Don’t forget to bring a friend
Dec. 20-21: Ski With Friends Program, Pats Peak, N.H. — With this great promotion, you pay just $35 (must be purchased on line) to ski or ride and a portion of your ticket price goes to support the local “Friends Program.” In addition, bring a kids craft project,
HILL HAPPENINGS Moira McCarthy
school supplies or kids books with of value of $10 or more with you to the ticket window (new and unopened items only) and then get a $10 Pats Peak Cafe Card (one per person). We highly recommend using some of that for one of their giant cookies. www.patspeak.com
Dec. 21: Shortest Day of the Year Celebration, Wachusett — Sure, it gets dark fast this day, but with day and night skiing at Wachusett, who cares? The mountain celebrates with all kinds of “short” stuff. Wear shorts while skiing and you are entered to win two lift tickets. Take a 10-minute free “short warm up” ski tip lesson at 10 a.m., noon or 5 p.m. Pay half price for a half-day demo. Order short ribs at the Black Diamond. www.wachusett.com
Dec. 22: Beer Pairing, Stratton Mountain Resort, Stratton, Vt. — Tuck into a locally sourced fourcourse dinner paired with four unique brews from Zero Gravity Brewing of Burlington Vt. Dinner costs $50 and starts at 6 p.m. Reservations required (limited space). Follow up the next morning with the First Run Demo Fest in which you can sample gear from Rossignol and Salomon.
www.stratton.com
Dec. 22-23: All about the Holiday, Okemo, Vt. — On Friday at 4 p.m., Santa and Mrs. Claus are spending the evening at the Jackson Gore Base of Okemo, where they will pose for pictures, chat up your holiday wishes and just plain get you in the spirit. Paired with some tabletop s’mores, it’s a great après. The following morning (while Mrs. Claus no doubt hits the spa) Santa and a crew of his elves will be meandering all over the mountain giving out free balloons to all. www.okemo.com
Dec. 23: Breakfast with Santa/ Treelighting later, Ragged Mountain, N.H. — Start your day with breakfast with Santa at the New Hampshire Mountain Inn, just down the road from Ragged. There’s food, visits with Santa, arts and crafts and more.
www.raggedmountainresort.com