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Smugglers' Notch Resort
Category: Hotels & Travel Ski Resorts Ski Resorts [Edit]
4323 Rt 108 SSmugglers Notch, VT 05464
(802) 644-8851
23 reviews for Smugglers' Notch Resort
23 reviews in English
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Review from Jon M.
Burlington, VT
3/12/2012
Did you know that Smuggs has the highest vertical of any mountain in Vermont? That's a pretty cool stat I stumbled upon this year.
What sets Smuggs apart is the variety of terrain in a relatively small area. Madonna and Sterling have everything you could want, and it's all accesible from only two lifts. Can't comment on the Morse (beginner) hill but it's a long way away via what looks like a crappy connector trail.
High marks for: variety of terrain, underrated glades, value, proximity to Burlington, locals-only vibe, and general lack of frills. Go to Smuggs to ski, grab a quick snack in the lodge, then continue skiing and eventually walk back to your car where you might have a beer. If you wan't gourmet meals or lattes by the fireplace afterwards, go to Stowe.
Downsides: painfully slow lifts. lift lines are awful on holiday weekends. it's often super-cold being north-facing. upper mountains are not a place to start if you're a beginner, they can be intimidating and challenging.
Smuggs during the week with a bash badge must be one of the best deals in Vermont. $15 for a half-day and you'll be one of about 150 people (total) on the mountain. -
Review from Alex B.
3/16/2012 1 Check-in Here
Came here with a bunch of coworkers for a ski weekend and really enjoyed myself. I can't say the skiing is the best I have experienced in the Northeast, but when you are around a slew of friends who love to drink you can usually make anything work.
My overall impression is that the mountain itself is very family/kid oriented. There were a lot of families around and not a lot of bars. In fact, we tried the one local bar, and got weird looks like "you well groomed yuppies DO NOT belong here" so we left. I mean it's not like I was about to hit on the busted old chick with a missing lung and teeth anyway.
The mountain itself is decent. It has some good glades but many trails were closed. When I had heard the entire place was all double chairlifts, instead of bitching like most people would, I thought, "How can I make this work for me?" Easy, I am going to use the 10 minutes it takes to get up the mountain to slug down Jack Daniels from my flask.
Lesson learned though. Skiing while tanked will result in numerous bruises. You will also probably lose the 2nd lunch you bought that you wanted to have for dinner later. If anyone finds pieces of chicken on the grass after all the snow melts where chicken has no business being, you can probably attribute that to me.
The lodges themselves were clean and equipped with a ton of useful equipment. Ice machines in the freezers are perfect for pouring drinks, preferably the kind with alcohol. Granite kitchen counter tops that open into the living rooms make for a great place to dance and it is also the perfect height to do a trust fall of of. The tables are made for 20 cup pong. The china cabinet is loaded up with a ton of cocktail/wine/martini glasses. Bottle and wine openers were kindly provided by the resort. There was also a hot-tub in our unit which made for a nice post ski soak ... and again at 5 AM mid-partying. Nothing beats some bubbly champagne mixed with the bubbly of the tub. And they kindly have a shuttle service to come grab you from the lodge so that you don't have to drive drunk down to the mountain in the AM. However, the units lacked connectivity to a stereo to make for beastly party tunes. Luckily there was a radioshack not to far away. Phew.
Overall good place. As I said, not exactly my cup of tea, but we made it work. Also, kind of hated myself for the fact that I had to pass up Stowe (and drive another 45 min) just to make it here (not nearly as good of a mountain). -
Review from Abby B.
New York, NY
1/27/2012
Great place to learn to ski/snowboard.
While it was a little frustrating not to be able to try a blue on the same mountain as the greens, it was nice that the majority of the skiers on the green terrain were very considerate of the fact that most green skiers aren't super confident yet. However, the downside of this is that people can be on the inconsiderate side on the two larger mountains.
Never waited longer than a few minutes for a lift during the week, and even on a Saturday at the bigger mountains (Sterling and Madonna) the lines moved quickly enough.
The ice slicks on the bottom of the main runs on Morse and Madonna worried me a bit-- I realize that sometimes that's what the mountain does, but I would have liked to see a bit more snowmaking to cover them up (especially on the green terrain).
Staff all super friendly, if a bit disorganized (see shuttle experience below).
For food, the pub-style restaurant was totally solid for dinners, with a good range of comfort food and a decent beer selection. We ate at the Hearth and Candle once, and I felt it was unnecessarily overdone-- the menu seemed like it was trying so hard to be Unique and Fancy that they lost track of how their dishes actually tasted. Also, their upstairs "adults-only" dining room is just creepy and feels like your grandmother's living room. If you don't hate children, I advise politely declining the offer and remaining downstairs with the fireplace-- much cozier.
