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PRSRT STD<br />
U.S. POSTAGE<br />
PAID<br />
BURLINGTON, VT<br />
PERMIT NO. 19<br />
W I N T E<br />
R I N I T<br />
S O R I G<br />
I N A L S<br />
T A T E !
Courtesy of Justin Cash
DESIGN<br />
Methodikal, Inc.<br />
PRINTER<br />
Lane Press<br />
CONTACT INFO<br />
<strong>Ski</strong> <strong>Vermont</strong><br />
P.O. Box 368<br />
Montpelier, VT 05601<br />
T: 802.223.2439<br />
F: 802.229.6917<br />
E: info@skivermont.com<br />
Courtesy of Jeb Wallace-Brodeur<br />
www.<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com<br />
/<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong> & /Ride<strong>Vermont</strong><br />
@<strong>Ski</strong>_<strong>Vermont</strong> & @Ride<strong>Vermont</strong><br />
<strong>Ski</strong>_VT & Ride<strong>Vermont</strong><br />
COVER PHOTO<br />
Jeb Wallace-Brodeur<br />
Aidan Casner & Maddie Khamnei enjoy<br />
early season love on Sugarbush’s Jester trail.<br />
2 FRESH TRACKS<br />
Discover something new this winter.<br />
PUBLISHER SKI VERMONT<br />
Kelly Pawlak, Chair<br />
Parker Riehle, President<br />
Kyle Opuszynski, Dir. of Marketing<br />
EDITOR<br />
Kyle Opuszynski<br />
<strong>Ski</strong>RideVT<br />
ASSISTANT EDITOR<br />
Hilary DelRoss<br />
4 MOUNTAIN HAPPENINGS<br />
Where to go and when to be there.<br />
8 THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF READY FREDDY Story by Hilary DelRoss<br />
Seven steps for getting the most out of your next day on the slopes.<br />
16 SKI LIKE A GIRL Story by Kyle Opuszynski<br />
How women’s-only clinics helped one skier make the leap.<br />
27 CHILDREN OF WINTER Story by Peter Oliver<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong>ers are turning the U.S. women’s cross-country ski team into an Olympic contender.<br />
37 ONE BOURBON, ONE CIDER, ONE BEER Story by Mike Hannigan<br />
One man’s grueling search for the perfect après-ski beverage.<br />
46 APRÈS-SKI COCKTAIL RECIPES<br />
Eight delicious ways to unwind from a day in the Green Mountains.<br />
48 FARM TO TABLE & BEYOND Story by Sky Barsch<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong>’s finest resort restaurants put their best fare forward.<br />
60 ALPINE AND NORDIC SKIING FACTS AND STATS<br />
Get the details on <strong>Vermont</strong>’s diverse array of skiing and riding destinations.<br />
<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com 1
FRESH TRACKS<br />
THE EDITOR<br />
HONING HER<br />
SKILLS<br />
Courtesy of Jeb Wallace-Brodeur<br />
FINDING SOMETHING NEW<br />
Coming off a record-breaking year with nearly 4.7 million skier<br />
and rider visits for the 2014–15 season, <strong>Vermont</strong> truly shines as<br />
a premier winter vacation destination. <strong>Vermont</strong> resorts boast a<br />
variety of terrain, powerful snowmaking capabilities, world-class<br />
dining, ski-in / ski-out accommodations, and a high level of<br />
guest services that leave every visitor with a smile on his or her<br />
face. We invite you to continually explore our Green Mountains,<br />
and we hope to offer some guidance along the way.<br />
In the pages that follow, find stories of Olympic athletes<br />
groomed in <strong>Vermont</strong>, learn how expert skiers can improve<br />
their level of skiing, explore a guide to introducing a friend or<br />
family member to the sport, join in the search for the perfect<br />
après-ski beverage, and discover how <strong>Vermont</strong> chefs use<br />
local resources in their kitchens. We will also tell you about<br />
<strong>Ski</strong> <strong>Vermont</strong> programs that introduce people to skiing and<br />
riding, including how fifth grade students can try a variety of<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong> resorts at no cost and how to win a free snowboard or<br />
pair of skis by visiting all the mountains in our fine state. The<br />
stories in this magazine aim to help you uncover what makes<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong> a wonderful place to visit. Each region hosts a variety<br />
of unique experiences to discover, and you will never tire of<br />
searching out new and exciting aspects of the winter vacation.<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong> serves as a playground for those looking to explore.<br />
They say that learning something new exercises your brain,<br />
and <strong>Vermont</strong> offers many ways to do so. I tried a couple of new<br />
things myself this past winter. Read all about my personal<br />
ski clinic adventures, which prove that skiing and riding are<br />
lifelong sports that can always be improved upon. After taking<br />
these clinics, I had more fun on the slopes because I gained<br />
the confidence and skills to master more difficult terrain. I<br />
also took a snowboarding lesson to tackle a new sport on<br />
snow and learn something new with my husband. We both<br />
felt invigorated with a passion for a new sport. I was instantly<br />
hooked and bought snowboard equipment so that I can both<br />
ski and ride this season.<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong> truly shines as a<br />
premier winter vacation<br />
I hope that the stories in the pages ahead inspire you to get to<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong> this winter and ignite or rekindle your love for the<br />
mountains. Uncover one-of-a-kind experiences in <strong>Vermont</strong>—<br />
both on the snow and off—while spending time with the<br />
ones closest to you. A winter vacation in <strong>Vermont</strong> creates<br />
new memories for you and your loved ones. It is those shared<br />
activities that bring us closer together.<br />
Kyle Opuszynski,<br />
Director of Marketing<br />
2 <strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com
Cabot Creamery is fully owned and operated<br />
by 1,200 farm families in New England and<br />
New York. Our farmers get 100% of the profit<br />
and do all they must to ensure you get the<br />
best, all-natural dairy foods. From our families<br />
to yours - taste the commitment to quality in<br />
every bite of the World’s Best Cheddar.<br />
CONANT FAMILY, Richmond, VT<br />
One of the 1,200 farm families who own<br />
Cabot Creamery Cooperative.<br />
BAKED MACARONI & CABOT CHEDDAR<br />
INGREDIENTS<br />
DIRECTIONS<br />
Butter or nonstick cooking spray<br />
2 1 ⁄4 cups uncooked small<br />
elbow macaroni<br />
3 cups milk<br />
5 tablespoons Cabot Salted Butter<br />
3 slices firm white or whole wheat<br />
bread, pulsed into crumbs in<br />
processor or blender<br />
3 tablespoons King Arthur<br />
Unbleached All-Purpose Flour<br />
3<br />
⁄4 teaspoon salt<br />
1<br />
⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper<br />
1<br />
⁄8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg<br />
Several dashes Tabasco Sauce<br />
16 ounces Cabot Sharp Cheddar,<br />
Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar or<br />
Cabot Smoky Bacon Cheddar,<br />
grated (about 4 cups), divided<br />
MAKES 8 SERVINGS<br />
1 Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 9-by-13-inch or other shallow baking dish or<br />
coat with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. 2 Stir macaroni into large pot<br />
of boiling salted water; cook for 5 minutes after water returns to boil, or until<br />
outside is cooked but center is still firm. Immediately drain in colander and<br />
rinse under cold water; set aside. 3 In saucepan over medium-high heat or in<br />
microwave on high power for 20 second intervals, heat milk to just below<br />
simmer. 4 In pot you used for pasta, melt butter over medium-low heat.<br />
Pour 2 tablespoons of butter into bowl, add breadcrumbs and blend together<br />
thoroughly; set aside. 5 Reduce heat to low, add flour to butter remaining in<br />
saucepan and whisk over heat for 2 minutes, being careful not to let it color.<br />
Add milk in small amounts at first, whisking until smooth after each addition;<br />
continue stirring until sauce thickens and comes to simmer. Cook, stirring often,<br />
for about 3 minutes. 6 Remove from heat and whisk in salt, pepper, nutmeg,<br />
Tabasco and half of cheese. Stir in drained pasta. 7 Spread one-third of<br />
pasta mixture over bottom of prepared baking dish. Scatter one-third of<br />
remaining cheese on top. Spoon another one-third of pasta on top and add<br />
another one-third of cheese. Top with remaining pasta. Mix remaining cheese<br />
into breadcrumbs and scatter evenly over top. 8 Bake uncovered for 25 to 30<br />
minutes, or until golden on top and bubbling throughout. Let stand for 5<br />
minutes before serving.<br />
NUTRITION ANALYSIS:<br />
Calories 474, Total Fat 27g, Saturated Fat 15.5g, Sodium 732mg,<br />
Carbohydrates 37g, Dietary Fiber 1.5g, Protein 22.5g, Calcium 542mg<br />
For more recipes, visit: cabotcheese.coop
FRESH TRACKS<br />
2015–2016 MOUNTAIN HAPPENINGS<br />
DECEMBER<br />
JANUARY<br />
FEBRUARY<br />
2<br />
Courtesy of Justin Cash<br />
KILLINGTON RESORT:<br />
RAILS 2 RICHES<br />
The East’s most lucrative rail jam, Rails 2<br />
Riches officially kicks off the shred season for<br />
pro and amateur skiers and riders from across<br />
the U.S. and Canada.<br />
Killington.com/events<br />
December 5, 2015<br />
SMUGGLERS’ NOTCH RESORT:<br />
BREWFEST<br />
Smugglers’ popular BrewFest bookends the<br />
ski and ride season in the winter and spring,<br />
with local and regional beers for sampling,<br />
music, food, prizes and a souvenir glass.<br />
Smuggs.com<br />
December 5, 2015<br />
BOLTON VALLEY: SANTA SUNDAY<br />
Dress as Santa for your day of skiing or riding<br />
and get a free lift ticket for the day.<br />
Boltonvalley.com<br />
December 20, 2015<br />
OKEMO MOUNTAIN RESORT:<br />
FAMILY NEW YEAR’S EVE<br />
Midnight arrives early for those enjoying an<br />
assortment of activities such as ice skating,<br />
snow tubing, snowshoeing, mountain coaster<br />
rides, horse-drawn wagon rides, cookie<br />
decorating, bingo, trivia, a DJ dance party and<br />
more. Party games, balloons, noisemakers<br />
and fireworks add to the celebration, complete<br />
with a pizza party dinner in the Roundhouse at<br />
Jackson Gore.<br />
Okemo.com<br />
December 31, 2015<br />
SKI<br />
&<br />
TO<br />
SNOWBOARD<br />
MONTH<br />
JANUARY IS LEARN TO SKI AND SNOWBOARD<br />
MONTH IN VERMONT.<br />
Beginners can get a full beginner’s package<br />
with lift access, instruction and equipment for<br />
just $49, non-holiday dates, in January. Must<br />
purchase in advance; see website.<br />
skivermont.com/learn<br />
January 2016 (Non-holiday)<br />
SUGARBUSH RESORT:<br />
TOUR DE MOON<br />
Take a guided skin or snowshoe to the Glen<br />
House at Mount Ellen for some hearty food<br />
and drink, followed by a moonlit ski down<br />
the mountain.<br />
Sugarbush.com<br />
January 17, 2016<br />
MOUNT SNOW RESORT:<br />
GROMMET JAM SERIES<br />
<strong>Ski</strong>ers and riders ages 12 and under are<br />
coached in the park in the morning and then<br />
compete in the afternoon, all at Grommet Park<br />
in Carinthia.<br />
Mountsnow.com<br />
January 18, 2016<br />
MAD RIVER GLEN:<br />
JUNIOR UNCONVENTIONAL<br />
TERRAIN COMPETITION<br />
The Junior Unconventional Terrain Competition<br />
is for skiers 14 and younger. Top finishers will<br />
qualify for the Triple Crown Unconventional<br />
Terrain Competition as well as all the <strong>Ski</strong> the<br />
East Freeride Tour events.<br />
Madriverglen.com<br />
January 23, 2016<br />
SUICIDE SIX: FISK TROPHY RACE<br />
This year’s Fisk Trophy slalom race, the 79th<br />
consecutive running of the event, demonstrates<br />
why ski racing is so easy to love! The race has<br />
been in existence since 1937 and is the oldest<br />
alpine trophy race in North America.<br />
Suicide6.com<br />
February 7, 2016<br />
SUICIDE SIX:<br />
ANNUAL TORCHLIGHT PARADE & DANCE<br />
Come celebrate Suicide Six’s 80th Anniversary<br />
and Torchlight Parade shortly after sunset<br />
with dancing in the lodge—it’s fun for the<br />
whole family!<br />
Suicide6.com<br />
February 13, 2016<br />
SMUGGLERS’ NOTCH RESORT:<br />
FAMILYFUN WINTER CARNIVAL<br />
Smugglers’ teams up with FamilyFun magazine<br />
to host the FamilyFun Winter Carnival, an<br />
afternoon of games, giveaways, face painting,<br />
music, free barbecue and lots of family fun on<br />
the snow!<br />
Smuggs.com<br />
February 18, 2016<br />
MAD RIVER GLEN:<br />
TRIPLE CROWN COMPETITION SERIES<br />
Three events back-to-back-to-back to<br />
determine Mad River Glen’s king and queen of<br />
the hill: the Unconventional Terrain Competition<br />
on Saturday, the Mogul Challenge on Sunday<br />
and the Vertical Challenge on Monday.<br />
Madriverglen.com<br />
February 20–22, 2016<br />
STOWE MOUNTAIN RESORT:<br />
72ND ANNUAL STOWE DERBY<br />
Participate or cheer on competitors at the<br />
oldest downhill/cross-country ski race in<br />
North America.<br />
Stowe.com<br />
February 21, 2016<br />
MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE SNOW BOWL:<br />
WINTER CARNIVAL<br />
The Middlebury College Winter Carnival<br />
will serve as the Eastern Intercollegiate <strong>Ski</strong><br />
Championships, with alpine and Nordic<br />
competitions for the top college skiers in the<br />
East. The <strong>Ski</strong> <strong>Vermont</strong> specialty food tour will<br />
stop at the carnival on Saturday, February 27.<br />
Middleburysnowbowl.com<br />
February 26–27, 2016<br />
4 <strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com
FRESH TRACKS<br />
MARCH<br />
JAY PEAK RESORT:<br />
SNOW LEOPARD RANDONEE CHALLENGE<br />
See what all the hype is about—check out<br />
“rando racing” in this fun ski challenge that<br />
takes you up and all around Jay Peak Resort.<br />
Jaypeakresort.com<br />
March 5, 2016<br />
OKEMO MOUNTAIN RESORT:<br />
LIGHT THE NIGHT RAIL JAM<br />
Okemo is lighting up the snow for skiers and riders<br />
of all ages with $5,000 in cash and prizes up for<br />
grabs. A new rail garden constructed specifically<br />
for this event will give skiers and riders an optimal<br />
venue for showing off their best moves.<br />
Okemo.com<br />
March 5, 2016<br />
SMUGGLERS’ NOTCH RESORT:<br />
EXTREME SKIING CHALLENGE<br />
Take on Smugglers’ most challenging lift-accessed<br />
terrain in this freeskiing competition, now in its<br />
fourth year. Competitors are judged on line,<br />
control, fluidity, technique and style. Big prizes.<br />
Snscvt.com<br />
March 6, 2016<br />
STRATTON MOUNTAIN RESORT:<br />
VERMONT OPEN<br />
A 2015 Top Ten <strong>Vermont</strong> event (as determined<br />
by the <strong>Vermont</strong> Chamber of Commerce),<br />
the <strong>Vermont</strong> Open invites snowboarders of<br />
all ages to compete in <strong>Vermont</strong>’s only open<br />
competition, including features such as a retro<br />
pipe, slopestyle and rail jam.<br />
Stratton.com<br />
March 11–13, 2016<br />
OKEMO MOUNTAIN RESORT:<br />
SUGAR DAZE CONCERT<br />
When the sap starts running in <strong>Vermont</strong>’s<br />
maple trees, Okemo will be tapping into the<br />
sweet sounds of notable musical artists<br />
with Sugar Daze, a free outdoor concert<br />
extravaganza in the Jackson Gore courtyard.<br />
Okemo.com<br />
March 12, 2016<br />
JAY PEAK RESORT:<br />
THE SKI THE EAST FREERIDE TOUR<br />
EXTREME FINALS<br />
The East Coast’s best freeriders compete for<br />
cash during the two-day <strong>Ski</strong> the East Freeride<br />
Tour finals.<br />
Jaypeakresort.com<br />
March 19–20, 2016<br />
STRATTON MOUNTAIN RESORT:<br />
24 HOURS OF STRATTON<br />
