Now that winter’s well underway, maybe your thoughts have turned to a Haunt Jaunt where you can also hit the slopes.
I grew up in Colorado, so I grew up hearing about a couple of haunted ski resorts. (The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park popped in my mind first and foremost I have to admit.) But I got to thinking that it’d be fun to see just how many haunted ski resorts I could come across.
So I did some research. Starting in the East and working my way West, here’s what I found:
- Mount Washington Hotel – Bretton Woods, NH. The wife of the man who built the hotel in the early 1900s supposedly haunts the tower suites.
- Green Mountain Inn – Stowe, VT. During winter storms a ghost tap dances on the third floor. (“Boots” Berry in room 302 to be exact. I thought a tap dancing ghost sounded familiar for some reason. It was because I remember writing about this inn in “Take a Leaf-Peeping Haunt Jaunt to New England.”)
- Equinox Resort & Spa – Manchester Village, VT. Mary Todd Lincoln used to stay here with her children. Some say she’s still a visitor.
- White House Inn – Wilmington, VT. This is another one where the wife of the man who built the mansion didn’t leave when she died.
- Timberline Lodge – Timberline Lodge, OR. I’m not sure this hotel actually has any valid paranormal activity, but it does have a creepy connection. It was where a lot of the outside shots for “The Shining” (1980) was filmed.
- The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, CO. Which segues nicely into one I already mentioned, and one that also has a “The Shining” connection. Purportedly a huge hub of various paranormal activity here.
- Rochester Hotel – Durango, CO. The John Wayne Room seems to be this hotel’s hot spot. But it’s not the Duke people report seeing, but a lady dressed in Victorian-era clothing. Or sometimes partially dressed as the case may be. (She’s apparently not shy and doesn’t mind being seen in her lingerie from time to time.)
- Fairmont Banff Springs – Banff, Alberta, Canada. There seem to be multiple ghosts roaming about the place, but the two most well known are the bride that died there (after tripping on her own wedding gown!) and the Vanishing Bellman. (He disappeared in the 1960s, but some say he’s still there opening doors and turning on lights for guests.)
Sources:
- MSNBC.com Travel / Destinations “Haunted Ski Resorts”
- Outdoor Weblog “Haunted Ski Resorts”
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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Oh Boy! Thanks for doing this! I’m not a skiier, but I have to admit, I love staying at ski places and curling up with hot cocoa and watching the people play. To me, snow and horror go hand-in-hand because of the bleakness and isolation and silence, the wonderfully black and white world of snow is ideal for scary stories. I can see myself curled up at the fireplace at one of these neat places and contemplating the spectres hovering in the background.
Mike and I really want to stay at the Stanley Hotel with our paranormal friends. That is a dream of ours. I will be heading up to the snow next Monday-Wednesday. My hubby and I are going up to Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon. I talked him into letting us stay at the Hotel Monte Vista in Flagstaff for two nights. The place is known to be haunted so I hope I come back with a great story or two to tell. I will be taking lots of pictures to put on both my blogs.
Autumnforest, I’m not really a skier, but I do like to bounce (mostly on my butt!) my way down the greens! (Maybe some blues, but anything more than that and I’m guaranteed to be a snowball tumbling down the mountain!) However, the feeling of the resorts and being curled up with cocoa by a fire, and snow outside…wonderful. And you’re right. That atmosphere lends to horror (and romance)…and a blend of the two? AWESOME!
Julie: OOOOOOOO!!! That will be great! I hope you have such a nice time! Are you guys doing to do any skiing up there? (Is there snow? I know sometimes it can be hit or miss.) I’ve never stayed at the Hotel Monte Vista, but when my sister went to NAU we’d stay at Little America. I loved it because of the wallpaper in the halls. (Kind of had a velvety feeling. I was little at the time, so I was all about my tactile senses!) But that’s what I always think of when I think of staying in Flagstaff. I hope you guys have a GREAT time. More importantly, I hope it turns into a productive Haunt Jaunt! (And besides Above the Norm and Ghost Hunter Investigations, do you have another blog I don’t know about?)
No skiing…..I ski like you and Autumn, hot chocolate and a nice roaring fire. I tried it twice and couldn’t get off the beginners slope, lol. We plan to hang around Flagstaff the first day, head off to the Grand Canyon the second, and drive through Sedona on our way home. The Grand Canyon is so beautiful in the winter.
My other blog is a more personal one. I started this one before the Above the Norm blog. Here is the link: http://therandommindofmissjulie.blogspot.com/
You will find many photos of my family especially my Grand daughter Kennedy along with whatever I want to post. Check it out…
You have a granddaughter???? Or a “Grand” daughter? You don’t seem old enough to be a grandma!!!!!!!!!!
Way cool, though. All of it. I hope you enjoy your winter getaway up north. And THANKS for sharing your personal blog link. I will add it to the blogroll on my personal blog. (Court’s Corner http://courtneymroch.com/blog/).