Condo felt like it was out of the 1970s, but totally clean, functional, and comfortable, and the fireplace was nice even though it was so effective that we had to turn it off because it got too hot, so we missed the flames.
Only real drawback to the trip was the shuttle service to and from the airport-- perfectly nice people, but they were definitely not the most organized, and since the shuttle is run by an outside vendor but coordinated through the resort, there were a number of communication problems with our shuttles-- enough that if we go back to Smuggs, we'll just rent a car instead.
Trails, as reviewed by a super-novice (skied only a couple days before in my life, before spending a week here):
Morse:
For super-beginners, the bunny hill is pretty sad, as it's tiny and can be packed with classes, but the Magical Learning Trail (gentle and wide green with plenty of room to learn, and a nice curve at the end) and Dixie's Knoll (the short, very gentle slope down to the Morse Highlands lift) were great to practice on with less traffic than the rest of Morse. As you move up in the world, the top of Morse has a few steep-ish slopes to test yourself on. After the first day, I didn't see much point in ever taking the Magic Mouse lift to the top, as it spits you out at exactly the same run as the Village lift, minus the fun curve and nice view from the top.
Madonna:
I made the mistake of trying Chilcoot as my first-ever blue trail, and I was petrified at least 50% of my way down, as it starts off with a few drops that are way steeper than anything on Morse. I was so traumatized afterwards that I gave up on the harder mountains and went back to Morse for the rest of the day. However, once I went back fresh the next day and did a few easier blue runs on Sterling, I went back and loved the Chilcoot trail-- lots of variety, breathtaking views, fun twists and turns, and gorgeous scenery.
Sterling:
If you're just starting out on blues, start with Rumrunner. The top can be really busy, as it's the starting point for a whole bunch of blues and blacks, but the whole trail is nice and wide and the bottom half is incredibly fun (with a nice and gentle slope). Once you're comfortable with that, the Crossover has a bit more steepness to play with, and once you've mastered that, head up Madonna for Chilcoot's fabulous views and meanderings.
I can't speak for anything harder than a blue except to say that the blacks looked death-defyingly fun and I can't wait until I'm comfortable enough to ski the gladed trails-- they look amazing. -
Review from Hong L.
1/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
Unfortunately, it was a warm weekend when we went during the winter.
It is a long drive from New York but it is definitely a nice change for a vacation. The Direct route 108 was closed during the winter and we had to take a roundabout way. I would highly suggest using google maps to search and not gps because the gps didn't know the direct route was closed.
We stayed in C25 townhouse which was a great lodging place. The house had a great accommodation, # of beds, and was clean and homey. We ended up cooking one of the nights and we found most of the supplies and kitchenware that we needed. If you are staying here, I would suggest buying your food / supplies before heading up there because groceries store are smaller and more exp.
The townhouse was walking distance next to Morse Mountain. To get to the other mountains, you have to take a shuttle bus. Morse Mountain has mostly green trails. When we went recently, there were only 4-5 green trails open (not a lot of trails). The weather was also warm and there were icy and fog conditions. I am sure that if it was a good weekend it would have been amazing. The mountain is very family orientated as you see tons of kids/adults on the green trail learning how to ski to snowboard.
If you are staying in the resort with a group, ask about their group rates. They gave us 10% off lift tickets and rental as well. -
Review from Yellow D.
New Haven, CT
7/7/2011
An owner on the fence about Smuggs.
We have been a summer owner for the past 10 years and really enjoy being in VT in the summer. Our unit is well built and was new when we purchased our timeshare. Smuggs has done a pretty good job of maintaining our unit over the years despite cutting many cost corners on things like downgrading the TV size (ridiculously small), cutting the towel service, eliminating numerous free activities and cutting regular shuttle service. Our annual maintenance charge has climbed to almost $800 per year from $450 so we are surprised that their level of service has steadily gone down.
Probably the best thing about Smuggs are the day activities (camps) that they have for the kids. Those things are included in the price but the vast majority of the extra activities are very expensive.
At times we feel like we are on a cruise ship (not in a good way) getting nickle and dimed for expensive activities, overpriced food and supplies. Things like the quaintness of the farmers market wear off quickly when you see the markup that they are hitting you with.
There is plenty to do in the surrounding area like visiting Stowe Village, going to Burlington, Ben & Jerry's in Waterbury, Outlet stores in Essex that you can do to combat the high price of Smuggs. We learned long ago to buy groceries before coming here (several supermarkets on the way in) to off-set the very high cost of eating out. The first year we spend nearly $1,000 eating out in Smuggs restaurants but no more. We also bring our Kayaks/Bikes to keep the cost down and to give ourselves more flexibility.
