Travel: We'll ski while you slope off shopping

IT was the classic start to a getaway ski break - flying out on Saturday morning, crashing out on Saturday night.

Then it was up bright and early the next morning to collect ski passes and equipment and head for the mountain before the Sunday crowds hit the slope.

But this wasn't a dash to the Alps, or even a flight to Eastern Europe or Spain.

We had flown across the Atlantic, landed in Boston early afternoon and driven to Stowe in Vermont - not far from the Canadian border - by early evening.

We had plenty of time to unpack and check out the countless local TV channels, while one of our group headed off to McDonald's to bring back dinner.

Far from being jetlagged, we were all in pretty good spirits to tackle the slopes.

Our family group consisted of four very different skiing types.

One was a fearless teenager trained up to the expert level; another was far more mature - me - and definitely an intermediate with a justifiable fear of danger.

My 12-year-old daughter was a keen beginner, but with a tendency to tire as the day wore on.

And finally there was my wife, a woman who would win gold for Britain at non-skiing, but with an unquenchable desire to shop 'til she drops.

Sking in North America is different - oh so different - from the Alps.

All right, the scenery doesn't have the majesty of Mont Blanc, rather it is a gradual stretch of super-cold mountain peaks. We arrived just in time to clash with Presidents' Week, the equivalent of our winter half-term...and then some.

The local paper trumpeted the fact that Stowe and its ski peaks of Mount Mansfield, Spruce Peak and Smuggler's Notch had record visitors that week .

But crowds or not, there were those wonderful open pistes that America excels in, safe from the madmen hurtling past your shoulder intent on scaring you out of your ski suit.

And if you want to do more than ski, well the area has all the amenities that we Brits love. The latest movie is on in town and the restaurants cater for every taste.

And if shopping takes your fancy, all the latest fashions are on display in Stowe. Or you can take an hour's drive to the massive factory outlet near Burlington where fashionable names like Gucci, Timberland, Ralph Lauren and Brooks Brothers have large stores where, for a fraction of what you'd spend in Britain, you CAN shop 'til you drop.

For the youngsters, there is a mouth-watering day out at Ben and Jerry's ice-cream factory. The world-famous ices company started out in Vermont, and a tour of its premises is a must.

After spending most of the day on the ski slopes, where the temperature was way below freezing, it didn't stop us from driving 30 minutes to the B and J headquarters and sampling the goodies on offer inside.

A perfect treat for the youngsters - and Mum and Dad too.

THE FACTS-

NEILSON (0870 333 3347, www.neilson.com) offer one week at The Grey Fox Inn, Stowe, for pounds 429 per person (Jan), pounds 539 (Feb half-term). Facilities include indoor swimming pool, sauna, whirlpool, restaurant and bar. Price includes flights to Boston, car hire and accommodation. Meals extra. Six-day ski and boot hire pounds 56, ski pass pounds 139 adult, pounds 105 child. Ski school can be booked in resort. For further information call Discover New England on 0906 558 8555 (premium rates) or visit www.discovernewengland.org

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