Summer Already? What’s Fun for 2008

By Mitch Kaplan

Even though the snow melts, summertime’s not really a bad thing. Plenty to do, plenty of places to go. In fact, here’s a sampling of what our favorite ski spots do in summer.

East

Snowshoe Mountain Resort (snowshoemtn.com). We can’t say enough good things about West Virginia’s big-time ski resort in summer. They exploit Ma Nature’s bounty and manmade attractions as well as any resort in the country. The Outpost Adventure Park has a climbing wall, BMX tracks and a skate park. More tame but no less fun are the mini golf course, sand volleyball court and playground. The resort’s golf course is an award-winner, and for more esoteric pursuits, consider: sporting clays, fly fishing, a lakeside beach and boat rentals, Eurobungy (huh?), horseback riding, rock climbing, wakeboarding, waterskiing, caving and the unique guided Hydrotraxx amphibious ATV tours. A summer-long series of special events appeals to everyone from mountain bikers to artists and gourmands. Add the spectacular Greenbrier River Rail Trail’s 75 miles of nearly flat biking and there’s little left out. Nearby, the Cass Scenic Railroad is a train or history lover’s dream.

Camelback (camelbeach.com). Many locales in the Poconos offer sper summertime action, but Camelback’s Camelbeach Waterpark is a Pocono Mountains highlight. Now, for ‘08, comes Pharaoh’s Phortress, a new family play structure that’s part of a $3 million expansion with eight new water slides, a four-story high tipping bucket, fountains, spray guns, basketball pool with three hoops and much other stuff. They’ve still other 22 slides - the most of any park in Pennsylvania - including one that launches you down a 43-foot flume, the Checkered Flag Challenge, a winner-take-all, multi-lane matt slide set up for head-to-head race/sliding, and the Flo-Rioder, a dual-surface surfing and boogie board ride that will operate as an "additional fee attraction." Interesting fact: all Camelbeach’s elements are heated to a constant 80-degree water temperature for comfort in all weather.

Seven Springs Resort (7springs.com). Morphs into a beehive of summer activities with golf, an alpine slide, biking, hiking and horseback riding, Kids’ Adventure Kamp, craft days, Outdoor Adventure Camps, Tennis Camps and Soccer Camps. Indoor action includes two game rooms, bowling, swimming and hot tubs.

Ski Plattekill (plattekill.com). One of our favorite New York ski hills has been rated the Number-2 Mountain Biking Resort in the country by "Verge Magazine" and listed in the top 100 places to ride in the world in "Mountain Bike Action". The largest and closest chairlift served mountain biking center to the New York Metro area, Plattekill also offers lift-assisted hiking.

Lake Placid (lakeplacid.com). Always fun, no matter the time of year. Several of the Winter Olympic venues, especially the ski jump, remain open to the public and, if you time your visit correctly, you’ll get to see Freestyle Team members doing demos into the practice pool. Needless to say, hiking, boating, camping and other attractions of the Adirondack Park abound, and a visit to the nearby Adirondack Museum is strongly recommended.

Jiminy Peak (jiminypeak.com). Our first-ever visit here actually took place in summer. The kids were small then, and they loved fishing in the little trout pond. Other Jiminy things to do: hiking, the alpine slide, mini golf, remote control vehicles, laser trap shooting, a nifty rock climbing wall with automatic belay lines, that Eurobungy thing-a-majig, a 700-foot zipline and, new in ‘06, the only Mountain Coaster in the Northeast, a twisting, turning ride in which you control your speed up to 25 mph. Whew! Culture, too reigns in the Berkshire summertime; among the possibilities: MASSMoCA museum of contemporary art; Clark Art Institute; Williams College Museum of Art; Berkshire Scenic Railway, Berkshire Theatre Festival; Shakespeare & Company; Jacobs Pillow dance performances; Williamstown Theatre Festival; and Tanglewood, summer of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Bretton Woods/Mt. Washington Hotel (mtwashington.com). In addition to much golf, you can play on twelve tennis courts, swim in pools indoors or outdoors - or in the river - horseback ride, mountain bike and hike. Carriage rides happen daily along with other programs, plus there's backpacking, bicycling, fishing, photography, and the King of the Mountains Kids Kamp that includes unusual diversions like "Putting with the Pro" and "Cooking with the Chef". The innumerable outlet malls of North Conway aren’t far off. And, of course, driving or taking the cog railway to the Mt. Washington summit is a must-do.

Smugglers Notch (smuggs.com). Carries over its winter programming excellence with all-day, supervised, flexible children’s programs for ages 3-17. Smuggs’ Teen Program is among the best anywhere, and their Summer Fun University includes tennis, golf, sporting adventures, art workshops, day trips, self-guided nature walks, water slides, multiple swimming pools and hot tubs, miniature golf, basketball, sand volleyball, croquet and a weekly Vermont Country Fair. You can also play tennis, canoe, fish, mountain board and bike, llama trek and ride horses. New for ‘08 are: the Monday evening Vermont Country Market, with farm and food stands, crafts, face painting, jugglers, music, carnival games and climbing inflatables; Thurday FunMeisters' Summer Showcase, an evening of performance includes song and dance by children, tunes and stories and special featured performers; Way2go Adventures allows guests to choose their adventure from programs that run Tuesday through Thursday, designed specifically for adults and teens; and Marko's Magical Week (July 27 to August 1, 2008) in which apprentice magicians ages 7-15, and adults can learn magic tricks.