There is little to do here after 5pm (other than eating out) so bring things to entertain yourself.
Overall Smuggs offers up the best Vermont has to offer and their staff is helpful and friendly. They take every opportunity to separate you from your money so as long as you find ways to combat that you should enjoy it. -
Review from K K.
New York, NY
12/8/2011 4 photos
Moun-tens of Ad-venture, Moun-tens of Fuhn. Smuhgggg-lurzzzzz Nahhhtcchhhh
Seriously, it's ingrained in my brain. I dont think they've changed their advertising jingle since the cretaceous period. But you know what? That's okay.
I had a season pass at Smuggs for about 4 or 5 years, and I simultaneously worked at Stowe, so I could ski back and forth over the top of the mountain between the two resorts (they share both sides of the same mountain), which was awesome. Smuggs is a fantastic place, with terrain as challenging as anything you'll find in the east. In fact, I'll go on record as saying that Upper Liftline (pic) is the most difficult on-map trail I've skied at any eastern resort, mandatory air, exposed rocks, etc.... it's all there. Upper F.I.S. is great for getting your mogul runs on, and if you're not quite proficient on the bumps yet, you may want to check out the intermediate Snow Snake on Morse mountain, where they often let "baby bumps" develop, a great way to practice. The best part is that Monday though Friday you will ski down the mountain right onto the chair lift, yes, it's paradisiacally empty weekdays. And if you're a fan of glades (pic), Smuggs has them in spades. Pro tip? Skip past the main entrance and park at the very last parking lot at Sterling Mountain, and you can ski right to your car at the end of the day.
But beyond the great expert terrain, Smuggs is renowned for being a top "Family Destination" in the east for their children's programs. Ironic given Smuggler's Notch gets it's name from a booze running gap in the mountains (pic) used during Prohibition. Given that I dont have kids, I cant comment on that, but I've heard great things from enough people to know that the high ranking must be justified.
Negatives? Well, this place can get pretty busy on peak Saturdays, the problem of which is amplified by the fact that the lifts are merely doubles. This is really only a problem at Madonna Mountain, where, I'm sorry to say Smuggs Brass, whether you like it or not you're going to have to go to a quad in the next 5ish years, or you're going to lose customers. Fact. Story to be the bearer of bad news. But I dont want my parting remark on Smuggler's Notch to be a negative, it really is a great place and every eastern skier should make it a point to get up there and check it out.
THE STATS THAT MATTER
Summit Elevation: 3,640 feet
Vertical Drop: 2,610 feet
Skiable Area: 1,000 acres
Longest Run: 18,480 feet
Annual Snowfall: 288 inches
Snowmaking: 60%
Uphill Capacity: 7,200 per hourListed in: Eastern Ski Resorts
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Review from MC B.
Phoenix, AZ
11/13/2011
After reading the negative reviews I was apprehensive about our stay, however, it was very enjoyable and we had no complaints. We stayed in a two bedroom/two bath in the Willows. While the condo was away from the main area it was so peaceful and quiet. The condo itself was beautiful, large, well kept and clean. We used this location as a base to explore northern Vermont and it worked out very well. The few staff we encounted were very pleasant and helpful. Given the time of the year during the week it was almost deserted but towards the end of the week more guests arrived. The folliage was the best in the area. It was a great stay.
Suggestion: Buy an groceries and beverages at a supermarket prior
to arriving at the resort. The small market has a limited
selection and the prices are very, very high!! -
Review from Nuri G.
2/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Smuggs is an awesome place to ski on the East Coast. With it's short lift lines, great lodges, varied terrain, well groomed slopes, and friendly folks, it's a sure-fire win.
We had our first visit over the Presidents' Day weekend. We were a little worried that we'd run into gigantic crowds, but this was not the case. We laughed as everyone was talking about "how incredibly busy they were", but I think we waited at the main lift for no more than five minutes only once during the day. The sloped flowed nicely, which I think it a product of a.) having such a gigantic resort and b.) having old-school two person chair lifts.
We parked at the lower lodge, and purchased our tickets from an *extremely* short ticket line. We walked up, had a person in front of us, and had our tickets lickety split (this was at about 10am). After looking around for a lodge, we left our bags in a Ben and Jerrys. There were plenty of chairs, clean bathrooms, and it was one of the most un-chaotic "lodge" areas we've ever seen. At lunch, we had a seat in the bar, and snacked on delicious vegetarian chili and a simple basil/mozzerella/tomato panini.
