The life of a snowflake starts with delicate, atmospheric crystal formation and ends with sudden mangling beneath the snowboards of teenagers. Frolic in nature's snowy beauty with today's Groupon to Maple Ski Ridge in Rotterdam.

The Deal

$15 for a seven-hour lift ticket (a $30 value)

All patrons of Maple Ski Ridge must purchase a Sweet Pass ($5), a FRID card which grants admission to the lifts. The seven-hour pass ticket will be loaded onto this pass, which is good throughout the season and can be reloaded on future trips.

Maple Ski Ridge welcomes downhill navigators of all experience levels to its four powdery slopes, which encourage snow-slicing adventures throughout the winter months. After boarding the lift, skiers and snowboarders sail through the air to the top of a well-maintained peak, then gracefully glide to the bottom or build impenetrable igloos to set up permanent residence. Daring feats of snowmanship occur on the rails and jumps of the terrain park, and surface tows safely guide pint-size skiers across two bunny hills as they gain their snow legs.

Maple Ski Ridge

The fastidiously maintained slopes of Maple Ski Ridge beckon outdoor adventurers throughout the snowy season, readying skiers and snowboarders with lessons, equipment rentals, and day and season passes. On the lodge's four hills, instructors from the Schenectady Ski School guide budding snow pilots of all ages through the basics of skiing, snowboarding, and snowman combat, and the Burton Learn to Ride system assists new snowboarders in mastering downhill skills with specialized equipment. Inside a comfortable lodge, a crackling fire warms extremities and light fare and hot cocoa warm insides as outside, skiers sail down full-sized hills, try their hands at stunts on the terrain park, or glide up and down bunny hills courtesy of a surface tow. The lodge's dedicated staff supplements any meager precipitation with snow machines and bags full of frozen marshmallows, and all slopes undergo daily maintenance.