Conditions Report
Report from opening weekend, November 26, 2023
When I was planning my 2023-2024 snowboarding calendar, I knew that I wanted to stay on the Atlantic coast. This El Niño winter could bring some big snowstorms to the northeast, and one of the best things about where I live on Montreal’s south shore is access to ski resorts in Quebec, New England, and upstate New York.
The awesome folks at Indy Pass have provided SnowBrains writers with some passes for the 2023-24 season. The timing could not be more perfect given my plan and preference, to be honest, for the off-the-well-worn-path gems, the tried and true local spots that maintain a hometown pride and vibe. Many of these resorts are included on the list of over one hundred and eighty resorts on three continents offered by Indy Pass.
I plan to visit several in the eastern United States and Canada over the next five months. Some that I know well, others long on my wish list that I’ll be visiting for the first time. I tend to stay close to the Canada/US border with some of the gnarly road conditions we get here in the northeast but come Spring 2024, I’ll be heading further south into southern Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
Bolton Valley, Vermont, only a short two-hour drive from Montreal, opened this past weekend. I’ve been to Bolton many times through the years, mainly for night skiing which is offered here Tuesday through Saturday to 10 p.m. during the regular season. I rode some of the best powder in recent memory during night skiing operations at Bolton Valley.
The resort is surrounded by over 5,000 pristine acres, sporting 1,634 vertical and offering 64 trails accessed by six lifts. The pandemic put a halt on my snowboarding in the United States, and last winter as well I stayed on the northern side of the border, including a trip to the Kootenays. That changes in 2023-24. I love snowboarding in New England.
You immediately notice the tremendous local vibe, and welcoming staff, when you arrive at Bolton Valley. The resort, which boasts the highest base elevation of any ski resort in the state, is family-owned and operated, one of the few ski destinations in North America that can make that claim. Since buying back the resort that the current chairman of the board Ralph DesLauriers founded in the 1960s in 2017, the DesLauriers family has made several resort and on-mountain upgrades. Bolton was recently highlighted as one of the Climate Action Business Association’s Champions of Snow.
The vibe the DesLauriers have created here is true northern Vermont, often copied, never duplicated. With an emphasis on top-notch customer service, unbelievable terrain for Nordic and alpine skiing and snowboarding, and mountain biking in the summer, Bolton is, as their website claims: ‘Local. Independent. Groovy.’
My friend Karen and I left Montreal early Sunday morning, and we were on the chairlift by 10:30 a.m. With only two chairs spinning and two runs open, we didn’t have high expectations for our first day out. We were looking for a happy vibe, a good time, and some exercise to get our legs. Our day was amazing, and the snow conditions far exceeded our expectations.
Bluebird skies kept the snow soft, and the area has already received significant snowfall for November, with a packed powder base of 18 inches. We did a dozen or more fast and surfy runs off the mid-mountain chair and packed up about an hour before the lifts stopped spinning for a scenic drive back to Montreal. Karen asked me while we were walking to the parking lot how many runs I thought we did: “I’m not sure.’ (laughs) The snow was fast!”
It should be noted that Bolton offers two designated uphill routes for carbon-free excursions. We look forward to getting back to Bolton Valley and maybe some uphill travel while Mother Nature continues to do her thing. It can take some time before resorts here are operating at full capacity, but so far, it is looking really good. We drove past Jay Peak, another Vermont resort offered by Indy Pass, on our way home with a clear view of the summit, and it was looking sweet up top as well.
The region woke up to freshies Monday morning and has accumulated two feet of fresh snow this week. A New England Powder Day in November sounds like something from a dream, but it isn’t. Bolton reopens tomorrow, Friday, with top-to-bottom skiing and riding through to Sunday. Here’s looking forward to what 2023-24 has to offer us East Coast pow hounds!