Sugarloaf/USA (sugarloaf.com). Here’s a famous golf course and golf school. They also specialize in setting up outdoor adventures with a Registered Maine Guide that can include hiking, biking, fly fishing, canoeing, moose watching or white water rafting. Sugarloaf maintains more than 50 miles of mountain bike trails, and offers an Outdoor Adventure Camp in which campers learn to "live in the outside."

Mt. Tremblant, Quebec (tremblant.com). Whitewater raft on la rivière Rouge, water ski, wakeboard, kayak, sail, motor boat, ride a horse, climb rocks or take water therapy at the waterfalls, hot tub or swimming in the Diable River.

Mont Ste-Anne, Quebec (montsainteanne.com). Here’s that unique combination of outdoor recreation and historic city. You can: golf, of course; mountain bike; hike; ride the gondola or a carriage; paraglide; visit an Agro-Museum (working farm, etc.); swim at the beach or pool; bicycle, mountain bike; horseback ride; ride a hot air balloon; hunt and fish, try your hand at motocross; visit the region’s nature parks; go rafting; play tennis; visit a vineyard, cider factory or brewery; and explore downtown Quebec City.

Midwest

Crystal Mountain, Michigan (crystalmountain.com). Crystal offers family kayak trips, family environmental educational programs and Adventure Cubs activity programs. Also, golf and free family golf clinics, kayak trips, chairlift rides, tubing on the Platte River, tour of the Sleeping Bear Dunes (wonderful!), bike clinics and trail tours, indoor or outdoor pools, mountain biking, hiking, tennis, in-line skating, volleyball, horseshoes, a kids' playground, concerts, charter fishing on Lake Michigan, fly fishing on area rivers and streams and beaches.

Boyne Resorts, Michigan (boyne.com/resorts.html). At Boyne, Frit'z Adventure Camp has weekly themes that allow campers to experience a variety of activities that include at least .15 hours at Avalanche Bay indoor water park, nature hikes, games, crafts, and a weekly field trip. Themes include, water exploration, birds and blooms, beach week, rocks rule and bike week. Boyne also holds 16 miles of mountain bike trails for riders of all levels, and chairlift assisted downhill cycling. There’s disc golf—and real golf. Their Family Fundays, brings the whole family out a Sunday afternoon at any participating Boyne resort. Sister resort, Boyne Highlands offers hiking and biking trails and scenic paved bike paths between Harbor Springs and Petoskey, plus the Young Americans Dinner Theatre.

Blue Mountain Resort, Ontario (bluemountain.ca). They call summer the Green Season at Blue Mountain Resort. There’s swimming, sailing, hiking, mountain biking, kids’ camps and their nearby secluded sandy beach on Georgian Bay. There you’ll find water toys, rafts and paddle-boats.

Lutsen Mountains, Minnesota (lutsen.com).Set on the Boundary Waters’ boundary, Lutsen goes adventure wild in summer. Downhill and cross-country mountain biking, golf, endless hiking and canoeing, an alpine slide and a music festival series are among the highlights. Not to mention Lake Superior views, fishing and, oh yes, horseback riding. And, just up the road, Grand Marais holds galleries, an art school, a folk art school and gourmet dining.

Rockies

Copper Mountain, Colorado (coppersummer.com). Mountain biking, horseback riding, whitewater rafting, fly fishing, chair lift rides, golf, a climbing wall, a bungee-thing called the Quad Power Jump, paragliding, whitewater rafting, guided fishing trips, mine tours, gold panning, sailboat rentals and sailing school and canoe rentals.

Winter Park Resort, Colorado (skiwinterpark.com). Winter Park’s summer includes an Alpine Slide, a Leaps 'n Bounds Bungee, mini golf, mountain scooters, the Amaze’n Human Maze, outdoor and indoor climbing walls, a zip line, an 18-hole disc golf course, and mountainboarding. Nearby there’s Colorado River Rafting, horseback riding in the Rocky Mountains, the High Country Stampede Rodeo Series (subtitled "the best little rodeo in Colorado"), world class fishing and Rocky Mountain National Park to explore.

Durango Mountain Resort, Colorado (durangomountainresort.com). Hike and bike their 50-plus miles of trails. Slide on the Alpine Slide. Horseback ride. Fly fish. Or, best, indulge in the Total Adventure Ticket™ in which one ticket yields unlimited Alpine Slide rides, scenic chairlift rides, disc golf, human maze, and mini golf, two climbs on the rock wall and one hour each of tennis, basketball, volleyball, horseshoes and ping pong. The Mountain Edventure program creates an opportunity to learn about the region’s ecosystem and geology, as well as try your hand at orienteering, nature writing, photography or adventure racing. There are also adventure camps for kids, the magnificent Durango & Silverton Train trip, whitewater rafting and nearby Mesa Verde National Park.

