This Week at The Lodge: March 25 – 31, 2012

Here we are at the end of March already … for all intents and purposes cross-country skiing is over, (unless you hit the higher elevations in the backcountry) but downhill remains a Rite of Spring! Wildcat, Mountain is the diehard that is going strong.  If you’re a real adventurer, check out the Snow Bridge up at Tuckerman Ravine, or hike up with your skis and ski down the bowl. 

Not a skier? As we transition into this new season, however, there are many other activities that start coming to the forefront which you will NOT want to miss! Waterfalls, for example! Never have I seen so many waterfalls in an area as I have here in New Hampshire ( … er, well …  except maybe when hubby and I went to Hawaii before our kids were born!).  But barring a trip to the south Pacific, New Hampshire is THE place to be for the best waterfall tours that I know of. This time of year the rivers and streams sound awesome!  We can direct you to a number of beautiful waterfall hikes of all levels, lengths and abilities to get you your “waterfall fix” for the spring. With temperatures warm, and spring snowmelts a daily occurrence, the water is flowing for some great photo-ops and romantic water-side picnics.

Secondly, we are right in the thick of Maple Syrup season, with sugar houses all over Jackson boiling up a storm! Take a sugar house tour, and as a special gift, when you come to The Lodge this week we’ll give you a little jar of syrup to take home as a souvenir!  Isn’t spring ‘Sweet’?!

This Week at The Lodge: March 18-24, 2012

This may be ‘it’ for Cross Country skiing by the end of the coming weekend, but downhill conditions are still great. Great Glen Trails has closed its doors to XC-ers, but Tom Perkins of the Jackson Ski Touring Foundation says deep snow still covers cross country trails in our neck of the woods. Just bring sunscreen and sunglasses! 

There is nothing like downhill  ‘Spring Skiing’!   First there’s the ‘culture’ of it … groups of buddies getting away together to enjoy the exhilaration of a hard day of skiing, and good food at a local pub in the evening.  Then there is the pure comfort of warm temperatures and the birds and scent of springtime that make it extra enjoyable. Combine that with no crowds or traffic, and low springtime rates, and you’ve got a recipe for success!  Until April 1, eat at any of the Valley Originals restaurants for Buy-one-Get the other at Half Price!  Get a special voucher for this at check-in.  If you’re having a hard time imagining snow when your backyard is pushing up daffodils, then take a look at this video snow report from Cranmore!!  Seeing is believing! Hope to see you this weekend!

This Week at The Lodge: March 11-17, 2012

The Lodge Lady has returned, and with her she has brought some spring-like weather!   Having spent a week in the Hudson Valley of New York, where T-shirts, robins and crocus’ were the norm, it was a shock to return to NH and see snow everywhere … even where it WASN’T when I left!  When I departed, my travels took me through Bretton Woods on my way to Route 91 South… and when I left the Lodge, I could not believe my eyes when I got to the OTHER side of Mount Washington!  BARE GROUND! NO SNOW!!  It was a reminder just how idiosyncratic the weather can be around this mountain.  As I passed through the area, I took a photo with my cell phone and texted it to my husband, who had stayed home to mind the ‘store’ while I was away! I knew he wouldn’t believe me, when we had so much still on the ground.  However, when I returned, the Bretton Woods side had received considerable snowfall, and was looking like winter would be hanging around for some time.  This is just a reminder that just because spring has sprung in your neck of the woods, don’t overlook outrageous spring skiing in the mountains of NH.  We may be only a few hours distant, but this time of year, our weather can be WORLDs away!

This Week at The Lodge: March 4-10, 2012

The Lodge Lady is taking a spring vacation this week … a rarity for an innkeeper!  And although when I originally made my plans our reservation calendar looked a bit sparse, my hubby will be hosting  guests nearing the 75% occupancy mark this weekend.  This is unusual for this time of year.  The reason for so many reservations?  Fantastic spring skiing! Cross country and downhill centers alike are seeing record numbers, and the temperatures are delightful.  Come check it out for yourselves!

This week at The Lodge: February 26 – March 3

I feel like a broken record … and the topic (thank goodness!) is SNOW!!! For whatever reason, winter has finally decided to show her true colors lately: a beautiful, abundantly fluffy WHITE!!! In fact, it’s become an almost daily occurrence in Jackson. Now I guess if there is bare ground, and thermometers that read in the upper 40’s where you live, you might have a hard time making the mental shift required to imagine awesome skiing in New Hampshire … but I can enthusiastically say that the skiing here is great. As a recent guest from Massachusetts just told us after an afternoon of skiing, “You just have to see it to believe it!”

And it is just in time! This upcoming weekend, March 3rd & 4th is the Bill Koch Festival up at Great Glen Trails. We are very excited to be a Lodging Partner for their 2012 New England Bill Koch Festival! This festival is a weekend long celebration of Nordic skiing for children, which will bring families from throughout New England and New York to the base of Mt. Washington. Activities will feature relay and individual races, a non-competitive ski tour, an on-snow obstacle course, opening ceremonies with a parade and a Saturday evening dinner. Great Glen Trails anticipates more than 400 children and their families will take part in the Festival. As of this writing, we have only 1 King room available for Friday night only, and it won’t be available long. Any takers?

Ski Conditions Excellent!!

Two to Four inches of snow coming this Friday night ... February 24th!!  Added to the new snow we got last night, and the excellent base we've maintained all season, the weekend is looking to be a sellout for skiing of all kinds!  Call us today at 603-383-0999 to book your room ... complete with a homemade European breakfast buffet.

This week at The Lodge: 2/19-25

The big news: Vacation Week has begun!  The weekend, as always, has been a sellout and we ended up turning quite a few walk-ins away. (Hate doing that!!)  If you were one, we hope you’ll try us again … and remember that during holidays and vacations, prior reservations are almost a MUST!  Loved seeing all those cars in the parking lot … but for the Downton Abbey-addicted Lodge Lady, it has posed a bit of a withdrawal problem: No rooms available to sneak into to see Season Two’s 2-hour finale  of this wonderful British period drama on Sunday night!  All in all, too much business is  not a bad problem to have!!  (… especially considering that I can download the entire season  on Amazon in a couple of days!!).

Looking ahead, the rest of the week looks fairly brisk for business here during New Hampshire’s Vacation week, and during the following one when Massachusetts schools get their spring break. Lots of skiing to be had here in Jackson, despite the fact that we haven’t had any major recent snowfalls.  We’ve been saved by the cold weather, it would seem.  Mount Washington loomed large and luscious today against a bright blue sky, looking blazingly brilliant all covered with snow. Had to go out and snap a photo or two, and of course I couldn’t resist taking a few of all the XC skiers on the trails.  The parking lot was full at Jackson Ski Touring and Great Glen Trails … skiing is awesome! If there’s no snow where you live, don’t forget that WE have plenty to satisfy all your winter adventures and desires!

There are still a few openings left for registration in the Bill Koch festival at Great Glen Trails the first weekend in March.  As of today, we have one or two rooms left for that sell-out weekend as well.  Have a great week … and hope to see you at The Lodge!