p>
When looking for a ski
home, most people focus on the large ski resorts and try to find
a place as close to the mountain as possible. There is another option that provides 3-season enjoyment – buy a place on a lake near to a mountain. We chose Eastman Lake, which is 20 minutes door-to-door to Mt. Sunapee (1,400 vertical drop and #1 in the East for snowmaking and grooming).
We spent a few days between Christmas and New Year's at our place at Eastman and here is a sample of what we did.
- Day 1 – Ski at Sunapee. 42″ of packed powder from the storm and their snowmaking allowed even some of the glades to be open. The kids raced each other in Nastar and won silver medals. The views from the top were stunning.
- Day 2 – X-C ski at Eastman. The lift lines can get long during the holidays so it is nice to take a break and be all alone in the woods. The team at the Eastman X-C ski center got our kids outfitted and passes for the day for less than the cost of 1 downhill ticket. The kids lasted for an hour straight on the John's Glen trails. It was so warm we were wearing t-shirts!
- Day 3 – Skating. With the help from some friends, we made our own hockey rink right on the lake in front of our place. The kids skated for hours and enjoyed the sun. There were no snowmobiles to disturb the peace. We had friends over and celebrated New Year's Eve and our neighbors lit up the rink at night for skating. Hard to beat!
The picture to the right shows the first sun of 2011 creeping up over the horizon as I walked the dog in the morning on the lake. To me, this is the perfect winter resort.
