Affordable Family Vacations Skis Wintergreen, VA

Wintergreen, in the Blue Ridge mountains in Virginia, is a great place to take an affordable family ski vacation. The first time we visited the resort area with kids in tow was a long Thanksgiving weekend. The slopes were not open yet for the season, but they had just received snow fall and everything was beautiful. I have to admit, I was shocked on how far removed the mountain top was from any town, a grocery store or society in general.  Wintergreen is a top down resort meaning the lodge and base are at the top of all the slopes instead of the bottom.  This provides fantastic views. The resort is small with several hundred homes, condos and townhouses surrounding it. There is a general store/gas station, a couple of restaurants and shops affiliated with the resort and nothing else commercial. It's the perfect location to get away from it all without having to hike into the woods a few miles and camp. If you love the beauty of the outdoors in the mountains, but prefer to sleep in a nice comfortable bed, Wintergreen is the place to go.

The Blue Ridge Express, one of the main lifts at Wintergreen 

Affordable Skiing and Snowboarding Tips for Families Going to Wintergreen
Skiing, with kids, is expensive. I Googled for deals, I checked-out local ski-shops, I even heard you could buy lift tickets at a discount from those big box membership stores, but I wasn't coming up with much and I struggled to justify the cost. Then I went back to Wintergreen's website and found some great  money saving deals, figured out what days were the least expensive to go and made a plan.

1) Plan your vacation around a weekday that your kids have off,  that is not a national holiday! Check your kids' school calendar and see if they have any days off such as a teacher workday, and plan your trip around that date. Weekday rates for lift tickets and equipment rentals are much lower than weekend rates and actually pretty inexpensive in comparison to holiday rates.

 2) If you have a fifth or sixth grader and you live in VA, MD, DC, NC and WV, they will receive 3 FREE 8-hour session lift tickets and some additional discounts for your group. The passes aren't good on Saturdays or holidays, but that's when it is expensive and crowded anyway. This is a fantastic discount, but you have to contact the resort ahead of time and make sure to take the required paperwork with you. It's a minor hassle to set up this account with the resort and it's a huge savings.

3) If you have any in your group who are new to skiing or snowboarding, sign up for the Guaranteed Learn to Ski program. It includes a discounted rate for a lift ticket, ski rental and a lesson.  I have used this a few times and been very happy with the results.  One weekday visit we ended up with a semi-private lesson for our boys with a wonderfully patient instructor.

4) Unless your kids do endurance training, go ahead and buy the 4 hour lift ticket instead of the full day pass.  Going on a weekday, the lift lines will be short and after four hours your kids will be wiped out.  Don't worry that you won't have enough time. They build in an extra half hour from purchase to get your gear and get on the slope.

Affordable Vacation Rental Tips for Families Visiting Wintergreen
The Wintergreen lodge offers standard hotel rooms, efficiency type rooms and some condo vacation rentals.  They offer specials occasionally, but even then they are pricey.  Rent directly through a Wintergreen vacation home owner and save a considerable amount of money.  Some owners are special members of the resort which allows them to offer additional amenities such as discount lift tickets, access to the indoor pool etc.  Look around and see who has the best offer and is in the best location on the mountain for the activities that you want to do.

Getting around the mountain in the winter can be tricky.  If you are staying in a condo, the parking lot will be cleared of snow and ice on a regular schedule.  Beware if you are staying in a home and do not have 4WD.  Make sure to inquire with the owner if their drive will be cleared if snowfall occurs.

My favorite place to stay in the winter are the Three Ridges condos one row back from the resort.  They are an easy walk to the slopes and lodge and they are older so they usually rent for less than the newer condos higher up on the ridge.  Even in the summer, there are hiking trails that start off right from the Three Ridges parking lot.  Some units are well maintained and have been updated nicely, others not so much.

Other Affordable Wintergreen Winter Activities

The Tube Run "The Plunge" at Wintergreen

So you skied and now you are wondering what else to do?  Wintergreen has an ice rink right at the lodge, adjacent to the main ski area.  There is also a great tubing area.  Tubing sells out fast, so if you want to go, buy your session online ahead of your visit.  For the adventurous types, there is a winter zip line.  And, they  have indoor tennis.  I have jumped in on a couple of clinics in the past and really enjoyed them.  I also found their rates very reasonable.   More importantly, I was able to slip away for "mom time".  Speaking of "mom time", Wintergreen has a spa.  By the time we have paid for a vacation rental, lift tickets, equipment rental and my tennis clinic or two, I haven't been able to work in the spa.   I have heard it is nice, so it's on my list.

Affordable Family Dining at Wintergreen
We bring a cooler and a few bags of groceries and prepare most of our meals in our vacation rental.   Bring what you need as there is no grocery store, just the small general store/gas station.   There is a cafe that is inexpensive and serves basics such as hotdogs, hamburgers and pizza.  I have lucked out on a visit or two and purchased their special meal for the evening.  The kitchen for the cafe is shared with one of their nicer restaurants and the special was cafe priced but was a great restaurant meal.

Have you been to Wintergreen for skiing or snowboarding?  What money saving tips do you have?