Ski Sundown

This very short session was very good for the most part. Communication remains the weak point. The website says 100% open all year long, which is clearly not the case. It also says 100% snow making. Yet, from what I understand, they only make snow, weather permitting, in Dec and Jan. For the popularity and expense of this mountain, they should step up to the plate on their web communications.

My daughter, niece, and I visited Ski Sundown this past weekend and had a blast!!! Since we were all first time skiers, we opted for equipment rentals, private lessons, and lift passes for the day.
From the time we arrived till the time we left and around every corner, we were always met by Ski Sundown staff that were extremely friendly and willing to help in any way they could. I wish I could recognize every Ski Sundown crew member that we encountered because they all did a phenomenal job.
Our instructors, Glen, Brandon, and Evan were remarkable! They were all skilled, extremely knowledgeable, and true professionals. Because of them, we were able to enjoy the day navigating the various trails that Ski Sundown has to offer. For beginners, we couldn’t ask for more. I hope this feedback reaches them well, and they are all recognized for a job well done.
We’ll definitely be returning next season to sharpen our new found skills before we try and tackle the mountains up north in Vermont.

Ok I was told by one of the avid skier that this is the place to start. So I went. Well the lesson was ok. But the beginner area is not as good as I found at other places. The sides and turns could be made better by having more powder on the sides and adding more safety gradient. I think their blue and black trails are better. But by he time started going there I found a place closer to me.

Best skiing in CT. Not as big as Mohawk, but also not as flat. There’s some decent pitch, especially Satan’s Stairway, which is short, but fun. It’s probably a black diamond by big mountain standards, but it’s a double black here. The black diamonds remind me of Vermont blues.
New Hartford has a few nice spots to relax and a cool little downtown. You’re near tons of stuff in Canton. It’s less remote than Mohawk.
The downside is tons of bratty kids and obnoxious teens, terrible line management (the employees do nothing to direct the traffic), and a crowded small lodge. All of these are much less of an issue on weekdays, obviously.
But again, it’s the best you’ll get in CT. If you can’t make the trip to Catamount, Jiminy, or others north, it’s a solid option.

Ski Sundown is very convenient, but with only 3 lifts and minimal trails, it does get old fast. A bit over priced for the terrain and facilities offered.
It is a great place to learn, but as soon as you have the basics down, travel the extra hour to VT.

Only place in CT that leaves most of the mountain ungroomed on a powder day. Fantastic, just wish they had some more trails especially considering it’s only about 550 vertical feet! They recently added a double diamond staircase run so they’e headed in the right direction. Ski sundown still needs a few more trails though and to make those trails wider than the staircase. Another trail like gunbarrel would be great. That would help spread the crowd out and let the good powder last longer.

Twice now we have had very dangerous situations with the lift. The first time the guy was too busy dancing to his jam to bother slowing it down and it bashed my 6 year old son in the back and flattened him as the chair went right over his body. The second time was today. My 6 year daughter fell getting on the lift with my husband, and instead of stopping the lift, they just kept sending him up and plunked her on a chair alone. This was the «big» lift, all the way to the top! She wasn’t safe alone and couldn’t even reach the safety bar. I started screaming my head off (I was a little ways back in line from them) and they finally stopped the lift, but not before my husband had jumped off to get to her. They started the lift before waiting for them to clear the area and the chairs coming down bashed my son in the head. All the «duty manager» had to say was that they hadn’t had complaints yet this year and today was the busiest day, so really, they are trying their best. WHATEVER! Never going back.

Came here on not the best of nights. It has rained the day before and snow was too soft to be groomed.
I got a quick lesson in mogul skiing. By 9pm it was so icy that stopping was almost impossible.
Lifts were decently quick, no lines.
$ 37 for a night ticket was overpriced as it the regular lift price.
Ok In a pinch, but not a regular destination.

I was moderately terrified of coming here based on the Unilocal alone. After my visit, it is clear that reports of rampant overcrowding have been greatly exaggerated.
Yes, I went on a Saturday afternoon. No, there weren’t that many kids. Yes, there were a fair amount of people there. On a Saturday… Shocker…
The lifts are pretty fast for their age, and the seats are padded with foam, which makes a big difference at the end of the day. The most I waited for a lift was two minutes, and even that occurrence was rare.
The snack bar is fairly good as far as snack bars go. It’s not gonna blow your socks off, but they have a decent variety of cheap items to refuel you for the rest of the day. A bagel and cream cheese was $ 2.25, for instance.
I will support the majority opinion that it is overpriced. $ 50 for a 4-​hour lift pass at a mountain of this caliber is a joke. Unfortunately, the oligopoly of Connecticut ski areas allows the market to bear this price. But the fact that their full day pass ($ 56) is a dollar more than Butternut, which is three times the size, should tell you something.
Next year, I think a season pass at Butternut ($ 300) is in order.

