To call these properties “ski homes” may be a misnomer.
Despite quaint family-run ski resorts a few miles away, the real appeal of an East Coast chalet isn’t so much the proximity to skiing as it is proximity to New York — and, for some, the cache of owning near Lake Winnipesaukee. From Maine to Connecticut, these chalets lure urbanites with prestige, tennis courts, in-ground pools and year-round recreation. A ski resort down the road is icing on a very layered cake.
Vermont – “Above the Clouds.” $6.9 million.
This 18,000 square-foot chalet sits on 15 manicured acres in the scenic enclave of Stowe, offering lake and mountain views from floor-to-ceiling windows. With just four bedrooms and a seemingly disproportionate, albeit impressive 10 baths, the built-for-entertaining chalet features a covered in-ground pool, theater and sweeping verandas. As socially conscious as it is efficient, the “smart home” was constructed largely with locally sourced materials.
Nearest ski resort: 15 minutes (Stowe Mountain Resort)
Drive to Manhattan: 5 hours 30 minutes
This home is represented by The Bateman Group. Full photo gallery.
New Hampshire – Edgewater Drive. $12 million
The nearby Gunstock Ski Area may not be world-class, but this New Hampshire home’s Lake Winnipesaukee location certainly is, justifying an asking price more than five times its value a decade ago. The waterfront property, fit for the blueblood in you, features a 12-person theater, fitness room, spa, sauna, billiards room and library — not to mention tennis courts, staff quarters and (yes, really) a carriage house.
Nearest Ski Resort: 15 minutes (Gunstock Ski Area)
Drive to Manhattan: 5 hours 14 minutes
This home is represented by Four Seasons Sotheby’s. Full photo gallery.
New York – Peninsula Way. $7 million
A house fit for family reunions, this 6-bedroom alpine abode is the main house of Camp Basalm. For city dwellers hoping to recreate their childhood camp days in a Tudor-style manor, this 13,500 square-foot estate features an indoor pool, fitness room and media room.
This home is represented by Adirondack Champlain Valley. Full photo gallery.
Nearest ski resort: 45 minutes (Whiteface Mountain)
Drive to Manhattan: 5 hours 10 minutes
Maine – Mains Farm Road. $9.5 million
This lakeside cottage, conceived by a collaboration of architects and designers, offers absolute privacy on 48 acres of wooded land. The 7-bedroom estate features a sauna, mud room, billiards room, fire pit and a landscaped lawn.
This home is represented by Caldwell Banker. Full photo gallery.
Nearest ski resort: 40 minutes (Lost Valley)
Driving distance to New York: 6 hours 20 minutes
Connecticut – Goshen. $19.75 million
A mere 10 minutes away from the Mohawk Mountain ski resort lies this suburban estate in Goshen. At nearly 25,000 square feet, the 10-bedroom property eclipses others in the neighborhood, although “neighborhood” may be a loose term for a home on 450 acres. An in-ground heated pool, guest house, gardens, horse stables and a basketball court may very well make this mansion a modern day Downton Abbey — with enviable proximity to the slopes.
This home is available through William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty. Full photo gallery.
Nearest ski resort: 10 minutes (Mohawk Mountain)
Distance to New York: 2 hours 30 minutes