FindandGoSeek

We took a chance on the Ridge Runners program 4 years ago with our son, a "never ever". After 2 weeks he was skiing and off the bunny hill. Now he skis every black diamond trail there is at Bolton. The following year we enrolled his sister and have had the same amazing experience. Ed Gill runs a phenomenal program over there.



Somethings I love - The kids have a great time and they are good and tired at the end of the day! Once you drop the kids off, it is a "parent free zone" and they mean it. Don't come check on them for lunch, really they have it under control. I know my kids are riding up on the lift with other Ridge Runner parents. Bolton is so small, its like family up there. Everyone knows who has kids in the program and we all watch out for each others children. The quality of the instructors is primo. You can tell they are all excited about teaching kids to ski and many of them come back year after year (Duncan, Jason, Lisa, Mike to name a few) Most of all the kids really learn to ski! I am so impressed with the skills they learn in this program.

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My family and I have been season-pass goers at Bolton for the past 7 years. And while we still enjoy the charm of the antiquated lodges, the local family attendance, and that it is easy to find your kids and friends on the slopes, we're starting to see changes that are making us think it is time to change mountains.

In particular, we've seen a decrease in customer service and appreciation. Of course there are exceptions. There are the guys in the rental shop always willing to help fix a binding, or the long-time bartenders at James Moore Tavern, or a few of the long-time ski instructors who are still great. But here are just a few of the things we are seeing:

-ridge runner/rider programs have fewer and fewer professionally trained instructors who know how to make it fun for the kids. plus, they have raised the price significantly making this a hard value to justify.
-the quality and variety of food has diminished. too many fried foods. seems like the wait staff changes each week. a large group of us went to Bailey's restaurant because they offered a 20% discount for season pass holders, of course we forgot to let our waitress know. We went back 2 days later with our receipts only to have Brian, the head of food/service, snicker at us and tell us it was impossible to correct our bill. Nice.
-cleanliness does not seem to be a priority either. you will see trash pile up, tables not bussed, and a broken toilet seat go unnoticed for weeks until fixed.

All in all, Bolton is still a good place to go, but we hope what we are seeing is not a trend, just a bump in the road....more

There is no better family ski value out there! This is an amazing season-long instructional program for kids. One year ago both my boys were "never-evers". Now my 5-year old is skiing parallel on blues and my 8-year is doing double-blacks! And they love the sport -- which to me is most important. I would recommend this program to anyone -- sure the building is a little worn and dated, but you're there to ski! The staff are fantastic -- and the wood-fired pizza is really good!...more

I like: smaller than the big resorts makes it easy to find friends and your kids; mainly Vermonters except over a few holiday weekends; old school feeling; value; proximity to Burlington area; convenient drop-off right at the lodge; almost never a wait in the lift line.
I don't like: a lot of flat areas for snowboarders; dodging cars as you walk from the parking lot to lodge; seasonal locker room is too small and cramped; no sledding/tubing hill....more

High marks for the Ridge Runner program. Ed and crew do a very nice job and keep making improvements. Our kids are annual participants and joined with no ski exp (now they are better than most adults). It's a good mix of instruction, technique, fun/explore--all in a relatively safe environment. We've been lucky to have the same instructor for our son each year. It's also great because we can easily find them on the mountain, say hi, check in, and ski with them for a bit during the day. ...more

Bolton is a great place for a kids birthday party. I had both my kids birthday parties their this year (6 and 8, girl and boy) and the kids loved it. The facility is part of the Nordic Ski Center.

They have an indoor pool and hot tub, a bar area (little used when I was there) and adjacent tables that you can use for cake, or parents sitting and waiting.

There are two tennis courts (little used) that you kids can run around, they have a couple of basketballs and hoops, and over winter break (Christmas through the end of January) they had two huge jumpy houses - very entertaining! I even set up a pinata - with the help of the staff- at the entrance to the tennis courts.

I brought some snacks for the parents that had to wait, and their is a small game room and ping pong table to keep parents and kids occupied while waiting for the cake to be cut....more

We LOVE the Ridge Runners program at Bolton. We have participated in the program for 5 years and we love it, and the kids love it. They teach with your kids to ski, feed them lunch, take them in for hot chocolate breaks in the stormy weather, and give you the day (between 9:45-3:00) to brush up on your skills on the hill!