The three mountains all have their own personality. We stuck to the middle and left-most mountains for the entire day, although we had parked in the village at the base of the right-most mountain. It warmed up last week so there was some melt; luckily, it wasn't icy, but there was some crud. The trails we selected were groomed, not tracked out, and incredibly smooth.
Everyone we encountered on the mountain was friendly. From the ski patrol to the lifties to the people we encountered in the lodges or on the slopes... everyone was a pleasure to talk to, had advice (as it was our first time on the mountain) and was quick to smile or say hello. It was an incredibly enjoyable departure from the NY area ski resorts, and felt as friendly as the Washington State areas I learned on.
Our visit to Smuggs was an absolute pleasure, and we plan on making many return trips over the years to this friendly mountain resort. -
Review from Tim F.
8/21/2010 6 Check-ins Here
Ah yes, the great outdoors. Went here for our summer vacation seeking relief from the Florida sun with good friends of ours who have a timeshare.
The rooms are clean and comfortable, with some upgrades and a nice porch to sit out on, with nice views of the mountains. A shuttle can take you to the main lodge location where you can access restaurants, pools, water slides, rent Segways, play tennis and host of other activities that the resort provides. The great thing is that many of the activities are included in the price, so you don't feel that you are getting nickled and dimed during your stay.
One of the biggest advantages to staying here is the day camp for kids, which was included in our package, and allows adults to have their own play time. Best part about it is that our little one loved the camp and raved about how good a time she had.
The only negative is that the resort's restaurant prices are disproportionate to the quality of the food. I don't mind paying a premium considering the location, but at the prices charged, I would expect the food to be better. Luckily, great restaurants are located nearby (See my review of 158 Main) , so this is not a big deal.
Regardless, if you are like me, you are staying here because of the location and the vast amenities the resort offers and this is a terrific vacation place for families---just don't waste your money on the food. -
Review from Jason P.
Smuggs can definitely use an upgrade on their chairlifts as many, if not all of them are old slow-moving two-person chairlifts. The lines can crawl here, especially on holiday weekends, so either try to get here early in the morning when the lines are virtually nonexistent or ride through the prime lunch hours. Many of their trails don't even have snow making causing the fate of many trails to fall victim to the natural environments. This can result in thin cover and poor conditions. But if you have the chance to come here when the mountain is fully covered, you will be treated to some wonderful glades and a decent trail system. The only downside are the two trails that go back and forth from the Morse Mountain (Kid's mountain) to Sterling (Main) Mountain.
The eating here can be quite limited. At the Morse Mountain Base Lodge (Kid's mountain) there is a restaurant with full table service. For many, they don't want an elaborate lunch experience, so you can go across the walkway to the deli/pizza/Ben & Jerry's complex. We ate at the deli, located just above Ben & Jerry's, and connected to the pizza parlor. The deli itself is a bit small with only about 10-15 tables, but you can take your food to the adjacent pizza parlor for extra seating. Food is a bit pricey here, especially for the portions, but what ski resort isn't.
Overall, Smuggs is a family-oriented mountain but there are some great trails and glades to be found during the days with good snow coverage. The snow conditions can really make or break this place, so plan accordingly when visiting. -
Review from casie m.
Boston, MA
8/11/2009
I cannot say I'm a fan of "Smuggs." In the middle of the summer, the boyfriend and I were looking for a nice little weekend getaway, and I really wanted to go somewhere out of state (MA) and relax. My requirement was swimming and his was mountains. Smuggs seemed so perfect!
We went for a weekend, getting there very late Friday night. It was dark and rainy, and we were pointed in the direction of our room, and we found the building easily enough, but there were two entrances and neither was labeled. After trekking all of our bags up three flights of stairs, we realized we were in the wrong building and headed back down and tried the second one. Of course it was on the first floor... We felt silly, but we went in and went to bed. The room was fine, very "motel chic" with a nice little kitchen (that we used to store our Jack and milk (not to drink together... yuck.)
On Saturday, it was supposed to rain but miraculously it was clear skies! We spent our day relaxing and pool hopping, checking out the various water slides. At night, we played bingo (for cash!). The bingo callers were a little shrieky for my taste, but I know there will be people reading this who think, "I've been going there for decades and I love those ladies!!" That's the thing about "Smugg's": people go there on family vacations EVERY year. Some people said they'd been going for 20 years! I have no idea what they do to pass the time, but good for them.
So so far I bet you are saying, why only 2 stars? Sounds fine. It was fine. Just fine. There wasn't really anything to DO. It seems like all the events happen on weekdays and everyone we saw was leaving on Saturday or Sunday. We must of had our timing wrong.
