We had already enjoyed three glorious days exploring every snow-covered nook of this 30-year-old ski resort-cum-condo village in northwestern Vermont, one peak over from Stowe. We each had our own turf and lessons to match (a package perk too generous to ignore). While my husband, a happily plodding cross-countrier, picked up a few new tricks along the 23 kilometers of backwoods trails, I grappled with a case of middle-aged downhiller's rut (part laziness, part fear of mortality) and strong-armed Laurel into lessons as well, for the time had come when I simply could not keep up with her.
From prior, deadly dull experience, she was not at all keen on ski school, but she returned from her first Adventure Ski Camp outing emoting one word: "Radical!" While my instructor subjected the intermediates to ploys like having us "ride" our poles pony-style (a great way to feel as silly as you look and, in the process, lighten up), Laurel and her band were heading to the summit of 3,640-foot Madonna Mountain and zooming back down via double black-diamond trails. Apparently, she attacked one set of bumps a bit too aggressively, because her ski stuck and her knee kept going, qualifying her for a headfirst toboggan run down the mountain, a ride to the clinic for X-rays, and a prescription for RICE: rest, ice, compression and elevation.
We were all set to hole up in our cozy condo, cable and dial-in pizza at the ready, but Laurel saw no reason to cave. Smugglers' Notch is justly famous for its Kids' Fun guarantee, but I was hard-pressed to imagine what fun Laurel could muster in her hampered state. "But the pool is cool, right?" she reasoned, so that was her first stop for a refreshing float. Next, there was a party scheduled with visiting members of the Big Apple Circus. Grandma the clown was especially solicitous, and all the attention Laurel's crutches garnered didn't hurt any either. We had just enough time to catch a comedian and scarf down some burgers at the Club Cafe upstairs before it was time for Family Pictionary, which we miraculously won (thanks in part, I privately opined, because of my brilliant rendition of egg timer, complete with chicken).
Surely that ought to have been enough excitement for one night, but what, Laurel wondered, could be the harm in spinning down Sir Henry's Sledding Hill in an inner tube, leg held aloft? None, as it turned out, and as we gathered around the bonfire hugging hot chocolates, we had to congratulate ourselves for fun in the face of adversity.
OPEN:
Year-round
BEST TIME TO GO:
Winter and Summer
BEST PARENTS' NIGHT OUT:
The FamilyFest package includes a free night of child care, and qualified baby sitters are on tap in any case. Skip out for a couplehood-rekindling dinner at Cafe Banditos, where the Mexican dishes are tasty, the margaritas liberating.
BEST ACTIVITY FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY:
Smugglers' suits skiers of all abilities-- the learner slopes (including a challenging "terrain garden") are clustered on tiny Morse Mountain, which adjoins the village, and the more advanced trails are set off on two peaks a long, easy traverse away.
BEST ACTIVITY FOR KIDS:
Ski school itself is the biggest hit, thanks to director Peter Ingvoldstad's knack for knowing what kids go for: cookie races, half-pipes and a largely self-directed Explorer program for teens.
BEST WAY TO RELAX:
The hot tub overlooks the pool, so you can soak and still keep an eye on the kids as they blow off more steam (where does it all come from?).
BEST PACKAGE:
Smugglers' offers a great many family packages throughout the winter, all with ski lessons and variegated evening activities.For current information on rates and packages, call 800-451-8752 or click here.
Please keep in mind that phone numbers, addresses, and prices are subject to change. Updated July 2005.
