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Do you like the small mountain experience, laid back and not too pricey? That's Bromley, a mountain where change happens slowly, where you can pluck up the courage for some glade and bump skiing without feeling much fear. It's a mountain with lots of intermediate (blue) runs, a glade or two, and a half-pipe for snowboarders.

Bromley is not a difficult mountain like Magic, just down the road, nor does it offer the somewhat bland ski experience of nearby Stratton with its high price lift tickets. It is a mountain for middle America.

Bromley is right on Route 11. The edge of the base area is less than 30 yards from the highway. It is an unusual set up for a ski resort, which must deal with hundreds of people on a busy day, all of whom have cars and want to park as close to the ticket window as they can get. Bromley's answer is a parking lot on the other side of the highway. You drop off your things at the base lodge, then drive under Route 11 to a parking lot about a third of a mile away. You then wait to board a flat bed truck which will take you back to the mountain. It is not a pleasant ride on a windy day standing there in the back of the truck in something resembling a cattle stall as the truck slowly wends its way back to the base area. Those that find the experience totally unacceptable can purchase a season's limousine service which will do all the shutting back and forth in considerably more comfort. The service costs more than $200 per season, unless you are a season's pass holder.

The skiing:

If you are visiting a ski  mountain for the first time or are an infrequent visitor, it is a good idea to ask for a complimentary tour. You'll pick up a lot of information that you may not otherwise find out. Bromley has such tours on the weekend and holidays. Unfortunately, I was not there on a weekend, but being the laid back, easy going mountain that it is, I found the head of skier services more than happy to leave his desk for half an hour and off we went!

Bromley is a mountain that has picturesque trails and on the day we skied the trees were covered in snow, plus the sun was partial shining. You couldn't wish for better conditions and with that light that only comes when there are flurries and sunshine, the trails looked beautiful. We skied the blues on the left side of the mountain and The Glade.

I don't like glade skiing too much but Bromley's glades have trees that are widely spaced and the skiing was easy. The blacks at Bromley are on the left side of the mountain and are serviced mostly by the Blue Ribbon Quad. This lift was out of service on the day I was there - a fact that was not mentioned in Bromley's ski report that day. You can still get to these trails by taking the Sun Mountain Express Quad to the summit, although be prepared for a long run out at the end. The blacks are almost always open because there is snow making on them. I was told that the mountain is about 95% covered by guns. Only Pushover, a blue rated run on the extreme left side of the mountain, is uncovered by snow making.

Food and Services:

I had lunch in the Blue Boar Tavern. The food was good but a bit pricey. A cranberry juice, a clam chowder, a turkey sandwich and a coffee plus tip came to just over $15.00. This was about three dollars more than my last visit three years ago when I had almost the same thing. I also had my skies tuned during lunch and this cost $40.00. With my ski ticket which cost another $40, courtesey of Ski Vermont, the ski experience for a week day visit was almost $100.00.

Overall I have to rate Bromley as offering a pleasant experience and one that will likely remain so, even on poor skiing days.. It is the kind of mountain that fosters a lot of skier loyality and where people seem genuinely friendly. I did not separate my skies as I always do at places like Killington, because I felt it to be unnecessary. Of course this is foolish because theft can occur at any mountain, but when you get that safe feeling, it's the kind of thing I do. The only thing that bothers me about Bromley is that skier truck. Somehow, something has to be done about that!

Timothy Palmer-Benson

January 7th, 2003

previously reviewed in 2000

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