<strong>Ski</strong>ers and snowboarders of all ages take to the<br />
slopes for 24 hours as individuals and teams<br />
vying for the most vertical feet skied. The<br />
event raises funds for the Stratton Foundation,<br />
which helps needy community members.<br />
Stratton.com<br />
March 19–20, 2016<br />
SUGARBUSH RESORT:<br />
SUGARING TIME FESTIVAL<br />
Celebrate spring in <strong>Vermont</strong> with a Kids Pizza<br />
and Movie Night, Gelandesprung Championship,<br />
maple-themed specials and more.<br />
Sugarbush.com<br />
March 19–20, 2016<br />
MOUNT SNOW: BUD LIGHT REGGAEFEST<br />
Live reggae music, barbecue and beer garden as<br />
well as the famous Sink or <strong>Ski</strong>m pond skimming<br />
contest and the Duct Tape Derby make this a<br />
weekend full of fun for the whole family.<br />
Mountsnow.com<br />
March 25–27, 2016<br />
BROMLEY MOUNTAIN: SPRING FLING WEEKEND<br />
Live music, fun family events and the<br />
Trampoline Things will be on hand from<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong>’s Summer Adventure to liven up the<br />
weekend both days! Classic spring events<br />
include the pond skimming contest on School<br />
Slope and the Duct Tape Derby.<br />
Bromley.com<br />
March 26–27, 2016<br />
STOWE MOUNTAIN RESORT:<br />
RACE TO THE TOP OF VERMONT<br />
All-terrain skiers race uphill on Stowe’s<br />
famous Gondolier trail, as they “skin to win”<br />
the first title.<br />
Stowe.com<br />
March 26, 2016<br />
MAD RIVER GLEN: EASTER CELEBRATION<br />
A grand Mad River Glen tradition featuring a<br />
mountaintop service, Easter egg hunt, costume<br />
parade and Tex’s Famous Chicken Barbecue.<br />
Madriverglen.com<br />
March 27, 2016<br />
APRIL<br />
BOLTON VALLEY: POND SKIMMING<br />
Test your luck skimming the pond or cheer on<br />
others as they try.<br />
Boltonvalley.com<br />
April 2, 2016<br />
JAY PEAK RESORT: BEACH PARTY<br />
Pink flamingos, frothy beverages and a volleyball<br />
court made from snow. What more do you need<br />
to know about this annual rite of spring?<br />
Jaypeakresort.com<br />
April 2, 2016<br />
MOUNT SNOW RESORT:<br />
WINTER BREWERS FESTIVAL<br />
AND GLADE-IATOR<br />
Saturday offers the Winter Brewers Festival<br />
featuring more than 25 different breweries,<br />
great food and a performance by the Jeff<br />
Tuohy Band. Sunday features the Bud Light<br />
Glade-iator extreme bump competition on the<br />
double black diamond trail Ripcord.<br />
Mountsnow.com<br />
April 2–3, 2016<br />
KILLINGTON RESORT:<br />
BEAR MOUNTAIN MOGUL CHALLENGE<br />
Bump and jump racing on Outer Limits, where<br />
skiers of all ages compete for bragging rights<br />
as the best mogul skier in the East.<br />
Killington.com<br />
April 16, 2016<br />
KILLINGTON RESORT: DAZED & DEFROSTED<br />
Killington’s spring music festival returns with hot<br />
live tunes, cool drinks and a party atmosphere<br />
at Superstar and the Roaring Brook Umbrella<br />
Bars, your spring skiing headquarters.<br />
Killington.com<br />
April 23, 2016<br />
FIND OUT WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON AT<br />
SKIVERMONT.COM/EVENTS<br />
Courtesy of Justin Cash<br />
<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com 5
FRESH TRACKS<br />
A PASSPORT TO WINTER FUN:<br />
FIFTH GRADERS SKI FREE IN VT<br />
Imagine receiving a passport that allowed you to ski and snowboard at <strong>Vermont</strong> resorts<br />
over 80 times in one season! Who wouldn’t love that? Fifth graders can ski or ride free<br />
all season in <strong>Vermont</strong> with the <strong>Ski</strong> <strong>Vermont</strong> Fifth Grade Passport program.<br />
NEED A LIFT?<br />
You don’t have to leave winter<br />
in <strong>Vermont</strong> behind when you<br />
head home. Before your memory<br />
melts away, scoop up the latest<br />
and greatest <strong>Ski</strong> <strong>Vermont</strong> poster<br />
to adorn your wall. Grab the one<br />
that speaks best to your day on<br />
snow, or make the entire collection<br />
yours. We’ve got you covered at<br />
<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com/store, where<br />
you’ll find pricing details and how<br />
to place your order.<br />
Parents or friends of fifth graders can simply sign up online at skivermont.com/FGP<br />
to receive a passport in the mail. A passport containing three tickets to each alpine<br />
resort and one or three tickets to each Nordic resort in <strong>Vermont</strong> will be mailed to<br />
eligible recipients for the low processing fee of $10. Proof of age is required.<br />
Speaking of age, there is no better time to get a child involved with a winter sport than<br />
in those grade-school years. Research shows that introducing preteens to lifelong sports<br />
can help them develop healthier habits in life. The fifth grade passport helps children<br />
embrace a winter sport by getting them started on <strong>Vermont</strong>’s slopes with free lift<br />
tickets. For kids new to the sport, <strong>Ski</strong> <strong>Vermont</strong> recommends scheduling a professional<br />
lesson with the money saved, so your fifth grader has the best experience possible.<br />
Explore our Learn-to-Turn programs at skivermont.com/learn.<br />
The passport can also be used as an incentive to pack up the family and start fresh<br />
traditions at new-to-you resorts in <strong>Vermont</strong>. Take it from one of our 2014–15 passport<br />
holders: “The program is fantastic. It definitely motivated our family to get out on<br />
the slopes more than we would have otherwise. Getting out there this season with my<br />
11-year-old son reignited my love of skiing and will certainly motivate us to ski/ride just<br />
as much next season.”<br />
Sarah Wojcik ❄<br />
<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com 7
lä<br />
THE AMAZING<br />
ADVENTURES<br />
READY FREDDY<br />
t<br />
Written by Hilary DelRoss A Illustrated by Chris Case<br />
ARE YOU AN AVID SKIER OR SNOWBOARDER LOOKING TO TRY A NEW DISCIPLINE? PERHAPS YOUR FRIEND WANTS TO GET IN<br />
ON ALL THE FUN AND JOIN YOU ON THE SLOPES? OR ARE YOU TRYING WINTER SPORTS FOR THE FIRST TIME?<br />
WHETHER YOU’RE EXPERIENCED OR JUST STARTING OUT, WHETHER YOU WANT TO SKI OR TO RIDE, ONE THING STILL HOLDS<br />
TRUE: PROPER PREPARATION LEADS TO A SMOOTHER, MORE ENJOYABLE EXPERIENCE ON THE SLOPES. IF YOU’RE NEW TO<br />
SLIDING ON SNOW OR IF YOU’RE HELPING A FRIEND GET INTO SKIING OR RIDING FOR THE FIRST TIME, FOLLOW THE HANDY<br />
GUIDE BELOW FOR TIPS ON HOW TO PLAN AHEAD FOR A SUCCESSFUL FIRST DAY FOR YOU OR YOUR FRIEND.<br />
8 <strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com
STEP ONE: BOOK A LESSON<br />
When you decide to try skiing or snowboarding, we highly recommend<br />
signing up for a lesson with a professional instructor. Taking lessons is<br />
the best way to learn because the pros teach you how to develop good<br />
techniques right from the start.<br />
Choose a date to take a lesson and call the ski and ride school. It’s easy<br />
to add a lesson to a winter vacation package. We recommend booking a<br />
lesson for the first day of the vacation so you start your trip off on<br />
the right foot. Alternatively, you may take a day trip to the mountain<br />
for your first lesson. Be sure to factor in transportation time and<br />
parking when selecting the time of your lesson so you do not feel<br />
rushed upon arrival.<br />
STEP TWO: INVENTORY GEAR<br />
You’ll be able to focus on the task at hand—the lesson—if you are warm,<br />
dry and comfortable. Opt for moisture-wicking synthetic or wool fabrics<br />
instead of cotton. Dressing in layers is the best way to regulate body temperature; layers can be added or removed throughout the<br />
day as needed. From the bottom up, you’ll want to gather the following items:<br />
* SKI OR SNOWBOARD SOCKS<br />
dDid<br />
* LONG UNDERWEAR BASE LAYERS FOR TOP AND BOTTOM<br />
* MID-LAYER TOP, SUCH AS A FLEECE<br />
somebody<br />
* WATERPROOF JACKET AND PANTS<br />
say<br />
* GLOVES OR MITTENS AND A BACKUP PAIR<br />
layers?<br />
* HELMET (AVAILABLE TO RENT AT SOME RESORTS)<br />
* GOGGLES<br />
* LIP BALM AND SUNSCREEN IF IT’S A SUNNY DAY<br />
Arrive at the mountain dressed in these layers. At the rental department you’ll be fitted for the rest of the gear, including ski or<br />
snowboard boots, a pair of skis and poles or a board, and a helmet if you don’t have one.<br />
w<br />
continued on page 11<br />
<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com 9
YOU CAN GO TO COLLEGE ANYWHERE, BUT IF YOU<br />
LOVE TO SKI AND RIDE, THERE’S ONLY ONE PLACE<br />
WHERE YOU CAN EARN A VERMONT DEGREE<br />
FIND YOUR PATH AT VTDEGREES.ORG
STEP THREE: GET REST AND FUEL UP<br />
It’s important to arrive at the lesson well rested<br />
and with a positive attitude. Finalizing travel plans<br />
and laying out gear ahead of time will set you up<br />
for a successful day on the slopes. By preparing<br />
in advance you’ll be able to wake up on the<br />
morning of your lesson and eat a good meal that<br />
gives you enough energy to allow you to focus on<br />
the fun new experience.<br />
4POSITIVE ATTITUDE<br />
STEP FOUR: ARRIVE AT THE MOUNTAIN<br />
Your first stop when you arrive at the mountain will be the front desk at the ski and snowboard school. At the counter, you’ll register<br />
for your lesson and purchase a beginner package and lift ticket if you haven’t done so already. You’ll also fill out a form that will help the<br />
staff fit you with the right rental equipment. This form is the rental agreement, and it will ask for your height, weight, age, ability level<br />
and shoe size (so you get the correct equipment).<br />
STEP FIVE: RENT EQUIPMENT<br />
Getting your rental equipment is a step-by-step process in itself. First<br />
up are the boots. Your feet do a lot of work when they are strapped<br />
onto skis and boards, so it’s important to get ski or snowboard boots<br />
that fit properly. Let the staff show you how to use the buckle or lacing<br />
system. Once you have a good fit, bring your boots and rental form over<br />
to the ski counter to pick up a pair of skis and poles or to the snowboard<br />
counter to pick up a board. The technicians will adjust the ski and board<br />
bindings according to the information on your form and may ask you a few<br />
questions to help them get it just right. Staff will also help skiers choose<br />
the pole length that allows the elbow to rest at a right angle when the<br />
skier is gripping the pole.<br />
continued on page 12<br />
6<br />
<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com 11
STEP SIX: TAKE THE LESSON<br />
After stowing your street boots in a locker along with any<br />
other items you don’t need to take along, head outside to<br />
the meetup area. This is usually located near the beginner<br />
terrain, often identified with green circles on the trail map<br />
key. Instructors will greet you and ask you some questions<br />
like “Have you ever skied before?” or “When was the last time<br />
you tried snowboarding?” These questions help instructors<br />
determine your level of ability so they can place you in the<br />
right group or tailor a private lesson. Then it’s off you go—<br />
your instructor will take it from there and guide you through<br />
your lesson.<br />
UNTIL OUR NEXT ADVENTURE!<br />
STEP SEVEN: ENJOY APRÈS<br />
When the lesson is over, it’s time to say goodbye to new friends<br />
and thank your instructor. It’s customary to tip an attentive<br />
instructor at the end of the lesson. If you have the energy to<br />
keep going, there is usually some time remaining to take another<br />
run and practice what you learned before the lifts close. When<br />
you are done skiing and riding for the day, return your boots<br />
along with the rest of your rental gear. Be sure to get a drink<br />
of water and some snacks to rehydrate and refuel. Après-ski<br />
(app-ray ski), French for “after skiing,” refers to the time you<br />
spend reconnecting with friends and family to share stories and<br />
photos from your experience. Many resorts have fun activities<br />
and entertainment after the lifts close for the day, such as live<br />
music and games that you can enjoy while toasting a great day<br />
on the snow with beverages. Try a hot chocolate, a hot toddy or<br />
a Long Trail Ale.<br />
xEven though skiing and snowboarding are individual sports, the resort atmosphere is a social one.<br />
Bringing a friend to the slopes is the perfect way to share your passion for winter sports and to<br />
ensure that you’ll have people to ski and ride with as they progress. Bring a Friend lets you share<br />
the love of skiing and snowboarding with others by helping them sign up for lessons from the pros.<br />
For even more incentives, check out the Bring a Friend campaign, which rewards skiers and<br />
snowboarders nationwide for introducing friends to their favorite sport or trying a new sport<br />
themselves by taking professional lessons.<br />
VERMONT BRING A FRIEND CHALLENGE<br />
Sign up for lessons at a resort in <strong>Vermont</strong> and you can win a <strong>Ski</strong> & Stay package for two. Just<br />
tag your photos with #BringAFriendVT on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook and show us how much<br />
fun you had learning with your friends. <strong>Ski</strong> <strong>Vermont</strong> will choose one winner at the end of the<br />
season for a trip to a <strong>Vermont</strong> resort the following season.<br />
BRING A FRIEND DEALS<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong> resorts offer deals like discounted or free lift tickets and food when you bring a friend<br />
to try skiing or snowboarding. Find the details at skivermont.com/BAF. Some restrictions apply.<br />
e<br />
12 <strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com
SKI<br />
&<br />
TO<br />
SNOWBOARD<br />
Serving the<br />
Deerfield<br />
Valley &<br />
Southern<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong><br />
LEARN TO TURN AT VERMONT RESORTS<br />
There is no better place to experience the thrill of learning to ski or snowboard than<br />
in winter’s original state. Here in <strong>Vermont</strong>, we have some of the best instructors in<br />
the world, and plenty of beginner terrain for those just starting out or trying a new<br />
sport for the first time.<br />
$49<br />
BEGINNER PACKAGES<br />
Lesson, Equipment<br />
& Lift Ticket<br />
3<br />
BEGINNER LESSONS<br />
$129<br />
BRING<br />
A FRIEND<br />
BRING A FRIEND.ORG<br />
BUT WAIT,<br />
THERE’S STILL<br />
MORE<br />
January is Learn to <strong>Ski</strong> and Snowboard Month nationwide, and<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong> resorts are once again offering a great deal for<br />
beginners. FOR JUST $49 DURING THE MONTH OF JANUARY,<br />
BEGINNER PACKAGES INCLUDE A LESSON WITH A PROFESSIONAL<br />
INSTRUCTOR, EQUIPMENT RENTAL AND A LIFT TICKET TO ACCESS<br />
BEGINNER TERRAIN. This offer is valid for first-time skiers<br />
and snowboarders during non-holiday periods in the month of<br />
January 2016. Because of the deeply discounted price, we will<br />
offer only one beginner package per person. Lessons must be<br />
booked at least 48 hours in advance.<br />
For an even better deal and more days on the snow, try<br />
<strong>Ski</strong> <strong>Vermont</strong>’s Take Three program. TAKE THREE BEGINNER SKI<br />
OR SNOWBOARD LESSONS, WITH LIFT ACCESS AND RENTALS<br />
INCLUDED, FOR ONLY $129. The three lessons can be redeemed at<br />
one, two or three different participating resorts, so you can opt<br />
