Surviving Winter Weekend Crowds at Mount Snow
Updated: Feb 12, 2018
With over 10,000 people at Mount Snow on a busy weekend, the most obvious way to survive the weekend crowds without feeling like you're surrounded by city stress is to visit on a weekday, but...
...if you just absolutely cannot get any time off other than Saturday and Sunday here is an extensive list of local insider tips on how to make the most of your winter weekends in Dover (the town where Mount Snow is):
Save time & money when planning your trip
Instead of wasting hours searching lodging websites, wondering where to eat and how to find the best prices on things, use this free getaway planner that will do it all for you and send everything you need to your email.
Get to town before 9pm on Friday night
This is key because after 10pm there are usually no restaurants serving food. If you arrive after 10pm, you'll be eating "dinner" from the snack isle at 7-11 after spending hours in the car. Not a happy start.
Avoid 7-11. There are other liquor stores.
There are only two "food" stores in Dover and one of them is a 7-11. It's a zoo of humanity on Fridays and Saturdays jonesing for Monster energy drinks, Bud Light and whiskey. Yes, they sell liquor there but they over charge like crazy on everything from Orange Juice to frozen pizza because they know you're lazy and won't search out where else to get your drinks. To save you the time and annoyance, go to Ratu's or River Valley Market in Wilmington on your way into town. They're both open until 9pm (remember what we just told you?!).
Get up early on Saturday
Early bird lift access is worth the price. The cost/benefit ratio is high - you'll get far more runs in and feel less stressed when you get off the mountain after lunch. For quick breakfast options you have Sticky Fingers Bakery or $5 grab-and-go breakfast sandwiches at The Tavern (they're kind of epic).
Get out of Mt Snow before 2pm
Unless you're staying at the hotel on the mountain, there's no reason to be on the mountain after 2pm on Saturdays. The snow is chopped up, the parking lot is nothing but traffic lines, and the bars in the base lodge will be loud, obnoxious, and filled shoulder to shoulder with folks fighting over the bartenders' attention. There are much better places in town to have the same beer and better food at lower prices...
Do Apres Ski off the Mountain
2 miles (about 5 minutes) down the road from Mt Snow is The Tavern inside the West Dover Inn (view website). They have amazing $1 raw bar, chef made sandwiches, craft beers on tap, and a cozy bar atmosphere with a couple of TVs.
Want some flatbread and a brew? Head over to TC's.
How about a game of pool and some yummy bar food? Dover Forge has you covered.
Point being, there are ways to get more fun value out of your afternoons than staying at the mountain.
Eat Dinner at either 5pm or 8pm
Eating out in Dover has become a real problem with so many restaurants closing in the last couple of years. It's impossible to get a dinner table between 6-8pm on a Saturday night and you'll just spend a couple of hours feeling like you're back in the city crowds anyway. So either cook at the place you're staying, if you have a kitchen, or go out to dinner at 5pm or 8pm. (view dining options)
Do Not Leave Sunday Morning. Wait.
Patience will forever be a virtue, and rarely is it more important than on Sunday of a Winter Vermont weekend. Yes, we know you have to get back home to get ready for work on Monday but we promise you - wait until after lunch to leave town and your ride back will be much less stressful. If you leave before 11am, you're just going to spend a couple extra hours in traffic. Think about it: there are over 10,000 people on Mount Snow on a busy weekend and the main road in/out of town has 1 stop light. The math is not in your favor.
