
Everyone here in the DC Metro Area (and along the whole East Coast and Southeast) is suffering from bitter cold temperatures, snow, ice—just about everything Old Man Winter has to offer. When things get this bad, people generally have two options: hunker down at home with a mug of hot chocolate and vow not to come outside until spring; or,
make the most of the weather while it lasts!
Ski season is in full force for those who can bear to hit the slopes. Luckily, even ski bunnies on a budget can still take a vacation this year—just consider Concierge.com's
Budget Ski Trips 2009 list. Here are a few ski resorts that are great for not only leisure travelers, but for group incentive travel as well:
Jay Peak Resort
Receiving more snowfall than any other resort on the East Coast, Jay Peak boasts 76 trails, slopes and glades to explore, plus several area communities brimming with restaurants shops and other winter activities to fill the nights. The resort aims to bring all this to skiers at a price that doesn't break the bank. In fact, Hotel Jay offers affordable
packages that include breakfasts and dinners, access to the hot tub, sauna and family and game rooms, and ski lockers; a package for four midweek nights at the hotel that also includes lift tickets is $165 per person per night.
Jay Peak can host events of all kinds, from weddings to corporate functions. Groups of up to 600 people can convene in one of hte resort's slopeside condos, while the International Restaurant and Hotel Day Dining Room can host up to 300 and 125 guests, respectively. Bulk tickets and group lodging deals are available.
Hotel Don Fernando de Taos
Over 300 average days of sunshine, an average of 305 inches of snowfall and very few lines for the lift make Taos Ski Valley a great option for pros (just over half of its 110 trails are expert level and its lift-served vertical drop measures in at 2,612 feet.) Non-skiers in the group can still take advantage the valley's location just 20 miles outside of Taos, a city jam-packed with historic sights, an authentic Pueblo, fresh restaurants, and quaint shops.
Hotels abound in Taos, with Hotel Don Fernando de Taos setting itself apart with its unique decor, convenient amenities and
affordable accommodations. Rooms start at $89 a night, and a complimentary shuttle takes passengers to restaurants and shops within a two-mile radius. The Taos Ski Valley Bus makes a 30-minute trip to the base of the mountain for just $1. The hotel offers over 2,6000-square-feet of meeting space, perfect for groups large and small.
Keystone Resort
The largest night skiing operation in Colorado; several Four Diamond, Wine Spectator and Zagat Survey-rated restaurants; one of Colorado's best tubing spots; the largest Zamboni-maintained outdoor skating rink in North America; a 10,000-square-foot luxury spa—the reasons to bring the whole family to Keystone, Colorado, are endless! The resort has over 1,200 lodging units, with River Run Village's one- to four-bedroom units ringing in at $157 per person per night for four nights and four lift tickets.
The
Keystone Conference Center features two ballrooms, a large lobby and foyers, and 4,000-square-feet of free-standing meeting space on the second level. At the resort as a whole, meetings, social events and weddings can find over 100,000 square feet of exhibit space and 50 versatile meeting rooms for groups of up to 2,000 guests.