Went to sundown for the first time on Saturday with my sister and brother in law who were learning how to ski. Sundown is smalllllll, Compact lodge area; to the left you have the bar and the deck and to the right you have the rental area. It’s a very nice, sorta family atmosphere feel to it but it’s tiny. The deck is very nice though so folks can sit outside on a nicer day and watch the skiers/​boarders so this is nice. It’s a really small mountain though so its way expensive for what you get. It seems to be a predominately beginner mountain. All trails ultimately feed into 3 sections and all feed into the main area. It’s really compact here. There isn’t really a lot of terrain for new skiers to venture to if they want to leave the bunny area. The other greens are kind of hidden off of one of the triples and they feed into the sorta steep area on the left which at first glance is kind of intimidating to someone who is just learning how to ski. The blues are unchallenging at best. The one redeeming quality of this place was Gun barrel which is a lovely, steep black diamond and may be my favorite trail. Gun barrel was FUN… However, it’s expensive here and it’s not practical to spend $ 56 for an 8 hour lift ticket and go down gun barrel all day long. It was a good place to bring someone for a beginner day on the slopes but it’s a little too small and unchallenging for most folks. Next time we go skiing with them we will be going somewhere else. Our home mountain is Ski Butternut in Great Barrington and is one fun mountain. Sundown is really tiny and overpriced for what you get.

The better mountain between Southington, powder ridge, and Mohawk in Connecticut. Fun small terrain park. I would recommend this location over the others. Good parking and decent amount of trail space for a small location.

Due to an especially heavy noreaster blowing through, I decided one last ski trip was in order. I was done with the Pennsylvania resorts so I decided to go north instead of west, but not too far north. I can’t stand the 8 hour drive to Vermont, no matter how much time I have.
If you are an expert skier this really wouldn’t be your cup of tea as it is a pretty small ski resort. If you are however trying to learn how to ski this is a great spot to learn. Unlike most places they don’t just have classes for beginners. They have classes for all skill levels right up to advanced. It doesn’t have a huge selection of trails, so it’s more like a ski school than a full on ski resort.
The resort wasn’t very crowded, and it seemed that the vast majority of the skiers were Connecticut natives (I could tell because they were super nice). I guess most New Yorkers don’t tend to think of Connecticut as a ski destination. This is a huge plus for someone who is used to waiting on long lines at Shawnee or Camelback.
So in conclusion, this is an awesome resort for those looking to improve their skills and those frustrated with long lines who don’t mind a limited amount of trails.

This is a great place to come for a day trip for skiing. There are a good amount of trails for it being a smallish mountain. There are two main lifts that take you ultimately to the same place at the top of the mountain. From there you can choose your color. Black, blue or green. There are various jumps and pipes along the way. Its a fun mountain that im glad I was able to go. Obviously skiing in the north east its a lot more fun after a foot of snow which we happened to get a few days before coming. I would gladly come back, but not after I get a chance to try more of the various other mountains in MA and VT.

i figured since its almost ski season in the northeast and we were just blessed with 6″ of fresh pow by me, i’d write my review on this ski area to let future possible visitors know what to expect since me and my wife have been skiing here for many years now. please don’t get this ski area confused or compare it with larger ski resorts in Vermont, mass. or out west etc… the trails are nice simple and diverse. if you’re an expert or advanced skier you will most likely like the gunbarrel trail the most since it has the steepest pitch and is a fast trail, hence the name. there are 2 terrain parks, one on the green trail «toms treat» and the other on the black «stinger“trail. keep in mind that this ski area tries to cater to all skilled skiers & riders, but for the most part is a good mountain to hone your skills, build confidence, or just begin on since it isn’t a big mountain and is not very intimidating at all. the lodge can get packed very quick, but there is always is a slot for your boot bag and belongings. they have a variety of packages to choose from also, 2 hr tickets, 4hr tickets which u can start anytime, and packages for beginners which are pretty sweet. they’re rental gear is pretty much up to date, but lets face it, its rental gear need i say more… it can get very crowded on the weekends so don’t say i didn’t warn you. there are many ski clubs and children’s programs that come to sundown. another hint, if you ski on the weekdays try to get your runs in early or go for the 6−10pm ticket, the kids are like fireflies once they get out of school and want to hit the slopes ASAP. the food is good, i suggest chicken tenders and the burgers. prices are a little on the high side but lets face it, everything now a days is on the high side. and there is a bar which you can kick back and enjoy a cold one or 2 after a session, not like another local mountain where they can not serve alcohol. but all in all if you have a family and a little patience or just a ski bum that wants to enjoy skiing or riding then this is a good place. remember… since its a local ski area it is gonna get crowded on weekends, if you come there expecting it to be a ghost town you are setting yourself up for a bad experience… see you on the mountain!

