It’s hard to believe our March Break Ski Trip to Smugglers’ Notch Vermont is a distant memory. They call March Break “Canada Week” at Smuggs because it’s where Canadian families go skiing during our spring break here in the Ontario. We joined a new club this March Break, and we couldn’t be happier, even counting down the days until we visit again. Here are our top seven reasons to ski Smugglers’ Notch Vermont, eh!

Top Seven Reasons To Ski Smugglers’ Notch Vermont

Canadian Dollar At Par

Yep, you read that right. With the low Canadian dollar holding tight traveling outside of Canada does a number on your pocket. Smuggs knows the Canadian struggle and offers lodging packages at par for Canadian’s. Honestly, it doesn’t get any better than this. When you’re paying by credit card for your Smuggs package, they will take 25% off the top.

Please note: you’ll still need to bring US dollars – Canadian at par is for lodging packages. Restaurants and shops all only accept US dollars without par discount.

Free Family Focus

Sometimes you want to take that vacation where you can kick back and focus on each other without the worries of routine. A family vacation that focuses on making the best family experience. With Smugglers,’ Notch you get exactly that – Smuggs is a family resort first and foremost. It’s the little things that make Smuggs so welcoming for families. Like ending the day with a warm hot chocolate around the fire – free at the base of Morse Mountain for everyone to help themselves to when the lifts close at 4.

I highly suggest you book on a Thursday so you can catch Carnival Day in the afternoon; which includes free hot chocolate, games and more. And every Thursday night you can watch the night’s sky light up during the free evening Torchlight Parade & Fireworks Show. All free, all included with your lodging package.

Day and evening tubbing, indoor heated pool & hot tubs, daily guided winter walking tours, cross-country trails, snowshoeing trails, pond skating rink, Ozone at FunZone 2.0 entry are free, and all included with lodging packages.

We didn’t feel like we needed to pull our wallets out for all the extras; which allowed even mom and dad to kick back a little more too. Compare Smuggs Lodging Packages by clicking here.

Wear The Kids Out At Ozone at FunZone 2.0

Another reason to ski Smugglers’ Notch Vermont is because Smuggs has 26,000 square foot family entertainment complex. Containing more activities that I can list; trust me when I say they have something for everyone in the family. The Ozone activities are all included with Smuggs Lodging. However, the lower floor activities AKA The Go Zone, arcade and laser tag cost extra.

Pro tip: Three things you must not forget – wear socks, bring indoor shoes and don’t forget your Notch Card. Heads up, the laser tag ran a special when we were there that after 8 pm laser tag games were 50% (please check prices with staff).

Smuggs knows how to wear out the kids for a good nights sleep. We were sweating and laughing so hard together and utterly exhausted after our evening at Smugglers’ Notch Ozone at FunZone 2.0. I highly suggest you check it out.

Three Mountains For All Levels Of Skiers

Taking four very adventurous children skiing on a mountain (compared to a hill in Ontario) did have me a little concerned. Would they obey Mountain Maturity? We do have three boys, so my natural instinct to worry was expected.

When I learned that Smuggs has three mountains with every skill level I could relax a bit. The kids had many runs to explore playing on the smallest mountain called Morse Mountain. Morse Mountain is extremely family friendly with long gentle terrain to get families more comfortable with their skills before taking on the other two peaks – Sterling Mountain and Madonna Mountain.

Morse Mountain is 2,250′ high and has every skill level easy to find. You will discover enhanced runs for more technically skilled family members to explore that all meet up at the base of Morse Mountain. Our favorite green level run is Garden Path which has many jumps on the side for the kids to get out a little jibbing along the way.

Experience Smuggs Snowcat Rides

If you do plan on experiencing a little extra during your stay, I highly suggest you book a Smuggs Snowcat Ride. We booked the evening upper Mountain tour on Saturday. It was an entirely clear night, so bright we had the chance to see Montreal and every single peak and mountain 360 degrees in a two-hour radius.