to stick to familiar territory or explore several mountains this<br />
season. Lessons are available all season except holidays, are for<br />
beginners only, are non-transferable and must be reserved<br />
in advance.<br />
Do you ski or ride but your buddies haven’t tried it yet? Bring a<br />
Friend to the mountain. INTRODUCE YOUR FRIENDS OR FAMILY TO<br />
YOUR FAVORITE SNOWY SLOPE THIS SEASON AND YOU COULD<br />
BE REWARDED FOR SHARING YOUR LOVE OF SNOW. Post a photo<br />
of yourself or your friends learning to love a new sport on<br />
Instagram, Facebook or Twitter and tag it #BRINGAFRIENDVT<br />
to be entered to win a two-night ski-and-stay package for<br />
two for the 2016–17 season. If there is a future powder hound<br />
lurking in your midst, <strong>Ski</strong> <strong>Vermont</strong> has you covered.<br />
Visit <strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com/learn for more information on all of our<br />
Learn to Turn programs and a list of participating resorts.<br />
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<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com 13
FRESH TRACKS<br />
insider<br />
GEAR<br />
guide<br />
4<br />
3<br />
1<br />
1<br />
2<br />
THE EXPERIENCE 88 AND<br />
TEMPTATION 88<br />
BY ROSSIGNOL<br />
It’s racing DNA meets freeride. Precision and<br />
power meet effortless float. It’s everything<br />
you need for the ultimate one-ski quiver. The<br />
award-winning Experience 88 and Temptation<br />
88 for women now feature Rossignol’s<br />
revolutionary Air Tip technology, delivering<br />
an elevated all-mountain experience across<br />
all terrain and snow conditions. Auto Turn<br />
Rocker, our most versatile rocker/camber<br />
blend, provides powerful edge grip with<br />
effortless maneuverability and speed control<br />
while Rossignol’s patented, lightweight Air Tip<br />
technology enhances flotation and control even<br />
further, keeping tips afloat through variable<br />
snow while providing instant turn initiation on<br />
hard pack and groomers. The entire mountain<br />
awaits—Experience More.<br />
www.rossignol.com<br />
THE BURTON CUSTOM SERIES<br />
Often imitated, never outdone and backed by<br />
a 20-year legacy as snowboarding’s one-board<br />
answer to all terrain.<br />
Since the company’s humble beginnings,<br />
3<br />
innovation has defined the Burton Custom<br />
series and set it apart as the most<br />
popular, versatile, and mimicked board in<br />
snowboarding. Today, the one-board answer to<br />
all terrain celebrates its 20-year reign with a<br />
proven formula that combines time-honored<br />
design and envelope-pushing ingredients<br />
for a lightweight, poppy, and stable board.<br />
The Burton Custom board is offered in two<br />
versions: The precision and stability of camber<br />
is the top choice for pros like Mikkel Bang,<br />
while Flying V combines camber’s power<br />
with the relaxed float of rocker for the best of<br />
both worlds.<br />
www.burton.com<br />
THE M3—<br />
BODE MERRILL PRO MODEL<br />
BY ANON. OPTICS<br />
The M3 Merrill Pro Model combines 18 rare<br />
earth magnets at nine points of connection,<br />
creating a seamless and secure lens-to-frame<br />
seal with unsurpassed retention. The M3 also<br />
features anon.’s proprietary MFI technology,<br />
which is the perfect solution for protecting<br />
your face from the elements while keeping your<br />
goggles fog-free.<br />
www.anonoptics.com<br />
4<br />
5<br />
THE HELO 2.0 HELMET<br />
BY ANON.<br />
The Helo 2.0 provides ultimate protection<br />
with a sleek, lighter-than-air feel. Delivering<br />
the best in customizable helmet fit, anon.<br />
continues to collaborate with industry leader<br />
Boa ® to create fit systems that allow for easy,<br />
on-the-fly micro-adjustments with just a turn<br />
of the dial.<br />
www.anonoptics.com<br />
THE RONDANE SWEATER<br />
BY DALE OF NORWAY<br />
Dale of Norway, providing Norwegian quality<br />
since 1879, offers premium knitwear in<br />
authentic, contemporary and technical styles<br />
for fashion and sport. Dale of Norway is no<br />
stranger to the ski slopes, having designed the<br />
official sweater for every Winter Olympics and<br />
World Championship since the 1956 Cortina<br />
Winter Games. The Rondane Sweater, made<br />
with a 100 percent skin-soft superfine merino,<br />
features a pattern that was inspired by the<br />
St. Moritz Championship sweater. The 1/4-zip<br />
Rondane Sweater is available in men’s and<br />
women’s sizes and colors and can easily be<br />
worn as a first or second layer. For a unique<br />
outerwear look, the Glittertind Sweater is 100<br />
14 <strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com
FRESH TRACKS<br />
2<br />
8<br />
5<br />
6<br />
7<br />
6<br />
percent Norwegian wool that is water repellent,<br />
resists stains and dirt, and is designed with<br />
a breathable windproof liner. This 1/4-zip<br />
sweater features soft merino cuffs and a<br />
sporty design inspired by traditional Norwegian<br />
patterns; it’s available in men’s and women’s<br />
sizes and colors. All of Dale of Norway’s styles<br />
are easily coordinated, along with matching<br />
accessories, resulting in a stunning look on<br />
and off the trail.<br />
www.daleofnorway.com<br />
THE TINDER PACK<br />
BY BURTON DURABLE GOODS<br />
Burton is much more than a company; it’s<br />
an attitude, a mind-set and a culture. With<br />
over 35 years of experience building the best<br />
products in the world, we’re committed to<br />
quality, craftsmanship and progress, all built<br />
on an unapologetic commitment to having fun.<br />
Our Burton Durable Goods Bags collection<br />
brings it all together. The next time you hit the<br />
road or trail with a Burton bag, pack it with<br />
confidence—knowing that all Burton bags are<br />
backed by a LIFETIME WARRANTY.<br />
Vintage rucksack styling plus minimalist tech<br />
7<br />
function is the top-line summary of the Burton<br />
Tinder Pack. Digging a bit deeper, this everyday<br />
pack features a separate padded laptop<br />
compartment and an easy drawstring closure<br />
that speeds the task of packing up at work,<br />
class or the coffee shop. Faux leather detailing<br />
and dressed-up fabrics elevate its appearance<br />
over that of ordinary backpacks.<br />
www.burton.com<br />
THE TOUR<br />
BY SKIDA HEADWEAR<br />
The Tour is the latest addition to the Made<br />
in <strong>Vermont</strong> Collection by <strong>Ski</strong>da Headwear &<br />
Accessories. The Tour is designed using an<br />
ultra-soft, breathable and moisture-wicking<br />
fabric that is cozy on the inside and bold on the<br />
outside. A perfect accessory for any outdoor<br />
outing, whether worn skiing or practicing<br />
yoga, the Tour is available in an assortment<br />
of fun prints for him and her. <strong>Ski</strong>da, known<br />
for its colorful, limited-edition prints, also<br />
offers new patterns in the fleece-lined,<br />
wicking Alpine Hat. The Alpine Hat comes in<br />
prints for him, her and the kids and is ideal<br />
for any winter outing where performance is a<br />
must. Hats, lined and unlined; neck warmers;<br />
headbands; and more make up the Made<br />
8<br />
in <strong>Vermont</strong> Collection by <strong>Ski</strong>da and are the<br />
perfect finishing touch for any skier. The folks<br />
at <strong>Ski</strong>da Headwear & Accessories believe in<br />
local production, limited-edition products and<br />
a fresh perspective.<br />
www.shopskida.com<br />
THE SOCKS<br />
BY DARN TOUGH<br />
Three generations’ worth of craftsmanship<br />
goes into every pair of socks we knit, and every<br />
pair is produced in our Northfield, Vt., mill. We<br />
ski, snowboard, hike, bike and run in the most<br />
unforgiving climate in the lower 48, making our<br />
backyard the perfect proving ground to develop<br />
and test the finest premium all-weather<br />
performance socks available on the market<br />
today. If our socks aren’t the most comfortable,<br />
most durable and best-fitting socks you’ve ever<br />
worn, return them for another pair. No strings<br />
attached. For life.<br />
www.darntough.com<br />
<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com 15
Courtesy of Jeb Wallace-Brodeur<br />
<strong>Ski</strong> Like<br />
a Girl<br />
―<br />
By Kyle Opuszynski<br />
I HAVE BEEN SKIING SINCE I WAS 2 YEARS OLD. WHEN<br />
I TELL PEOPLE THAT I HAVE SPENT SO MANY YEARS ON<br />
SNOW, THEY ASSUME THAT I CAN CONFIDENTLY CONQUER<br />
THE MOUNTAIN. IN REALITY, I’VE BEEN STRUGGLING<br />
TO TAKE MY SKIING TO THE NEXT LEVEL AND WISHING<br />
I COULD REALLY FEEL CONFIDENT SKIING BLACK<br />
DIAMONDS AND DOUBLE BLACKS. FOR YEARS, I HAD BEEN<br />
SURROUNDED BY EXPERT AND PROFESSIONAL SKIERS,<br />
TRYING TO KEEP UP BY WATCHING THEIR TECHNIQUE, BUT<br />
I STILL FELT FRUSTRATED. I KNEW I WAS WORKING TOO<br />
HARD, FIGHTING THE MOUNTAIN. I KNEW THERE HAD TO<br />
BE A BETTER WAY.<br />
So last year I did something I’d never done before: I took a lesson. In 30 years, I<br />
had never even considered doing so, but I was expending way too much energy<br />
slogging through the bumps and the trees. I needed a new approach to the<br />
16 <strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com
mountain. So I signed up for four clinics<br />
designed specifically for, or by, women,<br />
with the goal of gaining confidence in<br />
the trees and on moguls. It wasn’t always<br />
pretty, and I may have shed a tear or two<br />
in frustration, but the results will stick<br />
with me for a lifetime.<br />
MAD RIVER GLEN, MARCH 7<br />
Mad River Glen offers three women’s<br />
clinics per year, in January, February<br />
and March. I chose the clinic in March,<br />
just in time for spring skiing and bumps.<br />
Like a kid on the first day of school, I<br />
pulled up to Mad River about an hour<br />
before my lesson because I didn’t really<br />
know where to go or what was involved.<br />
I went to the ski school desk and found a<br />
friend of mine greeting me with a smile.<br />
She got me set up and told me all the<br />
women would be meeting in an hour.<br />
I had time for a run, so I rode up the<br />
double, too intimidated by Mad River’s<br />
famous single chair. I happened to ride<br />
up with a fellow student of the women’s<br />
clinics. She told me she had done the<br />
clinic many times before, enjoyed the<br />
camaraderie of the women and felt the<br />
clinic had done a lot for her skiing.<br />
We met with the rest of the group and<br />
went around the room introducing<br />
ourselves. Most of the women wanted to<br />
improve their skills in the bumps and<br />
trees. “I’m here because my husband<br />
signed me up for it,” proclaimed one<br />
of the women, and a knowing laugh<br />
reverberated through the group.<br />
Mad River Glen’s slogan (and famous<br />
bumper sticker) is “<strong>Ski</strong> it if you can,” and<br />
those on the mountain pride themselves<br />
on meeting the challenge. A lack of<br />
snowmaking and grooming is just part<br />
of the deal. Mad River skiers (sorry,<br />
no snowboarders) are proud of their<br />
mountain, and know how to rip.<br />
Many of the women in my group<br />
married Mad River diehards and are<br />
raising their kids as such. They wanted<br />
the clinic to help them keep up with<br />
their families, instead of holding anyone<br />
back. The coaches took note of what<br />
everyone was looking to improve, and<br />
then we got started.<br />
Between coaches and students, about 25<br />
of us convened atop a groomed slope. The<br />
coaches waited about five turns down<br />
the hill and we had what I would later<br />
learn was called a “ski off.” Basically the<br />
coaches watched us take a few turns and<br />
then pointed us to the appropriate group.<br />
I wound up in a group coached by Tange<br />
Barbour, with her pink pants, blond hair<br />
and kind smile. The ski-off process was<br />
easier than I had expected, and I was<br />
astounded at how the coaches could watch<br />
us turn just a few times to assess our level<br />
of skiing. Barbour greeted the group, we<br />
all talked for a bit, and then she said,<br />
“Let’s go have some fun!”<br />
We started with a jaunt through some<br />
open trees, then alternated among<br />
trees, bumps and groomers. Barbour<br />
encouraged us to use our vision to<br />
improve our skiing. “When you look at<br />
the trail in front of you and you have a<br />
plan, it’s easier to execute that plan rather<br />
than making it up as you go,” she said.<br />
We also learned a skill called schmearing.<br />
“Imagine that you are using your skis<br />
<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com 17
All Courtesy of Jeb Wallace-Brodeur<br />
to schmear soft peanut butter on warm toast,” she suggested,<br />
which made sense when you thought about it more. The<br />
technique helps you slow down gracefully rather than throwing<br />
your weight back and freezing up. The same skills came in<br />
handy while in the bumps and trees—looking ahead to see<br />
where you want to turn makes it easier to carry out your plan,<br />
and also control your speed with schmearing.<br />
The new skills worked well on the groomers, but when I got<br />
into the bumps or trees, I fell apart. I had never thought about<br />
body position, ski alignment, hand position, or any of the<br />
other techniques. I had just skied. But the lack of those more<br />
calculated skills was exactly what had been holding me back.<br />
My frustration was mounting through the day because my<br />
body wasn’t doing what I wanted it to do. The struggle<br />
between my mind and body came from internal pressure to<br />
perfect the techniques. But thankfully, Barbour reminded us<br />
all that we had come to have fun and enjoy what the mountain<br />
had to offer.<br />
Her playful spirit definitely lightened the mood and made<br />
me relax. Embracing her Zen feeling of letting go helped me<br />
flow down the mountain. Overall, the clinic helped me gain<br />
confidence and got me thinking about how I approached<br />
the mountain. I was prepped for my clinic at Sugarbush the<br />
following week.<br />
SUGARBUSH RESORT, MARCH 9–11<br />
Sugarbush Resort’s three-day clinic offered more time than<br />
Mad River’s one-day clinic to get to know everyone and<br />
allowed for more free skiing time with the group. Since the<br />
clinic was midweek, there were fewer working moms than at<br />
Mad River, and some women had flown in from nearby cities<br />
to take the lessons.<br />
Having been a Sugarbush season pass holder for a decade, I<br />
felt that I knew the mountain well. But our instructor, M.A.<br />
Raymond, not only showed me new skills, but showed me parts<br />
of the woods that I’d never seen.<br />
We were asked to self-assess our skill level, and that divided us<br />
into two groups. One group of skiers spent most of their time<br />
on groomed terrain while the other hit the moguls and glades.<br />
From there, the two groups free skied with instructors and then<br />
were divided yet again by skill level. (CONTINUED on PAGE 20)<br />
18 <strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com
sugarbush.com 800.53.SUGAR #SBCommuniTy<br />
Community<br />
is Better at<br />
Sugarbush<br />
There’s something more to the Sugarbush<br />
experience than the legendary terrain variety,<br />
the meticulous snowmaking and grooming, the<br />
fabled history, and the authentic <strong>Vermont</strong><br />
mountain setting.<br />
Come discover what makes Sugarbush different.
