vermont ski & ride feb 2014

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Free! Take One!February - March 2014

TOUGH ENOUGH?12 events to test your mettle

Guided adventures: Vermont tours go sledding, snowshoeing & dogsledding

Soaring at Harris Hill:Vermont’s jump

wows spectators!

The Olympics you didn’t see on TV • Guide to Brews, Spirits & Wine • Events not to miss!

Dumped on Valentine’s!Snow storm drops up to 30 inches across state!

PA G E 2 V E R M O N T S K I A N D R I D E M A G A Z I N E , F E B R U A RY / M A R C H

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6-7 Guided adventures!Vermont guides create adventures on high perfomance sleds, snowshoes and dogsleds throughout the Green Mountains!

8-9 Snow storm!A Valentine’s snow storm dumped up to 24 inches across the state just in time for President’s Day Weekend! Skiers and riders rejoice!

10-11 Test your mettleHere are a dozen ways to test your skiing ability and stamina at some tough races held in February and March.

20-21-22 Events!Our calendar is full of exciting events and activities at Vermont’s ski resorts during February-March. You won’t want to miss the ones nearest you.

14-15 Olympic update!See the story behind the Olympics through the eyes and voice of Killington’s Dan Egan. Also, an update on Vermonters’ fortunes at the Olympics.

Advertising Sales Assistant Editor Christy Lynn Evan Johnson

Contributing writersPolly Lynn, Karen Lornetz

Graphic Artist/ProductionStephanie Manning

For news tips or to advertise call 802-388-4944 or email: [email protected]

Advertising & Editorial Office: Vermont Ski & Ride Magazine58 Maple Street, Middlebury, Vt. 05753802-388-4944 (also offices of the Addison Independent)

Vermont Ski & Ride Magazine is owned and operated by Addison Press Inc., a Vermont company locally owned since 1946. Vermont Ski and Ride Magazine is published monthly November through March.

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Editor/Publisher, Angelo Lynn [email protected]

The thrill of a great day in the powder is on the face of Ry Young after a Valentime’s Day storm dumped 20-plus inches at Mad River Glen.

Photo by Brian Mohr/Ember Photo

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Publisher’s Desk

Vermont got dumped on Valentine’s Day, but it was good. Dumped on, that is, by up to 30 inches of snow over a period of 3-5 days, with

some resorts reporting 22 inches in a single day.Bring the roses — and the champagne. That was one sweetheart of a snow-

storm.And just in time. The bulk of the storm hit Thursday, Feb. 13, with the rest of

it falling that Friday — one of the sweetest Valentine’s Days you’ll ever have the pleasure to ski or ride — to start the three-day President’s Day weekend.

It brought smiles to everyone on all sides of the ledger, and it set up several more weeks of great skiing here in the Green Mountains.

Photographer Brian Mohr captured some nice shots of happy skiers cruising the steeps at Mad River Glen (that’s his on the front cover as well), and shared a few more terrific photos on pages 8-9.

On days when the snow tops your boots and frequently is in your face, there’s nothing better to do that ski all day long., but even the heartiest of skiers and riders need a break once in a while. When that’s your day off the mountain and you’re looking for a change of pace, consider one of dozens of guided trips offered throughout the state.

Reporter Evan Johnson ventured out on a high performance sled from the top of Smuggler’s Notch, getting thrown in the process, while his guide sped past and waited with refreshments at the bottom. Then he tried something less harrowing by accompanying a musher on a dogsled, both in the Stowe area, while also learn-ing about snowshoeing treks that include moonlit hikes and dinners in secluded

cabins, as well as other sled and snowshoeing tours from a business in Waitsfield. For adventures that are as memorable as they are exhilarating, check out his report on pages 6-7.

Not tough enough for you? Then test your mettle in one of a dozen upcoming events profiled on pages 9-10. These races and events go from the very tough (marathons and half-marathons on snowshoes) to ski touring treks across sections of the Long Trail. They’re tough, but all doable and worthy of the effort. Check it out and jump in; it doesn’t get any easier if you wait another year.

Speaking of competition, 16 Vermonters are representing the U.S. in the Olym-pic games, and a few others with strong Vermont ties have been having strong games as well. We run down the roster with updates on how these Olympic ath-letes are doing, and what’s still to come for them over the next couple of weeks.

Plus, Killington’s Dan Egan, who is in his third round of covering the Olympic games, reflects on the games at Sochi and what it means to the participants.

There are also photos of ski jumping on Brattleboro’s famous Harris Hill jump, a report on how resorts are saving big on energy efficiency programs, and a run down of family-friendly amenities at more than a dozen area resorts to make your family vacation that much easier.

Enjoy, and be on the lookout for more big snowstorms. March, after all, is known as Vermont’s snowiest month!

Angelo S. Lynn

Of big snows, guided treks, tough races & Olympic dreams

A racer trains at Cochran’s Ski Area under the lights on a winter’s night. Photo by Oliver Parini.


STOWE, VT. —Erin Egbert, a guide for Umiak Outfitters, trudges up Route 108 from the Stowe side of the Smuggler’s Notch Gap with an inflatable sled on her back. It is a spectacular, bluebird day in late January and the steep, windy and narrow road connecting Stowe and Jeffersonville is surprisingly busy with dog walkers, cross country skiers, and a pair of ice climbers checking their rack of gear before their ascent.

In winter, the access road is closed, cutting off the shortest link between Stowe and Jef-fersonville, and Stowe and Smuggler’s Notch resorts, even though they’re just a few miles apart. Instead, the twisting, switchbacked strip of pavement becomes a playground and Egbert and I are about to sled down it.

At the top of the gap, wind channels up the valley and whistles through the craggy boulder field where the road flattens briefly before steeply descending down the oither side. Egbert unclips the sled from her back and nudges it toward the first pitch of the slope with the toe of her boot. She double-checks her pack and adjusts her sunglasses. Then she flashes a smile as she buckles her helmet.

“Alright,” she says. “See you at the bottom.”I take off first with Egbert close on my heels.

The snow has been packed down by earlier trail-users into a dense base that makes for an exhilarating ride. It’s my own skill with the slick Hammerhead Sled I’m riding on that’s the problem. Roughly halfway down the steep, a sharp turn nearly bucks me off the sled; I recover but slide into the ditch. While stuck in the snow, Egbert flashes by me in a graceful, sweeping turn around the looming boulders on the roadside and zooms out of sight.

I remount but it takes a while to regain the speed I’d lost. By the time I get to the bottom, Egbert’s sitting on her sled with a thermos of hot Cold Hollow Cider and a selection of cheeses and crackers and beef jerky spread out on a spare sled.

“Want some lunch?” she asks.

MIXING IT UPSteve Brownlee, owner and co-founder of

Umiak Outfitters, says a variety of tours are necessary for any guiding service, especially in Vermont.

“When you work in Vermont, you have more than one job,” he explains. “Our econ-omy is small enough that we have to be diver-sified to be successful. There are places in the country where the need for diversification isn’t there because they have such a strong, year-round presence. But in a place like Ver-mont or Maine, people have to be diversified because our seasons are more concentrated.”

With that in mind, the Stowe-based outfit-ter has grown and expanded since he started the company 27 years ago when he split from what had been the Mad River Canoe Com-pany.

“Our passion then was canoeing and kayak-ing,” he says. “And we opened to be a Nordic ski shop in the winter. When Tubbs intro-

duced the first aluminum snowshoes, that’s when things really took off.”

Services offered by guides in Vermont have since gone well beyond snowshoeing and kayaking. In the winter, Umiak in Stowe and Clearwater Outfitters in Waitsfield offer full lines of tours, clinics and rentals as well as snowshoe walks and sledding adventures.

SNOWSHOES, CABINS AND FONDUESnowshoes are a terrific way for friends

and families to explore the outdoors in rec-reational and competitive capacities. Tours are available for families, couples and larger groups of friends.

Umiak offers a guided half-hour tour in the nature preserve behind the Ben & Jerry’s factory in Waterbury. Along the way, partici-pants learn about the natural history of the area. The snowshoeing is on easy terrain and finishes at the factory with a tour. For a more extended trip, Umiak also offers a nighttime trek through pine forests and wetlands to a secluded sugar shack in a stand of maples for a rest with a woodstove, Vermont cheeses,

smoked meats and spreads. Max Post, winter programs director for

Umiak, says the programs are on easy terrain and can appeal to people of varying fitness levels and ages.

“You could send a three-year-old out there and they’d have a blast,” he says. “Or, you could send a college couple who are really fit

too. They’re having fun and they’re also learn-ing a lot.”

Guides are also knowledgeable about Ver-mont’s natural history and can point out animal tracks or glacial moraines in the land-scape while en route to the final destination.

For the romantics, there’s also a moonlit snowshoe to the Stowehof Inn for a three-course fondue dinner featuring potato pan-cakes and beef bourguignon followed by

chocolate fondue with fresh fruit and pound cake. The tours feature Vermont products, includingStowe-based Laughing Moon Choc-olates, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Cabot Cheese and Vermont Smoke and Cure meats.

Clearwater Sportsin Waitsfield offers its own snowshoe outings of varying difficulties

in the Mad River Valley. For an evening in the snow, Clearwater Sports offers an outing in the woods of Waitsfield before dinner at the Lareau Farm Inn for a dinner featuring, among other fare, their famous flatbreads.

Longer snowshoe treks head through beech, hemlock and maple forests to a sugaring shack for a lesson in syrup production. For those looking for a more strenuous adventure, they guide up the nearby Lincoln Gap road (which is also closed in the winter) before a thrilling sled ride back down.

Even longer adventures include hikes along the spine of the Green Mountains on snow-shoes with sleds in tow. In Fayston, one trek travels up the Hedgehog Brook Trail over frozen rivers and through dense forests before ascending onto the Long Trail. Then, trekkers pass through the Lincoln Gap and climb to the summit Burnt Rock Mountain. Guides will also lead up the eastern flank of Mount Abra-ham as well as journey on the Catamount Trail to Sunset Ledge before riding sleds down the Lincoln Gap Road and back into Warren.

PERFORMANCE SLEDSFor an exhilarating downhill ride, the newer,

high performance sleds have come a long way since those flimsy plastic disks and wooden toboggans. Among the most popular tour offerings are those on Smugglers Notch and the Lincoln Gap roads, but tours are offered from one end of the state to the other.

The Hammerhead sleds are reminiscent of the wood and steel Fexible Flyers, but with front independent skis as runners and a 21st century design that makes them lighter, faster and more agile. Riders wear helmets, lie stom-ach down and fly headfirst downhill. The steering is sensitive and is done from a prone position by adjusting a crosspiece connected to the flexible rails to create surprisingly responsive turns.

At Clearwater Sports in Waitsfield, the hill for their sledding tours is the Lincoln Gap Road, featuring a steep pitch at the top and plenty of narrow, winding turns, and a few choice backcountry lines.

While Umiak prefers the Hammerhead sleds, the sled of choice at Clearwater Sports is the Mad River Rocket, designed by Sellers and Company in Warren. The Rocket is like a knee-board towed by a motorboat. Riders remain in

By EVAN JOHNSON

Guided adventures:Snowshoeing, sledding and mushing in Vt.

See Sledding on page 7

Umiak Outfitters guide Erin Egbert stands at the top of the Smugglers’ Notch Road. Umiak, along with others, offers performance sled tours at some of the access roads around the state closed in winter, includ-ing the Smgglers’ Notch Road and the Lincoln Gap Road.

Photos by Evan Johnson

Musher Rob Farley works to restrain a pair of excitable Siberian Huskies in Stowe. As the owner and operator of October Siberians, Farley offers rides at the Stoweflake Inn.


a kneeling position with the board strapped across their thighs. The sled features a nega-tive keel that packs a monorail shape into the snow, lending stability on wider turns without runners.

While the Hammerhead performs best on hardpack or even firmer conditions, the Rocket dominates in softer snow. Craig Rich-ardson, a guide at Clearwater, says the sensa-tion of riding these new sleds is like skiing on any powder day.

“It’s got a lot of curvature to it from the front to the back,” he says. “So it floats in deep snow really well and you use your whole body to control it. It’s kind of like powder skiing only you’re sledding on a kneeboard.”

DOGSLEDDINGDogsledding is another popular activity

with a longstanding tradition in Vermont. The Vermont Outdoor Guides Association (VOGA) lists a number of kennels around the state with tours and clinics of varying lengths. Some even run year-round with huskies pull-ing carts and scooters long after the snow is gone.

Musher Rob Farley, owner and operator of October Siberians has been managing his kennel in Hinesburg since he got his first husky in 1994. While working fulltime for the Vermont Department of Environmental Con-servation, his kennel has extended its lineage and has recently welcomed its fourth genera-tion.

“I didn’t know I was going to be a musher,” he says. “But I met a husky that I thought was great,” and he was hooked.

Mushers teach guests about the sport of

dog sledding as well as dog behavior and pack dynamics, while also allowing guests to spend some quality time with the dogs. Alaskan huskies are larger and more powerful, while Siberian varieties are smaller, a tribute to their hard-working lineage.

“The native people that bred these dogs wanted an animal that would work hard, but at the same time wouldn’t eat them out of house and home,” he says.

Farley has a kennel of 18 Siberians – boys and girls that he’s raised since pups.

“These guys are like classic cars,” he says, describing his kennel of 18. “They had their heyday and now they’re just fun to drive.”

And the dogs love to mush. As soon as Farley starts unloading them from their mobile kennel built onto the back of his truck, they bark until they’re in their harnesses, clipped into the sled and ready to go. The ride typically last 20 minutes, winding around gentle golf-course style terrain, starting and ending at a gazebo next to the Stoweflake Inn in Stowe. Farley also offers tours at Little River State park in Waterbury. In the future, he says, he hopes to offer overnight dogsled trips, staying at lean-tos and cabins in the area.

“It be great to organize something more than just a brief ride,” he says. “With these dogs, there’s a lot more to experience than in just 20 minutes.”

But whether it’s a dogsled ride in Stowe, an hour-long snowshoe up a gap for a thrill-ing sled-ride down, a snowcat or backcountry tour at Sugarbush, or any other guided treks, this take-away is worth noting: There is a lot going on at most of the state’s ski areas that offer terrific partial-day activities full of excite-ment for the entire family. Give a guide a call and discover for yourself.

Erin Egbert takes a break with her clients on the Notch Gap Road.

