During this time of year, lots of people like to head up to the mountains and spend their days skiing/snowboarding, enjoying the freshly fallen snow. Others may ski for a little while and spend more of their time in the lodge, eating the very expensive hamburgers and fries that these resorts have to offer. Skiing is a widely popular sport that people do in spots all around the world. It’s a great way to view the great outdoors while burning a few extra calories. Although this sport is definitely towards the more pricey side, it’s all worth it in the end, especially if you choose the right place to go. So, as someone with lots of skiing experience, here are the top ski resorts in the Northeast that I have been to, ranked in order starting with the best.

Stratton Mountain, Vermont

This ski resort is considered (in my opinion) one of the best mountains in the Northeast. My family and I come here a lot, and what we really like about this place is the ski in and ski out situation. You can stay in one of the apartment buildings alongside the mountain and all you have to do is wake up, put your skis on, and head out. Not to mention they also have a nice little village with all different shops and restaurants as a part of the resort itself. So after a long day of skiing, you don’t have to drive anywhere: you can just stay exactly where you are. The other great thing about this ski resort is that all of the trails are marked well, so there’s no getting lost, as you will end up back in the right place. They also have trails for all ski levels, and the conditions are usually better here than some of the other places. Everything is very convenient, and it makes an overall, wonderful ski experience.

Whiteface Mountain, New York

Upstate, in the Adirondacks, is beautiful Lake Placid, NY. This ski town is filled with countless winter activities since it held the Winter Olympics in 1980. Whiteface has about 300 acres of skiing, so there’s many different trails to choose from. Although there are no accommodations to stay on the mountain, there are hundreds of available hotel rooms and VRBO’s/Airbnb’s in close proximity. It is easy to drive right in, drop off your stuff, find a spot, and get to skiing! While the lower part of the mountain offers a few easier trails, most of the upper mountain has a lot of harder trails (regular black diamonds and double black diamonds). So if you are more of an advanced skier looking for harder terrain, this is definitely your mountain. They also have an ungroomed portion of the mountain called the slides. This is expert style backcountry terrain that is only opened in the right weather conditions. It features steep, narrow, natural rock slides and frozen waterfalls. (It’s so dangerous that you have to bring avalanche safety gear with you and get ski patrol approval). But this resort is higher up on my list mainly because of its wide variety of trails and because of the terrain difficulty.

Jay Peak, Vermont

Located all the way up in Northern Vermont is Jay Peak Ski Resort. This is considered more of a family friendly ski resort because of the amenities that they have on site. The resort includes an indoor waterpark which is always a ton of fun, an ice rink, an arcade, and lots of ski in and ski out options to stay in, so you can open your backyard doors and fly down the mountain. Instead of a typical gondola that the bigger resorts have, this mountain has two aerial trams that bring you right to the top. However, with the trams, the lines are much longer, and they squish 45 people in it at once. Their conditions on the other hand are amazing because they get so much snow. On almost every trail, it’s like you are skiing on straight powder. But at the top, since it’s so windy, it blows away the powder and uncovers a lot of icy patches. They have a variety of greens and blues, but they are also known for having a lot more glades and upper level terrain. Even though the nearby towns are nothing to get excited about, Jay Peak itself offers a range of activities for all ages. So if you are looking for that fun family ski trip, this might just be the spot for you!