What's new at Northeast ski resorts

If you haven't been to one of the Northeast's signature ski resorts in a few years, prepare to be surprised.

Once upon a time, the slopes themselves were fairly far-flung from the village's lodging, dining and entertainment options, forcing visitors to spend too much of their precious time trekking to and from the downhill action.

After decades of maintaining this historical separation, Northeast slopes finally followed the lead of their Western counterparts, building comprehensive base villages complete with luxury slopeside lodges. Although the inspiration might have come from looking West, the imperative undoubtedly came from looking north: Quebec's Mont Tremblant, a classic Western-style resort, has ranked as the No. 1 resort in the East by readers of SKI magazine for the past 15 years.

Still, Vermont and New York's premier resorts are amping up, leaving few needs uncatered to, be it valet service for your skis and boots or tuck down treatment for your bed.

WHAT IT COSTS

Skiing remains an expensive pursuit - particularly if you're inclined to spend the weekend at one of the new all-frills lodges. Cost-conscious skiers can instead indulge in an après ski snack before heading back to their considerably less expensive off-slope inn or hotel for the night.

WHAT'S NEW

Here's an updated look at what to expect this season at six major ski resorts in the Northeast. Lift ticket and lodging prices listed are per day based on double occupancy for non-holiday weekends (a two-night minimum stay is typical policy). Packages are for a family of four.

OKEMO, Ludlow, Vt., 800-786-5366, okemo.com

THE SCENE Family-run and oriented Okemo opened its Jackson Gore base village complex back in 2004. The environmentally friendly village has proved to be popular, offering skiers 245 ski-in, ski-out rooms, a two-story roundhouse lodge and three restaurants - all in addition to 14 new trails and two new glades.

WHAT'S NEW Okemo has a new fitness center and an outdoor skating rink. The Timber Ripper, a 3,100-foot-long mountain coaster, is set to open later this month ($9-$13 a ride). At the original base, renovations continue, while boarders can take heart in upgraded terrain parks. Most important, Okemo continues to put its money where its reputation is: snowmaking and snow grooming.

LIFT TICKETS $81 ($71 ages 13-18, $55 ages 7-12)

STAY AND SKI Packages at Jackson Gore begin at $371 a night.

STOWE, Stowe, Vt., 800-253-4754, stowe.com

THE SCENE The quintessentially glamorous New England skiing village, if only it didn't have that notoriously congested seven-mile commute to the challenging slopes of Mt. Mansfield. As recently as 2008, only 32 of the town's 2,700-plus hotel rooms were actually on the mountain - by the month's end, there will be 344.

WHAT'S NEW Stowe is making a statement with its ongoing $400 million Spruce Peak redevelopment project - it passes another milestone this month with the completion of the second wing (another 173 rooms) in the super-luxurious Stowe Mountain Lodge. Modeled after Colorado's Beaver Creek and Utah's Deer Valley, the timber-and-glass lodge is the anchor of a comprehensive "alpine village" which also features an upscale shopping mall, spa and a soon-to-opened Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center. To be sure, it's all rather overwhelming to many longtime Stowe devotees. But then, all they have to do is drive back to the old-time village.

LIFT TICKETS $84 ($63 ages 6-12)

SKI AND STAY Packages at Stowe Mountain Lodge begin at $714 a night.

KILLINGTON, Killington, Vt., 800-621-6867, killington.com

THE SCENE Killington's selling point has always been its unrivaled size. As long as there were enough satisfactory places to stay, and skiers could get to, from, and around Killington's six peaks efficiently enough, they could be counted on to keep coming in droves. But now that so many of its big-name competitors have redone their base villages, the resort is starting to feel the heat.

WHAT'S NEW In 2008, Killington's new owners invested in various infrastructure improvements, including the Burton Stash, a 34-feature all-natural terrain park. The snowmaking system was updated in 2009. Plans are now afoot for a comprehensive 408-acre complex to be completed over the next 20 years.