Sledding

SNOWSHOEING AND ALPINE GUIDES

Abenaki Outfitters & Guide ServiceChamplain ValleyCanoeing, Kayaking, Nature, Hiking, Snow-shoeingP.O. Box 283, Shoreham, VT 05770-0283

Adventure Spirit GuidesOperating throughout Vermont and the entire NortheastRock, ice and alpine expeditions in the Northeast

Bredeson Outdoor AdventuresStatewide and BeyondGuided, Self Guided, Back Country Cross Country Skiing, Snowshoeing, Inn to Inn595 Forrest Road; Bridport, VT 05734

Clearwater SportsCentral Vermont, Mad River ValleyWinter Gear & Clothing, Guided Mad River Rocketsled and Snowshoe Adventures &Tours4147 Main Street, Waitsfield, Vermont 05673

Country Inns Along the TrailSelf-guided and Guided inn-to-inn Cross Country Skiing, Snowshoeing52 Park Street, Brandon, Vermont 05733

Green Mountain Adventures & Middlebury MountaineerCentral VermontGear & Snowshoeing, Backcountry Skiing2 Park Street, Middlebury, VT 05753

Head North, LLCSouthern VermontAccommodations, Survival, Guided Snow-shoeing & Skiing, Yoga,P.O. Box 6 Plymouth, VT 05056

Kroka ExpeditionsSouthern VermontGuided, Winter Camping, Backcountry Skiing, Nordic Skiing, Snowshoeing767 Forest Road, Marlow, N.H., 03456

Petra Cliffs Mountaineering SchoolNorthern VermontGuided Alpine Mountaineering, Ice and Rock Climbing, Snowshoeing, Telemark, Downhill105 Briggs Burlington, VT 05401

Sugarbush Ski ResortWarren, VermontAccommodations, Backcountry guided and self-guided snowshoe, skiing and riding1840 Sugarbush Access Rd.,Warren VT 05674

The Woodstock NaturalistStatewideCustom nature programs and guided hikes featuring interactive training and lectures, nature writing, and special programs for corporate and professional retreats. 114 Evergreen Ct, Woodstock, VT. 05091

Umiak OutfittersCentral & Northern VermontKayaking, Canoeing, Snowshoeing, Sled Tours 849 S. Main Street, Stowe, Vt. 05672

Vermont Adventure ToursSouthern, Central VermontOrienteering, Mountain Biking, Mountain-eering, Winter Camping, Women's Chal-lenges, Youth Programs223 Woodstock Avenue, Rutland, VT. 05701

Wonder WalksGuided and self-guided walks in Vermont, the Adirondacks, Berkshires, Finger Lakes Region, North Carolina, California’s northern coast and Hawaii’s big island. Inn-to-innsnow-shoeing, multiple-day tours or day outings.2619 Monkton Rd., Bristol, VT 05443

DOGSLEDDING

Eden Dogsledding & Dogsledding-On-WheelsNortheast KingdomYear-round touring on groomed trails for all ages in the Eden snow-belt.390 Square Road, Eden Mills, VT. 05653

October Siberians Sled Dog AdventuresCentral VermontOperating sledding tours with Siberian hus-kies in Hinesburg and Stowe, Vermont. 1088 Texas Hill Hinesburg VT. 05461

Peace Pups DogsleddingNorthern VermontDog sledding, fall dog carting, dog scooter lessons, skijor lessonsand School Presenta-tionsP.O. Box 165 Lake Elmore, VT. 05657

Snowshoeing and Alpine Guides

Provided by the Vermont Outdoor Guides Association

A T L A R E A U F A R M

Lodging & lift ticket packages available• Hearty farmhouse breakfast included • On the Mad River, in the heart of The • Green MountainsMinutes from Mad River Glen & • SugarbushHome of American Flatbread• Pets can be accommodated • Great rates from $85 to $135•

ph: (802) 496-4949/www.lareaufarminn.com

• On the Mad River, in the heart of the Green Mountains

• Minutes from Mad River Glen & Sugarbush

• Home of American F la tbread• Hearty farmhouse breakfast included

• Children & pets can be accomodated

• Great rates from $90 to $135A T L A R E A U F A R M


Valentine’s Daysnow storm dumps20 to 30 inches!

After a dry spell in January, winter has rebounded in a big way. In mid-February, snowstorms dropped several inches before the state was hit by a Valentine’s storm that dumped more than 20 inches over much of the state, and topping 30 inches in some spots. As of Valentine’s Day (just in time for President’s Day weekend), resorts in northern, central and southern Vermont were reporting fully accessible terrain and superb conditions.

Here are some of those snowfall totals as compiled by the Vermont Ski Areas Association, which also promise great skiing right into the spring!

Bolton Valley, 23 inches in six days; Bromley Mountain, 26 inches in a week; Jay Peak Resort, 16 – 22 inches in six days; Killington Resort, 29 inches in a week; Mad River Glen, 22 – 27 inches in six days; Magic Mountain, 23 – 25 inches in 72 hours; Middlebury College Snow Bowl, 20 inches in 72 hours; Mount Snow Resort, 31 inches in a week; Okemo Mountain Resort, 23 – 24 inches in 72 hours; Pico Mountain, 29 inches in a week; Q Burke Mountain Resort, 15 inches in four days; Quechee Ski Area, 20 inches in three days; Smugglers’ Notch Resort, 23 inches in four days; Stowe Mountain Resort, 22 inches in a week; Stratton Mountain Resort, 25 inches in six days; Sugarbush Resort, 32 inches in 72 hours; Suicide Six Ski Area, 25 inches in four days.

Photos by Brian Mohr/ Ember Photography

PA G E 1 0 V E R M O N T S K I A N D R I D E M A G A Z I N E , F E B R U A RY / M A R C H

This event takes a page from Mad River Glen’s famous tagline, Ski It If You Can! It has become one of New England’s premier backcountry skiing events and it deserves the tough reputation, but it’s definitely something that most average skiers in good shape can handle, so don’t be afraid to give it a shot. The Camel’s Hump Challenge (CHC) is a high country traverse around the perimeter of Camel’s Hump (4083’) — the third highest peak in Vermont.

Dr. Warren Beeken, the founder and organizer who passed away in 2003, conceived the CHC as a fundraiser for the Vermont Alzheim-

er’s Association, and the event continues to raise money for support and educational programs of that organization.

Check it out, sign up and support a great cause on a great cruise around this iconic peak. To

sign up, go to http://act.alz.org/

When: February 23Where: Camel’s Hump Skiers

Association Center, Huntington, Vt.

Camel’s Hump Challenge

One of the biggest and best Randonnee races in North America is right here in the Mad River Valley. This race starts at the base of Mad River Glen, climbs to the top, traverses the Long Trail to Sugarbush’s Mount Ellen, descends into Slide Brook, climbs into the Lincoln Peak area and finishes at Valley House lodge. It’s tough and requires a fist full of stamina, but features gorgeous scenery and terrain throughout!

All proceeds benefit the Green Mountain Club. Don’t forget to pack a helmet and avalanche beacon (recommended

but not required). Awards will be held in the Wun-derbar at Sugarbush resort. For more info or

to register go to https://www.madriv-e r g l e n . c o m / e v e n t s

When: February 23Where: Mad River Glen to Lincoln Peak

MRV Ski Mountaineering Race

The first leg of Mad River’s Triple Crown Competition Series, the Unconventional Terrain Com-petition, is the East’s original extreme ski competition. The event is a grueling test of a skier’s

ability to conquer what can be tough line down the hill. Judging for the event is based on smooth-ness, creativity, turn quality, and difficulty of line. “The Triple Crown, and the Unconventional Ter-rain Competition in particular, seem to attract the best skiers from all over,” says Mad River Glen marketing director, Eric Friedman. The event has developed a reputation for the wildest ski competi-tion you’ll likely see at a ski resort, and that’s how they like it. Come to MRG and enjoy the show!

Triple Crown Vertical Challenge, February 28This second leg of the Triple Crowd challenges competitors to ski as many runs as they can in one day, on Mad River’s famous Single Chair. To make things even tougher, the competitors are

required to ski directly under the chair, a route that cascades down Chute and Lift Line, two of Mad River Glen’s most difficult trails. It’s a test of speed, skill, agility and stamina. Takers?

Mogul Challenge, March 22 The final leg of the Triple Crown is the Mogul Challenge set for March 22, also

at MRG. It’s wild and woolly and worth the hooting and hollering that goes on throughout the day. The cost is $20 if preregistered per

event, $25 the day of each event, or $50 for all three Triple Crown Events. For more info or to register, go to

http://madriverglen.com/visit/event-c a l e n d a r .

When: Feb. 22, Feb. 28, March 22Where: Mad River Glen, Fayston

Mad River Glen Triple Crown Challenge

This event is in a league all its own. The historic tale of how the race got started is compelling, the spills on the downhill are mesmerizing, and

the challenge offers a true test of one’s overall skiing ability and stamina. Hundreds show up each year to ski through 20km of challenging terrain, racing down Mt. Mansfield’s Toll Road on Nordic skis and along the entire length of the Stowe Recreation Path before reaching the finish in

the village. If you don’t know, the course has a vertical drop of more than 2,600 feet. The winners will complete the course in under 45

minutes, while recreational skiers can take a couple of hours to go the same distance. And if you’re really good, they have

a division all your own: You can do it twice, once in classic style and again in skate skis. To sign up,

go to http://www.stowederby.com

When: Feb. 23Where: Starts at the top of Stowe Mountain Resort, ends in Stowe

Stowe Derby

The USTSA National Championships is the premier telemark ski event in the country, bringing at least 36 elite U.S. men’s and wom-

en’s team members from all across the country to the two-day competition. A lot of other talented tele-skiers of all classes,

including the citizen’s class, will field between 50 and 80 racers each. The overall winners will be crowned

National Champions on Friday evening. For more information, go to http://

w w w. u s t s a . o r g /

When: February 27 – 28Where: Bromley Mountain Resort

United States Telemark Ski

Association’s (USTSA) National Championships

12 Events to Test Your Mettle

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V E R M O N T S K I A N D R I D E M A G A Z I N E , F E B R U A RY / M A R C H PA G E 1 1

When: Feb. 23Where: Starts at the top of Stowe Mountain Resort, ends in Stowe

With a course that takes participants through the snowy mountain ter-rain of western Vermont, the Peak Snowshoe Marathon, Half Mara-thon and 6-Mile Race stands out for the difficulty of the conditions and the terrain. The opening portion of the race presents a daunt-

ing 200-yard dash through three feet of pure, unbroken snow, followed by 13 miles of trails that climb more than 2,000 feet

in elevation on the way toward the peak of South Moun-tain, the race’s high point. For the full marathon,

the course remains open for nine hours. For more info go to http://www.peak-

races.com/snowshoe/

When: March 1Where: The Amee Farm, Pittsfield

Peak Races, Snowshoe

Marathon/Half Marathon Stratton Mountain and The Washed Up Cup bring you The Vermont Open with over $20,000 in prize money. The event supports the Ross Powers Foundation/Level Fund. For one weekend, snowboarders of all pedigrees come together to ride, compete, party and enjoy the snow. It’s a highlight

of the season that’s not to be missed. The competition is open to all snowboarders and designed for ama-

teurs, juniors, pros and snowboarding’s leg-ends to compete in the same arena. For

more info go to www.runsignup.com.

When: March 7-9Where: Stratton Mountain Resort

Vermont Open

The second annual Carinthia Open Mega Plaza. Park builders will construct a one-of-a-kind, plaza-style setup

with rails, boxes and other features that won’t be found at any other competition statewide. Athletes compete for gear from event sponsors or a piece of the cash purse. This is the second year of the event that Mount Snow expects to

grow into the biggest snowboard competition on the East Coast. The plaza will be located near the base

area of Carinthia, easily accessible to specta-tors. For more info or to register go to

http://carinthiaparks.com/

When: March 8 Where: Mount Snow Resort

The COMP

The Jay Peak Rando is taking one large step forward this winter. USSMA has sanctioned the course as a Category II, which means the course

will feature 4,000-feet of climbing, with five to ten transitions, 50 percent off-piste slopes, and a winning time of under three

hours. The 2014 course will also have two boot packs, along with multiple bump and off-piste climbs/descents. This

one’s not for the faint of heart. For more info or to register, contact Bryan Smith at Jay Peak

at [email protected].

When: March 8 – 9Where: Jay Peak Resort

Jay Peak Rando & Snow Leopard

Challenge Sponsored by Dynafit

Help raise money for the Catamount Ski Club’s youth program by skiing, Nordic or backcountry, from Bolton to Trapps on a classic section of the Catamount Trail. A shuttle to the start will be available in the morning and from Bolton in the

afternoon. At the end of the day participants will cele-brate a great day on the trail with music, food and

refreshments. For more info and to register go to www.catamounttrail.org or con-

tact [email protected].

When: March 9Where: Start at Trapp Family Lodge

in Stowe, finish at Bolton Valley Resort

Bolton to Trapps Tour

The annual competition will heat up on Saturday as 200 amateur bumpers take to the slopes of Outer Limits to battle for a place in the finals. The top 32 men and 16 women will return on Sunday to compete in a head-to-head competition for the mogul challenge cup. This is an amateur

event - no USSA members or anyone who has been a member of USSA as a competitor in the past five years will be allowed to race.

The event begins Saturday morning April 5 to pick up competition bibs. Competition lasts all weekend,

ending with live music on Saturday and Sunday. To register go to http://

www.killington.com/

When: April 5 - 6Where: Killington Resort

Bud Light Bear Mountain

Mogul ChallengeOpen to USSA licensed racers ages 10 and up, this

race attracts some of the best talent in the East.The Stowe Sugar Slalom is one of the most recognized amateur alpine races in the East. The two-day event can attract over 1,000 avid racers and up to 600 spectators. All participants are invited to dress up in costumes best representing our theme, a Spring Celebration. Origi-nating as a celebration of the arrival of Spring and the tapping of

maple trees, the Sugar Slalom is held in a Mardi Gras atmo-sphere complete with music, barbecue on the hill, fantastic

ski racing and festive costumes. To top it all, the race also features a unique Vermont treat, maple syrup

on snow, donuts and pickles at the finish! For more info, go to http://www.

teammmsc.org/

When: April 5 - 6Where: Stowe Mountain Resort

Sugar on Snow ski races at Stowe

6 7

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STRATTON, VT. — Imagine three days of skiing on skis that nobody else will touch until next October. It’s a special kind of a feeling that only a handful of people get to experience and two weeks ago, at Stratton Mountain Ski Resort, I was one of them.

Every winter, industry representatives and shop employees from all over the Northeast gather to test the equipment they’ll be selling next year. With press credentials around my neck, I was more than willing to dive in to ski the latest innovations.

On the morning of February 4, I hiked from Stratton’s parking lot with a heavy backpack and skis and was lost in the crowd of ski testers, industry reps and vendors.The scene was over-whelming. The entire slope in front of the gondola and Ameri-can Express lift had been turned into a tent city clustered with trucks and vans. Various banners and flags blew in the wind and the sun off of the snow was blinding.

The event was presented by Eastern Winter Sports Reps Association and New England Winter Sports Reps Association, of which 106 shops with 885 employees were preregistered for the three-day event. There were 115 vans (55 for skis, 36 snow-boards, 24 accessories vans with helmets and goggles), and 40 booths (27 for skis, 10 for snowboards, and three for boot fit-ting) representing over 100 companies.

As a rookie at these events, I asked the nearest brand rep just-what was going on.

“For hard goods, this is the single most important event of the year,” Kelly O’Flaherty at the Giro Helmets and Goggles tent told me. “The whole idea is to try it before you buy.”

Sounded good. I decided to talk with some of the people doing the actual trying before buying and wound up meeting Tyler Burak, an employee at East Coast Alpine in Danvers and Boston, Mass., who was ready to demo a glossy new pair of Ros-signols. Burak has been working in the ski industry for eleven years and this was his third year at the on-snow demo with East Coast Alpine.

As we skated towards the gondola to meet some buddies of his from the Smith Optics crew, he told me he had high hopes for the skis on his feet and shared some of his observations on new ski technology.

In the progression of ski design and shape, Burak said he’s watched the shape of skis move in a direction somewhat opposite to what it had been – away from the shaped skis and towards a straighter – but not necessarily narrower shape. He said wider skis are gradually becoming more flexible, making them easier for lighter or smaller skiers.