Our tour guide took complete pride in sharing Smuggs history and answering all our questions along the way. It was a perfect evening shared with great friends. The snowcat tour would be an excellent addition for those who don’t downhill ski or board and would like to experience the stunning views at the summit of the mountain. More reasons to Ski Smugglers’ Notch Vermont or bring along the grandparents and treat them to a snowcat ride.

Pro tip: Dress the kids in their snow gear so they can play at the summit of Madonna Mountain. Don’t forget your phone on the charger as I did. Thanks to, Maya from Mayahood Blog for the pictures on our snowcat tour.

Smuggs Kids Club Is Where It’s At

We were on a family vacation, and I’ll be honest at first I felt sorry for sending my kids to kids camp. That quickly wore off for a few reasons.

Firstly, I got to spend the day skiing with my husband. A big part of parenting is realizing that mommy and daddy need time to strengthen their relationship. We need to laugh and grow together; our time without kids is so limited it was nice to remember us as a couple.

Secondly, the kids loved every single moment of Smuggs Kids Club. Our kids dug their feet into the ground about going, and the deal was if you didn’t like day one you didn’t need to go to day two. They loved day one so much they couldn’t wait for day two.

James & Princess Pam made Smuggs Kids Camp comfortable, cool and fun.

Our older three were together at the same level and skied with James, who is very cool and does the coolest tricks (so I’ve been told.) Our youngest was with Princess Pam who pushed him so much he jumped two ski levels.

GPS Tracking Email

At the end of the kids days, we received an email with GPS tracking showing exactly where our children skied that day. During a six-hour day, they were ranging from 4-5 hours of skiing each.

All-you-can-eat lunch buffet for all the kids.

The best part is they each receive a hot all you can eat lunch buffet, featuring a salad bar and daily specials. Our kids are huge foodies and loved that they could recharge with more than the typical french fries and chicken fingers.

Cookie Race

Kids camp day one ended with a cookie race for all the kids in kids camp. The staff announced each racer as the audience cheers them on, it almost felt like they are members of the Olympic team. This was a huge highlight for all the kids.

Pro tip: Take note that your child’s ski level on a hill in Ontario compared to a Mountain in Vermont will differ. We started all our children on Morse Mountain, which I suggest you do as well if you’re concerned at all. Rest assured your children will be well taken care of and be placed at a level to match their skiing.

Smuggs Kids Camp is an experience I’m confident our children will forever remember. Our children are already asking if they can learn to snowboard at Smuggs next season? I’ve heard the snowboarding lessons rock, so we may need to look into that for 2018/2019 winter season.

Kick Back With Smuggs Condo Lodging

After a long day on the slopes returning to a full-sized condo was a blessing. Each night we kicked back, enjoyed a healthy dinner together and had enough space that everyone could unwind however they wished. I’ve dedicated a whole post to our condo lodging – Read our Smugglers’ Notch Kestrels 3-Bedroom Condo review here.

We felt a warm welcome during every moment of our ski trip with Smuggs. From the moment we checked in, the staff along the way were outstanding and extremely helpful. To me, it’s the people that make an experience truly the best. The stories we exchanged with visitors who have been coming to Smuggs for 10, 20 years. The staff at Kids Camp who made an imprint on the memories of our children. Smuggs trains their staff well and they put the focus on Customer service and making sure parents and the kids are having the best time. I could add many more reasons to Ski Smugglers’ Notch Vermont, the reasons are endless. Just know that Smuggs you left an imprint on our hearts and we would suggest that everyone looking for a family ski trip book with Smuggs.

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Thank you for reading our Canadian Blog In R Dream written by Tammy.

 Disclousure: We were invited as a guest of Smugglers’ Notch and would suggest everyone experience Smuggs Loves. As always, these are our opinions, and this and all reviews on InRdream.com are written with honesty.