorating for kids. The clip-clop of horse hoofs in the street serenades your stay at the Strasberg Village Inn B&B (717-687-0900, strasburg.com).

More info 855-515-1283, camelbackresort.com

Hunter Mountain

Hunter, New York

ON THE SLOPES

67 trails on 320 acres, 1,600-feet vertical drop, lift tickets $99.

The “snowmaking capital of the world” is aiding Mother Nature with new automated equipment spreading artificial snow across the mountain, including at “fan favorite double-black-diamond Racer’s Edge,” said spokesman Joe Healy. Download the new My Epic app with Mobile Pass and Mobile Lift Tickets to pay and be scanned through the lift line, access interactive trail maps and see the latest snow reports.

More info 518-263-4223, huntermtn.com

OFF THE SLOPES

No special skills are needed at the tubing park at the base of Hunter Mountain; just take the “Magic Carpet” lift to the top of the nearly 1,000-foot-long hill. 

Hunter Mountain’s Kaatskill Mountain Club features a heated pool and outdoor hot tub for apres-ski hanging ($279). Stroll Hunter and Tannersville for treats like cider doughnuts, bagels and food and drink at the Jagerberg Beer Hall & Alpine Tavern and Hunter Mountain Brewery.

The Omni Mount Washington Resort, Bretton Woods Ski Area

Bretton Woods, New Hampshire

ON THE SLOPES

98 trails on 464 acres, 1,500-feet vertical drop, lift tickets $139

The snow-capped peaks surrounding this luxury resort aren’t just gorgeous scenery — they're where the action is. With an extensive trail system and luxury amenities, this historic New England retreat compares “to the ski resort level you’d find at European resorts or resorts out West,” said Craig Clemmer, director of marketing.

More info 603-278-3320, brettonwoods.com

OFF THE SLOPES

History buffs can tour the historic hotel where the World War II Bretton Woods Conference established the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. A 25,000-square-foot spa’s pampering includes a heated pool. Drive through White Mountain National Forest scenery to tax-free designer outlet shopping at Settler’s Green in touristy North Conway.

Get toasty in front of the Great Hall fireplace before turning in at the 1902 Omni Mount Washington Hotel. Or sample New England country charm at the Omni Bretton Arms Inn at Mount Washington (603-278-1000, omnihotels.com). The pop-up Waffle Cabin serves a kid-friendly belly-warming breakfast. The Skyway Gondola passes panoramic Presidential Mountain range views on the way to a hearth-baked pizza snack at Rosebrook Mountain’s modern new lodge.

Lake Placid/Whiteface Mountain

Wilmington, New York

ON THE SLOPES

94 trails on 299 acres, 3,430-foot vertical drop, lift tickets $124.

The Adirondacks resort that hosted two Winter Olympics games, including the 1980 Alpine skiing competition on Whiteface Mountain, draws many an athlete with high ski jumping, luge and bobsled hopes.

“Athletes train year-round next to guests,” said Darcy Rowe Norfolk of the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA). Norfolk said that the Olympic Authority has “significantly invested in the facilities” with improvements such as the new “The Notch” lift, which this season will whisk skiers to a lodge, beginner and intermediate trails halfway up the mountain. Whiteface also offers an adaptive skiing and snowboarding program for people with cognitive and physical disabilities. 

More info 518-946-2223, whiteface.com

OFF THE SLOPES

A modernized Olympic Center and Museum recently opened featuring larger, redesigned spaces and exhibits including a section of the final scoreboard from the U. S. 1980 “Miracle on Ice” hockey win over the Soviet Union (lakeplacidolympicmuseum.org). Visitors can make figure eights on the outdoor ice oval, also recently refurbished, where American Eric Heiden won five gold medals. A Lake Placid Legacy Sites Passport ($49-$59) covers admission to both as well as the Whiteface Cloudsplitter Gondola and The Olympic Jumping Complex Skyride (lakeplacidlegacysites.com).

Walk to the ski area from the Ledgerock at Whiteface lodging (518-946-2302, ledgerockatwhiteface.com). Cadence Lodge at Whiteface is a small, recently updated 1950s motel (518-534-2335, cadencelodge.com). Walk to four rushing waterfalls and dine in the cafe at High Falls Gorge in Wilmington (518-946-2278, highfallsgorge.com).

Stowe Mountain Resort

Stowe, Vermont

THE SLOPES

116 trails on 485 acres, 2,160-feet vertical drop, lift tickets $179.

On Mount Mansfield, at 4,395 feet the tallest peak in Vermont, conquer your fears on the “Goat,” recently rated the most challenging trail in New England. Take a free gondola ride to Spruce Peak Village Center, where food, crafts and a toy and candy shop sit at the base of Stowe’s Spruce Peak ski area. 

More info 802-253-3000, stowe.com

OFF THE SLOPES

Visit downtown Stowe on the free Mountain Road Shuttle to shop at boutiques, country stores and specialty markets, and chill at the Alchemist Brewery. Scoop up free ice cream samples while you learn about the other sweet science on a guided tour of the Ben & Jerry’s Factory in Waterbury (benjerry.com).

Your stay at Stowe’s ultra-cozy Trapp Family Lodge, still owned and operated by the family that inspired “The Sound of Music,” can include a von Trapp family history tour (free to guests, $30 for non-guests), a taste of the clan’s craft brews at the bierhall restaurant and Austrian-style horse-drawn sleigh rides (1-800-826-7000, trappfamily.com). Snowshoe, cross-country skiing and other equipment rentals are available near The Stowe Village Inn and Modern Motel (802-500-3232, stowevillageinn.com).