“Unless someone’s 170 or 180 pounds, there are some skis I wouldn’t put them on because they’d get thrown. It’d be just too much ski for them,” he said. “These skis (fat skis in general) are becoming more friendly for skinny people like me.”

At the top of the gondola, before we took the day’s first run, I asked him how important these events are in planning for next season at his shop. His answer was candid:

“When the customer asks what I think of them, I have to know and be able to tell them honestly,” he said.

It’s hard to not be happy when the latest and greatest is right there for you to try a year before the rest of the country. In a previous interview, Steven Cohen, of Masterfit Inc., described the experience as “like a kid in a candy shop,” but in all serious-ness, it’s an important three days for retailers and reps alike. In an industry that works well in advance of the next season, decisions made by the testers of each individual shop will have lasting effects in the months to come.

It seemed like every shop was looking for something differ-ent.

Steve Cody manages the rental shop at Windham (N.Y.) Mountain and relies on a handful of brands to create a depend-able line-up. The brands he prefers give him a starting point for his testing, but he said that doesn’t necessarily make the task any easier.

“I know what I like to ski,” he said. “But it’s tough to find something that I can trust and that I think customers will trust as well.”

Meanwhile, Frankie Palacone and Tyler Breuer were looking for next year’s skis and equipment for their four shops on Long Island. They told me finding the right skis that appeal to their customer base is becoming more of a challenge and that get-ting the right gear into their shops early season was key to sales. As a result, Palacone said they had to move faster and work harder to get the goods on the floor. On Tuesday and Wednes-

day, he was among the first to arrive. Fortunately, the weather cooperated. On Tuesday it was

hardpack and clear; on Wednesday it dumped snow all over the state, and Thursday was a bluebird special.

“This is the best possible situation,” said Ryan Cook on Thurs-day morning, skiing for Paul’s Sportswear & Ski Shop in Salis-bury, Mass. “To go from a bluebird day to a powder day back to blue sky with even more snow gives you the best possible sense of what these skis and boards are going to do.”

While I admit I’ve never worked in a ski shop, I’d like to think my experience as a ski instructor and 21 years on skis (I started at 2) allows me to know a little bit about quality skis when I click into the bindings.

In three days, I sampled some great pairs of skis from both major manufacturers — including Atomic, Volkl, K2 and Line — as well as smaller brands, such as Liberty and Icelantic. All performed amazingly. Every pair was in factory condition, per-fectly tuned and gave as true a performance as intended by the designers.

Many of the skis I tried, which were updates to existing models, are in production and getting ready for summer dis-tribution. Next season, skiers can expect upgrades to popular skis like the Volkl Mantra or the K2 Rictor. Common updates include increased torsional flex, reduced weight, more rocker versus camber and, of course, new graphics.

For the retail reps, such events equate to long and busy days. Geoff Bruce is a sales rep for skateboard companies Matix,

Globe and Dwindle in his territory of New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland. He also owns a headwear company called Pukka and a line of men’s underwear called Brass that’s earned the endorsement of rap superstar Snoop Dogg. To get one of the biggest names in the music industry to endorse your brand takes some serious legwork and Bruce is one guy who’s willing to go that extra mile. As a result, he spends lots of time on the road, traveling to Atlantic City, Orlando and Denver, depending on the sport and the season. And he said he was ready for a break.

“I try and stay with companies that are all independent that don’t have a sales staff of their own,” he said. “So they have a hired gun come in and do it for them, and that’s me. That’s why I work with a lot of cool midsize companies.”

No matter the size of the companies or the retailers inspect-ing the goods, the reaction to the scene was positive.

David Nihun was working as a rep at the Icelantic tent, which is a small independent company making all-mountain skis. He also works at a shop in Portsmouth, N.H., giving him experi-ence as both the industry rep and the guy on the floor selling the goods.

“People are always coming into our shop and asking who’s got the best skis,” he said, while adjusting the bindings for my boots with a cordless drill. “I tell them that these days, every-one’s got good skis. You can’t lose.”

Ten minutes later I was ripping through fresh powder with those Icelantics underfoot and let out a few hoots and hollers. I think the guy might have a point.

A day spent testing skis and gear at the annual trade showBy EVAN JOHNSON

More than 100 vendors packed the base area of Stratton Mountain Resort at the NEWSRA/EWSRA on-snow demo in early February.

Justin Charrier, Ryan Cook and Katie Cook, of Paul’s Sportswear & Ski Shop in Salisbury, Mass., were among the hundreds of ski industry professionals testing next year’s gear.



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BY POLLY LYNNAt the 2010 Winter Olympics in Van-

couver, the United States set a record for most total medals of any country at a single Winter Olympics with 37 medals. This year the United States sent a record 230 ath-letes to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and the results have been strong, thus far.

Where do all these extraodianry athletes come from? California and New York are always good guesses, as they are the two most populated states. But per capita, it is Vermont who leads the way. According to Business Insider, the Green Mountain State tops that chart with one out of every 48,000 people that live in Vermont on Team USA. New Hampshire comes in second, with one out of every 147,000 people on the U.S. team.

This year, Vermont has 16 athletes com-peting at Sochi. That is the sixth-most Olympians sent from any state, regardless of size. Here is a recap of the athletes and their standings mid-way through the games.

(The games started Feb. 6 and close Feb. 23. For more info, final results and live feeds from the athletes, visit our on-going timeline at www.vtskiandride.com.)

1) Devin LoganWomen’s Freeskiing Slopestyle2014 Results: SILVERHome mountain: Mount SnowVermont home: West DoverAge: 20Olympic Experience: First OlympicsRoad to Sochi: Logan’s professional

career began in 2011 at the age of 17 when she was the only female to compete in both superpipe and slopestyle at the Winter X Games. That year, as a rookie, she earned the Association of Freeskiing Professionals (AFP) Overall World Championship. She won the same title again in 2012. A native of West Dover, she grew up skiing at Mount Snow and trained in the Mount Snow Acad-emy program. She is currently enrolled at Westminster College in Salt Lake City.

2) Hannah KearneyWomen’s Freestyle Moguls2014 Results: BRONZEHome mountain: Waterville Valley Resort

(NH)Vermont home: NorwichAge: 27Olympic Experience: Competed in 2006,

won Gold 2010Road to Sochi: Kearney is a two-time

World Cup champion and two-time overall World Cup winner.

A member of Dartmouth College Class of 2015, Kearney had hoped to become the first woman to win back-to-back Olympic gold in moguls. Kearney posted a record-breaking winning streak from 2011-2012, where she notched 16 consecutive victories, eclipsed Alpine legend Ingemar Stenmark’s

record for the longest FIS World Cup win streak in all disciplines.

3) Kelly ClarkWomen’s Halfpipe2014 Results: BRONZEHome mountain: Mount SnowVermont home: West DoverAge: 30Olympic Experience: Won Gold in 2002,

Competed 2006, Bronze 2010Road to Sochi: Clark is a 5-time gold

medalist in the Winter X Games. She is the most decorated snowboarder with more top-three finishes (67 wins and 109 podiums) than any snowboarder, male or female, in history.

4) Hannah TeterWomen’s Halfpipe2014 Results: 4th PLACEHome mountain: OkemoVermont Home: BelmontAge: 26Olympic Experience: Won Gold 2006,

and Silver 2010Road to Sochi: Teter is a 6-time World

Cup winner, won bronze in the 2005 FIS World Championships and was a gold med-alist in the 2003 Winter X Games. Teter is the youngest of five siblings who learned the sport at Okemo. Two of her brothers also competed for the U.S. Snowboard team.

5) Sophie CaldwellWomen’s Nordic Cross-Country2014 Results: 6th Place in Women’s Free

Sprint, 32nd Place in Women’s 10k ClassicVermont home: PeruAge: 23Olympic Experience: First OlympicsRoad to Sochi: Born in Rutland, Vt.,

Caldwell placed 20th in the individual sprint at the 2013 World Championships. She was a five-time All-American at Dart-mouth. Caldwell’s uncle and grandfather were both Olympic skiers.

6) Liz StephenWomen’s Nordic Cross-Country2014 Results: 12th Place in the women’s

7.5k skiathlonVermont mountain: Burke MountainVermont home: East MontpelierAge: 27Olympic Experience: Competed 2010Road to Sochi: Stephen’s earned 15th in

the 2013 World Cup distance standings and was 4th in the 4x5 km relay and 5th in the 10km freestyle at that year’s World Cham-pionships. After switching from alpine to Nordic mid-way through her high school years at Burke Mountain Academy, Stephen won her first U.S. championship at age 19.

7) Ty WalkerWomen’s Snowboard Slopestyle2014 Results: 14th Place

Vermonters and those athletes with ties here continue to excel in Sochi


Dan Egan, known throughout the ski world as one of the best extreme skiers of all time, and who now leads backcountry clinics for Killington Resort, has been in Sochi as a commenta-tor for Boston.com, where he has a weekly blog and radio show.

Egan has been at the forefront of the extreme-sports scene since the mid-1980s and has led adventure trips from the Alps to the Arctic. One of his companies, Skiclinics.com, runs camps and clinics across North and South America and Europe. Another company, Degan Media, a consulting, marketing and production company, leverages his 25 years of experience in the action-sports industry.

As a producer, his programs have run nationally via broad-cast and cable syndication. Corporations, universities and schools around North America have also hired him as a moti-vational speaker over the last decade.

Egan began commentating in 1996, and also hosts sports shows for NESN. He has been on television and radio since then and currently is a reporter on Extreme Sports for Boston.com.

This is Egan’s third Olympics commentating gig — he cov-ered Vancouver (2010) for Sprint, and the 2012 Summer Olym-pics in London for Sperry Shoes. With his diverse background, we asked Egan if he would share a few thoughts on the Sochi Olympics games.

S&R: What events have you been covering? DE: My assignment has been all snow sports, so I’m based at

the Mountain Cluster at Sochi.

S&R: What do you look for when covering an event? DE: I like the personalities that work at and participate in the

Olympics. Interviewing people who are “peak performers” is always educational and motivational. I like to see what drives people to reach the top of their sport.

S&R: How long are you there? DE: I left the states on January 31 and will be back on the

24th of February. So long enough to miss the great USA and also long enough to settle into the Olympic vibe.

S&R: How is Sochi as an Olympic venue? DE: Well, this is my second trip to Sochi. I

came over in 2010 when I was a finalist to be the general manager at the resort holding the games. It is amazing to see how the whole city has been transformed in such a short time. The Olympic movement is a powerful one and it is a transformative one as well. The Olympics leave an impression on those who view it, those who experience it, and the places that host it.

S&R: What insights can you offer readers on the significance of the games — for the athletes, for the U.S., for the world?

DE: The Olympics always bring the spotlight to the smaller sports — Nordic, bob sled, luge, and skeleton. These sports shine at the games and they bring out some amazing stories from all over the world. I am going to cover the South African and Thailand skiers, one in skier cross and one in GS.

S&R: Can you give us insights as to why you personally like to attend the Olympics?

DE: I have been associated with Olympians for a long time, and now covering the Olympics you really start to understand what it’s all about.

The athletes always talk about the dedication it takes to get to the Games and it does, it takes a lot of focus. The qualifying process for the Games is brutal and long.

Attending the Olympics is special because it’s about national pride, and it’s my country against yours competing in sport. The essence of that is good-hearted, friendly competition and above all it’s fun.

The Olympic movement brings together people of all nations from all economic situations and fosters communication, rela-

tionships and experiences that transcend even our electronic culture — and that’s a good thing.

S&R: Can you share any insights from your observations about the Olympians as people?

DE: There are two questions I always ask Olympians. One is, “What would a medal mean to you?” The common answer is “Everything!”My follow-up is always, “Can you define everything?” That is when the conversation turns interesting because

now they have to think about their past, where they came from, who helped them, and how they got to the Olympics. Olympians are not made by themselves. It’s their parents, their coaches, their mentors and the people surrounding them who create, shape and define them.

When the athlete appreciates that, it is usually a special moment in time.

Readers can follow Dan Eagan’s travels and thoughts at www.boston.com; Sugarbush’s two-time Olympian Doug Lewis is also covering alpine racing at the Olympics for NBC Universal radio and Westwood One.

An inside view of the Sochi Olympics from Killington’s Dan EganBy KAREN D. LORENTZ

Home town and mountain: StoweAge: 16Olympic Experience: First OlympicsRoad to Sochi: Walker was ranked 16th

overall in 2012 and 10th overall in 2013 in the World Snowboard tour rankings. Grow-ing up in Long Island, N.Y., the Walker family would spend most winter weekends at their second home in Stowe. Ty was identified as a rising star before she was 10-years-old.

8) Susan DunkleeWomen’s Nordic Biatholon2014 Results: 14th Place in 7.5km sprint,

18th Place in 10k Pursuit, 34th Place in 15k Individual

Vermont home: BartonAge: 27Olympic Experience: First OlympicsRoad to Sochi: Dunklee placed 5th in the

2012 World Championship individual race. After graduating from St. Johnsbury Acad-emy, Dunklee helped Dartmouth win its first NCAA ski championship in 31 years in 2010; she then switched from cross-country to biathlon. Her father, Stan, was a two-time Olympian in cross-country.

9) Andy NewellMen’s Nordic Cross-Country

2014 Results: 18th Place in Men’s Free Sprint

Vermont mountain: StrattonVermont Home: ShaftsburyAge: 30Olympic Experience: Competed 2006,

Competed 2010Road to Sochi: Newell has competed in

World Championships six times and had six top-10 finishes in 2013. Had the first U.S. cross country World Cup podium race in two decades in 2006.

10) Ida SargentWomen’s Nordic Cross-Country2014 Results: 19th Place in Women’s Free

Sprint, 34th Place in Women’s 10k ClassicVermont Home: OrleansAge: 26Olympic Experience: First OlympicsRoad to Sochi: Sargent has had five top-5

World Cup finishes in 2013. Placed 25th in the 30km classical race at the 2013 World Championships. Sargent was an All-Amer-ican at Dartmouth.

11) Hannah DreissigackerWomen’s Nordic Biatholon2014 Results: 23rd Place in 15k Individ-

ual, 65th Place in 7.5km sprintVermont home: Morrisville

Age: 27Olympic Experience: First OlympicsRoad to Sochi: Placed 56th in individual

and 71st in sprint at the 2013 World Cham-pionships. A People’s Academy graduate, Dreissigacker was a Dartmouth teammate of Susan Dunklee and Sophie Caldwell. Her parents were both Olympic rowers and own the Craftsbury Outdoor Center.

RESULTS TBA

12) Mikaela SchriffenWomen’s Alpine, giant slalom and slalom2014 Results: NA (GS, Feb. 18. Slalom,

Feb. 21.)Home mountain: Burke MountainHome town: Eagle-Vail, CO Age: 18Olympic Experience: First OlympicsRoad to Sochi: Schriffen became the

youngest women’s slalom world champion in 2013 and has already won seven World Cup events and finished in the top three 14 times in two years.

She emphasized training over racing earlier in her career, which was molded at Burke Mountain Academy. She won the 2013 World Championship title for slalom and also captured the season-long World Cup slalom title last winter. She brought

home the 2011 and 2012 US championship slalom titles before her 18th birthday and is considered a rising star on the Alpine team.

13) Nolan KasperMen’s Alpine, Men’s slalom2014 Results: NA (Slalom, Feb. 22)Home mountain: Burke MountainVermont Home: WarrenAge: 24Olympic Experience: Competed 2010Road to Sochi: Kasper had a second-place

World Cup slalom finish in 2011 and five top-10 WC races.

