Brace Yourself for Winter Fun!

I love winter! I could never enjoy living in a place that didn't have the change of seasons like I enjoy them here in New England.  To me it is the best of all possible worlds. This week we brace ourselves, literally, for some pretty cold temperatures! The red polls at our birfeeders, normally arctic dwellers, seem to feel pretty much at home. The snow in Jackson is FANTASTIC!  We just had a full house for Martin Luther King weekend, and just about everyone went skiing and took advantage of either our free XC passes or our significantly discounted lift tickets to all the downhill slopes. The consensus was a unanimous 'GREAT!' when describing the current snow conditions. This week promises to bring even more, possibly a total of 7" of fresh new powder by the weekend. This is just in time for one of the most outrageously fun Winter Events of the year: The Annual Snow Sculpture Competition, which is held up at Black Mountain, just mnutes from our front door! This year we will be hosting two teams of sculptors, so you'll get to meet and greet sometime over the weekend. Fifteen plus teams will be creating amazing, 8' high pieces of art for all to enjoy.  There will be a bonfire to warm your hands and toes, great food, vendors, and fun for the entire family. The event is free, and it starts on Friday, January 25th at noon, and continues until noon on Sunday. You're welcome to join the Welcome dinner where you can meet and talk with the sculptors, and then join the Awards Banquet. Tickets for both events are sold separately through the Jackson Chamber of Commerce at (603) 383-9356.

It's January in Jackson ... Can the Snow Sculptures be Very Far Off?

 

So the awesome ice carving competition has happened (see last week’s blog), and the ice sculptures will be hanging out at the Wentworth for the foreseeable future as long as current temps hold.  They were AWESOME!  My favorite was the Mayan Calendar … how about you? Come check them out!  It’s not everyday (or even EVER in most places) that you see such talent and variety persormed on a solid block of ice.  But here it is mid-January now, so I ask you: ‘Can the Annual Snow Carving Competition  be very far off?’  And the answer, of course,  is NO … it’s just around the corner!!

This event attracts a wide variety of sculptors, both amateur and professional. In fact, many of the Competing Teams will be using the weekend as a practice run for Lake Geneva and the Nationals. Other sanctioned states holding championship competitions include Alaska, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, and Wisconsin. Each team of sculptors consists of 2 or 3 members, and in order to be eligible to compete in the State Championship, team members must be 18 years or older and reside or work in New Hampshire. The winning team of the State Championship will receive a trophy and an invitation to compete in the United States National Snow Sculpting Competition, to be held at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin in 2014. Our New Hampshire State Sanctioned winners for 2012 was the Greg Grady, Jr. team who will be headed to Lake Geneva for the 2013 Nationals representing the entire state of New Hampshire. Dick Devellian who is from Jackson, New Hampshire, have been a past winner a few times. The winners of the Nationals then go on to compete in international competitions offered by sanctioned member countries such as Switzerland, France, Italy, Japan, Canada, China, Norway and Russia. 

Amateurs and professionals of any age are eligible to compete in the Overall and People's Choice Awards. Team members come from a variety of backgrounds including chefs from fine restaurants, architects, students of culinary and art schools, and various civic organizations. Sculptors from outside of New Hampshire will also be in Jackson participating in the invitational, exhibiting their magnificent works of snow art. Each team will be given a cylinder shaped block of snow 4 feet in diameter by 8 feet tall to create their snow sculptures. Most of the teams will start sculpting on Friday, January 25th and continue working through the night on Saturday to complete their sculptures in time for the judging on Sunday afternoon January 27th starting at Noon. Judging is based on creativity, technique and message. 

Other activities planned for the snow sculpture weekend include a welcome reception dinner, with a bon fire and roasting of marshmallows, sleigh rides and more. Be sure to check back as we get closer to the date of the event for complete details. 

Jackson Annual Ice Carvings

It’s not as if Jackson Village wasn’t picturesque enough with only its covered bridge, white steepled church,  one room school and the rivers and waterfalls … making its nickname of ‘Norman Rockwellville’ an apt description. Here we’ve got downhill and cross-country skiing and more miles of trails than roads, as well as horse-drawn sleighrides and ice-skating under millions of little white lights. But every January brings the Annual (this year the 18^th annual) Ice Carving Competition over at the Wentworth. This year’s entries were awesome!!  If the cool temperatures hold, then they will be visible for quite some time, and are an absolute marvel to behold.  Be sure to ask us and we will steer you in the right direction to see them.

"Best Snow in the Last 6 Years!!"

“Best skiing in the last 6 years!”

That’s what Dave Matthews, a snow board instructor up at Black Mountain, just told Dana on the phone! We have cold temperatures, a thick base and lots of beautiful fluffy snow on top.  This whole last week we’ve been getting what Dave calls “Altitude Snows” .  Down here in Jackson Village, where  we’ve been getting a fresh inch or two each night, the snow is just delightful.  But up on the slopes, that same snowfall has been multiplied 10-fold, making it really significant!!!  This makes for wonderful ski conditions, the likes of which we haven’t seen in New England  for many years.  Combine this with our free passes for XC, snow shoeing and tubing at Great Glen Trails; and significantly discounted  tickets to Jackson XC, Attitash, Cranmore, Wildcat and Black Mountains, and you’ve got a recipe for some superb winter fun.  Give us a call to make a reservation at 603-383-0999!

A Christmas Miracle!!

In these all-too-familiar days of warm winters and rainy summers, we sometimes forget that old-fashioned miracles do happen ... And we got one here in Jackson this week in the form of a foot of snow, with more on the way! It is going to be a white Christmas after all!!