(CONTINUED from PAGE 18)<br />
Raymond frequently took time to pause,<br />
giving us something to work on for<br />
each piece of the trail. She said, “I want<br />
you to repeat these three words in your<br />
head as you go down the hill: ‘Flowing.<br />
Graceful. Smooth.’ ” On our first tree<br />
run, she asked us to “imagine you have<br />
baby birds in your hands (rather than<br />
poles). Make sure those birds are alive at<br />
the end of the run.” No actual birds were<br />
harmed, but it did make us conscious of<br />
how tightly we gripped our poles.<br />
Although the trees and woods were in<br />
pristine condition, Raymond also made<br />
sure to introduce us to steeper, more<br />
challenging conditions. As you ride up<br />
the Heaven’s Gate lift, the double-blackdiamond<br />
trail Ripcord plummets steeply<br />
below you. It’s a run where the fear factor<br />
can kick in for many people, making<br />
them slide sideways to the next mogul,<br />
leaving slick spots between the mounds<br />
of soft snow.<br />
Raymond’s pep talk at the top of Ripcord<br />
had one clear message: Slow down. “I’m<br />
sorry ladies,” she said, “but none of you<br />
are going to the World Cup. It’s easy to go<br />
fast down this trail, so let’s go slow. I want<br />
you to make four turns before you get to<br />
that first bump.” Nervous laughter rolled<br />
through the group, but everyone was up for<br />
the challenge. The timing of our turns was<br />
reminiscent of an earlier drill on a groomer,<br />
the slow cadence from side to side getting<br />
us down the hill gracefully and smoothly.<br />
“Don’t fight the mountain:<br />
It has been here a long time and<br />
will not fall to your attack.”<br />
I didn’t realize it until later, but<br />
Raymond’s knowledge of the mountain<br />
allowed us to experience the diverse<br />
terrain at optimal conditions. We<br />
skied in the woods in the colder temps,<br />
and when it warmed up we headed to<br />
Castlerock, home to some of the most<br />
challenging terrain in <strong>Vermont</strong>. It also<br />
has a double for a lift, which leaves<br />
plenty of time for conversation. “When<br />
we all get off at the peak,” Raymond<br />
commanded, “I want you to tell me<br />
something about your partner that not<br />
a lot of people know.” So I learned that<br />
my co-rider had been a professional<br />
ballerina, and she learned that I speak<br />
fluent Spanish.<br />
Our group camaraderie turned into<br />
a great support system on Castlerock.<br />
Some women needed more courage as<br />
they navigated the steep bumps, and<br />
we cheered each other on and whooped<br />
and hollered as we made our way down<br />
the trail. Raymond complimented us on<br />
our support of one another, particularly<br />
when one woman was struggling. We<br />
encouraged her, and Raymond did the<br />
same for us. When we had a run that<br />
was ugly, she made sure we ended on<br />
a high note of encouragement. This<br />
atmosphere demonstrated why I chose to<br />
take a women’s clinic. The women truly<br />
supported one another, and that gave us<br />
all more confidence.<br />
Throughout the three days, Raymond<br />
had paused to film us skiing, recording<br />
her observations while we navigated<br />
the trail. Later, she would send us<br />
those videos so we all could analyze<br />
our turns. The clips helped me see<br />
what my body position looked like and<br />
how I could improve.<br />
As we said our goodbyes on the final<br />
afternoon, Raymond handed us each<br />
an envelope filled with thoughts and<br />
quotes to remind us of what skiing was<br />
all about. My favorite: “Don’t fight the<br />
mountain: It has been here a long time<br />
and will not fall to your attack. Flow<br />
with it.”<br />
boltonvalley.com<br />
Sleepover at<br />
Our House<br />
All lodging is just steps<br />
away from the lifts.<br />
DONNA WEINBRECHT CLINIC,<br />
KILLINGTON RESORT,<br />
MARCH 21–22<br />
Donna Weinbrecht paved the way for<br />
women’s freestyle skiing. She took home<br />
Olympic gold in Albertville, France, in<br />
1992, when women’s freestyle moguls<br />
first became an event. Weinbrecht honed<br />
her skills at Killington Resort, and now<br />
hosts an annual clinic for aspiring bump<br />
skiers. She teams up with Killington’s<br />
ski school to provide coaching to those<br />
20 <strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com
looking to get to the next level. Weinbrecht originally started<br />
the clinic just for women, but has since expanded to coed<br />
classes owing to demand. In my experience, having a coed<br />
group and a male coach changed the dynamic of the clinic—<br />
there was little to no talk about protecting baby birds. As at<br />
Sugarbush, the group was divided into subgroups by selfassessment,<br />
and true to Killington’s reputation for après-ski, we<br />
did the assessment over cocktails the night before the clinic. I<br />
introduced myself to John Lamb, and he told me that I should<br />
be in his group according to how I had assessed myself.<br />
Our group was more diverse than those at my other clinics.<br />
There were younger and older folks, men and women, but in<br />
my subgroup we skied with similar ability and goals. Fresh off<br />
the two other clinics, I had already been practicing my new<br />
(CONTINUED on PAGE 23)<br />
Top Takeaways<br />
• Go with the flow of the mountain,<br />
don’t fight it<br />
• Slow down and enjoy your turns<br />
• Keep your weight forward;<br />
it gives you more control<br />
• Singing while you ski gives you<br />
rhythm in your turns<br />
• Don’t be so hard on yourself,<br />
it won’t all change immediately<br />
• Take time to practice skills on your own<br />
• When you take a class, enjoy the added<br />
perk of going to the front of the lift line<br />
Courtesy of Justin Cash<br />
<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com 21
Courtesy of Jeb Wallace-Brodeur<br />
22 <strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com
Courtesy of Sugarbush Resort<br />
Courtesy of Jeb Wallace-Brodeur<br />
Courtesy of Justin Cash<br />
(CONTINUED from PAGE 21)<br />
techniques. Lamb taught me that schmearing was also called<br />
making short-radius turns. We practiced drills on the groomers<br />
and then went into the woods or on the bumps afterward.<br />
“Move over your skis to turn with ease and avoid the trees,”<br />
Lamb repeated poetically to the group. I kept his advice in my<br />
head at all times, my eyes glued to his skis as I tried to mimic<br />
his movements. I noticed he constantly moved over his skis and<br />
turned with ease. At first it was lost in translation on my body,<br />
but I finally did feel it click with repetition.<br />
One special treat of taking the Killington clinic is that you<br />
actually get to spend time with Donna Weinbrecht. When<br />
she was young, her family moved up from New Jersey so<br />
Weinbrecht and her sister could improve their skiing. Because<br />
mogul skiing was so novel at the time, she was totally selftaught.<br />
Now, she has the special skill of being able to pass<br />
along her wisdom to others. We worked on a pole drill with<br />
her, swinging our poles in tempo on the groomers and then<br />
in the bumps. It was a huge boost of confidence to take a run<br />
and have one of the world’s best shout, “Nice work, Kyle!”<br />
What a rush.<br />
At one point during the weekend, however, I was feeling so<br />
frustrated with myself that I was nearly in tears. Grunting,<br />
yelling and hitting the hard-pack snow were getting me<br />
nowhere. My body wasn’t doing what my mind told it to do.<br />
Lamb saw my frustration and said, “Come dance with me,” so<br />
I followed him through the woods. We were in the Burton<br />
Stash where there are natural features built as a park, but we<br />
were just playing around on the bumps. It did feel like dancing.<br />
Following him closely allowed him to choose the line for me,<br />
and I got into the groove of the bumps.<br />
At the wrap-up party at the end of the clinic, Lamb’s advice to<br />
me was to not be so hard on myself. My technique will not be<br />
perfect right away. He told me that I was a level eight out of<br />
10, and I had the potential to improve, but needed to be more<br />
patient with myself. To avoid this frustration, I remind myself<br />
of my yoga training, which helps me be present in the moment.<br />
SMUGGLERS’ NOTCH RESORT, APRIL 6<br />
At Smugglers’ Notch Resort, I took a clinic with Julie<br />
Silverman, who heads up women’s programming. Her business<br />
card shows her middle name as “Woo Hoo,” and she lives<br />
up to it. Silverman hosts clinics at Smugglers’ Notch every<br />
Wednesday and Saturday. As at the other clinics, Silverman<br />
and I got lost in conversation as we rode the lift together, and<br />
during each run we worked on techniques on the groomers,<br />
then practiced in the trees and bumps.<br />
Smugglers’ Notch prides itself on its children’s programming,<br />
and many of the women who take Silverman’s clinics drop<br />
off their kids and then enjoy the mountain with a group of<br />
women who have a variety of skill levels in different disciplines.<br />
Because these women spend week after week with the same<br />
group, they get to know one another very well, and can share<br />
encouragement and lightheartedness with those who need<br />
it. As moms, they feel a lot of pressure to not get injured. It’s<br />
difficult for a family to function if the mom / storyteller /<br />
housekeeper / chauffeur / chef / disciplinarian has a broken<br />
(CONTINUED on PAGE 25)<br />
<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com 23
Epic<br />
Genuine<br />
Unforgettable<br />
Photo credit: ©Brian Mohr/EmberPhoto<br />
madriverglen.com
(CONTINUED from PAGE 23)<br />
leg. Silverman and her team of coaches give women more<br />
confidence in their skiing and riding so the fear of injuring<br />
themselves diminishes as they learn to enjoy their day on the<br />
hill with a fun group of ladies.<br />
Women’s Clinics<br />
KILLINGTON RESORT<br />
Women’s Camp<br />
January 23–24, 2016<br />
February 20–21, 2016<br />
Mogul Camp with Donna Weinbrecht<br />
March 19–20, 2016<br />
Courtesy of Justin Cash<br />
Silverman and I worked on skills similar to those covered at<br />
the other clinics, but with new drills and techniques. Under<br />
the lift line, she had me practicing getting my uphill ski to<br />
lead the turn, which was the opposite of what my body wanted<br />
to do. When the uphill ski initiates the turn, it creates a<br />
smoother transition to the next turn. The first few tries left<br />
me frustrated as I slowly made my way down the slight incline.<br />
Later, on the steeper terrain, I could feel what she was trying<br />
to get me to practice, and I felt myself moving over my skis to<br />
turn with ease.<br />
Taking the clinics has changed some women’s lives. Smuggs<br />
skier Anjie Watson says, “Julie [Silverman] has created an<br />
amazing pro women’s ski environment. Every Saturday I drive<br />
to the mountain with a smile on my face knowing I will be<br />
treated like a queen for the day. My day will be filled with<br />
laughter, camaraderie, great food and drinks, and on top of that<br />
I will have a fun-filled lesson.”<br />
Looking back at the four lessons, each taught me how to<br />
improve my skiing, but each coach had a different way of<br />
explaining the techniques and the drills to practice them. They<br />
left me with a fully stocked toolbox to confidently approach<br />
more challenging terrain than I did before I started the lessons.<br />
I also now understand what my form should look and feel like,<br />
and I am able to make adjustments. On a bright sunny day<br />
in April, I skied for the afternoon with my friend Phil. He<br />
noticed that my confidence had improved as well as my skills.<br />
“You would have never even tried that trail before, and you<br />
rocked it!” he commented. I was graceful, flowing and smooth,<br />
navigating the challenging terrain with ease. ❄<br />
MAD RIVER GLEN<br />
January 2, 2016<br />
February 6, 2016<br />
March 5, 2016<br />
OKEMO MOUNTAIN RESORT<br />
Women’s Alpine Adventures<br />
January 25–29, 2016<br />
February 3–5, 2016<br />
February 25–26, 2016<br />
February 28–29, 2016<br />
March 10–11, 2016<br />
SMUGGLERS’ NOTCH RESORT<br />
Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday,<br />
all season<br />
STRATTON MOUNTAIN RESORT<br />
Women on Snow for <strong>Ski</strong>ers<br />
December 11–13, 2015<br />
January 24–26, 2016<br />
February 5–7, 2016<br />
March 13–15, 2016<br />
Girls’ Time Out for Snowboarders<br />
(offered in conjunction with Burton)<br />
December 11–13, 2015<br />
January 29–31, 2016<br />
March 11–13, 2016<br />
SUGARBUSH RESORT<br />
Women’s Discovery Camps<br />
January 29–31, 2016<br />
March 7–9, 2016<br />
<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com 25
winter makers.<br />
The Longest Season in the East<br />
is made, not born.<br />
#beastwinter<br />
Buy one get one free lift ticket, 24-hour advanced<br />
registration required at killington.com/skivt<br />
Offer valid through 12/13/15
CHILDREN<br />
OF<br />
WINTER<br />
Native <strong>Vermont</strong>ers are the core of the best<br />
women’s cross-country ski team in U.S. history.<br />
By Peter Oliver<br />
The final stage of cross-country skiing’s annual Tour de <strong>Ski</strong> is a notorious brute, a Sisyphean uphill<br />
slog in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Climbing an intermediate downhill ski slope with sustained pitches of as<br />
much as 28 percent, the best cross-country racers in the world are so physically taxed that they look<br />
like awkward, bumbling plodders. Their heads hang, their movements are labored and stiff, and their<br />
hearts create a tympanic drumbeat in their ears, pounding at a rate exceeding 180 beats per minute.<br />
They are barely able to put one foot in front of the other.<br />
<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com 27
Photos left to right: Liz Stephen, Ida Sargent, and Sophie Caldwell. Courtesy of U.S. <strong>Ski</strong> Team.<br />
It is a race so hard that some competitors<br />
simply give up, as Poland’s Justyna<br />
Kowalczyk, a 2014 Olympic gold<br />
medalist, did last year. But last January,<br />
there was the diminutive American<br />
Liz Stephen, flying gracefully up the<br />
mountainside as if carried by angels’<br />
wings. She finished fourth, just two<br />
seconds behind Marit Bjoergen, the<br />
brilliant Nordic skier who is indisputably<br />
best in the world. Stephen ended up fifth<br />
overall in the seven-stage tour.<br />
It would have been unthinkable to<br />
consider a U.S. skier in the same caliber<br />
as Bjoergen or Kowalczyk a decade ago,<br />
when any hope of seeing an American in<br />
the top 30 was futile. The destiny of U.S.<br />
women seemed to lag behind that of the<br />
Norwegians, the Swedes, the Finns, the<br />
Russians, the Germans, the Italians, the<br />
Czechs and others from countries with<br />
deep cross-country traditions.<br />
But that has changed in large part due<br />
to skiers, led by Stephen, with vital<br />
connections to <strong>Vermont</strong>. U.S. women<br />
are now winning World Cup races,<br />
winning World Championship medals,<br />
and contending for podium positions<br />
and top-10 finishes in virtually every<br />
race they enter. And the fabric of the U.S.<br />
women’s cross-country team is woven<br />
with <strong>Vermont</strong> threads.<br />
Of the six members of the U.S. Cross<br />
Country women’s A team, three are<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong>ers. Along with the 28-year-old<br />
Stephen, an East Montpelier native, there<br />
is Sophie Caldwell, a 25-year-old from<br />
the village of Peru, and 27-year-old Ida<br />
Sargent from Barton.<br />
In March, Jessie Diggins and Caitlin<br />
Gregg made history by winning the<br />
first two World Championship medals<br />
ever won by U.S. women. They, too,<br />
have some <strong>Vermont</strong> in their blood.<br />
Diggins, a native Minnesotan, honed<br />
her talents as a student at the Stratton<br />
Mountain School, and Gregg, who now<br />
lives in Minneapolis, grew up skiing<br />
in the Mad River Valley. Even Matt<br />
Whitcomb, the U.S. women’s head coach,<br />
has strong <strong>Vermont</strong> ties. Whitcomb,<br />
a Massachusetts native, now lives in<br />
northern <strong>Vermont</strong> and spent four years<br />
as a coach at Burke Mountain Academy<br />
before joining the national team.<br />
But it is Caldwell, Sargent and Stephen<br />
who carry the banner as native <strong>Vermont</strong>ers.<br />
And although they are all <strong>Vermont</strong>ers, their<br />
stories, their ascents into the elite level of<br />
their sport, are very different.<br />
Caldwell, from southern <strong>Vermont</strong>, has<br />
arrived at the top of her sport almost<br />
as a matter of genetic destiny. The<br />
Caldwell family has been producing<br />
Olympians and world-class coaches and<br />
ski technicians for three generations.<br />
Sophie’s father, Sverre, is currently the<br />
Nordic program director at the Stratton<br />
Mountain School, with perhaps the<br />
best scholastic Nordic program in the<br />
country.<br />
Sargent’s entry into cross-country skiing,<br />
not long after she learned to walk, was a<br />
product of pure playfulness, just a little<br />
28 <strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com
girl being a little girl. <strong>Ski</strong>ing was, she<br />
says, “mostly a social thing.” Her friends<br />
were skiing in the Bill Koch League<br />
(BKL) at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center,<br />
and she wanted to hang with them. She<br />
first began competing as a 5-year-old in<br />
the BKL’s Lollipop division.<br />
Sophie Caldwell and Ida Sargent<br />
VSAA Winter Ad FINAL 2015.qxp_Layout 1 8/14/15 10:30 AM Page 1<br />
Stephen came to the sport almost<br />
accidentally, a teenage latecomer. She<br />
entered Burke Mountain Academy as<br />
a 14-year-old Alpine racer, with little<br />
experience in cross-country skiing. But<br />
weighing in at barely over 100 pounds,<br />
she was deemed to lack the substantial<br />
muscle mass that is usually a physical<br />
attribute of the world’s best downhill<br />
competitors. With the support of<br />
Whitcomb, Burke’s Nordic coach at<br />
the time, a new seed was planted, and<br />
it blossomed with astonishing speed.<br />
Stephen arrived at the World Cup level<br />
just a few years later, in 2007, only 20<br />
years old.<br />
Different stories, perhaps, but a common<br />
character thread of being a proud<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong>er runs throughout. “There is<br />
definitely some pride among <strong>Vermont</strong>ers,”<br />
Caldwell says. “This is where we come<br />
from.” One senses that “coming from<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong>” means much more than<br />
geography to her.<br />
Something about where they come from<br />
seems to breed the kind of strength,<br />
resiliency and tenacity that are at the<br />
core identity of a world-class crosscountry<br />
skier. “<strong>Vermont</strong>ers are tougher,”<br />
Sargent declares with emphasis, and<br />
Stephen echoes that sentiment.<br />
“<strong>Vermont</strong>ers have a little tougher skin.<br />
We are the type of people with that pure<br />
desire to really work hard.”<br />
(CONTINUED on PAGE 31)<br />
80th Anniversary Celebration!<br />
Suicide Six opened to the public in 1936 with its first rope tow on Hill No. 6.<br />
Installed by Wallace “Bunny” Bertram, he joked that to ski down the<br />
steep pitch of Hill No. 6 would be Suicide, and in jest, the name stuck.<br />
Today we are one of <strong>Vermont</strong>’s most family friendly ski resorts<br />
with terrain that suits every ability.<br />
The Woodstock Inn & Resort welcomes you to celebrate our<br />
80th Anniversary with amazing skiing & snowboarding, as well as<br />
cross country skiing & snowshoeing on over 50km of trails.<br />
Plan your <strong>Vermont</strong> get away today!<br />
866.615.5678 | www.woodstockinn.com | Woodstock, <strong>Vermont</strong><br />
<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com 29
BE AMONG THE FIRST TO RIDE THE NEW GONDOLA CABINS LAUNCHING NOVEMBER 2014.<br />
Carve your path from the summit of southern <strong>Vermont</strong>’s highest peak with 97 trails, 95 percent snowmaking<br />
and five terrain parks. NEW! $8.5 million Base Lodge project adds amenities and creates new options in dining,<br />
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*Per person, per night (double occupancy) plus tax. Some restrictions and minimum stay requirements apply. See stratton.com for details.
