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LIFESTYLE:
Great Winter Season Lodging
Go for the skiing,
stay for the amenities and service
By Susan
V. Wheeler
At last you've made
it through the holiday season and now instead of using that extra time
on your hands cruising the malls shopping, you can go skiing. Before you
pack your gear for the day, consider staying near your favorite downhill
slopes or Nordic trails.
Many places to stay in the Adirondacks offer special amenities for skiers,
from cozy in-room fireplaces for warming up after a long day outdoors
to ski waxing tables to help you get your equipment ready for your next
adventure. Some facilities also offer ski-and-stay packages to bring you
to the region and to keep you there for a few days of less-pricey skiing
and lodging.
Places of accommodation abound … and run the gamut from camp-style
quarters to AAA four-diamond resorts. Finding one to suit your tastes
— and budget — should be fairly easy, and the local or regional
tourism councils and chambers of commerce can lend a hand. Call (800)
CALL-NYS or visit www.iloveny.com for useful information on lodging, skiing
and information resources.
Following is just a sampling of accommodations in the Adirondack region
that are worth checking out and, perhaps, checking into this winter:
• The Gideon Putnam Hotel (800-732-1560), located in the
Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs, is a popular retreat for
cross-country skiers who want to have on-site skiing and a little pampering.
The park is 2,300 acres and the many towering pines offer some shelter
for the skiers while the 132-room hotel has a full-service dining room,
spa services and is near the Lincoln Baths.
• The Lamplight Inn Bed & Breakfast (800-262-4668), in
Lake Luzerne, offers Gore Mountain stay-and-ski packages that range from
three to five nights lodging. Call for package pricing. The inn, located
on 10 acres, has rooms available in its 1890 Victorian home and guest
and carriage houses.
• Black Mountain Ski Lodge & Motel (888-846-4858), located
about 5 miles from Gore Mountain in North Creek, is a 25-unit facility
that accepts pets and serves breakfast daily. It also offers packages
with special pricing that includes accommodations, and lift tickets to
Gore or Whiteface mountains.
The packages, which are offered through March 18, are based on double
occupancy and reservations must be for two or more consecutive nights'
lodging. Black Mountain’s two-night/two-day ski package saves guests
about $60 compared with the cost of purchasing lodging and lift tickets
separately, according to Ilse, who owns and operates the facility with
her husband. "The ski and stay is the best bet," she said.
• The Copperfield Inn (800-424-9910), also in North Creek,
is "an attentive, full-service luxury property," according to
General Manager Laura Hollenbeck. The AAA four-diamond inn also offers
ski/stay packages, and packages are quoted per room based on double occupancy.
Copperfield Inn's 31 guest rooms and suites are equipped with in-room
ski wells and plenty of storage space for skis. The inn is affiliated
with The Mountain & Boardertown, North Creek, and guests are encouraged
to take advantage of the overnight ski tuning available there. Guests
are invited to use the inn's complimentary shuttle service to Gore Mountain.
• Goose Pond Inn (800-806-2601), in North Creek, offers a
midweek ski/stay package for $320 based on double-occupancy for two nights
lodging with gourmet breakfasts and three days of skiing at Gore Mountain.
Each of its four guest rooms has a private bath and there is free shuttle
service to the ski area.
• Trail's End Inn (800-281-9860), in Keene Valley, offers
accommodations in the main inn and its four cottages. Cross-country skiing
is available from the back door and pets are welcome in some rooms with
prior arrangement. Innkeepers Jenny Church and Curt Borchardt offer ski/stay
packages that include breakfast for on-site guests — and three of
the inn's cottages are located off the main property. Package prices vary
based on lodging; however, three midweek nights' lodging in a "representative
room," including breakfast and three days of skiing at Whiteface
or Gore is $197 per person based on double occupancy. Packed lunches are
available to guests for $6.
Trail's End Inn also offers skiers a place to wax and store skis, and
showers are available for guests who have checked out and skied all day,
but would like to freshen up for the drive home. "Guests can go home
refreshed. You don't have that chance in a hotel," added Church.
• The Bark Eater Inn (800-232-1607), in Keene, a former stagecoach
stopover between Lake Champlain and Lake Placid, has several types of
accommodations on-site and offers Sunday through Thursday lodging and
breakfast packages. Owner Joe-Pete Wilson, a former U.S. Olympic Nordic
team competitor, said rates for these packages range from $375 to $575/double
occupancy and transportation to Whiteface is available.
The inn, which boasts 20 kilometers of Nordic trails, also offers packages
that include lodging, breakfast, cross country ski rentals and trail fees.
There are 10 kilometers of trails for skating and set-track trails. There
is a ski shop and a wax room on site.
• Willkommen Hof Bed and Breakfast (800-541-9119), in Wilmington,
is located less than 2 miles from Whiteface Mountain ski area. Owners
Bert and Heike Yost offer two-night minimum ski/stay packages and breakfast
is included. Bert Yost said he also will arrange cross-country ski/stay
packages for guests — call for details. Lockable ski racks are on
the porch and an outdoor hot tub is available year-round. Pets are accepted
and lunches for skiers are available to guests for $5.50.
• The Book & Blanket Bed & Breakfast (518-946-8323),
in Jay, offers skiers a storage and wax room, fine accommodations and
one guest room has a jet tub to soothe tired muscles. Arrangements can
be made if skiers need transportation to the Whiteface Mountain and advance
reservations are necessary.
• Garnet Hill Lodge (800-497-4207) in North River, which
features a variety of accommodations, offers cross-country ski packages
and Gore Mountain ski-and-stay packages. The ski center has 55 kilometers
of groomed trails, 2 kilometers of lighted trails for night skiing, and
a complete ski shop for rentals, sales and repairs.
• Lapland Lake Cross-Country Ski & Vacation Center (518-863-4974),
in Northville, offers ski/stay packages at its facility, which has 50
kilometers of trails, 4 kilometers of which are illuminated. Accommodations
are in tupas — housekeeping cottages. Its ski shop has rentals and
sells new and nearly new equipment.
• The Lake Placid Hilton Resort (800-755-5598), in Lake Placid,
offers midweek ski/stay packages for Whiteface Mountain that start at
$45 per person per night based on double occupancy. Call for details.
Susan V. Wheeler is an Albany-based free-lance writer and editor who
enjoys running, hiking and walking. She's considering returning to skiing
this season...stay tuned.
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2000 Adirondack Sports & Fitness. All Rights Reserved.
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