Cooperative Living February 2015 - 18

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Drawing people to the Blue Ridge Mountains for over 30
years, Wintergreen Resort offers 24 slopes and trails ― on skis,
on a board, or on a tube. If that's not enough, freestylers can
perfect their skills at the progressively designed terrain park
with more than 40 features. Wintergreen also boasts a National
Standard Race (NASTAR) qualifying course open to all ages.
Located south of Charlottesville, the resort sports the
largest tubing park in Virginia. The vertical drop is as high as a
10-story building and longer than three football fields. Tubers
reach downhill speeds of 30 mph. For the younger guest not
interested in setting speed records, Wintergreen offers a fun
park (ages 2 and up), where children can play in the snow and
enjoy a less extreme tubing experience.
Wintergreen Resort, set on 11,000 acres bordering the Blue
Ridge Parkway and equipped with 100 percent Techno Alpin
computerized snow-making capabilities, tends to have a long season
with relatively good conditions. To keep lines short, giving skiers more
time on the runs and less time in line, the trails are served by five lifts,
including two high-speed six-person lifts.
Snowsports School offers instruction to all ages and levels, including
special classes for women, family groups and college groups.
Wintergreen also offers adapted skiing and snowboard lessons for
guests with disabilities.
Visitors can expect to pay up to $85 for an adult weekend/holiday
day pass, and $251 for a 3-day lift and rental non-holiday weekend
package. Early/late season lift tickets are available at 30 percent off.
Individual adult season passes valid for evenings, every day during
early/late season and Sunday afternoons through Friday, are $299.
Wintergreen hosts Appreciation Days for nearby residents, offering
special deals on pre-determined days.
Those wishing to make a weekend ski event can stay at one of the
230 villa-style condominiums and rental homes on site.
More information is available online at www.wintergreenresort.com
or by calling 1-855-699-1858.
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When thinking ski getaways, The
Homestead in Hot Springs may not be the
first place that comes to mind. But when the
weather turns cold, the white-glove service
for which the property is known bundles up
and heads outside to attend to skiers, snowboarders,
ice skaters, and snowmobilers, all
enjoying winter in the Allegheny Mountains.
Conveniently located less than two hours
north of Roanoke, and about four hours
from Washington, D.C., The Homestead
draws casual skiers or snowboarders seeking
a luxurious getaway with full-service pampering,
elegantly appointed accommodations,
and flexible meal-plan options.
With 700 feet of vertical drop, there are
nine well-groomed ski runs set on more than
45 acres. The more challenging trails at the
top are wooded slopes, though novices can
exit the chairlift halfway up and start their
run on a less daunting portion of the trail.
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Though one may not make ski lodge smalltalk
here with Olympic ski hopefuls, The
Homestead's compact size and its uncongested
slopes make it the ideal place to take
the family, especially those who are experiencing
the swoosh of skis for the first time.
Unlike other larger ski resorts, the resort's
elevated ambience will not likely be disturbed
by a gaggle of rowdy ski-club teens
hot-dogging their way down the slope.
The Homestead caters to those learning
to ski, focusing on children in the early part
of the season. Parents with children
enrolled in the ski school can watch from
the picture window or relax by one of the
many fires in the European-style ski lodge.
Alternately, parents can enjoy the many
other amenities at the resort, including the
highly rated culinary options, an expansive
spa, and the natural mineral waters of the
two-acre all-season outdoor pool.
Those interested in starting a new family
tradition may consider the Learn to Ski &
Stay packages offered in early January, which
will get a family of four on the slopes with
lessons, lift tickets, a rental package, parking
and accommodations. Packages start at
$320. Lift tickets range from $29 to $59.
Visit www.thehomestead.com, or call the
reservations line at 1-866-747-6221.
Cooperative Living/February 2015
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE HOMESTEAD
PHOTOS COURTESY OF WINTERGREEN
http://www.wintergreenresort.com http://www.thehomestead.com
Cooperative Living February 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living February 2015