So Saturday passes, it's a nice relaxed vacation. On to Sunday, check out day. We decide to go out into the neighboring town and do a little Vermont site-seeing... Go to some cute general stores, look at all the maple syrup, get some cider donuts. We come back and check out, and decide we want to go hiking before we drive back home. We take the Smugg's map and drive toward the ski lodge where the trails originate.
1. A ski lodge is a scary place in the summer. Abandoned and looking a little shoddy..
2. There were no "trails." It was where hikers go to die. Climb straight up under the lifts for 45 minutes, stopping every 5 seconds to find out where you are, on a vague map, without any markers (good luck!).
3. Finally find something that resembles where you are supposed to turn on your "trail" and end up going straight downhill (great on the knees) for 45 minutes in long grass underpinned by "streams" and ankle deep mud. Now, I don't think this is me being a city girl. I like hiking, but I really felt like Smuggler's Notch was trying to kill me. And I won't forgive them for that.
Overall, it was a nice, quiet vacation (some read: boring) that ended in disaster. At least on the way home we hit the Cabot Annex and the Ben and Jerry's factory tour. Free samples took the sting out of my ravaged knees..
Quote of the vacation: "I can see why they call themselves 'Smugg's...' -
Review from Mark L.
Austin, TX
7/3/2009
I stayed here at the tail end of a family week visit. This is a summertime review and the place probably has a different feel in July then it does in January.
It's very family oriented. In fact it was over run with kids.The nieces and nephews had fun and spent most of there days here pairing up with other kids there ages. There are lots of things here for them. From basketball courts to disc golf - trails to hike on to tennis and swimming. When the weather is good.
When it is not and A=as an adult without kids, it was a bit boring and had me driving to other places in the area to look for interesting things.
Our condo was nice. Clean with good furnishings and even "green" washer dryers. Each of the buildings is different so i don't know the differences between them. -
Review from Andrea G.
Virginia Beach, VA
12/2/2008
I really love this mountain. We had slalom races here every year when I was a VARA member, and it was always a great experience. We got to explore the terrain and it's a fun mountain, with good variety of terrain. I saw everything from families to stoned snowboarders. There's definitely something for everyone here.
A little too much snowmaking though. I honestly prefer a little bare cover to the crunchy fake snow. It's okay in a course (it's supposed to be there), but when you're just skiing for fun it's just irritating.
Also, I'd just like to shout out to the Smuggler's Notch Ski Patrol. I had a race career-ending crash at Smuggler's in 2003, and I was amazed how well I was looked out for. Since it was a slalom race, they didn't have the medical staff that they have on site for the speed races--it's rare that someone gets so injured in a slalom race that they need to be taken down by sled. I was able to get down the course to the patrol on my uninjured leg, and they helped me the rest of the way down, and one of them even stayed with me while I got my x-ray and everything since there was nobody else to tell my coach (who was still at the top of the course with the other racers) what happened. God willing you never need the Ski Patrol, but if you do, the Smuggler's Notch SP goes above and beyond their duty . -
Review from Alyssa K.
2/28/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I'm a snowboarding noob, but out of the large-scale East Coast mountains I've been to, Smuggs probably rates the lowest on my list. 2.5-3 stars.
My biggest complaint is the lift system. Every chair lift here is a slowwww double. No triples, no gondolas, no high-speeds. I guess the one perk of this is that when you get off at the top of the mountain, there aren't any huge crowds of people loitering around that you could potentially ram into; it makes for good crowd control. But I'd rather risk running into someone than waiting 20 minutes just to get on the lift, which is what happened to us at the summit lift for Madonna, the highest of Smuggs' three peaks. Once we got on, it took 13 minutes to reach the top. I'm sorry, but even as a noob, I know it shouldn't take nearly 35 minutes just to start your run. We never had to wait in line for the Madonna II lift, so unless you're absolutely dying to do the trails at the very top of Madonna, just take Madonna II up...there's plenty of fun trails off that. Madonna II definitely had the shortest wait time on average, then Sterling, then Madonna I. Check out the lift line at Madonna I around lunchtime. We found that the wait wasn't bad at all then.
As someone still not 100% comfortable on blues and blacks, I also didn't like the fact that the two main peaks at Smuggs (Madonna and Sterling) didn't have any green trails. The greens are only at the smaller Morse mountain, and if you're coming from Madonna, you have to take this long flat trail to get to the Morse side, or alternatively take a shuttle bus. Both not very fun options.
There's several terrain parks. They looked fun, but I was too scared to even get close to any of the jumps.