He is a graduate of Burke Mountain Acad-emy and attends Dartmouth in the off-sea-son. He rose to the World Cup level in time for the 2010 Olympic season, resulting in a slalom finish of 24th in Vancouver. Hip sur-gery and subsequent tearing of his ACL and meniscus in 2012 did not deter his determi-nation, and the slalom specialist who now calls Warren, Vt., home is eager to excel at Sochi.

14) Alex DieboldMen’s Snowboardcross2014 Results: NA (Snowboard cross, Feb.

17.)Home mountain: Stratton

Vermont Olympians...

(See VT. Olympians on Page 32)


Brews, spirits & winesThe local’s guide to AprésBy Katie Nichols

Maple syrup, ski resorts, craft beer, artisan cheeses, cows – all common thoughts when you say Vermont. What about craft distill-eries? Everyone covets the hand-made, locally crafted, ‘from me to you’ concept these days, especially in Vermont and why not extend it to whiskeys, vodkas, and other spirits that people have a taste for?

Bluebird conditions always make us happy in Vermont., even when its freezing, at least the sun is there to shine on our faces. Those picture perfect ski days, (hopefully not bullet-proof) deserve the right cocktail to celebrate because lets face it...we aren’t in Colorado with 300 days of sunlight. Bring on the Sunshine. Green Mountain Distillers have been around since 2002 producing vodka, gin and delicious maple liqueur all with 100% certified organic grain. Not only are they crafted meticulously but are then distilled six times producing pure high quality spirits. Celebrate your perfect day with a perfect dose of Vermont known as the Sunshine Mapletini; Sunshine Vodka, Green Mountain Organic Maple Liqueur, and a little Maple Sugar for pizzazz! If the –tinis aren’t your style, try adding a splash of bubbles with a Sunshine Turbosa; Sunshine Vodka, Cham-pagne, Orange Liqueur, and Orange Juice.

In the wave of new distillers, Smugglers’ Notch Distillery from Jeffersonville, VT is coming in hot! A father and son team are pro-ducing it all with award-winning Vodka, true

distilled Gin, single-barrel extra aged amber Rum and a new straight Bourbon Whiskey. Select any of these for your Après cocktails and you can’t go wrong. When you ski in Ver-mont you always will endure the days of brutal winds and crippling cold. Nothing like a bit of Bourbon to thaw you out....and even better a hot toddie to melt the icicles dangling from your nose. Try this favorite known as ‘End of Time’ from Prohibition Pig; 2 oz. Bourbon, 0.5 ounces of Maple Syrup, 0.25 oz. Apple Cider Vinegar, 3 dashes of Pechaud’s bitters, 6.5 oz. hot water, star anise, and flamed orange peel. Maybe now you’ll enjoy tea-time!

Now whether you’re celebrating your awe-some day or trying to thaw out your toes, everyone loves a fun new drink. Sometimes you just need a little extra to jazz up your favorite cocktails. Caledonia Spirits, while known for their incredible Barr Hill Gin and Vodka, also produce the Elderberry Cordial- a great addition to cocktails or your glass of bubbly! Other great mixers-- Eden Ice Cider, Eden Ice Orleans, Green Mountain Distillers Maple Liqueur, etc.

Après or not, these locally crafted spirits are worth the taste. Just ask your bartender...maybe they have another specialty cocktail for your après needs as well!

STOWE, VT. — The parties in a long-standing lawsuit disputing the amount of condominium and hotel service fees charged by Stowe Mountain Lodge have tentatively reached an agreement. Offi-cials of Spruce Peak Realty, LLC and Stowe Mountain Lodge, LLC, which are affiliates of Stowe Mountain Resort, along with a group of owners of 40 condominium units at

Stowe Mountain Lodge, announced on Feb. 13 that they have reached an agreement in principle as to the terms of a settlement resolving a putative class action lawsuit alleging that condominium and hotel ser-vice fees are much higher than anticipated by owners at the time of purchase at Stowe Mountain Lodge.

Stowe Mountain Resort Reaches Settlement With Condominium Owners

See Settlement on page 26

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STOWE – In order to meet the demands of a rapidly grow-ing slope side community, Stowe Mountain Resort and Spruce Peak Realty will begin construction of facilities this spring to expand family amenities and services at the Spruce Peak site.

Several new facilities will be built around a new ice rink that will double as a community plaza and green in the summer. These amenities will include a new state-of-the-art children’s Adventure Center with ski/ride school, year-round daycare facilities, and a children’s activities center.

A new adult-friendly Stowe Mountain Club Alpine Club-house will also be part of the expansion, accompanied by more retail shops, restaurants, food markets and a parking garage for club members. The new facilities will replace exist-ing buildings that were temporary since the nearly $500 mil-lion Spruce Peak expansion was launched almost a decade ago. Preliminary costs for the new project are estimated to be around $80 million.

“As with everything we do at Stowe Mountain Resort, this new phase will adhere to the development principals that guide the resort and Spruce Peak Realty; commitment to family, community, the environment, and the legacy and tra-ditions of Stowe,” said Sam Gaines, VP of Spruce Peak Realty, at a media gathering Saturday, Jan. 25 at the Spruce Peak Club House. “It’s a collective vision that will serve our families for years to come and will ultimately be a preeminent part of the Stowe legacy.”

In brief comments introducing the project, Spruce Peak Lodge president Robert McEleney said the project would start later this spring, proceed through next winter and, if things go as planned, be ready for occupancy before the 2015-16 ski season.

And that’s not all. In comments after the press conference, Communications Director Michael Colburn said resort offi-cials would announce later this spring plans for more non-winter activities at the resort, including the construction of a zip line that would start at the top of the gondola and proceed

down the mountain in a few segments.Resort officials also stressed their desire to keep the proj-

ects “green,” noting they would tap into geothermal heat for part of the new development. Stowe Mountain resort is one of only four “sustainable communities” recognized by Audubon International.

While the resort has not yet selected a general contractor, Gaines said he was not anticipating any problems or delays because the project was part of the company’s approved master plan.

“It’s a fluid process,” Gaines told the Stowe Reporter in a Jan. 22 story. “We’re fortunate in Vermont. You can talk with the local people in advance of projects to get advice on how to navigate the permit process.”

The look of the new building, according to the Reporter, “will blend old and new styles and tie into nature motifs. It will be congruous with other buildings in the area, like the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center and the base lodge. The buildings that house the existing Adventure Center and Alpine Club are intentionally rudimentary, with designers knowing they were only temporary.

“The new Adventure Center will have two levels. The con-nected Alpine Club will be taller and harken to the local forest, with a pinecone inspired shape.”

The Reporter also noted there would be “a smaller structure at the base of the small ice rink to serve as a shelter where people can lace up their skates, inspired by the old Civilian Conservation Corps buildings.”

Stowe Resort & Spruce Peak Realty to build new facilities

An architectural drawing of the proposed Stowe Mountain Club Alpine Clubhouse sports an ice skating rink in the center courtyard.

Construction on the new facility will begin in the spring of 2014 and be ready for occupancy before the 2015-16 ski season.


VBA and Vermont Grape & Wine Council initiate Passport programs for guests who visit Vermont’s breweries and wineries.

If you’re a lover of micro-

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Breweries & Wineries

brews and wines, the Vermont Brewers Association and Vermont Wine and Grape Council have developed Vermont

Passport Challenge prgrams for guests who

visit breweries and wineries in the state.

Those who visit four breweries, get a “Drink Vermont

Beer” bottle opener; those who visit 10 breweries earn a “Drink Vermont Beer” t-shirt; and those who visit all the breweries get the grand prize: a “Collectors Set of Vermont Beer Gear.”

The rules are simple: Visit a brewery or brewpub that is part of the challenge (listed on the Vermont Brewer’s Association website (www.vermontbrewers.com); enjoy a glass or pint and get your “passport” stamped at that brewery with their official VBA symbol. (The passport card is available on the VBA website or at most of the breweries.)

Prizes are given out when the passport is mailed into the Vermont Brewers Association, 142 Kirk Meadow Rd., Springfield, Vt. 05156. (Be sure to indicate your shirt size if you qualify. The offer is valid while supplies last and is good only for breweries & brewpubs, not at wineries or cideries.)

A similar program is being run through the Vermont Grape & Wine Council. For info on rules go to www.VermontGrapeandWineCouncil.com.

LOCAL

1. Lawson’s FinestThe Warren Store284 Main St. Warren, Vt 05674802-496-3864www.warrenstore.comLawson’s Finest LiquidsWarren, VT 05674802-272-8436www.lawsonsfinest.comThe Warren Store is open 7 days/week, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m, bringing in a rotating line-up of bottles delivered every Friday.“Straight from the Green Mountains to your head!” The Warren Store is the best location to find Lawson’s beer, a small batch artisanal microbrewery. Lawson’s goal is to provide local brews of the highest quality and fresh-ness, while crafting unique new recipes and emulating the best of widely appreciated styles.

2. Shelburne Vineyard6308 Shelburne RoadShelburne, Vt 05482802-985-8222www.shelburnevineyard.comOpen 7 days/week, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.Tastings and ToursTaste our internationally recognized, award-winning red, white, rose and dessert wines; tour our state-of-the-art winery; picnic & stroll through our vineyard and discover how we make world-class wines from regionally grown grapes.

3. Harpoon Brewery336 Ruth Carney DriveWindsor, Vt 050898 0 2 - 6 4 7 -5491www.harpoonbrewery.comOpen daily, Sun-Weds 10am-6pm, Thurs-Sat 10am-9pm. We started the Harpoon Brew-ery in 1986 because—like today—we loved beer and wanted more quality choices, and we have spent as much time spreading the joy of beer drinking as we have focusing on recipes, ingredients, and brewing equipment. Hopefully our sense of gratitude is reflected in both the quality of the beer and the spirit of fun and enjoyment surrounding our beer and breweries. We invite all of you to visit our beautiful brewery in Windsor, Vermont.

4. Boyden Valley Winery64 Vt Route 104Cambridge, Vt 05444802-644-8151www.boydenval-ley.comOpen May – December, 7 days/week, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.Jan – April, Friday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Wine Tasting ($6+tax) all day, Tours (FREE) 11:30am & 1:00pm, “French Gourmet” Cheese Plates ($19.95+tax) seasonally 10am-4pmBoyden Valley Winery, a fourth generation family farm, produces international award-winning Vermont wines; bold red wines, ele-gant white wines, light and flavorful rose and fruit wines, “Vermont Ice”: the premier line of Vermont ice wines, and the NEW Vermont Ice Apple Crème and Vermont Ice Maple Crème liqueurs. We offer tastings daily from 10am-5pm, “French Gourmet” cheese plates season-ally from 10am-4pm, and FREE tours daily at 11:30am and 1:00pm.

5. Vermont Pub & Brewery144 College St.Burlington Vt, 05401802-865-0500www.vermontbrewery.comOpen 7 days/week, 11:30 a.m. – 1 a.m. (Thu-Sat open until 2 a.m.)Vermont Pub & Brewery is Vermont’s original brewpub. Opened in 1988, it continues to be a celebrated land-mark and produce world-class beer selections, which are all unfiltered with no preservatives.

6. Otter Creek Brewing Company793 Exchange St. Middlebury, Vt 05753802-388-0727www.ottercreekbrewing.com Open 7 days/week , 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Offers self-guided window tours and great food. Founded in 1991, Otter Creek is one of the oldest craft breweries in the State. We brew all of our beers in small batches to ensure fresh-ness, using Vermont water, the best domestic malts and hops, and our own top fermenting yeast. Otter Creek is also home to Wolaver’s Fine Organic Ales and The Shed. Wolaver’s

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was the first USDA-certified brewer, leading the industry since 1997. The Shed has been a Vermont staple for generations and a local secret that is now available region-wide.

7. Long Trail Brewing Company5520 US Route 4Bridgewater Corners, VT 05035802-672-5011www.longtrail.com Open 7 days/week, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Sales and sampling and self-guided tours at the visitor center. Enjoy Vermont’s #1 selling craft beer at one of the most popular destinations in the state, the Long Trail Visitors Center. Whether you are interested in enjoying some of our year-round, seasonal, cask-conditioned or limited “pilot brew” releases, you will find there is a flavor for everyone!

8. Rock Art Brewery632 Laporte Rd./Rt. 100Morrisville, Vt 05661802-888-9400www.rockartbrewery.comOpen Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Tasting daily until 5:30 p.m. (with purchase of $4 souvenir glass)Tours run at 2 & 4 pm daily and you are wel-come to watch from the viewing window on your own ANY-TIME!We are celebrating 15 years! Enjoy samples of our beers during your visit and have a growler filled to take home and enjoy later. We have the best selection of our bottled beers and we also have several local Vermont foods and cheeses to pair nicely with the beers.

9. Zero GravityAmerican Flatbread115 St. Paul St. Burlington, VT 05401802-861-2999www.americanflatbread.com Zero Gravity Craft Brew-ery is located inside American Flatbread Burlington Hearth where you will find 10-15 house brews on tap all year long. Beers that are brewed for food are our main focus and German and Czech-style lagers and a variety of Belgian styles are usually well represented. Our TLA I.P.A. is a crowd favorite as is our medieval style Gruit ale, released twice a year on the summer and winter solstices.

10. Grand View Winery Max Gray Road

E. Calais Vt 05650802-456-7012www.grandviewwinery.com Open May – October 7 days/week, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tours, tastings and retail storeGrand View Winery specializes in non-grape wine produced with character and not sweet. It won a double gold award for its Cranberry wine, gold for its Strawberry Rhubarb wine, and silver for its Pear wine this year at the Finger Lakes Int’l Wine Competition among other awards.

11. Magic Hat Brewery and Arti-factory5 Bartlett Bay RoadSouth Burlington, Vt 05403802-658-BREWMagicHat.NetWinter Hours: Winter Tours Mon-Thurs 10-6, Thurs-Fri 3,4,5; Fri-Sat 10-7, Sat 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Sun 12-5, Sun 1:30 Where ancient alchemy meets modern-day science to create the best tasting beer on the planet. Come watch our spores dance and play! Visit the Artifactory for FREE samples, FREE Tours and the most unusual shopping experience!

12. Woodchuck Cidery 153 Pond Lane, Middlebury, VT 05753802-388-0700www.woodchuck.comFacility not set up for public toursCider can be purchased in all 50 statesThe Vermont-based, inde-pendently owned and oper-ated cidery is now leading America’s fastest growing alcohol beverage category, through its visionary mix of innova-tion and tradition. Their signature high qual-ity production is naturally gluten-free, which is something that sets them apart.

13. Fresh Tracks Farm Vineyard & Winery4373 VT Route 12Berlin, VT 05602802-223-1151www.freshtracksfarm.comCome visit our beautiful and sustainable tasting room just 3 miles south of Montpe-lier. Sit and enjoy sampling and sipping our selection of wines all grown and produced on premise

here at the farm. We also offer delicious local cheese plates to enjoy with the wines as well as unique and locally selected gifts. Check our website for hours and different events like live music, sushi, and yoga happening throughout the year. Open Wed-Fri 11-7, Sat & Sun 11-6.