(CONTINUED from PAGE 29)<br />
Caldwell embodies it; last year, she<br />
competed despite having broken both<br />
elbows in separate off-season incidents.<br />
Whether cross-country<br />
skiing, Alpine skiing<br />
or both, most <strong>Vermont</strong><br />
kids are children<br />
of winter, almost<br />
umbilically connected<br />
to snow.<br />
Top photo: Liz Stephen | Bottom photo: Ida Sargent<br />
The three tell similar stories about their<br />
childhood; no matter how cold or foul<br />
the winter weather, they went outside.<br />
Caldwell compares the <strong>Vermont</strong> culture<br />
to Scandinavia: “It is different from<br />
[almost] everywhere else. After school,<br />
you put on your skis.” Getting outside<br />
was a cultural imperative. Whether crosscountry<br />
skiing, Alpine skiing or both,<br />
most <strong>Vermont</strong> kids are children of winter,<br />
almost umbilically connected to snow.<br />
“I don’t think any of us grew up<br />
with a TV,” says Stephen, no doubt<br />
exaggerating, but the point is made. “I<br />
was sledding, I was snowshoeing and I<br />
was building forts. Snow was our thing.”<br />
Of course, if you are to become a<br />
world-class cross-country skier, it helps<br />
to hail from a state where “our thing”<br />
is abundant. Six of <strong>Vermont</strong>’s crosscountry<br />
areas have snowmaking, and the<br />
remaining ones are dependent on Mother<br />
Nature’s generosity. She can be fickle, but<br />
for the most part there is plenty of snow<br />
for the Stephens, Sargents and Caldwells<br />
of the world to log the necessary time for<br />
training and technical improvement.<br />
So, just how good are these women? The<br />
Norwegian women are an indomitable<br />
force, holding the top six positions in the<br />
World Cup ranking, and the Germans<br />
and the Swedes are next in the pecking<br />
order. But after that it gets interesting,<br />
with the Americans, Finns and Russians<br />
competing for the next few spots.<br />
Stephen, who focuses mainly on distance<br />
events, finished last year 10th in the<br />
overall World Cup standings, and<br />
she will be named by the U.S. <strong>Ski</strong><br />
Association as the top cross-country skier<br />
in the country this spring. Some call<br />
her the best climber in the world, and<br />
although that distinction officially goes<br />
to Norway’s Therese Johaug, Stephen is<br />
close. If every World Cup course were<br />
like Val di Fiemme, she’d be on the<br />
podium nearly every race. Sargent, with<br />
14 top-10 World Cup finishes to her<br />
credit, and Caldwell, with 10 top-10s,<br />
are sprint specialists who rank somewhat<br />
lower in the overall standings. Caldwell,<br />
who has ranked as high as 10th in the<br />
world sprint standings, earned a sixthplace<br />
finish in the 2014 Olympic sprint,<br />
the best Olympic cross-country result<br />
ever by a U.S. woman.<br />
Now in their mid- to late 20s, the prime<br />
of their athletic lives, they should all get<br />
better. Caldwell, for example, is fully<br />
recovered from her injuries, and Stephen,<br />
a superb skater, has made steady<br />
improvement in her classic technique,<br />
which has been her weakness.<br />
Although <strong>Vermont</strong>ers and a <strong>Vermont</strong><br />
theme might be the predominant<br />
story of the U.S. women’s team, it was<br />
an Alaskan, not a <strong>Vermont</strong>er, who<br />
spearheaded the recent leap by American<br />
women into the top ranks of the sport.<br />
In 2007, Kikkan Randall began winning<br />
World Cup races, an unthinkable feat for<br />
the generations that preceded her. She<br />
went on to win the crystal globe awarded<br />
to the world’s best sprinter three years in<br />
a row, from 2012 to 2014. Not only did<br />
the Anchorage native bring winning to<br />
the U.S. team, she brought a winning<br />
attitude. According to Stephen, Randall<br />
looked at the rest of the world’s top<br />
skiers with the mind-set of “I’m no<br />
different than you. I can do this.”<br />
That self-confidence was infectious,<br />
especially on a team that is unusually<br />
close; these women aren’t just teammates,<br />
they are good friends. “I don’t want to<br />
do this for myself,” says Stephen. “The<br />
reason I am still skiing is that it is just<br />
going out to ski with my friends. They<br />
want to help you get better, help you get<br />
through a crappy day.” In that kind of a<br />
team atmosphere, the success of one skier<br />
inevitably provides a contact high for<br />
others. It is a powerful and essential<br />
(CONTINUED on PAGE 34)<br />
<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com 31
(CONTINUED from PAGE 31)<br />
dynamic for a group of women who spend virtually every<br />
minute of the four-month World Cup season in one another’s<br />
company—in hotels, on car rides, during meals, on race courses<br />
and just being together during time off.<br />
Thousands of miles from home, they find empowerment in<br />
a team ethos, but the native <strong>Vermont</strong>ers never lose a soulful,<br />
familial connection with their home state. Caldwell, Sargent<br />
and Stephen all talk of the iconic <strong>Vermont</strong> things they miss<br />
when away from home—the smell of sap boiling during<br />
sugaring season, the congeniality of general stores and a<br />
powerful sense of community. Sargent used to travel on<br />
the World Cup circuit with a bit of maple syrup—a kind of<br />
touchstone to connect with her home spirit—although she<br />
discontinued the practice after a syrup container burst inside<br />
her luggage (imagine that mess).<br />
Put simply, these skiers might leave <strong>Vermont</strong>, but <strong>Vermont</strong><br />
never leaves them. As three of the best athletes in their sport,<br />
Stephen, Caldwell and Sargent are now national figures and<br />
leading lights in the world of skiing. Their time spent at home<br />
in <strong>Vermont</strong> has dwindled, giving way to time spent far and<br />
wide—to training time in Utah and other points West; to<br />
the many months on the World Cup circuit; to fundraising,<br />
coaching, speaking engagements, kids’ clinics, and other duties<br />
that go with being national team members. But their identity<br />
remains grounded in a <strong>Vermont</strong> upbringing and in <strong>Vermont</strong><br />
values. They are pure <strong>Vermont</strong>ers, children of winter. ❄<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong>ers have a little<br />
tougher skin. We are<br />
the type of people with<br />
that pure desire to really<br />
work hard.<br />
Photo: Ida Sargent. Courtesy of U.S. <strong>Ski</strong> Team.<br />
34 <strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com
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y Mike Hannigan<br />
We’re pretty lucky. It’s not every sport that ends with a trip to the bar.<br />
So while the runners and the tennis players and the spinning class attendees<br />
and the yoga folks are heading for the showers, skiers and riders are sitting<br />
down in front of a friendly bartender.<br />
With all due respect to golf’s 19th hole, is there any other sport so closely<br />
tied to the bar as skiing and snowboarding? Are we all just a bunch of lushes<br />
using skiing as a convenient excuse to get together? A bunch of drinkers with<br />
a skiing problem?<br />
Frankly, it isn’t a question I’d ever given much thought to before now. It’s a<br />
bit like asking “Why is oxygen so breathable?”<br />
<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com 37
Courtesy of Justin Cash<br />
38 <strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com
It’s not like we need a release from stress.<br />
Spend a great day skiing and riding<br />
in <strong>Vermont</strong> with friends, and you’ve<br />
probably got a pretty good grin on your<br />
face. When you live here, or when you<br />
have the good fortune to visit often, you<br />
can see why you’d want to stretch out<br />
the perfect winter day. Sure, the lifts<br />
might close around 4:00 p.m. and the<br />
sun eventually sets, but that doesn’t<br />
mean you have to shut it down. Yes, we<br />
skiers and riders demand even more fun<br />
after our fun. If the mountain is the<br />
party, the bar is the after-party.<br />
Pub, tavern, saloon, club, speakeasy,<br />
taproom, alehouse, lounge, watering<br />
hole, dive. The après-ski bar is not<br />
merely an accessory, I would argue. It’s<br />
a vital element. It’s where plans get<br />
made. Where friendships are renewed<br />
and confirmed. It’s a spot where someone<br />
might summon up a little extra liquid<br />
courage and introduce him- or herself<br />
to that attractive stranger across the bar,<br />
possibly setting in motion a lifetime<br />
together. As they say in New Orleans,<br />
laissez les bons temps rouler. Let the good<br />
times roll, my friends.<br />
When I think about après-ski bars<br />
around <strong>Vermont</strong>, it’s easy to tick off<br />
favorites. The Matterhorn in Stowe<br />
always feels like there’s a party about<br />
to break out. The Belfry on the road<br />
to Jay is a welcome, random stop with<br />
great wings. The Tower Bar at Jay Peak<br />
throws down mean poutine along with<br />
its drinks, including a bacon-infused<br />
bourbon. I’ve sat at a barstool at the Red<br />
Fox near Stratton more times than I can<br />
count. The Killington Access Road has<br />
countless options, but I always seem to<br />
wind up at McGrath’s Irish Pub down<br />
at the Inn at Long Trail. I still miss the<br />
old Alchemist in Waterbury, a pint of<br />
Donovan’s Red and the beer-cheese-andpretzels<br />
appetizer before me on the bar, but Prohibition Pig<br />
is no slouch as a replacement. The Hyde Away in Waitsfield<br />
exudes a warmth and generosity that makes everyone feel like a<br />
local. And up the hill a ways, General Stark’s Pub at Mad River<br />
Glen might be the best of them all, a quintessential ski bar in<br />
every way, complete with a mug with my name on it.<br />
In search of answers, I talked to the pros. Sue Mowrer Adamson<br />
is a resident barkeep at American Flatbread in Burlington and<br />
the namesake of Zero Gravity Brewing’s “A Beer Named Sue.”<br />
Her take: “For a perfect après bar, I want something that lends<br />
itself to meeting others. ‘What did you ski today? Where are<br />
you from? Et cetera.’ A wide-open bar, not too many seats—<br />
around 12, but with tables close by for sociable eavesdropping.<br />
A fireplace, long tables and cozy/couch seating, with a<br />
dartboard, maybe bar shuffleboard and, ideally, a pool table.”<br />
Shawn Fuschetto, whom you can find behind the bar at<br />
Sugarbush’s Castlerock Pub, is downright deliberative when<br />
asked about the essential elements of a great après-ski bar.<br />
There is no simple answer to what<br />
makes a great après-ski bar, or<br />
bartender, or drink. It’s so subjective.<br />
The bar is where we gather. Where we<br />
nurse our wounded bodies and/or egos. It<br />
is skiing and snowboarding’s town hall.<br />
There is no simple answer to what makes<br />
a great après-ski bar, or bartender, or<br />
drink. It’s so subjective.<br />
Courtesy of Justin Cash<br />
“Mountain views?” Fuschetto asks rhetorically. “Nah, the<br />
old bar at Jay Peak was in a basement, and that place was a<br />
classic. A nano-brew draft selection? That’s great, but honestly,<br />
so long as the beer is cold, it’s all good. Sitting at the Glen<br />
House with the one draft option on a spring day never drew<br />
a complaint from me. Salty locals? Smiling bartenders? Hot<br />
servers? That’s all secondary to what the folks who were playing<br />
on the mountain bring to the scene, unwinding after a terrific<br />
<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com 39
day. That is absolutely my favorite thing<br />
about every après bar I’ve ever spent<br />
time in: Friends, new and old, telling<br />
stories with big smiles.”<br />
Once you’ve found barstools for yourself<br />
and your crew, the more important<br />
question becomes what to drink. Do you<br />
go with a fancy mixed cocktail? A glass<br />
of whiskey—neat—that’ll warm your<br />
gullet and loosen your mind? Perhaps<br />
something delivered in a 12-ounce<br />
aluminum vessel, brewed somewhere in<br />
the greater Milwaukee area?<br />
Although the Norwegians might have<br />
started the tradition back in the 1800s<br />
in Telemark, and the French affixed<br />
the “après-ski” name sometime around<br />
the first Winter Olympic Games<br />
in Chamonix, it’s fair to argue that<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong> lately has taken the experience<br />
to new heights. No other place combines<br />
the quality and quantity of skiing with<br />
the quality and quantity of homegrown<br />
adult beverages that <strong>Vermont</strong> now offers.<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong> is on its way to becoming the<br />
Napa Valley of beer, if it’s not already,<br />
with craft brews that regularly rate<br />
among the world’s best. A growing<br />
number of cider makers and vineyards<br />
now dot the land. And then there’s the<br />
hard stuff. Today, <strong>Vermont</strong> has close<br />
to 20 distillers of various sizes, creating<br />
their own slants on vodka, whiskey, gin<br />
and more. For a state with the secondsmallest<br />
population, <strong>Vermont</strong> has an<br />
outsized impact on the world of tipplers.<br />
“There’s so much excitement around<br />
alcohol in <strong>Vermont</strong> right now,” says<br />
Ben Calvi, a cider maker at Woodchuck.<br />
“Distilled spirits—we have great spirits<br />
distilled locally. Our beer scene has been<br />
awesome for 10 or 15 years, and every<br />
year it seems like there’s a newer, better<br />
microbrewery popping up. And we have<br />
eight cideries here in <strong>Vermont</strong>. There<br />
are only probably 100 in the U.S., so to<br />
have almost 10 percent of them here in<br />
the small state of <strong>Vermont</strong> is pretty cool.<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong>’s a perfect place for hard cider.<br />
We’ve been growing apples here since the<br />
first colonists came. Everyone’s just really<br />
excited about drinking when they come here.”<br />
Seeking guidance, I asked folks from three of <strong>Vermont</strong>’s best<br />
for their take on what makes a great drink when you come off<br />
the hill.<br />
THE DISTILLERY<br />
“At the end of the day, people like to sit around together and<br />
enjoy the afternoon air and talk about the day,” says Steve<br />
Johnson. “You’ve been out doing something, you come back and<br />
get together again, so there’s a time to talk and people will have<br />
a cocktail.<br />
“[What’s best is] something that’s not heavy, but I’m just going<br />
to enjoy sipping while I’m talking to people,” Johnson says.<br />
“Later in the evening, they might go for the Grand Marnier<br />
drinks, but if you come off the hill at 4:00, you might want<br />
the lighter spirits: vodka or gin.”<br />
As the president of <strong>Vermont</strong> Spirits Distilling Co., Johnson<br />
should know a thing or two about cocktails. The Quecheebased<br />
distillery has grown steadily since its founding, churning<br />
out a mix of products including vodka, bourbon, brandy,<br />
whiskey and gin. The company takes a decidedly <strong>Vermont</strong><br />
approach to making spirits, using local agricultural products<br />
as ingredients.<br />
“Given that we have more breweries per capita than anywhere<br />
else in the country, I don’t think it’s surprising to people that<br />
we’re distilling spirits as well,” Johnson says.<br />
“I think some of what we do is different—we don’t have a lot of<br />
potatoes or grain, so we’re not making vodka out of that. We’re<br />
using apples and whey and maple and things like those. That’s<br />
probably what surprises people,” he adds, “and that it’s good.”<br />
Good may be an understatement. <strong>Vermont</strong> Gold Vodka and<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong> White Vodka remain leading sellers for the company,<br />
and its No. 14 Bourbon (in reference to <strong>Vermont</strong>, the 14th<br />
state) is clearly a hit, according to Johnson. “We can’t keep that<br />
in stock, actually.”<br />
(CONTINUED on PAGE 43)<br />
40 <strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com
THE<br />