Smuggs is really family-oriented. Perhaps that was why my friend got yelled at by some random guy on the trail (he wasn't even a Smuggs employee) for not having his safety bar down. In another instance, we heard on the loudspeaker, "Chair 97, please put your safety bar down now." I've never been to a mountain that did that, and my more experienced friends who have been on a lot more mountains were surprised by this, too. Guess they don't want us irresponsible adults setting bad examples for the kiddies.
For lunch, I got clam chowder in a bread bowl at the base lodge by Sterling. It was good until I started chewing on a piece of clam, and all I heard was "crunch, crunch, crunch." Sand. Gross.
I can't really complain since I had free lift tickets here, but would I actually pay to come back here? Mmmm, probably not. There are bigger, better, and closer mountains to NYC. -
Review from Jean H.
1/14/2011 1 photo
oh reliable reliable Smuggs!
yes, i constantly hear how Jay is a better snowboarding/skiing destination. Perhaps one day i'll check it out for myself and will be able to form my own just opinion.
however, for US east side skiing, Smuggs aint bad!
the lodges are darn nice: clean, well furnished and right on the resort. I do enjoy skiing straight from the mountain to my lodge's back entrance rather than clicking off those heavy skis and stiffly walking home for 300 ft
Ive been to Smugglers twice for a week each. The first time I went, Mother Nature didnt help (icy slick conditions). However, when Mother Nature fails, its up to the resort to compensate with snow blowers. Now, I understand that snow blower snow quality cant replace real snow, but id prefer the blowers over say... grass and rocks. Well, back in 2003 (the first time i went) Smuggs was flagging and didnt provide enough snow support.
HOWEVER, this recent ski trip Smuggs def. dialed it up a few notches and kept those snow blowers going until trails were adequately covered. Smuggs kept those blowers rollin' even when it was naturally snowing (which is a plus so they can mold the bumps and moguls to give you the options of getting height for tricks/jumps)
Smuggs does a good/normal job at maintenance, friendliness and helpfulness.
The ski/snowboarding instructors have all been super supportive, patient and kind. (however, i hear these instructors are transient and will work from mountain to mountain so perhaps its not really Smuggs' training that makes these instructors great, rather theyre just great people on their own)
its very family oriented and i would come again.
price wise? both trips were with a large group so for a week of skiing, housing, bus transport (from nyc to Smuggs), rentals and lessons it came out under 600 USD.
would i go back if i didnt get that special deal? good question. can't seem to answer that just yet. i'll get back to you. -
Review from Amanda F.
Westfield, MA
2/28/2011
We just got back from a 2 night stay in a slopeside studio condo. I had won the package and this was my first time here. My boyfriend hadn't been since a high school ski trip over 10 years ago. Our room was clean and comfortable, with a small deck and a beautiful view of the mountains. Our only complaint was finding a half empty 2 liter bottle of soda and an empty beer can in the bathroom and kitchen cabinets. Our first day was great, with perfect conditions. Yes, the chair lifts are old, slow, 2 seaters, but we did not find this to be a problem. We had very short lines and there was never a crowd at the top of the mountain. Since we didn't pay anything for our stay, I decided to take a lesson. I enrolled in the morning "MAX5" 2.5 hour lesson, in which there were only 2 other women plus myself. Our instructor was friendly and very helpful. This lesson was well worth the $75 (vs. $65 for a 1.5 hour lesson). Our second day was less than ideal, with winds gusting up to 45 MPH. I called to see which lifts were open/closed. As it turned out, only 1 lower lift was open for the day. I asked about their weather policy, as other resorts will give you a raincheck lift ticket. The man I spoke with said this would be no problem. However, when we went to the desk to check out and get our raincheck tickets, the woman we dealt with was rude and questioned who I spoke with about this matter. It seemed to me that all the employees were on different pages about this matter, since the couple next to us at the counter was promptly told they could get raincheck tickets. After our staff member went to verify this, we did receive 2 1-day lift tickets valid for one year.
Overall, a good resort for couples and families alike with good customer service. Steer clear of the pizza at Riga Bello's, the resort's pizza joint. $40 for frozen wings, stale breadsticks, and pizza that tastes like frozen that we ended up leaving in our condo's refrigerator. -
Review from Kel S.
3/15/2011
Although the trails I skied were long and winding, the conditions were very granular. I expected after all the powder received this year, the skiing would be fabulous. Additionally, I was surprised that the chair lifts only served 2 people at a time. I can't remember the last time I went somewhere where quad chairs were not the norm. As it was a Tuesday, late in the season, it wasn't crowded, so our waits weren't too long. Overall, the lift operators were friendly and we had a great day weatherwise... additionally my friend recently donated to the Red Cross, so we were able to B1G1, so that was great. However one guy in the rental shop had an arrogant air about him and made me feel stupid when I couldn't get my boot on. There were NO other customers around, so I'm pretty sure I wasn't wasting his time. I'd give Smug's a 2.5
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Review from Roni E.