14. Lincoln Peak Vineyard142 River RdNew Haven VT 05472802-388-7368www.lincolnpeakvineyard.comNov-Dec: Wed-Sun 11-5Jan-May: Sat 11-5, M-F by chance or apptJun-Oct: Daily 11-5Tastings; wine by the glassWe—the Granstrom family—grow 12 acres of grapevines, make wine right here from our own grapes, and love to share how grapes grow in Vermont. Come taste our wines, enjoy a glass by the cozy wood stove or on the winery porch, and walk around the vineyard. Our wines have won three best-in-show awards at the Intl Cold Climate Wine Comp in recent years. 3 miles north of Mid-dlebury, just off Rte 7.

15. Champlain Orchards3597 Route 74 WestShoreham, VT 05770802-897-2777w w w . c h a m p l a i n o r -chards.comOpen daily 10-4 Novem-ber-JuneOpen daily 9-6 July-Sep-temberPlease call ahead if pos-sible. We offer guided tastings of our Pruners Pride, Pruners Promise, Semi-Dry, and Cran-berry Hard Ciders, as well as our Sparkling and Honeycrisp Ice Ciders - all made onsite with our ecologically grown apples. Picnic or take a short walk for stunning views of Lake Cham-plain and the Adirondacks.

16. Saxtons River Distillery485 West River Rd.Brattleboro, VT 05301802-246-1128www.saplingliqueur.comTasting room hours: Tues-Friday 9-5, Saturday 10-5.Saxtons River Dis-tillery is the home to Sapling Vermont Maple Liqueur. We will be adding new products soon, so stop by and see what has just been bottled!

17. Jasper Murdock’s Ale-house at The Norwich Inn325 Main StreetNorwich, VT 05055(802) 649-1143www.norwichinn.comYearly Hours: Monday 5pm-9pmTuesday - Thursday 11:30am - 9pmFriday & Saturday 11:30am - 9:30pmSunday 12pm - 9pmJasper Murdock’s Ales are crafted from fine English malts, with hops grown in England, locally, and in our own hop garden at the Inn. Our beer is pumped underground from the beer cellars to our pub at the Inn. Our brew-ery is not open for tours but the Alehouse is open for you to wet your whistle during the above hours.Our ales have won 4 silver medals and 1 gold medal in the last three years at the Great International Beer Competition and are sold only at The Norwich Inn.

18. East Shore VineyardSugarbush - Lincoln PeakSugarbush Access Rd.Warren, VT 05674 and 28 Church StBurlington, VT 05401877-ESV-VINOwww.eastshorevine-yard.com.Sugarbush Tasting Room: Open Friday-Sun-day – Noon to 6PM.Burlington Tasting Room: Open Everyday except Tuesday - Noon to 6PM, open later weekends – Call for details.Wine tasting ($7+tax) receive complimen-tary glass. Join us at our two premier tasting rooms for tastings and pairings with some of Vermont’s finest chocolates and cheeses. East Shore Vineyard produces a variety of interna-tional award-winning Vermont made wines including: Traminette, Summer Snow, Cab Franc, Marquette, and Vidal Ice Wine.

19. Trapp Lager Brewery700 Trapp Hill RoadStowe, Vermont 05672802-253-5705 • www.trappfamily.comThe Trapp Lager Brew-ery offers a selection of authentic Austrian lagers. Stop by for a pint and enjoy our moun-taintop views in our Del-iBakery, lounge, or dining room. The Trapp Family Lodge is a mountain resort in the European tradition by the family that inspired “The Sound of Music”


FEBRUARYFebruary 17 – 21Stowe Mountain Film Festival at Stowe Mountain ResortEach year the newest releases from the outdoor film indus-try’s top production companies, along with submissions from promising amateur filmmakers converge on the Green Mountains. The result is 5 days of adrenaline-pumping action, stunning cinematography and intense documenta-ries that remind us why we love Vermont and our shared outdoor community.Proceeds benefit the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum, whose mission is to collect, preserve and celebrate Vermont’s skiing and snowboarding history. $12 per person.http://www.vtssm.com/filmfestival/380

February 20 – 22The North Face Park & Pipe Series at Stratton Mountain ResortThe North Face Park & Pipe series is a grassroots pipeline for athletes hoping to develop their skills and eventually qualify for top-level competitions such as X Games, Grand Prix and the Olympics. In addition to providing an open competition opportunity for athletes, The North Face is also the charter sponsor of U.S. Freeskiing through 2018. For more info go to www.stratton.com.

February 22Winter Gala at Stratton Mountain ResortOrganized by the Stratton Foundation, the annual gala raises funds to help families directly affected by hardship or disas-ter. This year features a cocktail hour, raffle and live classical guitar in the west wing of the Resort Base Lodge. $100 per person. www.stratton.com

February 22Triple Crown Unconventional Challenge at Mad River GlenThe first leg of Mad River’s Triple Crown Competition Series, the Unconventional Terrain Competition is the East’s origi-nal extreme ski competition and challenges competitors with a grueling test of their abilities. The expert terrain at Mad River Glen is recognized as the most difficult terrain in New England and the Unconventional Terrain competi-tion is a test of a skier’s ability to conquer it. Judging for the event is based on smoothness, creativity, turn quality, and difficulty of line. “The Triple Crown, and the Unconventional Terrain Competition in particular, seem to attract the best skiers from all over,” says Mad River Glen marketing direc-tor, Eric Friedman. The event has developed a reputation for the wildest ski competition in the East. The cost is $20 if preregistered, $25 the day of the event, or $50 for all three Triple Crown Events.http://madriverglen.com/visit/event-calendar

February 22Magic WinterFest2014 at Magic Mountain

Magic celebrates the spirit and camaraderie of winter sports with the Black Magic Extreme Challenge is open to all 10 years old+. 8:30-9:30 registration at the lodge (pre-register by downloading the form below or fill out form at Group Sales Office); 11:00 start (Qualifier for Ski The East Free-ride Tour event at Magic on 3/1.Apres ski party and silent auc-tion benefiting the Alpine Club until 7; buffet dinner from 5:30 to 7 (tickets purchased at event $20 adults/$10 kids); torchlight parade down the slopes of Magic at 7:30p.m. (sign up at group sales office). Fireworks at 8p.m. with live band, The Resistors.

February 22K-Town Showdown at KillingtonThe third and final in the K-Town Showdown series. The series features divisions for all ages with prizes for winners. www.killington.com

February 23Hope on the Slopes at Jay Peak ResortA vertical challenge event to benefit the American Cancer Society. Registration begins at 7:30 in the Stateside Hotel and the event runs all day into the evening for live music, food and a 50/50 raffle. www.jaypeakresort.com

February 23Stowe Derby at Stowe Mountain ResortParticipants ski through 20km of challenging terrain, racing down Mt. Mansfield’s Toll Road and along the entire length of the Stowe Recreation Path before reaching the finish in the village. The course has a total vertical drop of over 2,600 feet.$30 to $90 depending on race and date of [email protected], http://www.stowederby.com/ 802 253 9216

February 2329th Annual Telemark Festival at Bromley Mountain ResortThe Kåre Andersen Telemark Festival comes to Bromley for its 29th year with tele-events, an annual race and clinics for the entire family. www.bromley.com

February 23Camel’s Hump Challenge atCamel’s Hump Skiers Association CenterOne of New England’s premier backcountry skiing events - The Camel’s Hump Challenge (CHC) – is a high-country traverse around the perimeter of Camel’s Hump (4083’) — the third highest peak in Vermont’s Green Mountains. Dr. Warren Beeken, the founder and organizer, who passed away in 2003, conceived the CHC as a fundraiser for the Vermont Alzheimer’s Association, and the event continues to raise money for support and educational programs of that orga-nization.

February 24 – 282014 East Coast Expression Session atStratton Mountain ResortThe largest gathering of alpine snowboarding in the East, spend five days on groomed trails on Stratton Mountain.This is a non-competitive event that is open to all ages and carving abilities featuring demos, free clinics, and a clos-ing party on Thursday. Group rates are available for one to multi-day passes as well as lodging.

February 27 – 28United States Telemark Ski Association’s (USTSA) National Championships at Bromley Mountain ResortUSTSA National Championships is the premier telemark event in the country, bringing at least 36 Elite US men’s and women’s team members from all across America to the two day competition. Combined, all classes, including the citi-zen’s class, will field between 50 and 80 racers. The overall winners will be crowned National Champions on Friday eve-ning.

February 28Triple Crown Vertical Challenge at Mad River GlenMad River Glen’s Triple Crown Vertical Challenge. This gruel-ing event challenges competitors to ski as many runs as they can in one day, on Mad River’s famous Single Chair. To make things even tougher, the competitors are required to ski directly under the chair, a route that cascades down Chute and Lift Line, two of Mad River Glen’s most difficult trails. The cost is $20 if preregistered, $25 the day of the event, or $50 for all three Triple Crown Events. http://madriverglen.com/visit/event-calendar

February 28 – March 2 Girls Time Out Snowboard Camp at Stratton Mountain ResortThe Shred Betties of Stratton offer this two-day camp designed exclusively for women by women. The camp teaches all levels of snowboarding from beginner to advance in all disciplines. www.stratton.com

MARCH March 1 - 2Windells On The Road Camp at Stratton Mountain ResortWindells offers a weekend of private coaching and park pro-gression. Participants walk away with free gear from Win-dells’ sponsors, a bag of new tricks and all campers will be entered to win a Free Session to Summer 2014 at their home base in Oregon.www.stratton.com

March 1Helly Hanson Big Mountain Battle at Killington ResortTeam-based event, open to all ages and skier/rider skill levels and allows exploration of the entire mountain. Each team of two must cover all the checkpoints around the mountain in a three-hour time period. Every team will be given a course

February/March events 2014

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map and team card and willbe tracked by GPS.The top three teams with the best times to complete all checkpoints will receive awards, but the top team will win the biggest prize of all - $2,000 worth of Helly Hansen gear of their choice and an invitation to participate in the Battle in the Bowls finals at Aspen/Snowmass.

March 134th Annual George Syrovatka Race at Jay Peak ResortAnnual ski race to benefit Leukemia research. In addition to being a timed race, a speed trap will be placed at the fastest part in the course. $500 cash prize to the fastest racer. Après party at the Stateside Day Lodge to follow.

March 1Women’s Only Telemark Clinic at Mad River GlenWomen’s only clinics focus on positive attitude, tactics and techniques to help you achieve your skiing goals. Clinics include all day coaching and lunch.

March1Bud Light Mardi Gras at Mount Snow ResortMount Snow turns into Bourbon St with Bud Light spon-sored parties at resort bars and over 10,000 beads to give-away.

March 2FAT Ski-A-ThonPresented by Vermont North Ski Shop, Sugarbush Resort.Participants will complete as many laps on the Summit Quad lift as possible on “fat” skis with a waist of 70 millimeters or wider (if possible). It will not be a race, but a casual event to have fun and enjoy the outdoors in the name of philan-thropy. Participants will raise money for each completed lap and also gather flat donations with proceeds going to the High Fives Non-Profit Foundation.

March 2SVSS Banked Slalom Championships atStratton Mountain ResortA banked slalom race held on Suntanner. The event with be the only in the series and will serve as the SVSS National qualifier. First place finisher in each age group qualifies for USASA Nationals. All competitors take two runs and the fastest single run time determines ranking. www.stratton.com

March 3 – 8Mardi Gras at Jay Peak ResortJay Peak offers a week’s worth of activities including live music, food specials and parties – most of which are free www.jaypeakresort.com

March 8Women’s Only Alpine Ski Clinic at Mad River GlenWomen’s only clinics focus on positive attitude, tactics and techniques to help you achieve your skiing goals. Clinics include all day coaching and lunch.

March 8Marchdi Gras at Stratton Mountain ResortStratton celebrates Marchdi Gras and the Annual Village (Southern-Style) Block Party. Enjoy live music, food and drink vendors, ice bar, celebrity mixologist and chef and activities for the kids like face painting, caricaturist drawings, acrobatics, stilt walking and more.

March 8The COMP at Mount Snow ResortThe second annual Carinthia Open Mega Plaza. Park builders will construct a one-of-a-kind, plaza-style setup rails, boxes and other features. Athletes compete for gear from event sponsors or a piece of the cash purse. www.mountsnow.com

March 8Mountain Dew Vertical Challenge at Killington ResortFree race open to all ages.

March 8 – 939th Annual NATO Telemark Festival at Mad River GlenThe “mother” of all telemark festivals returns again to MRG with two days of nonstop telemark clinics, races and an after-party.

March 9Jack Jump World Championships at Mount Snow ResortA combination of homemade Jack Jump design, old school ingenuity, and user skill will factor into determining who can make it down a dual paneled slalom course with the best combined time. After party complete with awards and raffle prizes for all competitors will follow.www.mountsnow.com

March 939th Annual North American Telemark Festival at Mad River GlenThe world’s largest and oldest gathering of Telemark skiers.

March 7 – 9Vermont Open at Stratton Mountain ResortStratton Mountain and The Washed Up Cup bring you The Vermont Open with over $20,000 in prize money, which sup-ports the Ross Powers Foundation/Level Fund. www.strat-ton.com

March 9Bolton to Trapps Tour at Trapp Family LodgeHelp raise money for the Catamount Ski Cubs youth pro-gram by skiing from Bolton to Trapps on a classic section of the Catamount Trail. A shuttle to the start will be available in the morning and from Nebraska Valley Road to the finish in the afternoon. At the end of the day we will celebrate a great day on the trail with music, food and refreshments. For more info please visit www.catamounttrail.org or email [email protected]

March 9 – 11Women on Snow Ski Camp at Stratton Mountain ResortA multi-day women’s camp coached by elite guest coaches and Stratton’s top women’s instructors. Open to intermedi-ate and advanced level skiers. www.stratton.com

March 14 – 15Carinthia Freeski Open at Mount snow ResortAnnual AFP certified event. This season features a cash purse up for grabs for the pros and gear for winners in the amateur division.

March 15 – 1624 Hours of Stratton at Stratton Mountain ResortTeams of four to twelve ski from noon on Saturday to noon on Sunday. Each athlete can ski for as long as they want over the entire 24-hour period. Each individual’s vertical as well as the team’s combined vertical feet skied is tracked for prizes.

March 15 – 16Burton Stash Gathering at Killington ResortSnowboarders gather at Killington’s Stash to take advantage of natural terrain. Saturday will be a banked slalom open to all snowboarders. There will be a cook out lunch provided for all competitors to enjoy as well as a live DJ playing during the entire event. The action will continue on Sunday with a shop team banked slalom event where local board shops will enter their own teams to compete.

March 17Shamrock Scavenger Hunt at Killington ResortSki/ride around the resort to find strategically placed Sham-rock logos and return to the Killington tent to win a prize. All Shamrock logos will be hidden on green circle trails only and there will be only one prize per participant.

March 22Backcountry Challenge presented by Wolaver’s and MRGMad River GlenThis is not a race. There are no winners and no losers - only those who finish the course and those who don’t. Choose your gear - telemark, snowshoe, or randonee - as you adven-ture through the rugged terrain of the Green Mountain spine. A raffle follows.