OFFICIAL SPIRITS of<br />
SKI VERMONT<br />
APRÈS-SKI WITH US!<br />
Available Year Round at Your Favorite <strong>Ski</strong> Destination<br />
www.<strong>Vermont</strong>Spirits.com
(CONTINUED from PAGE 40)<br />
THE CIDERY<br />
Hard cider might not have the same close<br />
association to après-ski as a cold beer, but<br />
it’s a steadily growing part of the market.<br />
A big part of the appeal is due to the<br />
work of the folks at Woodchuck, aka the<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong> Hard Cider Company.<br />
“I think it’s just so much fun. <strong>Ski</strong>ing or<br />
snowboarding—it’s the one sport where<br />
you just smile the whole time. And being<br />
in such a good mood makes you want to<br />
go and celebrate afterward,” offers Ben<br />
Calvi. “You’re tired. Your muscles are a<br />
little sore. You’re probably a little cold.<br />
Your feet have been cramped up all day.<br />
So to slip into some comfortable boots<br />
and have a cider or cocktail or something<br />
is a pretty perfect way to end it.”<br />
Calvi’s fellow cider maker, John<br />
Matson, explains part of the product<br />
development process. “We definitely<br />
develop some winter-specific products.<br />
Our Winter Chill is oak aged, so it’s<br />
a little bit chewier than some of the<br />
more sessionable [light] ciders in the<br />
summertime,” Matson says. “Some of<br />
them go really well with cocktails—<br />
bourbon goes really well with cider. So<br />
I think a lot of our ciders can transition<br />
into that forum.”<br />
Founded in 1991, Woodchuck embraces its<br />
Green Mountain roots. “We’re a <strong>Vermont</strong>based<br />
company,” says Calvi. “It’s in our<br />
name: ‘<strong>Vermont</strong> Hard Cider Company.’<br />
We were born here 25 years ago. Sure, you<br />
could make hard cider in Florida, and you<br />
could buy juice and ship it there and make<br />
it on the beach. But it’s not the same thing,<br />
right? <strong>Vermont</strong> is one of the only places in<br />
the U.S. that has world-class apples, and to<br />
be so close to the source is really a big part<br />
of our identity.”<br />
With 20 ciders in production,<br />
Woodchuck has something for<br />
everyone. Can’t decide which one to<br />
try? Gumption, made from a blend of<br />
common eating apples and dry cider<br />
apples, is perfect for wintertime. Better<br />
yet, Gumption is now available in<br />
16-ounce cans.<br />
(CONTINUED on PAGE 45)<br />
<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com 43
(CONTINUED from PAGE 43)<br />
“One of the reasons we put ciders into<br />
cans was not just for the skiers and<br />
snowboarders, but just outdoorsy<br />
followers in general,” says Woodchuck’s<br />
communications manager, Caitlin<br />
Stroupe. “They’re the ones who were<br />
requesting it. You can’t bring glass to<br />
national parks or the beach, and then at<br />
the mountain, it’s a little easier to slip a<br />
16-ounce can in your backpack.”<br />
the amber ale in people’s hands. Long Trail also brewed the<br />
seasonal Hibernator for almost 20 years, a hearty brew with a<br />
restorative quality that was perfect for recovering from a day on<br />
the slopes.<br />
THE BREWERY<br />
Long Trail Brewery really put <strong>Vermont</strong><br />
beer on the map with its signature Long<br />
Trail Ale. Twenty-five years ago, you<br />
couldn’t walk into an après bar in the<br />
state without seeing pint after pint of<br />
IF YOU GO:<br />
„<br />
Don’t take our word for it: After<br />
a day on the slopes, go sip for<br />
yourself. Woodchuck, Long Trail<br />
and <strong>Vermont</strong> Spirits all have tasting<br />
rooms where you can kick back<br />
and enjoy the goods.<br />
THE WOODCHUCK CIDER HOUSE<br />
1321 Exchange Street<br />
Middlebury, VT<br />
www.woodchuck.com<br />
802-385-3656<br />
RESORTS WITHIN AN HOUR’S DRIVE:<br />
Sugarbush, Mad River Glen,<br />
Killington, Pico, Middlebury Snow<br />
Bowl, Bolton Valley<br />
LONG TRAIL BREWING COMPANY<br />
5520 U.S. Route 4<br />
Bridgewater Corners, VT<br />
www.longtrail.com<br />
802-672-5011<br />
RESORTS WITHIN AN HOUR’S DRIVE:<br />
Killington, Pico, Okemo,<br />
Suicide Six, Middlebury Snow<br />
Bowl, Magic Mountain, Bromley,<br />
the Quechee Club<br />
VERMONT SPIRITS DISTILLERY<br />
5573 Woodstock Road (Route 4)<br />
Quechee, VT<br />
www.vermontspirits.com<br />
866-998-6352<br />
RESORTS WITHIN AN HOUR’S DRIVE:<br />
Killington, Pico, Okemo, Suicide<br />
Six, Middlebury Snow Bowl, Magic<br />
Mountain, the Quechee Club<br />
Last year the company retired Hibernator and launched Sick<br />
Day, which the brewers felt was a better fit for the occasion.<br />
It’s got a more modern vibe, a warming body and that same<br />
restorative quality that Long Trail beers are known for.<br />
Drew Vetere, marketing media specialist at Long Trail,<br />
describes where it got its unusual name. “We were throwing<br />
around names for something that we thought would resonate<br />
with people from <strong>Vermont</strong>. And I kept thinking one thing<br />
that’s synonymous with winter is being ‘sick.’ Whether it’s<br />
calling in sick for ‘reasons’ of deep snow or just having a<br />
‘sick’ afternoon out on the mountain. So I thought Sick Day<br />
was a pretty appropriate name for that vibe of just carefree<br />
wintertime, which is part of the reason beer goes so well with<br />
skiing. You’re out there doing something that you really enjoy,<br />
with people that you really enjoy, and it’s a reason to celebrate.”<br />
“We had an IPA in mind when we first started to design<br />
the recipe,” explains Matt Quinlan, Long Trail’s director of<br />
operations. “We wanted something with those big piney hop<br />
flavors, but because it was more of a wintertime recipe, we<br />
wanted to give it some more meat. So we put a lot of darker<br />
malts in there that gave it a very interesting flavor—sort of a<br />
darker IPA, a wintry version of an IPA.<br />
“It’s a beer you can enjoy if you’re not a skier or rider. But this is<br />
definitely a beer that we made with the skier and rider in mind:<br />
Something they’d really like when they’re done and they come<br />
off the mountain. Something that really replenishes them.”<br />
The best part of Sick Day? There’s no mixing required. Just<br />
order yourself up a pint or grab a sixer the next time you see it.<br />
Cheers. ❄<br />
<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com 45
APRÈS-SKI<br />
m<br />
VERMONT: COCKTAIL RECIPES<br />
A selection of cocktail recipes to help you recover from your day on the slopes,<br />
featuring ingredients from <strong>Vermont</strong> Spirits and Woodchuck Hard Cider.<br />
THE NO. 14 MANHATTAN<br />
2 oz No. 14 Bourbon<br />
1 oz Sweet Vermouth<br />
5 Dashes Angostura Bitters<br />
Add all the ingredients to a mixing<br />
glass and fill with ice. Stir well and strain<br />
into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.<br />
THE VERMONTINI<br />
2-1/2 oz <strong>Vermont</strong> Gold® Vodka<br />
Splash of No. 14 Bourbon<br />
Twist of Fresh Lemon<br />
Start with a splash of No. 14 Bourbon to<br />
coat the glass; shake 2.5 oz of <strong>Vermont</strong><br />
Gold Vodka with ice until the shaker is<br />
frosty; pour and garnish with a twist<br />
of fresh lemon.<br />
THE LAST RUN<br />
2 oz <strong>Vermont</strong> Gold Vodka<br />
1 oz Simple Syrup<br />
1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice<br />
2 Shakes Fee Brothers Grapefruit Bitters<br />
Club Soda<br />
Combine <strong>Vermont</strong> Gold Vodka, simple syrup,<br />
lemon juice and bitters in a rocks glass with ice. Stir<br />
and top with club soda.<br />
MAPLE SOUR<br />
1 oz Maple Syrup<br />
1-1/2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice<br />
2 oz <strong>Vermont</strong> Gold Vodka<br />
3 Shakes Angostura Bitters<br />
Ginger Ale<br />
Combine maple syrup, lemon juice, vodka and<br />
bitters in a shaker with ice and shake until frosty.<br />
Strain into a rocks glass over ice and top with a<br />
splash of ginger ale.<br />
GREEN MOUNTAIN FIZZ<br />
1-1/2 oz <strong>Vermont</strong> Gold Vodka<br />
1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice<br />
1/2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice<br />
1-1/2 oz Cream<br />
1/4 oz Grade A Dark Amber Maple Syrup plus 1 tsp<br />
1 Egg White<br />
3 Drops Orange Flower Water<br />
Chilled Club Soda<br />
Mint Leaf<br />
Shake all ingredients except for orange flower water<br />
and club soda without ice for about one minute, then<br />
add ice and shake again very well for about one minute.<br />
Strain ingredients into a tall glass without ice. Top with<br />
club soda. Gently place the three drops of orange<br />
flower water atop the froth, then gently float 1 tsp maple<br />
syrup. Garnish with a mint leaf dipped in maple syrup.<br />
CRANBERRY GUMP<br />
1 oz Cranberry Juice<br />
1/5 oz Banana Rum<br />
12 oz Bottle Woodchuck<br />
Gumption Cider<br />
Combine cranberry juice and<br />
rum and top with hard cider.<br />
WINTER CHILL FASHIONED<br />
1 oz Bourbon<br />
1 Shake Bitters<br />
Woodchuck® Seasonal Winter Chill<br />
Orange Slice<br />
Apple Slice<br />
Combine bourbon and bitters and top with hard<br />
cider. Garnish with slices of orange and apple.<br />
14 WOODCHUCKS<br />
2 oz No. 14 Bourbon<br />
12 oz Bottle of Your Choice of Woodchuck Cider<br />
Top bourbon with Woodchuck Cider over ice.<br />
46 <strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com
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48 <strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com
Sky Barsch<br />
& BEYOND by<br />
You’ve skied or snowboarded our unique <strong>Vermont</strong> terrain until your legs begged for a rest—and<br />
wondered why you ever wasted your time anywhere else.<br />
You’ve followed our quirky local road signs, admitting along the way that they knew better than your<br />
bossy GPS.<br />
You’ve met local folks on the chairlift and gotten killer advice on the best powder stashes (even if it<br />
came a little grudgingly).<br />
So far, the local goods haven’t let you down, right? Now it’s time to try <strong>Vermont</strong>’s local foods. And<br />
there’s no better place to do that than at <strong>Vermont</strong>’s ski and ride areas, where local meats, cheeses, fruits,<br />
vegetables and breads are starring on menus from mid-mountain lodges and fine dining restaurants<br />
alike. You’ll taste <strong>Vermont</strong>’s landscape in dishes such as toe-warming tomato soup, hearty grass-fed beef<br />
burgers, and showstopping pork tenderloin.<br />
The link from farm to table continues to get shorter, as chefs shy away from mass-produced products<br />
shipped from afar in favor of high-quality, exceptionally tasty ingredients from down the road.<br />
More than just a marketing gimmick, “farm to table” means something real to chefs in <strong>Vermont</strong>, where<br />
farmers are our neighbors and farms are in our neighborhoods. <strong>Ski</strong> and ride areas buy large quantities<br />
of food; when resorts invest in the local food economy, they have a big and meaningful impact. Their<br />
purchases support healthier land management practices, ensure that animals are treated better, give a<br />
boost to the local economy, cut down on transportation and associated pollution, and offer healthier and<br />
better-tasting dishes to diners, skiers, and riders.<br />
Next time you’re dining at the mountain, make sure to talk to your server about the menu—ask what<br />
ingredients are locally grown or produced, as local foods are so commonplace that chefs don’t always<br />
point it out on the menu. You’ll be surprised at the incredible variety of foods <strong>Vermont</strong>ers grow, bake,<br />
forage and prepare. We’ve long been a state that takes agriculture seriously (Ceres, the Roman goddess<br />
of agriculture, adorns the dome of the Statehouse), so farm-to-table dining is nothing new—we’ve been<br />
doing it for years, since before it was trendy.<br />
Just like our terrain, our road signs and our residents, local foods are memorable here. And if we do say<br />
so ourselves, they’re a little better, too.<br />
<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com 49
SUGARBUSH RESORT<br />
Local Food by the Ton<br />
When the powder is piling up and the wind is nipping at your face, a ruby-red, garden-grown tomato<br />
is probably the last thing on your mind. But at Timbers Restaurant—fine dining at the base area of<br />
Sugarbush’s Lincoln Peak—you can taste the sweetness of a Mad River Valley summer even on the<br />
coldest of winter days. Timbers’ tomato soup features some of the bumper tomato crop from Gaylord<br />
Farm, and it’s just one example of how the restaurant is using local produce. Timbers general manager<br />
Bruce Hyde Jr. and his team make concerted efforts to use local foods as often as possible; last season,<br />
they purchased one ton of vegetables from the surrounding area and processed them for use throughout<br />
the colder months.<br />
“It’s easy to be farm to table here in the summer; it’s really difficult to do it in the winter,” says Hyde.<br />
“You really have to plan ahead. By having the facilities of a resort, we can do it.”<br />
Hyde, who grew up working at his family’s valley inn and restaurant, has longstanding relationships<br />
with many of the area’s farmers. He understands that getting access to local foods is not as simple as<br />
placing an order on a whim.<br />
“You want the farmers to sell their stuff for as much as they can. So if they can sell at the farmers’<br />
market to somebody for $10 a pound, I’m happy for them. But you’ve got to have a good enough<br />
relationship with them so that when they have an overabundance of something, they’ll call you up and<br />
say, hey, I’ve got 300 pounds of carrots and I need to get rid of them today.”<br />
50 <strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com
STRATTON MOUNTAIN RESORT<br />
Fresh Eyes on Fresh Food<br />
Chef Jacob Ebel left a job near Mount Denali to become Stratton Mountain Resort’s executive chef,<br />
and immediately got to work incorporating more local foods into the resort’s menu. It was a dream<br />
opportunity for someone coming from Alaska, where, with the exception of seafood, local foods are<br />
tough to come by.<br />
“It just made sense, where we are in <strong>Vermont</strong>,” Ebel says. “I really quickly realized what amazing<br />
agriculture we have all around us, like the numerous dairy farms within a 10-mile radius of the resort.<br />
I thought that had to be the number one thing to bring to the mountain, to create a food culture at<br />
Stratton… We have clientele coming up from big cities. They want a <strong>Vermont</strong> experience, so we focus<br />
on <strong>Vermont</strong> products as much as we can.”<br />
Ebel faced a challenge—an ongoing agreement with a corporate food services company—but he<br />
persevered, adding local meats, cheeses, vegetables and breads to the menu. Now, you’ll find Baba-<br />
A-Louis bread (Chester), Twig Farm cheese (West Cornwall), <strong>Vermont</strong> Chevon goat (Danville) and<br />
Someday Farm pheasant (East Dorset), among other local offerings.<br />
Ebel points out that high-quality, locally sourced ingredients often come with a higher price, which is<br />
reflected in the menu. “Customers are seeking out a <strong>Vermont</strong> experience,” he says. “I think once people<br />
understand what we’re doing, they’re on board.” That goes for locals as well as visitors. For instance,<br />
Green Apron, located at Stratton’s world-class golf course, offered a special farmer’s dinner, with a sixcourse<br />
meal all made from one pig, and the pig farmer joined the group for dining and discussion. That<br />
event sold out immediately, and it was mostly locals who attended.<br />
<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com 51
TIME<br />
TO –<br />
HEAT<br />
THINGSUP<br />
Your Ride is Ready!<br />
HEATED SEATS<br />
the first chairlift in the Northeast<br />
with heated seats<br />
ORANGE BUBBLE<br />
provides protection from the<br />
wind on even the coldest of days<br />
SEATS SIX<br />
whole family or whole group of<br />
friends get to ride up together<br />
#itsokemotime<br />
1-800-78 OKEMO (1-800-786-5366) LUDLOW VERMONT okemo.com<br />
Be sure to visit okemo.com for great deals on lift tickets and lodging as well as<br />
! a calendar of all the great events happening at Okemo Mountain Resort.