11/26/2008 14 photos
This review is a conglomeration of things.
First things first, I must get off my chest... what the heck is up with the map you supply us when we arrive?! It in no way reflects the resort. And what's with the lack of signage? And when there is signage, it is so confusing because you have absolutely NO idea where it is actually pointing to! Mind you, I actually didn't get to go on anything but one lift the whole time I was here, so the directions is in regards to the actual resort itself and not the lifts. If the mountains are labeled anything like the resort, I'm sure I would have gone missing for days, cause I would be that idiot that would have taken the wrong turn and ended up in the forest.
Okay, now that I've gotten that off my chest, I have to say that the customer service here is top notch. Upon arrival, we were very close to our snowboard lesson time (1 pm). And by the time we found our friend's condo ('cause ours weren't ready yet - we got there really early, it's suppose to be ready at 4 pm, we got there at noon), got changed, and finally figured out where the rental shop was (see above regarding directions), we ended up missing our lesson. So, S and I ended up going to the desk to see if we can change our lessons and it was not an issue at all. They simply put us in the class for the next day. Additionally, S had actually lost her lesson pass. Not a problem, they'll reprint it for us. (Okay... some how she lost the 2nd pass and we had to go back again the next day! And still they were great with dealing with us and not giving us crap about losing the same pass twice, especially after she had tied it to her jacket. This time she had them do it for her. Hehe... And for customer service they get 5 stars from us.)
Moving on.... S and I decided to grab lunch since we missed our lesson the first day. Smugg's certainly offers a large variety of places for dining (separate reviews to come).
After lunch, we went back to see if our room was ready and it was, but everyone in our room has already gotten all the keys. 4 keys for 8 people in a condo that might not be all friends? Hmmm.... that makes it bit difficult, but whatever, we'll have to make due.
On that note, the condo's were awesome. They're owned by various families. And they're all about the same lay out. There's 4 bedrooms that can fit 2 or 3 people in each and there are 3 floors. It also has dishwasher and washer/dryer for your convenience. I would advise to bring your own cookware if you intend to cook your own food, as every family has a different set and I personally am not a fan of the stainless steel cooking. I much prefer the non-stick.
Simple housekeeping rules to follow . Other than that, the place was amazing! Gas fireplace kept the house warm. Balcony that overlooked the mountain. These condos were mountainside, we were able to walk from our condos to the lifts and the resort.
When the weather is cooperative, the mountains have a pretty good path and the snow isn't too hard like most on the East coast. But we all know we can't all have soft powder around these parts. And well I guess I can't speak too much of the mountains, 'cause I was on the bunny slope for the most part. I ended up not using my lift ticket until the 3rd day when I finally gave up on attempting to learn how to snowboard and switched over to the ski's.
By the way, if you want to switch your rental, it's a easy process, you just let them know that you want to switch, they'll fill out the forms, you pay $5, and you go get fitted for the other equipment.
Additionally, if there's one thing you must do while at Smugg's, it's to make sure you visit Mogul the Mouse at 4 pm near the firepit and grab your hot chocolate. Also Mogul the Mouse is the DJ for karaoke!
And if you're really feeling chilly, hop on into the Hot Tub, but don't forget your towel! They don't have any there for you, so you best be prepared. The indoor pool is a bit cool, but I rather spend my time in the hot tub instead.
Or you can also take your fine self to their ice rink (which I have yet to find or look for...), but I hear it's nothing special. But when you find it, let me know what you think. Instead of going ice skating, I decided to go snow tubing instead. They actually close off an area near the Mogul lift to go tubing. But.... they are real strict about it. This is where it lost its fun. Usually when you go tubing, you'd take a running start and go for it. Here, they make you start a good few feet in instead, causing you to lose momentum and simply drop to the bottom. No bumping into each other. Now what is the fun in tubing?!
So it looks like I must end this review now, since I've hit the 5000 character limit. Now go enjoy yourself and have a happy skiing & snowboarding trip! Even if you don't do either, it's still fun for those that want to hang around the lodge/resort area.Listed in: Action Adventures!, Do you ski what I ski?
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Review from Sandy H.
Perryville, MD
7/27/2011
So I just read a previous review where the person said she'd never go to a ski resort in the summer - well she is missing out. I came here with my husband, two sons (10 and 14) and a friend of my son (15). We are from Maryland and we thought that to avoid being molested by the TSA, this year, we would take a road trip. We take the kids to the beach and they are bored, we go to Mexico and they are bored, San Francisco - boring, New York - boring - I was beginning to think that these children cannot be pleased. I did some looking around online and found "Smuggs".