March 22Triple Crown Mogul Challenge at Mad River Glen


Skiers and snowboarders get an early morning start on the trails at Pico. Photo courtesy of Pico Mountain Resort


The third leg of the Triple Crown Competi-tion Series

ONGOING: Tuesdays:Trapp Nordic Cup Time Trial Series atTrapp Family Lodge XC CenterEvery Tuesday for ten weeks, compete each week on a marked racecourse complete with timing and start area. You pick your start time each day between the hours of 9a.m. and 4p.m. It’s a 10-week series with prizes for both skate and classic. Wednesdays:Race Series: Ski Bum at KillingtonTeams of local skiers race down Highline for the best time. Each race finishes with a party. www.killington.com

Fridays: Free Heel Fridays at PicoAvailable Fridays beginning January 3, excluding February 14 and 21, Designed for all ability levels, participants are responsible for providing their own equipment, telemark rentals are not available at Pico Mountain. Lift ticket not included, helmets recom-mended. Season Pass holders receive a 15% discountCall 866-233-1195

Saturdays:Bolton After Dark at Bolton Valley

Saturday nights from 4-8 p.m. Bolton Valley throw’s a mini party complete with skiing and riding for all ages, food and drink spe-cials at Fireside Flatbread, and a public screening of a movie by Meathead Films, a local film studio based in Williston, VT. Night skiing tickets will be $19 for all ages, and when you’re finished for the night, head inside for $2 flatbread slices and sodas, nightly beer specials and screening a differ-ent movie every week.

Mountain Moments at Mad River GlenEvery Saturday throughout the ski season in the Kent Thomas Nature Center, MRG’s on-staff naturalist will be on hand to answer questions and expose visitors to the wildlife and ecosystems on the mountain.

Sundays:Free Nordic Clinics at Bolton ValleyThe 2013-14 Season offers free Sunday morn-ing clinics from 10-11am. Please arrive at 9:30am to get setup. The classic skiing clinic is taught by our instructors and qualified guest Nordic instructors. Free clinics are lim-ited to one session per person per lifetime. Clinic participants receive $5 off rentals. Reservations required, call (802)-434-6876. Complimentary ticket for the length of the class is provided, participants must pur-chase a ticket if they would like to ski for the remainder of the day.


NORTHERN SKI WORKS2089 Killington Road, Killington, VT 05751 (802) 422-9675

10 Main Street, Ludlow, VT 05149 (802) 228-3344

KILLINGTON & LUDLOW LOCATIONS

Killington’s Largest selction of

BEER CAVE - VERMONT MADE PRODUCTS - WINE & CHEESE ROOM - FRESH JUICE & SMOOTHIE BAR - WE DELIVER

Store Hours: 6a.m.-12a.m. Sunday-Thursday. 6a.m.-2a.m. Friday & Saturday.

Deli Hours: 6a.m.-8p.m. Sunday-Thursday. 6a.m.-10p.m. Friday & Saturday.

Store Hours: 6a.m.-10p.m. Monday-Sunday. Deli Hours: 6a.m.-7p.m. Monday-Sunday


SOUTH ROYALTON — One would expect, at an event entitled “Brown Slopes, Bare Trails? The Impact of Climate Change on Winter Sports,” that glimmers of hope for Vermont’s winter recreation prospects in the 21st century would be faint.

But takeaways from the expert panel at Vermont Law School last week were not all gloomy. Juxtaposed with talk of a nega-tive feedback loop in the Northeast, where warming reduces snowpack and reduced snowpack exacerbates warming, there were ideas to which the Vermont snowsports community could cling.

The panel included Elizabeth Burakowski, a climate scientist and New Hampshire native who works for the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder; Parker Riehle, president of the Vermont Ski Areas Association; Rikert Ski Touring Center Director Michael Hussey of Mid-dlebury; and Ian Jarrett of Massa-c h u s e t t s - b a s e d HDK Snowmak-ers.

The panelists pointed out that elevations along the spine of the Green Mountains will help Vermont retain snow longer than its flatter counterparts in the region, and that the state has a cutting-edge snowmak-ing industry that an increasing number of Nordic ski areas are taking advantage of, as well as most of the state’s alpine ski areas. (Over 80 percent of Vermont’s trails at its ski areas are covered by snowmaking — the most of any state in the Northeast.)

Vermont winter sports centers have also developed adaption strategies for warmer temperatures that include off-snow offer-ings. Jay Peak has famously installed an indoor water amusement park at the base of its chairlifts. Smugglers Notch has built a zipline canopy tour around its forested base. At Rikert, where they are making snow this winter for the second season — one of six Nordic centers in the state to do so — they have added “fatbikes” to their fleet of rental equipment. The bikes have enlarged tires designed for snow, but can also ride over mud and dirt.

“It’s a way to get people outdoors in the winter when there isn’t enough snow,” Hussey said, adding that diversity at all winter recreational areas is becoming stan-dard fare.

While enacting adaptive strategies for the climate that scientists like Burakowski are predicting for the coming decades, Ver-mont ski areas are also working to curb the greenhouse gas emissions that are blamed for the phenomenon. The Killington gon-dola, for example, is powered exclusively by “Cow Power” — manure from Vermont

dairy farms. As well, Bolton Valley has installed a mountaintop wind turbine that produces 300,000 kilowatt hours of electric-ity annually.

“We are leading by example,” said Riehle. “If others can follow, maybe there is some hope of turning this ship around.”

“Enough people acting in concert is some-thing that can make a difference,” Bura-kowski added.

But it was Burakowski’s role, as the panel’s climate scientist, to present some sobering facts. Many came out of a report she co-authored in 2012 while at the University of New Hampshire: “Climate Impacts on the Winter Tourism Economy in the United States.” The report was co-sponsored by the non-profit Protect Our Winters and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Warming in the north country, including the Arctic, is accelerating faster than warm-ing near the equator, she said, and winter is

warming faster than the other seasons. The loss of snowpack makes it harder for the atmosphere to retain cold air, which increases the warm-ing effect. Similarly, the loss of Arctic ice creates open ocean water that absorbs more of the sun’s

heat, increasing the pace of melting. Bura-kowski predicts we will see an ice-free Arctic sea by the end of the century.

From a snowsports business perspective, the report found that Vermont skier visits have dropped by 9.5 percent during the lower snow years from 1999 to 2010 com-pared to higher snow years. That resulted in a loss of roughly 700 jobs and $40 million in annual economic impact, according to the report.

Nationally, the winter sports industry accounts for 212,000 jobs and $12.2 billion, Burakowski said. Ski areas in the Northeast are more vulnerable economically to low snow years than Western resorts because it is easier for people to cancel plans when airlines aren’t involved, she said. New Eng-land resorts primarily draw on Northeast-ern urbanites and suburbanites who travel by car.

Also, the “backyard syndrome” is particu-larly pronounced in the Northeast, Riehle said, explaining that when suburbanites to the south don’t have snow in their yards, it’s hard to sell them on a trip to ski country even if the mountains have snow.

“It’s the most challenging aspect of our business,” said Riehle.

And the industry is bracing for even steeper challenges based on the sobering climate predictions (all forecast warmer temps to come) highlighted at last Thurs-day’s forum, which was a collaboration between Vermont Law School’s Sports Law Institute and its Environmental Law Center.

Vt. ski resorts respond toclimate change predictionsBy JASON STARR

“We are leading by example. If others can follow, maybe there is some hope of turning this ship around.”

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From new hotels to slopes lined with new snowguns, resorts have increased in both output and capacity in recent years. This winter has been a major season for resort expansions, and thanks to solar panels, windmills, incentives from nonprofits and big piles of compost, resorts are combat-ting cost and energy use through new methods, while at the same time increas-ing capacity.

At Mount Snow Resort, a recently released case study showed that a 2,500-light fixture upgrade in the Grand Summit Hotel will save 419,773-kilowatt hours annually – a total of $39,126 in electric-ity costs. In total, efficiency measures resort-wide at Mount Snow in 2013 saved 1,063,797-kilowatt hours annually or about 6.4 percent of Mount Snow’s 2012 electric use.

“Usually when you make a car more effi-cient, you sacrifice horsepower,” says Dave Meeker, communications manager for Mount Snow. “But here that’s really not the case,” adding that new technologies have allowed ski resorts to increase energy effi-

ciency plus gain output.Chuck Clerici, an account manager with

Efficiency Vermont, a nonprofit that helps individuals and small businesses improve

energy efficiency in existing buildings and new developments, says that as older build-ings are due for upgrades and renovations, efficient options are the logical choice.

“A lot of the mountains are saddled with older properties that weren’t built at a time when energy management was very important,” he says. “They’re leaky, not well insulated and use old motors. It doesn’t necessarily pay to replace it.”

As a result of their work, Mount Snow has been nominated this year by Efficiency Vermont for a Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership award (NEEP), which recog-nizes “business leaders for energy effi-ciency.”

Mount Snow Resort isn’t alone. Stowe Mountain Lodge received Audubon Inter-national’s Green Leaf certification in 2009 as well as Audubon’s Green Community award for the residences at Stowe village as well as the Audubon International Signa-ture Sanctuary certification for the resort’s club golf course. In 2010, Stowe Mountain Lodge was awarded 5 Green Keys – the maximum rating – by Green Key Global.

Sugarbush Resort received the Gover-nor’s Award in 2012 for cleanup efforts of Rice Brook, a tributary of the Mad River that had been contaminated by stormwa-ter runoff. The brook was removed from the state’s list of impaired waters.

Smugglers’ Notch Resort was awarded the Green Mountain Awards for Environ-mental Excellence in 2013 and was desig-nated as an “environmental leader” by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation.

And that’s just a sampling of how resorts across the state are moving toward energy efficiency programs for one obvious reason: Conservation and energy efficiency mea-sures save money.

Monitoring the wasteAt Sugarbush Resort, Margo Wade,

director of planning and regulatory com-pliance, says much of the resort’s projects at the base lodge and Sugarbush Inn have centered on diverting as much waste as possible from the landfill. Sugarbush has diverted 35 percent of its waste by com-posting, recycling or separating the waste the resort produces. Food services has been able to compost roughly 12 tons of food scraps every year, a number she says is conservative. Other food scraps are com-posted and used in landscaping. While it costs $140 per-ton to send garbage to the landfill, recycling is able to save $95 on every ton.

When the Stowe Mountain Lodge opened in 2005, recycling programs were diverting 70 percent of waste from the landfill. Today, the lodge sends composta-ble waste to Grow Compost in Moretown, which produces compost adhering to Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) standards.

Cutting costs goes well beyond sorting trash. Aside from managing their waste stream, the Stowe Mountain Lodge moni-tors energy usage and performance of every piece of machinery in every one of its 300 rooms. Every fan, valve, coil and pipe

Vermont resorts soften expansions with efficiency projectsBy EVAN JOHNSON

See Efficiency on page 25

Dan Maxon, planning and permitting manager for Smugglers’ Notch Resort, helped oversee the instal-lation of 35 solar trackers in 2012 that produced 200,000-kilowatt hours of electricity in their first year.

Photo by Evan Johnson

We all know that snowmaking is expensive in terms of fuel use and requiring a huge amount of water capacity. We also know in this era of global warming, that it’s necessary if we’re going to have reliable snow. To reduce cost and fuel use, which also helps the environment, resorts have been making large investments in new snowmaking technology that increases energy efficiencies.

Alan Herbert, Strategic Planning Manager for Hospitality and Small Businesses, works with ski resorts around the state with Efficiency Vermont. He says ski resorts are unique clients to work with due to fluctuating costs because of variable weather.

“It’s an industrial process,” he says. “You’re making a widget and that widget is a snowflake. It’s an industrial process in an uncontrolled and uncontrollable environment.”

That uncontrollable environment can mean big costs for lots of snow. At Mount Snow Resort, electricity for snowmaking totals $1 million every year.

Of all the operations at Mount Snow Resort, Brendan Ryan, Operations Manager, says snowmaking continues to be the largest in terms energy use and cost. When snowmaking operations are running full-tilt, the system uses 12 megawatts every hour..

“No matter what technology you use, if the gun needs 25 gallons of water, that’s basically a fixed clock that I can’t change,” Ryan says. “I’m always going to have to spend electric-ity to get water to my guns. The variable is compressed air.”

The lower mountain snowmaking system at Mount Snow includes a buried airline that is nearly 30 years old and was previously known to leak. Prior to 2013 efforts, that airline was used for the entire duration of snowmaking operations – typi-cally 1,300 hours every season. By installing a new valve on the line, Mount Snow was able to eliminate the leak rate for all but about 150 hours every season.

By the end of 2013, Mount Snow’s energy efficiency projects included fixing the buried airline, re-plumbing airlines leav-

ing the compressor house, adding electrical power to a trail to enable use of lower energy fan guns, an air flow meter to collect air flow rates over the season and testing 10 new low-energy snow gun towers on sleds.

Additional improvements included stripping old snowmak-ing pipe from trails and replacing them with more mobile snowguns that use onboard electric air compressors, elimi-nating the need for diesel compressors and saving the cost of 200,000 gallons of diesel fuel every year.

The newest snowmaking equipment is able to maximize output while using less water.

In 2008, Bolton Valley increased the size of its main snow-making pipe by two inches, allowing the area to pump water uphill at a rate of 1,000 gallons every minute. After retrofitting their old Ratnik snow guns with new spray heads, their energy usage from 2008 to 2009 dropped almost ten-fold — from 83,048-kilowatt hours to 8,849 kilowatt hours.

This summer, Sugarbush Resort added 76 new HKD snow-making guns as well as 12 Snowlogic 4 stage towers. Margo Wade, director of planning and regulatory compliance, says the new guns save $164,000 and 1.9 million kilowatt hours annually.

While it is possible to measure the rate and amount of snow being produced, it is more difficult to calculate the exact cost of producing snow at a given rate. By standardizing measure-ments, areas are able to see how much they spend. Efficiency Vermont encourages areas to use the Snowmaking Efficiency Index (SEI) as a kind of “miles-per-gallon” measurement.

Herbert says a calculation like this can help save tens of thousands of dollars, even while acknowledging that statistics in the snowmaking world have limits.

“It’s great from a numbers perspective,” he says. “But we’re not on the mountain 24/7. We’re not working on the moun-tain at two in the morning dealing with pipes that are frozen or hoses that are leaking. The problem is what is the reality,” adding that while resorts across the state are making great strides in energy efficiency with their physical plants and

By EVAN JOHNSON

New snowmaking increases output with lower costs


can be monitored for damage or wear from a single computer. Blais says the system helps save not only energy, but also the staff’s time: With the two systems, they can know exactly which appliances need maintenance and which parts need to be replaced.

New technology, big savingsNew expansion projects using energy

efficient systems have demonstrated fast returns on investment.

Bolton Valley Resort constructed the first wind turbine at a Vermont ski area in 2009 at a cost of over $800,000. It was projected to produce in excess of more than 300,000 kilowatt-hours annually, or the same power used by 45 Vermont households. Every year, the windmill has saved over $70,000 every year in electricity costs.

One of the larger endeavors at Smug-glers’ Notch was the installation of 35 solar trackers near the resort. The instal-lation was completed in 2012. In the first year, the array produced 200,000 kilowatt hours of electricity, exceeding original esti-mates. Today, Smugglers’ purchases the produced electricity under a lease from All Earth Services and in five years, will have the opportunity to purchase the array. Dan Maxon, Planning and Permitting Manager, anticipates it will take six to eight years to recoup the investment while producing up to $50,000 worth of electricity every year.

The payoff, he says, is a means to avoid electricity costs in the future.

“This power, in effect, pays-off commer-cial and overhead costs,” he says. “If we can save $50,000 a year on electricity, that’s $50,000 less we have to build into our price structure,” adding that helps contain the cost of lift tickets.

Moving forwardThis past September, the state green-

lighted a $200 million development at Okemo Mountain Resort, and in January, plans were unveiled at Mount Snow for an EB-5 project including the construction of a new storage reservoir for snowmaking with capacity of up to 120 million gallons, three new pump houses and the installa-tion of new pipelines and trail upgrades as well as a 36,000-square-foot base lodge at the Carinthia base area. And progress on Jay Peak Resort’s EB-5 projects continues unabated.

