The town itself, made over as the quintessential Vermont village, is complete with white-spire churches, manorial hotels, gourmet dining and antiques and crafts shops, as well as factory outlets and Orvis fly fishing on the Battenkill River.

Bromley, six miles east of Manchester, is a no-nonsense, function-over-fashion ski resort. Its base area consists of a lodge. Period. Slopeside are a hotel, some condos and a few private homes but, outside of the base lodge, no stores or restaurants. People come to Bromley to ski, ride and hang out with their friends and families on its usually sun-drenched slopes. Although smaller than nearby Stratton, Bromley has trails for everyone, from gentle beginner runs that wind down the mountain through the woods to expert pistes with shots through the trees.

Because most of the area is south facing, Bromley captures more daylight than most areas, thus is an excellent choice for early season skiing. The $25 weekday lift ticket price is one of the best bargins in ski country.

Summit elevation: 3,284 feet
Vertical drop: 1,334 feet
Base elevation: 1,950 feet

Expert: +
Advanced: ++
Intermediate: ++++
Beginner: ++++
First-timer: ++++

Address: P.O. Box 1130,
Manchester Center, VT 05255
Area code: 802
Ski area phone: 824-5522
Snow report: 824-5522
Toll-free reservations: (800) 865-4786
Internet: www.bromley.com

Number and types of lifts: 9—1 high-speed quad, 1 quad, 4 doubles, 3 surface lifts
Skiable acreage: 175 acres
Snowmaking: 87 percent
Uphill capacity: 9,045 per hour
Parks & pipes: 2 terrain parks
Nearest lodging: Slopeside
Resort child care: Yes, 6 weeks and older
Adult ticket, per day: $25–$66 (2007/08)

Manchester Region
Dining:+++++
Apres-ski/nightlife:+++
Other activities:+++