Vermont's "Northern Star" - Burke Mountain
Written: Dec 14 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Varied Terrain, Small Mountain Experience at Large Mountain, Northeast Kingdom Hospitality
Cons: Distance and location (but that's what makes it special)
The Bottom Line: Spend time at Burke and you'll understand why not only the locals treasure their Northern Star, but people from across the country and from Canada also treasure Burke Mountain
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| jps246's Full Review: Burke Mountain |
Burke Mountain, like it’s prior name, Northern Star suggests, is a gem located in the northeastern corner of Vermont, deep in the heart of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom.
Burke Mountain is located in East Burke, Vermont, which is about 7 miles from I-91 exit 23, which puts it about 3 hours from Boston and 4 hours or so from New York City depending on traffic and weather conditions. Just north of the village of Lyndonville and the city of St. Johnsbury, Burke Mountain is tucked away and is a ski area that harks back to the earlier days of skiing, when mountains were uncrowded, staff knew all the skiers names and just because it’s not a trail doesn’t mean that it can’t be skied.
Between 1995 and 1999, I went to college at Lyndon State College, which is about a 15-minute drive from Burke Mountain. The college offered a discounted season pass for $50 (eventually it made it up to $100 when I graduated) and I had one every winter season that I was up there. So I was skiing regularly at Burke for 4 straight winter seasons.
The Details
Burke Mountain, topping out at 3,267 feet offers skiers a 2,000 vertical drop to enjoy. There are 43 maintained trails and over 240 acres of open terrain when you combine the trail acreage and the glade acreage. There is no off-limit skiing at Burke, if you can find a way down the mountain, you’re welcome to try it. 25% of the trails are geared towards beginners, 45% for intermediates and about 30% for experts.
As you can see from the percentages, Burke is a mountain for intermediate to expert skiers, the beginning terrain is limited to the lower slopes of the mountain and one or two trails from the summit. The remaining trails are challenging enough to give both intermediates and experts good runs.
Burke also boasts a terrain park for snowboarders and skiers that include five acres with a variety of jumps and hits. Within the park is also a half-pipe that is continuously maintained.
Burke can transport approximately 3,500 people per hour to the summit of the mountain with one quad chairlift, 1 high-speed detachable lift, 1 double chairlift and 1 J-bar lift. Lines are almost non-existent at all of these lifts. I think in 4 years the longest that I ever waited, was for about 5 minutes and that was on a weekend!
75% of Burke’s terrain, including some of the glades is covered by snowmaking. Often though, natural snowfall, which averages about 250 inches a year, is more than sufficient to completely cover trails and provide base. The snowmaking continuously provides new surfaces for skiing. We often joked at Lyndon that it would snow everyday throughout the winter and Burke is no exception – if you are going, expect there to be snow throughout your trip – it’s just continuously snowing in this portion of Vermont.
Trails are groomed throughout the day and continuously at night to provide the best ski surfaces each morning. With all the natural snow, it’s not unusual to hit Burke in the morning and have trail after trail of trackless powder for you to break in.
Burke offers two lodges, a lower base lodge with all the expected amenities, including a ski shop, rental shop, cafeteria, après ski, rental lockers, changing rooms and dining areas. The mid-Burke lodge offers a cafeteria, ticket sales, a dining area, and equipment storage areas. Both lodges are accessible by road (so you can start skiing at either one) or by ski trails.
For those of us with little children (not us, at least not for a while), Burke offers daycare in the lower lodge.
Should you want to strap on some telemark or cross-country skis on, Burke offers 80 kilometers of cross-country ski trails. Most of these trails are groomed (65 kilometers) and the remaining trails are kept up for backcountry use.
Mid-week tickets are a steal at Burke! It’s only $29 for an adult. On the weekend, the tickets jump to $45. A block of 10 unrestricted tickets can be purchased for $329 and a season pass costs roughly $560.
Ski and stay packages are available and are reasonable with rates for mid-week trips and weekend trips. Most lodging is provided in East Burke village, Lyndonville or St. Johnsbury. On slope lodging is limited to condominium rentals.
The ski shops at Burke are full-service affairs with rentals, equipment for purchase and tune-up services available.
Events are planned throughout the winter months and often include discounted lift tickets.
Lessons are available to both children and adults and run from introductory lessons for people who are experiencing skiing for the first time to experts who want to hone their skills with individualized private lessons.
The Burke Mountain Experience
Where Burke starts to shine is in the big mountain skiing but with small mountain warmth. Staff at Burke Mountain work hard to make sure that your stay is enjoyable. Many of the skiers at Burke are locals and the whole atmosphere on the mountain is warm and fun. No one is out to be pretentious or obnoxious, if only the rest of Vermont ski areas could take their cue from Burke.
Wake up in the morning; take the first lift up and track your way down through the fresh powder. Enjoy breakfast in one of the lodges, go back out and get a friendly “hi” from the lift attendants and get in all the runs you can until lunch, enjoy lunch at the mid-lodge overlooking all of the Northeast Kingdom (the view from Burke Mountain’s summit and the upper half of the mountain is incredible) and then spend the afternoon taking relaxing runs down uncrowded slopes.
This is not a mountain where you will have trouble coming down a trail and looking out for people. You won’t be standing in endless lines waiting to get on a chairlift. You’re as likely to run into someone from the Northeast Kingdom or Lyndon State College as you are to run into some folks from Quebec who are all enjoying the pure mountain experience at Burke.
Burke Mountain is also home to the Burke Mountain Academy, one of the premier ski schools in the country. From their website:
Burke Mountain Academy is a pioneer in the integration of academic and athletic excellence. Founded in 1970 by Warren Witherell, the school coordinates a special program of academic studies with training and racing schedules for alpine and nordic skiing. Boys and girls thirteen or older and from around the world are enrolled in various programs. Burke Mountain Academy is fully accredited by the Vermont Board of Education.
This combination of down-home mountain skiing, along with the presence of one of the best ski schools, creates an atmosphere that anyone looking for a true mountain skiing experience will enjoy. And who knows, maybe you’ll cross paths with a future Olympic skier on the slopes – many of the Burke Mountain Academy graduates go on to be part of America’s Olympic ski team.
Why You Should Ski At Burke!
For anyone who is tired of the hustle and bustle of many of New England’s ski areas, Burke Mountain is a welcome throwback to the years when ski areas were uncrowded, trails were long and steep, the vertical drop was big and people who wanted to ski were out on the slopes. Spend a few days at Burke and you will understand why not only the locals treasure their Northern Star, but people from across the country and from Canada also treasure Burke Mountain.
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Outdoor/Hiking/Camping Reviews
Magazines and Books
Backpacker Magazine / Outside Magazine / National Geographic Adventure / Hiker's Guide to the Mountains of Vermont / Hiking Guide to Mount Washington and Presidential Range / GPS Made Easy / AMC White Mountain Guide
Destinations
White Mountain National Forest (NH) / Catskill Mountains (NY) / Acadia National Park (ME) / Bellayre Mountain (NY) / Hunter Mountain (NY)
Retailers and Products
REI.com - Outdoor Gear / Dermatone Lip Pomade / Carmex Lip Balm / Kestrel 100 Wind Meter / Magellan GPS 315
Recommended:
Yes
Level of Experience Needed: Intermediate
Best Time to Visit: March
Best Suited For: Friends
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