While these projects and others are underway and good for the state’s eco-nomic growth, Chuck Clerici at Efficiency Vermont says it’s still possible for resorts to maintain commitments to environmen-tal stewardship. The secret, he says, is for developers to put in little more effort and investment early on that will pay off in the future.

“You’re going to have to put lighting in these buildings,” he says. “Are you going to put in the base package that barely meets code? Or are you going to go an extra step or two with project efficiency, determine

the return on investment and justify spend-ing little more on your lighting up front so that it doesn’t cost as much over time?”

By shrinking the energy bill, resorts can spend money on things that actually draw more people, like snowmaking, marketing and improved terrain. Alan Herbert, also an account manager at Efficiency Vermont, says new developments will expand the size and health of one of the largest sectors of the Vermont economy.

“The ski industry plays a big role in the state’s economy bringing in millions of dollars every year,” he says. “If we can help them be more sustainable both environ-mentally and economically, that’s going

to help drive the economy and the money they bring into the state.”

To maximize the guests’ experience and maintain high efficiency standards, Andre Blais at the Stowe Mountain Lodge says the way forward is to include the guests as much as possible.

“There’s no carrot,” he says. “You don’t get a free room for a night if you choose to recycle. But by offering the opportunity and then educating them that the oppor-tunity is there, that’s two steps you’ve taken towards helping them make the decision to do the right thing,” which also allows the resorts to keep providing the amenities guests want.

Efficiency

Snowmaking at Mount Snow Rosort and other resorts throughout the state has become more energy efficient with new technology.

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“We have enjoyed working with the condominium owners of Stowe Mountain Lodge to enhance the benefits of owner-ship and to simplify and reduce the costs that owners pay,” said Sam Gaines, Director of Real Estate and Development at Stowe Mountain Resort. “We now look forward to continuing our partnership with the owners so that we can deliver the best possible experience to our owners and guests.”

Patrick Sullivan, one of the lead plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said reaching the proposed settlement was “a great achievement for the owners, who will see their costs go down significantly, while maintaining the same level of service owners enjoy at Stowe.”

Both Stowe management and the plaintiff owners expect homeowner association fees and service fees to be reduced by as much as 26 percent for new and existing lodge con-

dominium owners. Under the terms of the settlement, condominium owners will also have greater representation in the condo-minium’s governance. Coming off the stron-gest real estate sales season in the last five years, the reduced fees should provide con-tinued sales momentum heading into 2014, adding to nearly $200 million in sales that have occurred at Spruce Peak since 2004.

Stowe Mountain Resort currently offers the Residences at Stowe Mountain Lodge, Front Four Private Residence Club, Moun-tain Cabin luxury townhomes and a limited number of ski-in/ski-out home sites.

The settlement is subject to finalization of amendments to the governing documents and the parties’ Stipulation of Settlement, as well as court approval of the class action settlement, which the parties expect to be finalized in the first half of 2014. As part of the settlement, Stowe Mountain Lodge does not admit to any wrongdoing and expressly denies any liability.

SettlementContinued from page 16

WARREN – On Sunday, March 2, Sugarbush Resort will host the third annual FAT Ski-A-Thon from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Participants will complete as many laps on the Summit Quad lift as possible on “fat” skis with a waist of 70 millimeters or wider (if possible).

It will not be a race, but a casual event to

have fun and enjoy the outdoors in the name of philanthropy. Participants will raise money for each completed lap and also gather flat donations with proceeds going to the High Fives Non-Profit Foundation.

“VT North Ski Shop is excited to see the

FAT Ski-A-Thon Presented by Vermont North Ski Shop Scheduled for March 2

See Ski-A-Thon on page 27

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FAT Ski-A-Thon return to the Mad River Valley and raise funds for the High Fives Foundation on the slopes at Sugarbush Resort,” said Jesse Murphy, Vice President ofSales and Market-ing. “Although fat skis make powder skiing easier, the same does not hold true for making as many laps as possible for six hours. We can’t wait to gather pledges and have a blast on March 2nd!”

Pre-registration and kick off is scheduled for Saturday at 6:00pm at the Localfolk Smoke House in Waitsfield. Cost is free to participate and a discounted lift ticket is available.

Schedule:8 a.m. -9 a.m. — Meet at Mount Ellen Lodge

for Registration for “FAT Ski-A-Thon”9 a.m.— Load Summit Quad and start “FAT

Ski-A-Thon”3 p.m. — End “FAT Ski-A-Thon”3:30 p.m. — Awards at Mount Ellen Lodge.

Ski-A-Thon

This February, Prospect Mountain Ski Center in Woodford will host the 14th annual US National Snowshoe Championship. The series will run from February 28 through March 2 and is expected to draw as many as 800 par-ticipants from around the United States. The championship will also feature international and veterans divisions.

The National Snowshoe Champion-ship rotates locations every year. The 2012-2013 championship was held in Bend, OR. The race was last held in Vermont in 2006 at Bolton Valley Resort. Organizer for the race, Mark Elmore, says races in the Northeast and Midwest typically draw the most competitors.

“Because of the location of Prospect Mountain, we’re expecting a great turnout for this year,” he says. The host community for the race is Bennington, located between the Green and Taconic Mountain Ranges.

Dion Snowshoes, a Bennington-based snow-shoe manufacturer, is the event’s principal sponsor and will provide a limited number of loaner snowshoes to participants.

International athletes (non-U.S. citizens) may compete alongside the national champi-onship competitors in the men and women’s 10-kilometer fields. The top ten international men and women will earn awards.

Competitors must qualify to compete in the race. An athlete must be a current member of the U.S. Snowshoe Association. Athletes must register for USSSA membership prior to com-peting in their regional qualifying event. The USSSA hosts a series of 38 qualifying events from January 5 through February 23. An ath-lete must complete a recognized USSSA quali-fying event and record a “qualifying” finish performance to be eligible for the national championships.For more information on regis-tration go to ussnowshoechampionships.com.

US Snowshoe Championships set March 2By EVAN JOHNSON

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Vacations with kids can be tricky. Over-plan and nobody gets a minute to rest. Under-plan and you might have a bunch of bored family members on your hands. Fortunately, thanks to programs and deals at a number of ski areas, the Vermont Ski Vacation needn’t be a hassle.

Dana Freeman is the founder of FindandGo-Seek.net, an online resource for families looking for activities in their own communities. When Freeman was growing up and learning to ski at Windham Mountain in New York, skiing was-something her whole family did — no excep-tions.

“We (kids) were just expected to ski with everyone else,” she says.

It wasn’t until she came to Vermont that she began to notice a number of changes in the way that ski areas took to families. Her two kids, now 12 and 15, learned to ski at Bolton Valley and

Stowe. The whole family skis all over the state, Freeman says, all thanks to the programs and amenities geared towards families.

“If you look at Vermont resorts, they’re start-ing to offer more secondary amenities,” she says. “They’re beginning to realize that families are viewing ski resorts as more than just a destina-tion during the daytime. People don’t just want to go to the hill and then go back to their hotel room.”

From dog sledding to ice skating to guided snowshoe hikes, there’s a lot more to do at ski resorts than just ski and ride. Myra Foster, mar-keting director at Stratton Mountain Resort, says that while the skiing and riding remains the main draw for visitors, it’s no longer a one-sport day.

“There are so many groups of families or friends where skiing may not be their number

The Family Ski Vacation made easyBy EVAN JOHNSON

stowe Mountain resort

2 Lodges, 6 Restaurants, Spa, Swimming Pool, Adaptive

Ice/Rock Climbing, Racing, Snowshoeing, Ice Skating

Featured Family Activity: The Spruce Peak Performing Arts

Center in the Village of Stowe features a variety of family-oriented events

including lectures, ballet, concerts and the Stowe Mountain Movie Festival.

Full ski school with group, season-long and private programs for children,

teens and adults in alpine, cross-coun-try skiing and snowboarding

Cubs Childcare Center facility, state licensed ages six months to three years. 8 am to 4 pm

Features:

activities:

Lessons:

chiLdcare:

Mount snow resort


Tubing, Racings, Snowshoeing, Snowmobile Tours

Featured Family Activity:Mount Snow offers an array of activities including snowmobile

tours, moonlit snowshoeing, tubing, torch parades

and fireworks

Three separate areas for toddlers (3-6), kids (7-14) and adults (15 and older) in ski or snowboard. Group

or private lessons.

State licensed, ages six weeks to six years. 8 am to 4:30.

Features:

activities:

Lessons:

chiLdcare:

stratton Mountain resort

2 Lodges, 8 Restuarants, Spa, Swimming Pool, Adaptive

Tubing, Racing, Snowshoeing, Ice Skating, Snowmobile ToursFeatured Family Activity:

Saltwater swimming pool, full moon snowshoe hikes to bonfires

Clinics for 4-6, 7-12, private lessons available

State licensed, 9:30am - 4pm

Features:

activities:

Lessons:

chiLdcare:

okeMo Mountain resort

8 Lodges, 19 Restaurants, Spa, Swimming Pool,


Family Adventure Zone

Clinics for children, specialty clin-ics, private lessons, group clinics,

programs just for women

State liensed, six months to four years old, 8 am - 4:30 pm

Features:

activities:

Lessons:

chiLdcare:

sugarbush resort


Ice/Rock Climbing, Racing, Snowshoeing, Ice Skating

Featured Family Activity: Sugarbush Adventure Learning Center, led by renowned skier

John Egan

Ages 3 – 15 with placement in five different age-based clinics at The

Schoolhouse.

6 weeks to six years, state licensed, 8 am to 4 pm

Features:

activities:

Lessons:

chiLdcare:

broMLey Mountain

1 Lodge, 2 Restauants, Swimming Pool, Adaptive

Racing, Snowshoeing, Ice Skating Snowmobile Tours

Featured Family Activity:Skating at Riley Rink at Hunter

Park in Manchester, Sleigh Rides, Dogsledding

Kids and adults programs for beginner to advanced

State licensed, six weeks to six years of age, 8:30 - 4:30

Features:

activities:

Lessons:

chiLdcare:

Mad river gLen

2 Lodges, 3 Restaurants

RacingFeatured Family Activity:

The Mad River Glen Co-Op has events year-round for members

and their families including parties, races and voting rights.

Lessons available for skiers at the MRG Ski School

State licensed, 9:30am - 4pm

Features:

activities:

Lessons:

chiLdcare:

sMuggLers’ notch

3 Lodges, 8 Restaurants, Swimming Pool, Adaptive

Tubing, Ice/Rock Climbing, Snow-shoeing, Ice Saking, Snowmobile

ToursFeatured Family Activity:

FunZone Family Entertainment and Recreation Center

Private, and group programs for adults and children through the

Snow Sport University

State licensed, six weeks to four years old, 8:30am - 4pm

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Lessons:

chiLdcare:

Jay Peak resort

4 Lodges, 5 Restaurants, Spa, Swimming Pool

Racing, Snowshoeing, Ice Skating, Featured Family Activity:

Pump House indoor waterpark

private lessons, kids programs, group clinics, multi-week clinics,

team programs

State licensed “Jaycare” facilities in two locations, 8:30 am to 4pm

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activities:

Lessons:

chiLdcare:

kiLLington resort

5 Lodges, 50 Restaurants, Spa, Swimming Pool


Snowcat-drawn sleigh-ride to the Ledgewood Yurt for a family

dinner

Located at the Ramshead Family Center with group sizes not

exceeding five students, ages 12 weeks to 17 years of age

State licensed, 12 weeks to 12 years, 8:30 am - 3:45 pm

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Lessons:

chiLdcare:

See Vacation on page 29Activities at Smuggler’s Notch Resort, above, and most other resorts throughout Vermont have adopted programs that keep families entertained and engaged.

Photo provided by Smuggler’s Notch


one activity for one day or this year,” she says. “Our guests are getting up and doing yoga at 7 o’clock in the morning and out getting first tracks at 8:30. By 1 o’clock they’re onto something else.”

Voted Number 1 for family vacations in the east by Ski Magazine in a reader survey running 15 years, Smugglers’ Notch Resort has developed award-winning programs for kids from six weeks to 16 years old. Activities Director Stacey Com-ishock says having a variety of trails and activities

for varying ages is always helpful. But the most important thing when planning a vacation for a week or just a weekend, she says, is to go with the flow.

“It’s not going to be perfect, but no family is and nor are their vacations,” she says. “It’s important to take the good with the bad, the good weather with the bad weather. There’s always something to do.”

With so much to do, Vermont Ski & Ride com-piled a handy list of things to keep you and your family occupied in these boxes:

Vacation

Magic Mountain

1 lodge, 2 restaurants, rentals

TubingFeatured Family Activity: TimberQuest Ropes Course

Kids and adults Available for kids ages 5 - 12, adults and

private lessons programs for beginner to advanced

suicide six

1 lodge, 2 restaurants, rentals

Nordic center, ice skating, pool/hot tub, sleigh rides

Featured Family Activity: Woodstock Inn Nordic

Skiing Center.

Q burke Mountain resort

2 lodges, 1 restaurant

Dogsledding, ice fishing, snowshoeing, cross country skiing all available in the area. Featured Family Activity:

Cross country skiing at Kingdom Trails

Full lessons for kids three and older as well as freestyle and

racing clinics

Features:

activities:

Lessons:

Features:

activities:

Lessons:

Features:

activities:

WAITSFIELD, VT. — Last month Sug-arbush filed permit requests with the United States Forest Service seeking approval to replace the Valley House lift at Lincoln Peak with a fix grip quad.

Sugarbush president Win Smith said the USFS application was preliminary.

“The permitting could take a year or two between the forest service and Act 250, so we wanted to get started,” Smith said. “It could be done next year or in three years from now.”

When completed, the upper terminal will be slightly lower to reduce crowding when skiers coming along the traverse to Upper Snowball cross under the existing lift.

According to the forest service applica-tion, Sugarbush operates 10 lifts with an uphill capacity of 11,000 people per hour at Lincoln Peak. The Valley House lift travels 350 feet per minute and can carry 750 people per hour. Newer, high–speed lifts can travel 1,000 feet per minute.

The new lift would start in the same loca-tion and would feature 17 new towers and foundations in the same alignment as the current lift, with a new unload area 50 feet below the existing unload area. Trail recon-struction on Valley House Traverse would include widening the trail between 10 to 20 feet for about 250 linear feet just above the lift unload area.

The present lift would be removed from the site. Concrete tower foundations would be removed to at least below grade level and covered with fill. The removal would begin shortly after the end of the ski season in late April or early May.

Replacing the lift is approximately a $2 million capital expenditure. The quad would be useful when other lifts are on wind hold and would give the resort more uphill capac-ity when the slopes are full. Smith said the resort might sell the old 1960 Valley House double lift in its entirety or sell the chairs to individuals.

Sugarbush files permit with USFS to replace Valley House chairlift

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BROMLEY MT. – Kåre Andersen’s 29th Annual Telemark Race & Festival, which will showcase the top free-heel skiers in the Northeast on Sunday, Feb. 23, will serve as a warm-up to the United States Telemark Ski Association’s (USTSA) National Cham-pionships, at Bromley on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 27-28.

