@CaliMex @sunnyschool Thank you for your input. The other sport my DS is even more passionate about is football, which all of these schools have. But there is a big difference between Choate football (lots of PG’s going on to play college) and MX football. My DS would not likely play college football, but he definitely wants to be able to play in HS.
@GoatMama Thank you for the links! I loved seeing the alpine racing pictures and stats.
Thanks @ChoatieMom !
Taking the train from BOS to Andover is a PIA!!! He would need to get from the airport to north station, then train to Andover and the station is probably a 20-25 min walk to campus. Better off taking a shuttle or uber. I’m sure for big breaks there is an airport shuttle but 100% sure. My grandfather used to own an airport shuttle biz and his best customers we PA, MX, and Groton kids!
I would say for that any year round athlete who is planning to board, these schools will be a step down as most students end up playing another sport. This potentially is the beauty of prep school as students get exposed to a variety of ECs. Students truly bound for the Olympics or potential pro athletes might be best to stay home where they can train.
For most any student I would say rigor and innovation exists at all the schools and the school can take you from where you are to where you want to be. I venture there are students of all abilities at every school especially where there are a fair number of PGs.
My daughter was drawn to the traditions at Deerfield and really likes the sit down meals. He academic dress is pretty easy to get used to and no phones visible on walkways and in the dining hall is a plus, except when I’m trying to get my DD to text me back!!
Coach buses take Deerfield students to Boston, Hartford, and New York City.
Some good points to consider. No, the decision on which school to attend will not come down to transportation options. My older two kids attended an elite ski academy in the northeast for a winter term and we had big problems getting them home on occasion, so this is on my radar. They were also stuck on a very isolated rural campus without even a town nearby, while their friends were picked up by parents who drove up for the weekend. So, for us, percentage of boarding students and proximity/access to a town are something we are thinking about. As for football, it is the team culture and camaraderie as stated by @MAandMEmom and @AppleNotFar that my son loves, so that will be part of the package as well. It looks like we will visit 4 eastern schools (possibly 5) and Cate.
My next question is whether it is really advantageous to visit during the official revisit days or just as good to go on a regular day. My son is worried that he won’t get an accurate picture of the schools on revisit days because of all of the “fanfare.” I like the idea of all of the resources available on official revisit days, but SkiKid wants to make sure he is really seeing what the school would be like instead of the “glossy brochure” view. Thoughts on this?
If you go on official revisit days, and you revisit more than one school, you get to experience how those schools treat revisit days. Such information may be enlightening. Also, you may get a feel for the sort of people attending revisit days at the schools you are considering. Is that worth anything?
Although the revisit day isn’t "normal ", the chance to access all the resources is, imo, worth it. They won’t be bringing in different students or faculty and you’ll get to see plentry of both. If this is their best and you don’t like it, well…
At every one we attended, students and parents had different programming, and the students spent their program with current students. It’s not perfect, but probably a broader view than you’d get on a day that wasn’t set up for this.
Cate almost always makes a deep playoff run for football. Most kids are undersized, but the head coach is a wizard. Could be a lot of fun 
@skimom22 my son got into Andover as well and is a football recruit. He really likes the coach and says he is a strategy coach and trusts his players ?!? Which I guess is a good thing ;). Choates coach is awesome. Even though my son has been waitlisted twice for financial aid reasons. I have to tell you, my son is 265 lbs. and played varsity at his LpS as a freshman. He was invited to a Choate game and was really sort of blown away. The team is like a college team. Which is a good thing but also maybe intimidating for a kid adjusting to a top prep school. I would still take a look at Choate Bc it’s a neat place but then I would chose Andover 
@bc12345 SkiKid is still only 13 and played Pop Warner with his team that he has played with for the past 5 years this year even though he was a freshman, so your kid is in a whole different league! However, he is a great and solid team player and has a deep understanding and love of the sport. SkiKid did not even meet the football coaches at Andover or Choate, but MX, Taft, and DA were really interested in him. I know very little about football, especially football at NE boarding schools, but I saw the video that Choate sent to my son, and it did not look like any HS football team I have ever seen! Congrats on your son’s success, and you never know - maybe they will play together at Andover!
@GnarWhail @gardenstategal I agree with you that the resources available during official revisit days are worthwhile -its my DH who is objecting the most. It would also be nice to meet other admitted students and their families IMO.
You might want to tell him a visit on a regular day is also quite random. Perhaps most of the teams will be traveling. There may be several tests in classes. There will be fewer opportunities to mix with kids who aren’t his guide, and if they don’t gel, he’ll have made a decision based on a fluke bit of info.
I would also suggest to him that all of these schools have at least 100 kids who want to revisit. Does he want to be the one who has to do it his way rather than theirs - if he has the option.
If it’s possible, perhaps you can arrive early the day before to attend a sporting event. That might give him what he wants while still optimizing the visit. If there’s an OV opton with your revisit, take it. Impossible to micromanage every minute.
Choate is going to be a little out of the way from SPS, Andover and Deerfield, but definitely worth the drive to CT. At Choate, visit the JFK waiting room in Admissions and be inspired. There’s a bust and portrait of JFK. His famous speech “Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You, but rather…” came from his chapel talks with Seymour St. John, then Headmaster, who instilled the idea of a need to give back to your community. It’s a great place. You won’t be disappointed. My daughter thought she loved Andover, until she visited Choate. To our school upon the hillside, let us sing a rousing song…Forever True to Gold and Blue…Go Choate!
DD did not do revisits last year and regrets it. I do not think our DD would have changed her mind @ SPS, but rather it seemed like a great time. And FWIW, there seems to be a lot of students from California. There will be plenty of students making the flight west at any of these schools.
SPS skiing is very popular and the students on the teams seem to love it. I’m not as familiar with the boys teams but I know that they have some very strong female skiers. As for the SPS football team… one of the things you might want to consider is will he be an impact player?! SPS football is not the strongest program- mostly because it seems to be the fall conditioning program for the hockey team! However, my DD says it’s a tight bunch of boys, almost “cultish” and if he could be an impact player, SPS could be a great fit! Congrats to your son. Great choices!
OP, it looks like you have triggered a popularity contests among CC’ers associated with all the schools your son got into! One more vote for Andover from me. To us, among the many exceptional schools, Andover came out as the all-around winner. It has ALL the “elements” of a great school plus a nice upscale town as its “school area” and the proximity to Boston (which also means easier to get in and out for out of towners)… Congratulations for having these great options!
@cooperboom Pardon the interruption, but you need to update your understanding of the SPS football team. The SPS football team was in definite terms the best prep school team in NH last fall and arguably would have beat any NH public school as well. While Choate is another football animal entirely, SPS football is no joke. Over the past 5-6 years the team has changed. Lots of guys are going on to play college ball. And hockey players don’t play fall sports anymore. They play fall prep school leagues outside of school. They are not on the football team in regular numbers.
It’s not too late to think of a place like Stratton Mountain School. The ski program there is top notch and the kids are extremely motivated. My relative went on to be on the US National Junior Team going to U18 Worlds, and was accepted at Dartmouth and Harvard, amongst others. He also won the equivalent of high school nationals.
These kids are serious athletes, and no prep school is going to be able to compete but the academics are good. So disciplined.
It sounds though that skiing isn’t as important to him to stay committed. I assume he is at one of the ski teams in Mammoth or Tahoe area, which do have pretty good programs. Sugarbowl runs a ski academy for example.
In that case, all these prep schools are great.