LIFT TICKETS $84 ($71 ages 13-18, $59 ages 6-12)

STAY AND SKI Packages from $110 a person a night.

STRATTON, Stratton, Vt., 800-787-2886, stratton.com

THE SCENE While Stratton can't claim to have been the first major eastern resort to build its own self-contained base village, it was the first to make its village an aesthetic, thematic whole. If anything, Stratton has become the victim of early wisdom - its trendsetting Austrian-style village now seems cramped in comparison to the big base developments elsewhere.

WHAT'S NEW Stratton has been renovating for years and now has the East's most efficient lift system, capable of moving 33,525 skiers an hour. Good thing - as the closest big mountain to New York City, it's often crowded. The resort invested $4 million in snowmaking and grooming equipment in 2007 and recently added two new trails and three new glades.

LIFT TICKETS $84 ($72 ages 13-17, $61 ages 7-12)

STAY AND SKI Packages begin at $469 a night.

SUGARBUSH, Warren, Vt., 800-537-8427, sugarbush.com

THE SCENE Consistently ranked among the top five eastern resorts, Sugarbush has two big mountains (now efficiently linked by a two-way chair lift) and plenty of woods and terrain.

WHAT'S NEW The resort put $60 million into a makeover of its Lincoln Peak base village, which channels Vermont's iconic dairy industry. Imitation corn silos accent the Clay Brook Hotel, while Timbers Restaurant resembles (at least on the outside) a classic barn. Plans are afoot for another 400 beds.

LIFT TICKETS $84 ($66 ages 7-18)

SKI AND STAY Clay Brook packages from $984 a night.

WHITEFACE, Wilmington, N.Y., 518-946-2223, whiteface.com

THE SCENE The New York State-owned Whiteface is the only resort in the East big enough to have hosted the Olympics (twice) - it's also the only major ski resort that doesn't allow slopeside lodging. So Whiteface has grown where it can - on the mountain. It's always been joined at the hip with nearby Lake Placid, popular year-round for its many lodging and dining options.

WHAT'S NEW Last year, Whiteface opened its Lookout Mountain Terrain (two trails and a triple chair) and the 25-acre Sugar Valley Glades.

LIFT TICKETS $77 ($62 ages 13-19, $49 ages 7-12)

Off the slopes, where the action is

To be sure, many of the best skiing memories aren't generated until after the slopes have closed for the day.

Après ski is what they call it - a mere chronological description in French, but a way of life at winter resorts worldwide. It can encompass everything from a quick libation in the base lodge pub after the last run of the day to dancing a cold winter's night away at a hot club.

Naturally, all resorts offer numerous après ski options - among the standouts:

FOR SINGLES:

Killington

Killington's expansive and varied terrain attracts an ambitious, go-getter kind of skier, one who is more likely to be part of a similarly inclined group than traveling with a family.

Après ski starts early - often to the tune of live music in the base lodges - and runs late, especially at well-established hangouts such as the Pickle Barrel, Wobbly Barn and Nightspot. But there are dozens of less overwhelming places to congregate with friends (old or new) and see what the evening brings.

FOR ROMANTICS:

Lake Placid

Whiteface Mountain's complete dearth of slopeside lodging means that just about all the après ski action occurs where skiers actually stay, back in the charming village of Lake Placid. And since everyone has to go back to their rooms first anyway, they might as well clean up and relax. As a result, the emphasis here skews toward fine dining and lingering with a drink or two beside a cozy fire. Don't miss having at least one drink at the gaily lit Boat House Restaurant overhanging Mirror Lake.

FOR FAMILIES:

Smugglers' Notch

Vermont's Smugglers' Notch pioneered the concept of the all-included (but not necessarily all-inclusive) family resort back in the 1970s. It offers supervised après ski activities for kids and their parents. Since everybody's on the same self-contained campus, some go their separate ways. Most ski-and-stay packages include access to the family entertainment center, indoor pool, outdoor skating rink, tubing and entertainment ranging from family karaoke to musical comedy (800-451-8752, smuggs.com).