Our cabin had one bedroom, a pull out couch and a loft area with two twin beds. The unit also had a full kitchen with everything you needed to prepare meals and a bonus washer and dryer, which I did not expect. We didn't try any of the restaurants at the resort. We stopped at a grocery store on the way in and cooked most of our meals ourselves. We did get ice cream at the resort and had dinner at a pizza place in Stowe one night. The unit was fairly clean, everything in it was just old. I'm a picky, clean freak, so my standards are way over the top. One thing I didn't like was that the unit had no air conditioning!! During the day and when I had the stove or the dryer on, it got pretty hot inside. Another thing that I didn't like was that we had no real instructions for the unit. Were we supposed to clean before we leave? What do we do with our garbage? (there was a garbage closet right outside the front door, but there was trash in it when we got there and nobody ever came to empty it and it got pretty full). Are the trash bags full of towels outside of the unit for us? Little things like that that we were wondering about.
There was so much to do here that it was crazy. Not only just on the resort, but in the surrounding area. My boys are not they type that want to go off and do the camp type organized activities during the day (I prefer this anyway - on family vacations I like to spend time as a family), but this resort offers a ton of them for kids of every age. They had so many pools and water slides and games. My boys were never bored, which made for a great vacation for everyone. We never encountered a staff member that was anything less than wonderful. When I got home and posted our pics on Facebook, everyone wanted to know where we went, because in every single one we looked like we were having such a good time, and we were. We had good, clean, get off your butt, family time. Hiking and swimming and picnics and basketball and shuffleboard and bingo and waterfalls and mountains and kayaking. No drunk people at the pool like we have encountered at other resorts. Nobody expecting kids to not act like kids.
This is a great place and made for a great vacation and we will absolutely be back. -
Review from Eric S.
Patterson, NY
2/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
Great place for a family. Looks like the more difficult terrain is becoming more accessible to the public (basically, some hidden gems from years ago are now marked trails). 750 acres of tree skiing and I'm now happy
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Review from Erin W.
Beverly, MA
1/19/2010
I'd like to start off by saying that I would NEVER stay at a winter resort during the summer. I know it is hard for ski resorts to make money in the off season, but I think it would be like going to an Italian Restaurant for sushi. With that said, I really enjoyed my day at Smuggs. The resort has three mountains and has a complete local feel to it. I will say that the blue squares were more like black diamonds to me, but I hate moguls. This resort is great in that you don't get the day trippers...you get the folks who are looking for something a bit less commercialized. The lifts are slower than average, but the ride up the mountain is gorgeous! the lift operators were super friendly and the trails were numerous and varied. I can't say anything about the accomodations- we stay at a family's house in VT.
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Review from Kelley I.
Boston, MA
11/27/2008
Smuggs was a lot of fun! I had a great experience with the customer service. Overall all of the people that work at the ski area are really helpful and great! I thought the mountain was great for both beginners and advanced skiiers.
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Review from Tanya S.
Brookline, MA
12/28/2010
I for the life of it don't understand why so many people love this place and are willing to pay so much for it! We've skied all over Northeast and out in the West -- Smugglers notch was by far the worst place ever.
One thing that is nice -- the rooms. That's it.
We were staying in the resort but a little far from the mountain. So in the morning when we were ready to hit the slopes, we started calling for the shuttle. ( I thought it was strange that they don't have just regular shuttle stops like all other resorts). Anyway, I was on hold for over 30 min because of the " large volume of calls". More than 1/2 hour on the phone fully dressed for skiing, kids are getting hot and anxious....
Anyway, we finally get to the slopes. Some people in our group were just beginners, so they were skiing Green; we wanted to go to more advanced trails. Turns out the areas are not connected--you can't ski down from Blacks to Green; you have to take a shuttle. AGAIN!!! Since shuttle is such a pain (about that in a minute), we didn't meet for lunch. Never seen anything like that.
Now the shuttle again!!!!! When you are done skiing you have to call for the shuttle to get back to the village or to your condo. The problem is you can't call from your phone since it's a resort extension, so I had to go inside the lodge and look for a phone to call the shuttle. Then get out of the lodge, put your skis back on and ski down to the stop and wait for the shuttle there.
The most shocking thing -- no speed lifts. What ski resort these days doesn't have speed lifts?!??
The village is nice, but very small and expensive for what it is. The frozen puddle that they call ice rink is pathetic.
After two days of this insanity, we just started driving to Stowe to ski. It was inconvenient since we rented the whole package from Smugglers Notch, but at least we enjoyed the great skiing.
Just go to Stowe.