If you're looking out your window to a sea of brown grass and bleak scenery, do not take this to be the state of the winter in other parts of New England.  We have indeed been blessed with  some long-awaited snow and both the weather forecast as well as the skiing is great. Who could ask for more? But don't take my word for it...

This comes from today's Mountain Report from Wildcat Mountain: 'Thank you for the snow, Mother Nature!  Keep it coming because we are loving it. Here at Wildcat we've received a ton of snow and the skiing and riding has been epic. Today looks like a great day to enjoy the slopes. Some trails are natural snowcover and ungroomed, while others are fully groomed for your cruising pleasure ...'

On the other side of the mountain, Bretton Woods has this to say: ' Come ski and ride the mountain with the most open terrain in NH -- over 200 acres!! With over half a foot of new snow we're dropping ropes left and right and have doubled our trail count in the last 48 hours! ... also 5K of cross-country trails...'

Thom Perkins, Director of the Jackson Cross-Country Ski Touring Foundation, called us yesterday positively giddy over conditions of the XC trails! His description was confirmed for us as we watched an entire ski team sail over the Ellis River Trail in an almost-unending chain this morning while we were eating breakfast. What a beautiful sight!  But Thom, in particular, was especially excited about the Prospect Farm Trail, up at the end of Carter Notch Road. Higher elevations like Prospect Farm received pure, fluffy snow the other day when we got some mixed precipitation. You can see it in the hills this morning ... winter is here!

So if it is not going to be a white Christmas in your neck of the woods, we can wrap up some wholesome winter adventure for you and your family in the form of discount ski tickets to all 5 downhill ski areas (Wildcat, Attitash, Cranmore, Bretton Woods and Black Mtn.), and free passes to XC, snowshoe or go tubin at Great Glen Trails!  Jackson Ski Touring, as always, grooms right up to our door! 
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas, and we hope to see you in the wonderful week between Christmas and New Years ... and in the winter of 2013!

This Week at The Lodge: April 8 - 14, 2012

Spring has sprung in New Hampshire …

Buds, Bulbs, Birds … and Spring Skiing at Tuckerman Ravine!

It’s a great time to be living, as everything comes alive in the North Country! Now is THE perfect time for viewing waterfalls and hiking the trails in the White Mountain National Forest. No traffic, no bugs, and low, low rates!

“Tea with Cinderella” Story Land  Special   - NEW this year!

The Lodge at Jackson Village, your Story Land Experts, are excited to announce their awesome new Package for 2012. Included in this package are…

·        2 FREE tickets to “Tea with Cinderella” Event

·        2 nights lodging in a double room – Kids stay FREE!

·        Breakfast each morning in July and August (weekends only in June & Sept.)

·        Royal Hanneford Circus: Returning again this year with spectacular all-new acts, the circus shows are 12, 2 and 4 pm daily under the Big Top.

·        FUNsation Celebration: A Dance Party for Kids! Let your children dance to the music with their favorite Story Land characters.  Meet at the StoryLand theme gazebo one-half hour before the park closes.

·        PRICES are based on number of people and dates of reservation. Call for details.

·        Optional Weekend Package Upgrade: Story Land Character Dinners: $20/adult, $10/child (under 12. Starting July 6 through August 18, Story Land is offering Character Dinners every Friday and Saturday evening from 6-7:30 pm at their Friends Around the World Pavilion.  Enjoy an All-You-Can-Eat Dinner Theater extravaganza while watching your favorite characters perform.

2012 Polar Express Packages on sale NOW!

As one of the area’s largest sponsors, once again we are known as The Polar Express-perts! Book your package by June 15, and receive 2 Free StoryLand Tickets or $50 discount off your package. Included in this package:

·        2 Nights Lodging in a Double Room

·        Polar Express tickets (under 1 year old FREE)

·        Tickets to the Miracle at Nestlenook Pageant

·        Horse Drawn Sleighride through the woods, and feed the LIVE reindeer!

·        Homemade New England-style Continental breakfast featuring our famous Maple Bread pudding, Wild Blueberry muffins, Old Fashioned oatmeal, our Signature Cinnamon Coffee Cake and Homemade Granola.

·        Book Grab Bag

·        FREE Tubing, Snow shoe and XC Ski passes at Great Glen Trails (weather permitting)

·        Golden Souvenir Tickets for the kids

·        Afternoon candy canes and homemade cookies

·        Santa’s Surprise Goodie Bag in each room with presents for the children

·        Personalized Christmas letter for each child

·        View our Signature Christmas “Critter Tree” and the Lodge’s amazing  annual Gingerbread House.

This Week at The Lodge - April 1-7, 2012

April Fools Day came and went at The Lodge without a single LodgeLady prank ... which was an historical occasion! But then Mother Nature seemed like she had already played enough tricks on us with the weather, after having given us temperatures in the 80's one week and in the teens the next. Mt. Washington had a 90 degree fluctuation in one week ... amazing! Obviously the unseasonable temps put an end to maple syruping and most skiing, but Wildcat Mountain is still going strong! With 4" of new fluffy Snowfall on Sunday night and the return to winter-like temperatures at night, they plan to stay open as long as they can into the spring. Guests say the spring skiing is awesome.

Our week at The Lodge started out with a full house as we opened our doors to two wonderful groups: a Singles group, and a Corporate retreat. We were bustling -- full to the brim -- and enjoying every minute! Things have calmed down now to the normal spring pace which is "PEACEFUL" -- it's a fabulous time to be in the Mount Washington Valley! Enjoy low spring rates, no traffic or crowds, and an awakening spring bursting with new growth, moose sightings and waterfalls galore!  It is one of our favorite times of year.