OKEMO MOUNTAIN RESORT<br />
Whole Hog<br />
Executive Chef Scot Emerson and Executive Sous Chef Jason Tostrup were discussing menus a few years<br />
ago, and realized they had prepared nearly 2,400 orders of pork tenderloin in just four months. Each<br />
pig produces four entrees—two tenderloins per pig and two servings per tenderloin—which meant<br />
that 600 pigs had to be raised and slaughtered for four months’ worth of this one dish. When Emerson<br />
considered how tiny the tenderloin was as a percentage of the pig’s body, he saw room for improvement.<br />
“It would be impossible for local agriculture to sustain itself feeding, watering, caring for and<br />
slaughtering 600 hogs while left holding 99 percent of the animal,” Emerson says. “We proposed that in<br />
order to bring balance we would need to purchase the whole animal and incorporate its different parts<br />
throughout our menu. Balance is the key to sustainable agriculture, business and life.” The chefs set out<br />
to find a source for whole hogs, and found the Thomas brothers.<br />
“Last Thanksgiving we received our first shipment of farm-fresh hog,” explains Emerson. “By the end of<br />
our first four-month winter season, we had purchased and utilized 20 whole hogs. Our sales increased.<br />
Our guest count increased. Our guest satisfaction increased. Our profit margin increased. The local<br />
economy increased. The only things that decreased were the number of hogs needed to feed our guests<br />
and the amount of wasted animal, feed, air, water, electricity and greenhouse gases.”<br />
That’s just one example of how Okemo is changing its food footprint. Emerson and his team are not<br />
done yet.<br />
“Through involvement with the <strong>Vermont</strong> Fresh Network, their Ludlow Farmer’s Market stand, and an<br />
ongoing series of field trips to the farm, this culinary team’s goal for 2016 is to increase its year-round<br />
partnerships to 100 and purchase $250,000 of local products,” says Emerson.<br />
<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com 53
JAY PEAK RESORT<br />
Closing the Loop<br />
On peak winter weekends, Alice’s Table Chef de Cuisine Dan Higgins and his crew will serve 1,000<br />
meals a day to hungry skiers, riders, water park patrons and hockey players. Higgins makes sure that a<br />
local component graces each of those plates, whether it’s strawberries from Berry Creek Farm, <strong>Vermont</strong>made<br />
Benito’s Hot Sauce, or summer-picked and -pickled vegetables from nearby farm fields. During<br />
the summer, you can taste fresh local lettuce, kale and spinach at the Friday night barbecue. And in<br />
spring, the wild ramps and fiddleheads you’ll find on your plate? Higgins himself just might have<br />
picked them by a local streambed.<br />
But when it comes to local availability and sustainability, Jay Peak is going beyond sourcing food. Jay<br />
has instituted pre- and post-consumer composting, and is sourcing eco-friendly service items, including<br />
to-go containers, cups and napkins.<br />
“We’re working with Black Dirt Farm out of Greensboro, which is collecting all the compost out of Jay,”<br />
Higgins says. “That’s pretty hyper-local. We’re really trying to cut back on what we’re putting in the trash<br />
can and what’s going in the landfill.” The compost program began in early 2015, and Higgins is hopeful<br />
that soon Jay can begin using the composted matter to feed plants and flowers around the resort.<br />
“The farm-to-table concept has evolved over the last few years,” Higgins says. “It’s not just veggies from<br />
the farm. It’s the compost and the full circle of things, and vendors who have the same mission as us.”<br />
These are just some of the many resorts that bring the taste of the <strong>Vermont</strong> landscape to the après-ski<br />
table. When booking your next slopeside vacation, ask your reservation specialist about the resort’s<br />
farm-to-table options. And once you’re here, befriend your server or bartender and don’t be shy; ask what<br />
on the menu has been sourced locally. You never know what you might learn. Your server might be<br />
related to a beef farmer, your bartender might be a hobby beer brewer, or you might be sitting next to a<br />
well-known cheesemaker. We’re a small state where everyone is connected, especially through food. ❄<br />
54 <strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com
REAL MOUNTAIN<br />
REAL CLOSE<br />
REAL VERMONT<br />
Located in the Green Mountains of southern <strong>Vermont</strong>, Mount<br />
Snow is home to 589 acres of world-class skiing and riding,<br />
the East’s only all-park mountain face, Carinthia Parks, and<br />
the Bluebird Express; a six passenger bubble-chair. With the<br />
addition of 645 brand new low-energy snowmaking guns,<br />
Mount Snow now also boasts one of the strongest<br />
snowmaking arsenals in the Northeast.<br />
REAL MOUNTAIN. REAL CLOSE. REAL VERMONT.<br />
MOUNTSNOW.COM | 800.245.SNOW
Flash those smiles from<br />
MOUNTAIN TO<br />
MOUNTAIN.<br />
Let your posse know<br />
where you’re skiing<br />
and win cool prizes.<br />
CHECK IN<br />
TO WIN!<br />
Download<br />
the Check In to<br />
Win app to win<br />
cool prizes.<br />
Capture and share<br />
your family’s next<br />
ski trip with<br />
the latest<br />
smartphones<br />
and America’s<br />
Largest and Most<br />
Reliable 4G LTE<br />
Network from<br />
Verizon Wireless.<br />
Official Wireless Partner Of <strong>Ski</strong> <strong>Vermont</strong>.<br />
1.800.256.4646 verizonwireless.com vzw.com/storelocator<br />
Network details and coverage maps at vzw.com. 4G LTE is available in 500 markets in the U.S. Data/message rates may apply for download and<br />
use of app. © 2015 Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC (“Samsung”). Samsung and Galaxy are both registered trademarks of Samsung<br />
Electronics Co., Ltd. © 2015 Verizon Wireless.
FRESH TRACKS<br />
Courtesy of Jeb Wallace-Brodeur<br />
<strong>Ski</strong> <strong>Vermont</strong>’s Check In to Win program<br />
rewards skiers and riders for trying new<br />
resorts around the state. Log days spent<br />
on <strong>Vermont</strong>’s mountains using the Trace<br />
Snow app on your smartphone and earn<br />
medals as you reach milestones, become<br />
eligible to win cool prizes, and compete<br />
against other skiers and riders on<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong>’s slopes.<br />
Download the Trace Snow app on iTunes<br />
or Google Play to track stats on the<br />
mountain. See your top speed, lift time,<br />
air time, total vertical, rest time, and<br />
calories burned for the day and broken<br />
down by run. You can even compete<br />
with your friends! The best part about<br />
using Trace Snow at <strong>Vermont</strong> resorts is<br />
that you’ll automatically be entered to<br />
win sweet swag from <strong>Ski</strong> <strong>Vermont</strong>. We’re<br />
giving away a pair of Rossignol skis<br />
to the first skier to reach all 19 alpine<br />
resorts this season. The first snowboarder<br />
to ride at all 18 snowboard-friendly<br />
resorts (Mad River Glen is the exception)<br />
will win a new Burton board. You’ll<br />
also be entered to win prizes along the<br />
way from our friends at Dale of Norway,<br />
Cabot Cheese, Rossignol, Burton, <strong>Ski</strong>da,<br />
anon., Darn Tough and more just by<br />
logging mountain stats. Don’t worry<br />
about keeping track—we will handle<br />
that. All you need to do is log days on<br />
Trace Snow and you will be automatically<br />
entered to win when earning the<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong> Explorer, <strong>Vermont</strong> Trailblazer,<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong> Marathoner, <strong>Vermont</strong> Green<br />
Mountaineer or Vermonster medals.<br />
The more mountains you visit in<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong>, the more times you are<br />
entered to win!<br />
Get ready to feel the burn in your<br />
muscles as you compete in the <strong>Ski</strong><br />
<strong>Vermont</strong> Vertical Challenge. <strong>Ski</strong> and ride<br />
at <strong>Vermont</strong>’s 19 alpine resorts and see<br />
how many feet of vertical you can amass<br />
throughout the season. The person who<br />
logs the most vertical this season will<br />
win a two-night ski-and-stay package<br />
for two, valid next season. Who<br />
will take home the bragging rights?<br />
It could be you!<br />
Check out <strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com/checkin<br />
to get started.<br />
SPONSORED BY:<br />
Making friends since 1936.<br />
Family, Friends and Fun.<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong>’s Sun Mountain<br />
3984 Route 11, 6 miles from Manchester, VT 802-824-5522<br />
bromley.com<br />
<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com 57
FRESH TRACKS<br />
SURFING<br />
THE SNOW:<br />
WHAT’S NEW ON<br />
SKIVERMONT.COM<br />
At <strong>Ski</strong> <strong>Vermont</strong>, we’re always on the<br />
lookout for new tools to help skiers<br />
and riders have a blast. So this year, in<br />
addition to helping you find the perfect<br />
resort for your next trip, as well as who’s<br />
got the best snow and what events are<br />
coming up, we’ve got two new features<br />
on skivermont.com that you should<br />
definitely check out.<br />
Courtesy of Jeb Wallace-Brodeur<br />
1First up is the debut of Ride <strong>Vermont</strong>’s<br />
all-new online presence. Featuring<br />
snowboarding- and park-specific<br />
content from all over the state,<br />
ridevermont.com is a must-click<br />
before you head to the hill.<br />
2And second is the launch of the<br />
<strong>Ski</strong> <strong>Vermont</strong> Social Wall. The wall<br />
aggregates social media content from<br />
all of <strong>Vermont</strong>’s resorts into one<br />
dynamic page so you can see what’s<br />
happening here, now. Check it out at<br />
skivermont.com/socialwall.<br />
Take Amtrak ® and save 20% to your<br />
favorite <strong>Vermont</strong> ski destination. *<br />
Find out more at Amtrak.com.<br />
*Restrictions apply.<br />
58 <strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com
FIRST TRACKS<br />
NEWPORT<br />
JAY PEAK<br />
8 10<br />
12<br />
Canada<br />
Maine<br />
SMUGGLERS’<br />
NOTCH<br />
6<br />
21<br />
STOWE<br />
BURLINGTON<br />
22 26 STOWE<br />
5 BOLTON<br />
VALLEY<br />
20 3<br />
COCHRAN’S<br />
MONTPELIER<br />
MAD RIVER<br />
13<br />
GLEN<br />
WAITSFIELD<br />
SUGARBUSH<br />
19<br />
17 2<br />
NORTHEAST<br />
MIDDLEBURY<br />
SLOPES<br />
<br />
MIDDLEBURY<br />
SNOW BOWL<br />
23<br />
1<br />
PICO<br />
KILLINGTON<br />
15 SUICIDE SIX<br />
14<br />
18<br />
QUECHEE<br />
SKI AREA<br />
RUTLAND<br />
WHITE RIVER JCT.<br />
29<br />
<br />
OKEMO<br />
16<br />
BROMLEY<br />
28 MAGIC<br />
27 7<br />
MANCHESTER<br />
STRATTON<br />
24<br />
MOUNT SNOW<br />
THE HERMITAGE<br />
CLUB 25<br />
4<br />
9<br />
1. Blueberry Hill <strong>Ski</strong> Center<br />
2. Blueberry Lake XC<br />
3. Bolton Valley Nordic Center<br />
4. Brattleboro Outing Club<br />
5. Catamount Outdoor Family Center<br />
6. Craftsbury Outdoor Center<br />
7. Grafton Ponds Outdoor Center<br />
8. Hazen’s Notch Association<br />
9. The Hermitage Inn<br />
10. Jay Peak Nordic Center<br />
11. Kingdom Trails Nordic Adventure Center<br />
12. Memphremagog <strong>Ski</strong> Touring Foundation<br />
13. Morse Farm <strong>Ski</strong> Touring Center<br />
14. Mountain Meadows XC <strong>Ski</strong> & Snowshoe Center<br />
15. Mountain Top Inn & Resort<br />
BRATTLEBORO<br />
Green dots correspond with Nordic ski areas listed below. //<br />
NORDIC SKI AREAS<br />
Q BURKE<br />
11<br />
ST. JOHNSBURY<br />
Amtrak Stations<br />
16. Okemo Valley Nordic Center<br />
17. Ole’s Cross Country Center<br />
18. Quechee <strong>Ski</strong> Area<br />
19. Rikert Nordic Center<br />
20. Sleepy Hollow Inn <strong>Ski</strong> & Bike Center<br />
21. Smugglers’ Notch Nordic Center<br />
22. Stowe Mountain Resort Cross Country <strong>Ski</strong> Center<br />
23. Strafford Nordic Center<br />
24. Stratton Mountain Nordic Center<br />
25. Timber Creek XC <strong>Ski</strong> Area<br />
26. Trapp Family Lodge XC <strong>Ski</strong> Center<br />
27. Viking Nordic Center<br />
28. Wild Wings <strong>Ski</strong> Touring Center<br />
29. Woodstock Inn & Resort Nordic Center<br />
Catamount Trail Association<br />
Pennsylvania<br />
HOW DO YOU<br />
GET HERE?<br />
Maryland<br />
New York<br />
New<br />
Jersey<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong><br />
Delaware<br />
New<br />
Hampshire<br />
Massachusetts<br />
Connecticut<br />
Rhode Island<br />
Atlantic Ocean<br />
BY CAR<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong> resorts are an easy, convenient drive from<br />
anywhere in the East. Interstates 89 and 91, and<br />
<strong>Vermont</strong> Route 100, the fabled skiers’ highway,<br />
provide excellent access to our mountains and villages.<br />
BY TRAIN<br />
Two Amtrak routes operate between Washington,<br />
D.C., New York City and <strong>Vermont</strong>, providing daily<br />
passenger service to many of <strong>Vermont</strong>’s mountain<br />
communities. For information, log onto Amtrak.com<br />
or call the resort you plan to visit.<br />
BY BUS<br />
The Greyhound bus system connects <strong>Vermont</strong><br />
communities with Boston, Montreal, New York<br />
and other regional and national destinations. Call<br />
1-800-231-2222 for information.<br />
BY AIR<br />
With excellent air service, Burlington International<br />
Airport is a convenient point of access to northern<br />
and central <strong>Vermont</strong> resorts. Major air carriers include<br />
Continental, Delta, JetBlue, Northwest, United and<br />
US Airways, and Porter out of Toronto. For those<br />
who prefer charter flights or have a personal aircraft,<br />
Heritage Aviation is ideal. Visitors to central and<br />
southern resorts often fly to Albany; Boston; Hartford;<br />
Manchester, N.H.; Newark, N.J.; and Rutland, Vt.<br />
Gateway cities for international visitors include Boston,<br />
New York, Montreal, Philadelphia and Washington,<br />
D.C. Rental cars are available at all airports, and many<br />
resorts offer ground transportation.<br />
<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com 59
ALPINE<br />
Courtesy of Jeb Wallace-Brodeur<br />
JAY PEAK RESORT<br />
KILLINGTON RESORT<br />
MAD RIVER GLEN<br />
MAGIC MOUNTAIN<br />
Jay, VT 05859<br />
www.jaypeakresort.com<br />
Killington, VT 05751<br />
www.killington.com<br />
Waitsfield, VT 05673<br />
www.madriverglen.com<br />
Londonderry, VT 05148<br />
www.magicmtn.com<br />
General Info:......... 800-451-4449<br />
Snow Conditions:.... 802-988-9601<br />