Vail (vail.snow.com/summerhome.asp) & Beaver Creek (beavercreek.snow.com/summerhome.asp) Colorado. These two resorts become, if anything, even more active in summer than they are in winter. Vail’s Adventure Ridge becomes home to a rebound trampoline harnessed bouncing bungee, guided nature hikes, an orienteering map and compass course for all hiking abilities, a Discovery Center at which to learn about the environment through fun, interactive displays, Dino Digs for ages 4 and up, disc golf, bocci ball, horseshoes and indoor laser tag. In town, there is seemingly non-stop arts (theatre, ballet, symphony, rock concerts and art shows). At Beaver Creek, there’s swimming pools, mini-golf, climbing walls, bungee trampolines, the children's theatre and museum, disc golf, ice skating, horseback riding, tennis and the kids day camp. And, both resorts offer access to golf, fly fishing, river rafting, backcountry jeep touring, horseback riding and the list just seems to go on.

The Big Mountain, Montana (thebigmountain.com). Take fly-casting lessons, pedal 20 miles of mountain bike trails, including a .6-mile beginner loop, ride the Glacier Chaser gondola/chairlift, attend a concerts, visit the Ed Center, travel through Glacier National Park, play golf, hike, adventure on horseback, ride a mountain scooter, stargaze from the mountaintop, fish, play croquet, ride a horse-drawn wagon, play disc golf, go huckleberry picking, play tennis and volleyball, or try an Art Trek workshop, such as Watercolor, Art Activities for Kids, Photography, Drawing, etc.

Sun Valley, Idaho (sunvalley.com). What’s to do? Hiking, biking, mountain biking, horseback riding, tennis, swimming, ice skating, ice shows, children's activities and day care, playground playing, swimming, picnicking, hayriding and paddle boating, among other things.

Banff/Lake Louise, Alberta (banfflakelouise.com). The most beautiful mountain scenery in North America can be explored in many ways. Among them: walking Banff National Park’s nature trails, hiking into the backcountry, taking an airplane tours, visit a backcountry lodge, attending a barbecue at the Dance Barn, taking a boat tour of Lake Minnewanka, canoe, fishing the Bow River or numerous lakes and streams, golfing, heli-hiking/sightseeing, taking a nature tour, horseback riding or taking a horse-and-carriage ride around Lake Louise, splashing in the hot springs, visiting museums, going off-road touring, sightseeing by bus, sightseeing by gondola, taking a Snocoach Tour at the Columbia Icefields, indoor watersliding at the Douglas Fir Resort, going whitewater rafting, kayaking or taking a float trip.

Panorama Resort, British Columbia (panoramaresort.com). Panorama’s Mountain Adventure Centre provides all programs, hiking maps, visitor information, games, and sports equipment to help you indulge in the following activities: mini golf, climbing wall, Eurobungy, pony rides, football, softball, soccer, basketball, volleyball, Frisbee and horseshoes. Kids Adventure Camp runs from late June to early September and includes games, hikes, walks, and arts and crafts. There’s also mountain biking or site-seeing by chairlift, horseback riding and white water rafting, guided canoeing or kayaking.

West

Northstar-at-Tahoe, California (northstarattahoe.com). Families love Northstar. A great mountain bike park or older kids, junior ropes course, map and compass course golf, swimming, plus Lake Tahoe nearby. Kids’ camp too!

Squaw Valley, California (squaw.com). How about ice-skating year round? Bungee jumping, hiking, biking, and Squaw's swimming lagoon with views of Lake Tahoe make this a must-do stop when visiting Lake Tahoe. Take a ride up the cable car and hike down for some panoramic vistas. Festivals abvound, including the Kite & Music Festival, the Bluegrass & Blues Festival, and the Art, Wine & Music Festival. Organized activities include Sunset and Full Moon Hikes, Stargazing evenings and Ranger Hikes.

Mt. Hood Ski Bowl, Oregon (skibowl.com). The Ski Bowl becomes and action center with its: dual alpine slide, scenic sky chairlift ride, mountain bike and hiking trails marked with interpretive signs, Indy karts, miniature golf, the Freefall 100- foot bungee tower, the Rapid Riser Reverse Bungee, the Bungee Trampoline, the Space Rotation machine and something called the Velcro Fly Trap in which one wears a velcro suit and jumps onto a 12-foot wall.

Whistler, British Columbia (whistler-blackcomb.com). There aren’t too many summer activities you can’t do at Whistler. Consider: gondola rides, Adventure Zone fun challenges, hiking, Bear & Eco Tours, mountain biking, glacier skiing/riding, mountaineering, glacier tours, kids’ programs, golf, guided fishing tours, ATV tours, jet boat adventures, Ziptrek Ecotours, 4x4 tours, Hummer tours, fishing, paragliding, flightseeing tours, river rafting and heli-picnic/hiking.

Add it all up and what do you get? A clear picture that says ski resorts are no longer just for snowsliding. See you next Autumn!

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