Summer vacation can be a great time to try something new. Something that tests your limits a bit and makes your pulse pound. At Smugglers’ Notch, you’ll find adventures that send you high into the air. You’ll also find adventures that take you onto trails and into waterfalls, and adventures that send you rolling, bumping and jumping along the ground. Check out four of our favorite pulse pounders. Then start planning your Vermont summer adventures!

ArborTrek TreeTop Obstacle Course

On ArborTrek’s TreeTop Obstacle Course, you’ll slide, balance, jump, crawl, climb, dash and swing as you make your way along a course through the trees. This self-guided adventure through more than 80 elements offers challenges that test a participant’s strength, balance, and agility. A course with 3 height levels of challenges, plus a course with challenges for ages 4 and older, deliver a memorable experience for all ages.

Flyboarding

Try the newest thrilling water sport – Flyboarding. The Flyboard elevates you using water jet propulsion technology. Instructors will show you how to control your movement by tilting your feet, bending your knees, and shifting your body weight to fly over Bootleggers’ Basin reservoir at Smugglers’. The reviews from Flyboarding’s inaugural summer 2015 season: amazing, and great fun!

Mountain biking

Make this the summer you learn to mountain bike! Modeled on the learning experience provided by Smugglers’ ski and ride school, the Mountain Bike Center  at Smugglers’ offers camps, clinics and special sessions such as guided tours for all ages and abilities. Hone your skills on a pump track or in beginner and intermediate level skills parks. Beginner, intermediate and single track trails can be found on property, with an extensive network of additional trails within an easy drive.

Via Ferrata

Experience some of Vermont’s most unique natural environments using rope bridges, rappelling, and other techniques. Professional guides instruct you in canyoneering and rock climbing skills in outings that take place around, above, and in some of the most scenic chasms and waterfalls in northern Vermont. Be prepared to get wet! Via Ferrata is fun for kids and adults.

Two tips for success in a new experience:

• Think about the physical capabilities of your family members when choosing a new adventure. Everyone will have more fun exploring an activity that is well matched to their abilities.
• Check your chosen activity’s age, height, and weight requirements and ensure everyone meets those requirements.

Experiencing adventures as a family can be a great bonding experience as you help each other learn new skills and excel in a new activity. A real sense of self-confidence and achievement comes with getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new.

Visit smuggs.com to find plenty more adventures!

We are the champions … in Kerplunk

Family Ties are the long-running and ever popular activities at Smugglers’ that bring families together in a way that can be, well, sort of goofy. Like, sure-to-start-some-teenage-eye-rolling goofy.  And I-would-never-do-this-at-home goofy.

So what’s with the “all in” on goofy fun? Simply, Smugglers’ is a goofy fun permissive kind of place – after all, you’re on vacation, right? So folks jump into playing a game of Giant Tic Tac Toe … competitively. Or painstakingly creating a Big Air Derby “vehicle” out of cardboard and duct tape – LOTS of duct tape – only to launch their family’s creation off a jump and cheer wildly for it to win biggest crash.

And here’s the thing – the eye-rollers and nay-sayers get over themselves and end up loving Family Ties. Take our word for it. Hey, we’ve seen the tattered remains of Big Air Derby creations strapped to family roadsters on check-out day.

Mixed in with the simple fun is what’s best about Family Ties – the family time together. Sharing a few laughs. Relaxing. Racking up the memories. That’s truly what it’s all about.

Last summer, we made a good thing even better. Our ace Activities and Summer Fun University staff spent a lot of time expanding Family Ties. From a once-a-day offering, now you can find some sort of family activity any time between 10:00 am and 7:00 pm, every day of the week. We figure a 10:00 am start gives everyone time to sleep in (got that, kids?), eat a healthy breakfast, and then jump right into the fun.

A few choice action verbs simplify the Family Ties concept: Create. Explore. Learn. Play.

Create. Create a memento, create a memory in a craft session. Make sock puppets that represent each member of the family. Or your favorite actor or actress. Or the family pet. The possibilities are endless with glue, feathers, yarn, fabric, and buttons. Or there’s Awesome Arts & Crafts, which offers a project that each family member can enjoy, all ages welcome. There’s tie dye, too. Plentiful opportunities for creating, and everyone’s un artiste. No critics allowed.