Reservations:........ 800-451-4449<br />
General Info:........ 800-621-MTNS<br />
Snow Conditions:.... 802-422-3261<br />
Reservations:....... 800-621-MTNS<br />
General Info:......... 802-496-3551<br />
Snow Conditions:.... 802-496-3551<br />
Reservations:............................ —<br />
General Info:......... 802-824-5645<br />
Snow Conditions:.... 802-824-5645<br />
Reservations:........ 802-824-5645<br />
Vertical:............................ 2,153'<br />
Trails:......................................78<br />
Trail Acreage:........................385<br />
Lifts:.........................................9<br />
Vertical:............................3,050'<br />
Trails:....................................155<br />
Trail Acreage:.....................3,000<br />
Lifts:.......................................22<br />
Vertical:............................ 2,037'<br />
Trails:......................................45<br />
Trail Acreage:........................120<br />
Lifts:.........................................5<br />
Vertical:............................ 1,700'<br />
Trails:......................................43<br />
Trail Acreage:........................195<br />
Lifts:.........................................4<br />
Snowmaking Coverage:..........80%<br />
Lifts Serving Snowmaking:.....9 of 9<br />
Snowmaking Coverage:..........80%<br />
Lifts Serving Snowmaking:..22 of 22<br />
Snowmaking Coverage:..........15%<br />
Lifts Serving Snowmaking:.....3 of 5<br />
Snowmaking Coverage:..........70%<br />
Lifts Serving Snowmaking:.....4 of 4<br />
PICO MOUNTAIN<br />
AT KILLINGTON<br />
Q BURKE<br />
MOUNTAIN RESORT<br />
QUECHEE SKI AREA<br />
SMUGGLERS’ NOTCH RESORT<br />
Killington, VT 05751<br />
www.picomountain.com<br />
East Burke, VT 05832<br />
www.skiburke.com<br />
Quechee, VT 05059<br />
www.quecheeclub.com<br />
Smugglers’ Notch, VT 05464<br />
www.smuggs.com<br />
General Info:..........866-667-PICO<br />
Snow Conditions:.....866-667-PICO<br />
Reservations:.........866-667-PICO<br />
General Info:......... 802-626-7300<br />
Snow Conditions:.... 866-496-1699<br />
Reservations:........ 888-BURKEVT<br />
General Info:......... 802-295-9356<br />
Snow Conditions:.... 802-295-9356<br />
Reservations:........ 802-295-9356<br />
General Info:......... 802-332-6841<br />
Snow Conditions:.....802-644-1111<br />
Reservations:.........855-814-7325<br />
Vertical:............................ 1,967'<br />
Trails:......................................57<br />
Trail Acreage:........................468<br />
Lifts:.........................................7<br />
Vertical:.............................2,011'<br />
Trails:......................................52<br />
Trail Acreage:........................270<br />
Lifts:.........................................6<br />
Vertical:...............................650'<br />
Trails:......................................13<br />
Trail Acreage:........................100<br />
Lifts:.........................................3<br />
Vertical:............................ 2,610'<br />
Trails:......................................78<br />
Trail Acreage:........................ 310<br />
Lifts:.........................................8<br />
Snowmaking Coverage:..........75%<br />
Lifts Serving Snowmaking:.....7 of 7<br />
Snowmaking Coverage:..........87%<br />
Lifts Serving Snowmaking:.....6 of 6<br />
Snowmaking Coverage:........100%<br />
Lifts Serving Snowmaking:.....3 of 3<br />
Snowmaking Coverage:..........62%<br />
Lifts Serving Snowmaking:.....8 of 8<br />
60 <strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com
ALPINE<br />
BOLTON VALLEY<br />
BROMLEY<br />
MOUNTAIN RESORT<br />
COCHRAN’S SKI AREA<br />
THE HERMITAGE CLUB<br />
AT HAYSTACK MOUNTAIN<br />
Bolton Valley, VT 05477<br />
www.boltonvalley.com<br />
Peru, VT 05152<br />
www.bromley.com<br />
Richmond, VT 05477<br />
www.cochranskiarea.com<br />
West Dover, VT 05356<br />
www.hermitageclub.com<br />
General Info:.........802-434-3444<br />
Snow Conditions:...802-434-SNOW<br />
Reservations:......... 877-9BOLTON<br />
General Info:......... 802-824-5522<br />
Snow Conditions:.... 866-856-2201<br />
Reservations:........800-865-4786<br />
General Info:......... 802-434-2479<br />
Snow Conditions:.... 802-434-2479<br />
Reservations:............................ —<br />
General Info:......... 802-464-7734<br />
Snow Conditions:........................ —<br />
Reservations:........ 802-464-3511<br />
Vertical:............................ 1,704'<br />
Trails:......................................71<br />
Trail Acreage:........................300<br />
Lifts:.........................................6<br />
Vertical:............................1,334'<br />
Trails:......................................47<br />
Trail Acreage:........................178<br />
Lifts:.........................................8<br />
Vertical:...............................350'<br />
Trails:........................................8<br />
Trail Acreage:..........................15<br />
Lifts:.........................................3<br />
Vertical:............................1,400'<br />
Trails:......................................40<br />
Trail Acreage:........................194<br />
Lifts:.........................................6<br />
Snowmaking Coverage:..........40%<br />
Lifts Serving Snowmaking:.....5 of 6<br />
Snowmaking Coverage:..........86%<br />
Lifts Serving Snowmaking:......8 of 8<br />
Snowmaking Coverage:..........66%<br />
Lifts Serving Snowmaking:.....3 of 3<br />
Snowmaking Coverage:..........85%<br />
Lifts Serving Snowmaking:.....6 of 6<br />
MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE<br />
SNOW BOWL<br />
MOUNT SNOW RESORT<br />
NORTHEAST SLOPES<br />
OKEMO MOUNTAIN RESORT<br />
Hancock, VT 05748<br />
www.middleburysnowbowl.com<br />
West Dover, VT 05356<br />
www.mountsnow.com<br />
East Corinth, VT 05086<br />
www.northeastslopes.org<br />
Ludlow, VT 05149<br />
www.okemo.com<br />
General Info:.........802-388-4356<br />
Snow Conditions:....802-388-4356<br />
Reservations:............................ —<br />
General Info:.........802-464-3333<br />
Snow Conditions:.... 802-464-2151<br />
Reservations:.......800-245-SNOW<br />
General Info:......... 802-439-5789<br />
Snow Conditions:.... 802-439-5789<br />
Reservations:............................ —<br />
General Info:......... 802-228-1600<br />
Snow Conditions:.... 802-228-5222<br />
Reservations:.......800-78-OKEMO<br />
Vertical:............................1,000'<br />
Trails:......................................17<br />
Trail Acreage:........................125<br />
Lifts:.........................................4<br />
Vertical:............................ 1,700'<br />
Trails:......................................85<br />
Trail Acreage:........................589<br />
Lifts:.......................................20<br />
Vertical:...............................360'<br />
Trails:......................................12<br />
Trail Acreage:..........................35<br />
Lifts:.........................................3<br />
Vertical:............................2,200'<br />
Trails:....................................121<br />
Trail Acreage:........................667<br />
Lifts:.......................................20<br />
Snowmaking Coverage:..........45%<br />
Lifts Serving Snowmaking:.....3 of 4<br />
Snowmaking Coverage:..........80%<br />
Lifts Serving Snowmaking:..20 of 20<br />
Snowmaking Coverage:.............. —<br />
Lifts Serving Snowmaking:........... —<br />
Snowmaking Coverage:..........98%<br />
Lifts Serving Snowmaking:..20 of 20<br />
STOWE MOUNTAIN RESORT<br />
STRATTON<br />
MOUNTAIN RESORT<br />
SUGARBUSH RESORT<br />
SUICIDE SIX SKI AREA/<br />
WOODSTOCK INN<br />
Stowe, VT 05672<br />
www.stowe.com<br />
Stratton Mountain, VT 05155<br />
www.stratton.com<br />
Warren, VT 05674<br />
www.sugarbush.com<br />
Woodstock, VT 05091<br />
www.suicide6.com<br />
General Info:......... 802-253-3000<br />
Snow Conditions:.... 802-253-3600<br />
Reservations:.........800-253-4SKI<br />
General Info:......... 802-297-4000<br />
Snow Conditions:.....802-297-4211<br />
Reservations:.......800-STRATTON<br />
General Info:........ 802-53-SUGAR<br />
Snow Conditions:...802-583-SNOW<br />
Reservations:....... 800-53-SUGAR<br />
General Info:......... 802-457-6661<br />
Snow Conditions:.... 802-457-6666<br />
Reservations:........ 888-338-2745<br />
Vertical:............................2,360'<br />
Trails:.................................... 116<br />
Trail Acreage:........................468<br />
Lifts:.......................................13<br />
Vertical:............................2,003'<br />
Trails:......................................97<br />
Trail Acreage:........................670<br />
Lifts:.......................................11<br />
Vertical:............................2,600'<br />
Trails:.................................... 111<br />
Trail Acreage:........................578<br />
Lifts:.......................................16<br />
Vertical:...............................650'<br />
Trails:......................................24<br />
Trail Acreage:........................100<br />
Lifts:.........................................3<br />
Snowmaking Coverage:..........90%<br />
Lifts Serving Snowmaking:.11 of 13<br />
Snowmaking Coverage:..........95%<br />
Lifts Serving Snowmaking:.. 11 of 11<br />
Snowmaking Coverage:..........70%<br />
Lifts Serving Snowmaking:.. 15 of 16<br />
Snowmaking Coverage:..........50%<br />
Lifts Serving Snowmaking:.....3 of 3<br />
<strong>Ski</strong><strong>Vermont</strong>.com 61
NORDIC<br />
Resort Location Email &<br />
Website<br />
Blueberry Hill<br />
<strong>Ski</strong> Center<br />
Blueberry Lake X-C<br />
Bolton Valley<br />
Nordic Center<br />
Brattleboro<br />
Outing Club<br />
Catamount Outdoor<br />
Family Center<br />
Catamount<br />
Trail Association<br />
Craftsbury<br />
Outdoor Center<br />
Grafton Ponds<br />
Nordic Center<br />
Hazen’s Notch<br />
Association<br />
The Hermitage Inn<br />
Jay Peak<br />
Nordic Center<br />
Kingdom Trails Nordic<br />
Adventure Center<br />
Memphremagog <strong>Ski</strong><br />
Touring Foundation<br />
Morse Farm<br />
<strong>Ski</strong> Touring Center<br />
Mountain Meadows<br />
XC <strong>Ski</strong> & Snowshoe Center<br />
Mountain Top<br />
Inn & Resort<br />
Okemo Valley<br />
Nordic Center<br />
Ole’s Cross<br />
Country Center<br />
Quechee <strong>Ski</strong> Area<br />
Rikert Nordic Center<br />
Sleepy Hollow Inn<br />
<strong>Ski</strong> & Bike Center<br />
Smugglers’ Notch<br />
Nordic Center<br />
Stowe Mountain Resort<br />
XC <strong>Ski</strong> Center<br />
Strafford Nordic Center<br />
Stratton Mountain<br />
Nordic Center<br />
Timber Creek<br />
XC <strong>Ski</strong> Area<br />
Trapp Family Lodge<br />
XC <strong>Ski</strong> Center<br />
Viking<br />
Nordic Center<br />
Wild Wings<br />
<strong>Ski</strong> Touring Center<br />
Woodstock Inn &<br />
Resort Nordic Center<br />
Goshen,<br />
VT 05733<br />
Warren,<br />
VT 05674<br />
Bolton Valley,<br />
VT 05477<br />
Brattleboro,<br />
VT 05302<br />
Williston,<br />
VT 05495<br />
Burlington,<br />
VT 05401<br />
Craftsbury Common,<br />
VT 05827<br />
Grafton,<br />
VT 05146<br />
Montgomery Ctr.,<br />
VT 05471<br />
West Dover,<br />
VT 05356<br />
Jay,<br />
VT 05859<br />
Lyndonville,<br />
VT 05851<br />
Derby,<br />
VT 05830<br />
Montpelier,<br />
VT 05602<br />
Killington,<br />
VT 05751<br />
Chittenden,<br />
VT 05737<br />
Ludlow,<br />
VT 05149<br />
Warren,<br />
VT 05674<br />
Quechee,<br />
VT 05059<br />
Ripton,<br />
VT 05766<br />
Huntington,<br />
VT 05462<br />
Smugglers’ Notch,<br />
VT 05464<br />
Stowe,<br />
VT 05672<br />
Strafford,<br />
VT 05072<br />
Stratton Mountain,<br />
VT 05155<br />
West Dover,<br />
VT 05356<br />
Stowe,<br />
VT 05672<br />
Londonderry,<br />
VT 05148<br />
Peru,<br />
VT 05152<br />
Woodstock,<br />
VT 05091<br />
info@blueberryhillinn.com<br />
www.blueberryhillinn.com<br />
www.blueberrylakeskivt.com<br />
info@boltonvalley.com<br />
www.boltonvalley.com<br />
xc@brattleborooutingclub.com<br />
www.brattleborooutingclub.com<br />
mail@catamountoutdoor.com<br />
www.catamountoutdoorfamilycenter.com<br />
info@catamounttrail.org<br />
www.catamounttrail.org<br />
stay@craftsbury.com<br />
www.craftsbury.com<br />
info@graftonponds.com<br />
www.graftonponds.com<br />
info@hazensnotch.org<br />
www.hazensnotch.org<br />
www.hermitageclub.com<br />
info@jaypeakresort.com<br />
www.jaypeakresort.com<br />
info@kingdomtrails.org<br />
www.kingdomtrails.org<br />
PLHarris969@comcast.net<br />
www.mstf.net<br />
info@skimorsefarm.com<br />
www.skimorsefarm.com<br />
basecampvt@mac.com<br />
www.xcskiing.net<br />
stay@mountaintopinn.com<br />
www.mountaintopinn.com<br />
info@okemo.com<br />
www.okemo.com<br />
ski@olesxc.com<br />
www.olesxc.com<br />
info@quecheeclub.com<br />
www.quecheeclub.com<br />
rikertnordiccenter@middlebury.edu<br />
www.rikertnordic.com<br />
info@skisleepyhollow.com<br />
www.skisleepyhollow.com<br />
ski_ride@smuggs.com<br />
www.smuggs.com<br />
info@stowe.com<br />
www.stowe.com<br />
info@straffordnordicskiing.com<br />
www.straffordnordicskiing.com<br />
feedback@stratton.com<br />
www.stratton.com<br />
timbercreekxc@gmail.com<br />
www.timbercreekxc.com<br />
info@trappfamily.com<br />
www.trappfamily.com<br />
skiandstay@vikingnordic.com<br />
www.vikingnordic.com<br />
wwxcski@sover.net<br />
www.wildwingsski.com<br />
nvm@woodstockinn.com<br />
www.woodstockinn.com<br />
Phone/<br />
Toll-Free<br />
802-247-6735<br />
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802-496-6687<br />
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802-434-6876<br />
877-9BOLTON<br />
802-254-8906<br />
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802-879-6001<br />
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802-864-5794<br />
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Snowmaking Trails Machine Tracked/<br />
Skating Terrain<br />
50km 0km/0km N/Y<br />
30km 21km/21km Y/Y<br />
100km 15km/15km Y/Y<br />
33km 25km/18km Y/Y<br />
35km 20km/20km Y/Y<br />
500km 50km/50km Y/Y<br />
✔ 135km 85km/85km Y/Y<br />
✔ 30km 15km/15km Y/Y<br />
60km 40km/0km Y/Y<br />
14km 14km/14km Y/Y<br />
20km 10km/10km Y/Y<br />
60km 40km/60km N/N<br />
30km 30km/30km N/N<br />
25km 25km/20km Y/Y<br />
57km 57km/57km Y/Y<br />
✔ 60km 40km/40km Y/Y<br />
22km 0km/0km Y/Y<br />
45km 45km/40km Y/Y<br />
25km 25km/12km Y/Y<br />
✔ 55km 45km/45km Y/Y<br />
✔ 35km 30km/25km Y/Y<br />
30km 18km/26km Y/Y<br />
75km 45km/30km Y/Y<br />
30km 10km/30km Y/Y<br />
12km 12km/12km Y/Y<br />
14km 14km/14km Y/Y<br />
✔ 160km 60km/60km Y/Y<br />
39km 35km/30km Y/Y<br />
28km 28km/0km Y/Y<br />
802-457-6674 50km 30km/20km Y/Y<br />
Instruction/<br />
Rental<br />
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