I came here on 1÷22÷12 and was not a fan of Ski Sundown and here is why;
1. The mountain is kinda small. There was only 2 beginner trails :(
2. WAAAAY too many kids here. Think crazyness and loudness of a ball pit but then add skis/​snowboards and a mountain.
3. The trails weren’t well planned out. One of the trails you spend more time ‘walking’ then boarding. Also the trail (tom’s treat) levels out so much that you need to keep speed or you will get stuck. Someone needs to get on that and fix it!
4. Can someone please explain to me why there are jumps and tricks on the beginner trail? Not cool when you are trying to learn and someone flys by and lands right next to you.
5. So after not enjoying the trails so much I wanted to retreat from the slopes so I decided to get a bite to eat and relax. NOT POSSIBLE HERE! the cafeteria is a freakin’ zoo!
6. I don’t know for sure (b/​c I’m no expert) but I felt like my equipment was either low quality, not properly selected for my weight/​height or just faulty b/​c it def felt ‘off’. I had less control of my board which I couldn’t figure out why. Also the boot on my lead foot wouldn’t tighten up enough. I was able to fit 3 or 4 fingers in there :(
I understand this might be a great place if you have kids b/​c it’s affordable and you can just let them loose but if you are a young adult just beginning to learn (like me!) this place might not be a good choice.

I started skiing when I was 3, with my Dad dragging me to the ski slopes or putting me in lesson. I skiied for most family trips growing up (mostly in Utah and Colorado) and by the end was even doing heli-​skiing and some pretty extreme stuff. Cut to about 6 years later, I haven’t skied in a long time and I’m home a lot of weekends in Connecticut, bored, and usually not getting any exercise.
On a whim I decided to take the 30 minute drive up just to see if it was any good and to do something that I used to be incredibly talented at. When I got there is was so cute, a miniature version of a resort, with super friendly staff, quality rental brands, and super short lines (and I went on MLK weekend). I don’t think I ever waited more than 5 minutes for a lift.
The terrain is varied, and although like all eastern mountain, especially ones that use man made snowm it can get icy on some faces, but it also has a ton of windy cruises through the trees which are really wonderful to cruise through alone, bumping some Girl Talk.
Most of my family are snow elitist, and won’t get out of bed for less than a foot of fresh Utah powder, but I just love to ski and having found Sundown, I can do it again with almost no hassle or cost. I love that you can buy a 2, 4 or 8 hour ticket and the night skiing is wonderful.
While on the chairlift with a Ski Patrol guy, he told me the owner made a huge capital investment in the snowmaking and they ‘get’ about two feet a night. As of this writing, Sundown has a deeper base than Snowbird and pretty much any other mountain in the area. If you live in CT or southern Mass, you can have a really good chunk of fun at Sundown. If you are into tricks, they have tons of rails and jumps everywhere that will keep you trying new tricks.
Sundown has 85% of the vertical of the mountains way up north (like 3 more hours of driving), is relatively empty and is better than anything else in CT with consistent snowmaking every day.
Rekindling my desire to do something I love is what Sundown has given me. It may not be Norway, or Austria or even Vancouver, but its all about the joy of skiing and making perfect turns, and it delivers.

I’m certainly no skier, but as a newbie this place has a nice set of beginner hills with curves and turns that gets you ready for the real thing. There are several of them, so the skiing, while short, is still fun and interesting. There are two beginner lifts, and a handful of hills to take.
Note: they only scan your lift ticket at the entrance to the practice area, not at the lifts, so you can ski even after your pass expires. This is nice if you’re with kids or newbs like me so you can take your time learning.
Also note: There are a lot of kids on the weekend, both skilled and otherwise. Be careful when going down the practice slopes, I almost took out a group of 7 year olds.

This is a great place for intermediate as well as some advanced skiers looking to take it down a notch. Ski Sundown is fun, nicely groomed most of the time, nice people, and the trails won’t beat you to death.
Keep in mind, this is 5 star rated by myself considering all things such as east coast conditions (nowhere near mid-​west skiing), price, accessibility, etc. Not a bad place for the price. About $ 55+ for lift tickets.
They should get a special weekday price point but… oh well. Would rather go there than Mount Snow or Catamount any day of the week or weekend.

Great for what it is. Colorado it is not.
But after a local snowstorm, there’s nothing better than walking right up to the slopes and hoping on the chairlifts. Some nice intermediate slopes from the top too.
For kids, the place is nirvana. Some short lifts to just get up and down. And friendly staff.
Tip: Go early on weekends or it gets a bit crowded and mogully later on.

Excellent for night skiing during the week — there are too many kids on the weekends though: (