Explore. Make our mountains your own. Follow a guide who leads you to the old stomping grounds of the town of Sterling, first settled in the late 18^th century. Watch for remnants of the town in the woods and imagine being among the early settlers in this rugged area. Another option for exploration: prowl the resort village as a team in a family scavenger hunt that has you solving clues in a Smuggs-style version of a certain popular tv show. Got little ones? Search for frogs and tadpoles in our Village Reservoir while hearing all about local ecosystems from a guide.

Learn. Jump into some information accumulation or acquire a new skill. How is maple syrup made? What’s the difference between a turtle and tortoise? If the inquiring minds in your family want answers, check out our walks, hikes and Creature Feature session that unveil the mysteries and magic of nature. Another option – get an intro to a new sport. Anyone up for tennis, disc golf, paddle boarding or mountain biking?

Play. Has anyone ever said, “I’ve played too much”? Nope. Choose family kickball, soccer, or volleyball, all down at our newest recreational facility, Bootlegger’s Basin. You can make a day of play there – pack a picnic, take a refreshing swim in the reservoir, toss some horseshoes. In the Village, life-size games are a favorite; Hungry Hungry Humans and life-size foosball are the latest – crazy wacky fun.

Create, explore, learn, play. The activities mentioned are just a sampling. Because there’s much, much more to enjoy, might we suggest a few tips to help guide your Family Ties fun?

Tip 1 – If your schedule allows, stop by the Courtyard Kickoff Sunday evenings at 6:30 pm. Our Activities and Summer Fun University staff are there each week to answer questions and help you plan your stay.

Tip 2 – Refer to the Resort Information Guide for the full outline of activities.

Tip 3 – If you have questions, swing by the Activities Desk. The friendly staff there will be happy to answer your questions, direct you to a Family Ties meeting place, or sign you up for any activity that requires advance registration.

Get the day-by-day scoop on family activities

May your Family Ties enhance your family ties!

Splashing in the pool and taking a trip down the waterslide are highlights of the summer season. But for many water lovers, eye irritation is an unfortunate byproduct of pool time, caused by traditional chlorine sanitization methods used in swimming pools.  At the primary pool complexes at Smugglers’ Notch Resort, swimmers have said goodbye to red eye. With swimmer comfort and safety top of mind, Village Center pool facilities have transitioned to salt water chlorination.

Unfamiliar with salt water chlorination? For swimmers, pool water treated with a salt water chlorine generation system has some benefits over traditional chlorine sanitization. Salt water chlorination is less irritating on the eyes and softer on the skin. It also won’t fade or damage swim suits. And it provides a more comfortable experience for swimmers with asthma, allergies, or chemical sensitivities. At one tenth to one twelfth the concentration of salt in ocean water, it even increases swimmer buoyancy.

There are environmental, safety and resource management bonuses, too. Conversion from chlorine allows Smugglers’ pool managers to reduce storage of this hazardous chemical on site. Also, the salt water system is regenerative, which creates less waste – and that translates into savings.

Here’s how the process works:

First, salt is dissolved in the water. The salt used is standard sodium chloride, the same salt you’d have in your shaker at home. The water passes through a salt cell which generates a chemical reaction that creates enough chlorine to keep the pool disinfected. Eventually, the reaction slows down and the molecules revert back to their original forms, becoming salt and water again. This reduces the need to add salt on a regular basis, and because chlorine is generated within the water, there is better consistency of sanitization.

Smugglers’ primary water complexes have been converted to salt water chlorination. These include the Mountainside lap pool and lagoon, the Courtside pool and hot tubs, and the Notchville pools. Feedback from guests is extremely positive, with many folks remarking on the softer skin feel of the water and asking questions about installation for their own pools at home.

Pools serving individual neighborhoods at the resort are also part of the conversion. The West Hill community’s pool is expected to be fully converted by mid June in time for the resort’s summer season kick off.

Out of 537,600 gallons of pool water at the resort, approximately 464,100 gallons are disinfected using the salt system, notes resort aquatics manager Tara Snow. Snow adds that the goal is to achieve full conversion by 2017, so that resort guests will enjoy the benefits of salt water chlorination at all their favorite splash and swim spots at Smugglers’.