New England skiing goes upscale

Upgraded snowmaking, new terrain parks, major birthdays, improvements, a new lift and a new base "camp." Those are some of the amenities that skiers will experience this winter at a sampling of New England resorts.

VERMONT

Killington

When it opened in 1958, Killington had seven trails served by two lifts.

The sprawling resort now has 191 trails that extend across seven mountain areas served by 30 lifts -- including three express gondolas and seven express chairs that provide access to the highest lift-served ski terrain in Vermont -- 4,241 feet.

Its 88 miles of diverse terrain provide skiers and snowboarders with wide-open groomed cruisers, narrow classic New England runs, moguls, steeps and 13 tree-skiing areas.

Killington, which bills itself as the largest ski and snowboard resort in eastern North America, has made $8.4 million in improvements for its 50th season, including the new Skye Peak Express and "The Stash."

The new lift, the first installed at the resort in more than 10 years, replaces the Skye Peak Quad and reduces the ride time from 14 minutes to five minutes.

It brings the resort's total of high-speed lifts to nine, almost twice the number of high- speed lifts found at any other resort in the East.

The Stash, an all-natural terrain park created for intermediate and advanced snowboarders by Jake Burton and Burton team riders, has 34 features, including tree jibs, road jumps and log slides. It will be accessible from the new Skye Peak Express and is one of only five in the world.

Stowe

Stowe says no single project will touch more visitors this winter than the new Spruce Base Camp scheduled to open in December.

It will be the headquarters for skier and snowboarder services and includes restaurants, a bar, indoor and outdoor fireplaces, rental shops, retail, tickets, event space and public lounge areas that blend "the unique dynamics of Stowe's mountains with the comfort of a state-of--the-art luxury base lodge."

It is adjacent to the new "Over Easy" transfer gondola and provides convenient access to the slopes of both Spruce Peak and Mount Mansfield.

Spruce Peak's luxury lodge includes the Alpine Concierge, a 21,000-square-foot world-class spa and Cooper Wellness Center with distinctive services themed around the changing seasons of Vermont, Solstice Restaurant, a year-round outdoor pool, function space and 24-hour in-room dining.

MAINE

Sugarloaf

Since joining the Boyne Resorts family in 2007, Sugarloaf has spent more than $9 million in capital improvements, including more than $5 million this past summer to produce more snow in the early season, redesign terrain parks and upgrade on-mountain facilities.

Freestyle skiers and riders will find a new advanced terrain park on Haywire, a new beginner park on Whiffletree, a newly designed Superpipe, as well as a new snowboardcross/skiercross course designed in part by Olympic snowboardcross champion Seth Wescott.

The course, called "Sidewinder," is in the area formerly known as The Yard. It will feature live-timing, allowing guests to test their skills and weigh their times against each other and against Wescott.

Eight of Sugarloaf's lifts will have new, energy-efficient lift buildings that will reduce by two-thirds or more the amount of energy required to heat them.

MASSACHUSETTS

Jiminy Peak

The largest ski and snowboard resort in southern New England, Jiminy Peak is the only mountain resort in North America to use alternative wind power to generate its own energy.

It is celebrating its 60th birthday with reduced weekend/nonholiday pricing, expanded e-coupon days, new multi-day pricing and children's program offers and lodging specials.

There are 44 slopes and trails served by nine lifts -- a six-passenger high-speed, two quads, three triple chairs, one double chair and two surface lifts -- and three terrain parks. The longest run is two miles. The average snowfall is 100 inches. Its snowmaking system covers 93 percent of the terrain.