“This is really wonderful timing,” said Bill Cairns, Bromley President and telemark skier. “Kåre’s Festival, which is a great time by itself, offers a great cram-course on tele-skiing for competitors and spectators, with

races and clinics for all ages and abilities. Anyone interested in coming up to watch or compete in the National Championships couldn’t ask for a better primer.”

The USTSA National Championships is the premier telemark event in the coun-try, bringing at least 36 Elite US men’s and women’s team members from all across America to the two-day competi-tion. Combined, all classes, including the citizen’s class, will field between 50 and 80 racers. The overall winners will be crowned National Champions on Friday evening.

Bromley telemark races set Feb. 22 & 27-28


WATERBURY –The Alchemist brewery in Waterbury recently announced they are look-ing to open a second brewery with a tasting room and retail shop.

Owners Jen and John Kimmich had ini-tially planned to open a small retail shop that would allow them to continue to sell their beer, but after surveying options in the Water-bury area they have yet to find any that meet the needs of the brewery. One location had seemed promising until a traffic study deter-mined that The Alchemist would have to widen Route 100 and put in turning lanes to accommodate the volume of cars traveling to

and from the brewery. Instead, The Alchemist islooking for prop-

erty on which to build a second brewery to make beer for sale on the premises. The new brewery will include a tasting room and retail shop.

Meanwhile, the old location will continue to produce 9,000 barrels of their signature double IPA a year and will continue to serve as its distribution base.

“We have many properties under consid-eration and are confident that we will find something ideal and close to home,” Jen Kim-mich said.

The Alchemist looks to expand with second brewery

WEST DOVER– A 120-million-gallon water storage pond for snowmaking and a new 36,000-square-foot base lodge for skier ser-vices are two of the projects Mount Snow will fund through EB-5, an immigrant investor program. The projects, newly approved under the Vermont EB-5 Regional Center, total $52 million in investments.

The West Lake Project will increase Mount Snow’s current snowmaking water storage by

nearly 500 percent. It will bring existing water withdrawals into compliance with state and federal regulatory standards. Additional proj-ect components include three pump houses, pipelines, a new magic carpet lift and other snowmaking improvements.

Carinthia Ski Lodge, a new three-story, 36,000-square-foot skier service building located at the base of the Carinthia Slopes at

Mount Snow set to build new pond, plus new Carinthia Lodge

See Mount Snow on page 31

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Mount Snow, is the first phase of a redevel-opment of the Carinthia Base Area. The new lodge will include a cafeteria, restaurant, bars, retail shop, convenience store, ski/snowboard rental, ski school and ticketing. Future devel-opment at Carinthia will include more than 100 ski-in/ski-out residential units.

The EB-5 program, run by the U.S. Citi-zenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), encourages foreign investment in approved projects that create American jobs. For each investor a minimum of 10 jobs must be cre-ated, or in some cases preserved. If the req-uisite number of jobs are created within two years, the investor will receive a permanent green card.

Mount Snow’s offering is under the over-sight of the state of Vermont EB-5 Regional

Center, the only USCIS designated regional center owned, controlled and supervised directly by a state government. Vermont has a long record of successful EB-5 projects, includ-ing successful projects at Jay Peak and Sugar-bush resorts.

“We are excited about the future growth and re-development at Mount Snow,” says Richard Deutsch, V.P. of Peak Resorts, the parent com-pany of Mount Snow. “The EB-5 Program has proven it’s a successful way to raise capital and create jobs. We’re looking forward to bringing this success to the southern part of the state.

“This is the first phase of what we hope will be many successful projects at Mount Snow,” Deutsch continued. “With a state-approved master plan for the redevelopment of up to 900 units and 200,000 square feet of skier ser-vice space, we expect to have many future projects at Mount Snow.”

Mount Snow

ROSA KHUTOR, Russia – West Dover native, Devin Logan,made history Tuesday, earning asilver medal in the Olympic debut of slopestyle skiing at the 2014 Sochi Games.

“I was really happy with my run and couldn’t have asked for anything better,” said Logan. “I skied one of my best days today even with everything: the conditions, the slushiness, seeing a lot of girls go down. I put it down and wouldn’t take it back. I felt great.”

Logan shot into second with a solid first run behind Canadian Dara Howell, who went on to win the first-ever gold medal with her

teammate Kim Lamarre taking bronze.“Dara had the sickest run of the day,” Logan

added.“I’m so happy she was the one to beat me. I was up on the podium with my friends, and I couldn’t have asked for a better day. She killed it and we deserve it, especially after X Games.”

Now that she’s finished with her event, Logan said she intends to stay in Sochi for the remainder of the games before traveling back to the United States to celebrate her 21st birthday on Feb. 17 in Las Vegas.

Logan lands slopestyle silver in Olympic debut

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Vermont home: Manchester CenterAge: 27Olympic Experience: First OlympicsRoad to Sochi: Deibold has six top-10

World Cup finishes and finished second in the World Cup event held on the Sochi Olympic course last February. A Stratton Mountain School graduate, Diebold began in halfpipe before concentrating on snow-

board cross. He began snowboarding at age 4.

15) Lindsey JacobellisWomen’s Snowboardcross2014 Results: NA (Snowboard cross, Feb.

16)Home mountain: StrattonVermont Home: Stratton

Age: 28Olympic Experience: Silver 2006, Com-

peted 2010Road to Sochi: Jacobellis is a three-time

world champion who has won seven golds at the Winter X Games. Jacobellis earned a third Olympic berth after missing most of the last two seasons with knee injuries.

16) Jackie HernandezWomen’s Snowboardcross2014 Results: NA (Snowboard cross, Feb.

16)Home mountain: Mount Snow/ Hunter

Mountain (NY)Vermont home: LondonderryAge: 21Olympic Experience: First OlympicsRoad to Sochi: Hernandez started skiing at

Mount Snow with her family when she was five-years-old. Three years later the Hernandez family moved to Hunter, N.Y., and the entire Hernandez family switched to snowboarding. She hasn’t looked back since. Hernandez won six of eight Nor-Am events in 2012 before moving up to the national team and earning a World Cup victory in Italy.

VERMONT TIES

Nick GoepperMen’s sopestyle2014 Results: BRONZEHome mountain: Mount SnowAge: 19Olympic Experience: First OlympicsRoad to Sochi: Indiana native and US

C-Teamer Nick Goepper was the first athlete to qualify for the slopestyle men’s ski team back on December 21. Goepper has been a member of the Carinthia Pro Team at Mount Snow for three years and has taken the profes-sional freeskiing world by storm. Shortly after earning slopestyle Gold at the 2013 Winter X Games, he made it to the top of the AFP men’s slopestyle world rankings and hasn’t relin-quished that position since.

Julia FordWomen’s alpine2014 Results: NAHome mountain: OkemoHome: Holderness, N.H.Age: 23Olympic Experience: First OlympicsRoad to Sochi: Ford grew up in a ski racing

family on the slopes of Okemo and attended OMS while in middle school. She moved on to the Holderness School (NH) for high school and was named to the U.S. C Team in 2011. The 2011 and 2012 U.S. downhill champion suffered a crash in December 2012 and subse-quently moved to Utah to train full-time.

Jared GoldbergMen’s alpine2014 Results: Home mountain: KillingtonAge: 22Olympic Experience: First OlympicsRoad to Sochi: Goldberg was born in Boston

and cut his teeth at Killington as a young skier. He joined the US Ski Team in 2010 and continued his junior success in 2011, taking second at the US championships in the down-hill and third in GS. Goldberg won his first US championship title in 2013 when he won the downhill at Copper Mountain in Colorado. He made his World Cup debut in 2012.

Vermont Olympians... Continued from Page 15


STRATTON – On Dec. 26, 2012, Dena O’Shaughnesy, a young and energetic teacher from Hopkinton Mass., was in line at Starbucks waiting to order her coffee when she got a phone call from her doctor. Her tests had come back indi-cating she had breast cancer.

While teaching third grade every day and taking classes for her master’s degree, chemotherapy was not a welcome addition to her busy schedule.

So she started something new – snowshoeing. “It was something to keep myself healthy and get outside

and clear my head,” she says.When buying her first pair of snowshoes, she noticed a tag

promoting the annual Romp to Stompfundraiser through the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. On Jan. 25 this year, she joined 600 other participants with 47 teams at Stratton Mountain Resort for the annual event, raising over $53,000 over a morning with 3k and 5k snowshoe loops.The annual event has raised $659,766 for the Vermont/New Hampshire affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation since start-ing in 2003. The national series has raised $2.5 million for the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation since its start.

Making the event even more memorable for O’Shaughnesy was that tests in early January found she was cancer free at her first check-up since her operation.

That news made her participation the event as celebratory as it was solemn.

“It’s wonderful to see everyone teaming up and doing this,” she says, admitting that “it’s emotional as well.”

Donna Gordonwas also one of 40 breast cancer survivors in attendance at the Romp To Stomp event at Stratton this year.Shehas participated in the event for four years as well as Race

for the Cure for 14 years and says the energy at these events keeps her coming back year after year.

“The first year, it was so emotional,” she says. “Going through the tents and the demonstrations they had, I became much more aware and when I found my lump, that’s what helped me.”

Ten years after attending her first Romp to Stomp event, she discovered a lump using a self-check technique she learned at prior demonstrations. She went to her doctor right away and underwent surgery to remove the stage 1 cancer. Radiation treatment followed and she’s been cancer-free for the past five years. Gordon participated this year in honor of a co-worker’s friend whose cancer is in a more advanced stage.

Patty Lewis is a seven-year survivor who has been coming to Romp to Stomp for nine years. The first time she participated, she hadn’t yet been diagnosed with cancer. The second year was just ten days after her last chemotherapy treatment, the side effects of which made the trek even more difficult.

“I wanted to just die out there on the trail,” she says, describ-ing how nauseous and tired she felt. “But my team pulled me through it all.”

That sense of team-building, camaraderie among cancer sur-vivors and just enjoying a day of outdoor fun is the essence of the Romp to Stomp campaigns, and part of the reason the event at Stratton has grown over the years and become an East Coast success story.

Photos and text by EVAN JOHNSON

Romp To Stomp

More than 600 participants joined the Romp to Stomp festivities on Jan. 25 at Stratton Mountain Resort making up 47 teams. with more than 40 breast cancer survivors. They raised over $53,000 during a morning with 3k and 5k snowshoe loops around the Sun Bowl Base Lodge area.



CROSS COUNTRY SKI AREASN RTHERN VERM NTBolton Valley XCNordic and backcountry skiing are hallmarks of Bolton Valley Ski Resort. The highest elevation of Vermont’s cross-country ski areas ensures great snow, usually from early November well into April. With over 100 km of Nordic trails, Bolton is considered by many to be the ‘best backcountry in Vermont’. The Nordic Center offers both Classic and Skate skiing lessons as well as guided tours and ski clinics. Snowshoeing is another popular activity; the resort uses Tubbs Snowshoes as rentals. Nordic ski and snowshoe packages with lodging are available.CONTACT:4302 Bolton Valley Access Rd., Bolton Valley, VT 05477Main phone: 802.434.3444 Phone 2: 877.9BOLTON • Fax: 802.329-6871 [email protected]:Typical season: .............................................December - early AprilTotal Terrain .......................................................................................88 kmMachine-tracked ............................................................................26 kmSkating Terrain..................................................................................26 km

Burke XC/Kingdom TrailsTwo centers located on Darlng Hill and near Burke Mountain offer something for everyone. At Kingdom Trails the atmo-sphere is noncompetitive, our focus is the quality of skiing and your awareness of the surrounding countryside. Eight main loops make up 50 km of trails to accommodate all skiing abili-ties. At the two Nordic centers on Darling Hill and Burke XC you can warm your feet and enjoy the splendid views.CONTACT: PO Box 204, East Burke, VT 05872

Main phone: 802.626.0737 Phone 2: 802.535.5662 [email protected]:Typical season: ...........................................mid December - MarchTotal Terrain .......................................................................................80 kmMachine-tracked ...........................................................................50 kmSkating Terrain ................................................................................35 km

Catamount Family CenterAll year long enjoy recreating on our trails as you discover the four corners of our beautiful family farm. Go at a leisurely pace, taking time to enjoy yourself and your family. You can pull off the trails at scenic points to soak up memorable views of Mt. Mansfield or Camel’s hump to the east or Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks to the west. This farm is rich in history. The first governor of Vermont, Governor Chittenden, built the main house in 1798 for his son Giles. It has since passed to our family and is in its 6th generation of ownership. CONTACT: 592 Governor Chittenden Rd, Williston, VT 05495 Main phone: 802.879.6001 Phone 2: 888.680.1011• Fax: 802.879.6066 www.catamountoutdoor.comSTATS:Typical season ............................................mid December - MarchTotal Terrain .......................................................................................35 kmMachine-tracked ...........................................................................35 kmSkating Terrain ................................................................................35 km

Craftsbury Outdoor CenterFor over 35 years, this year-round resort in the Northeast King-dom on over 400 private acres has offered outdoor activities for the whole family. In 2008, it was re-organized as a non-profit entity whose mission focuses on lifelong sports, stewardship and sustainability. Members (both day or annual) and winter time guests can enjoy 85k of groomed nordic ski trails, snowshoeing, orienteering, ice-skating, back-country tours, biathlon program-ming, and more. The Center has space for up to 90 houseguests in its variety of trailside accom-modations. Choose from private cabins to comfortable lodges - all room prices include your meals in their Vermont Fresh Network Member dining hall. You’ll enjoy lots of fresh, local ingredients with every meal! If you’re ready for some indoor time, guests have access to ame-nities such as free wifi, massage therapists, sauna and fitness room - plus homey public spac-es. Babysitting can be arranged with advance notice.CONTACT: 535 Lost Nation Rd, Craftsbury Common, VT 05827Main phone: 802.586.7767 • Fax: 802.586.7768 www.craftsbury.com

STATS: Typical season ............................................mid December - MarchTotal Terrain ..................................................................................135 kmMachine-tracked ...........................................................................85 kmSkating Terrain ................................................................................85 km

Hazen’s NotchLocated at the top of Vermont in the “Covered Bridge Town” of Montgomery near Jay Peak Resort, Hazen’s Notch is on the western edge of the snowy Northeast Kingdom. 70 Kilometers of groomed and marked trails pass through mixed maple, birch and evergreen forest and across gentle, open meadows. There are spectacular views of Hazen’s Notch and numerous peaks over 3,000 in elevation in the Jay Range and Cold Hollow Range of the Green Mountains, which completely encircle the trail sys-tem. 30 trails for all abilities provide loops of different lengths for classical cross-country skiing and or snowshoeing. Trail dif-ficulty is evenly divided between easy, moderate and difficult.CONTACT: P.O. Box 478, Montgomery Center, VT 05471 Main phone: 802.326.4799 • Fax: 802.326.4966 www.hazensnotch.orgSTATS: Typical season ..........................................................December - AprilTotal Terrain .....................................................................................70 kmMachine-tracked ...........................................................................60 kmSkating Terrain ................................................................................20 km

Highland Lodge & XC CenterSki through fields and valleys, delineated by rows of trees and sugar bushes, with stunning views over open pasture lands of Mount Mansfield to the west, Burke Mountain to the east, the Lowell Mountain Range to the north and Caspian Lake below. There is no finer place for spring skiing and picnics. CONTACT:Caspian Lake, 1608 Craftsbury Rd., Greensboro, VT 05841 Main phone: 802.533.2647 • Fax: 802.533.7494 www.highlandlodge.comSTATS:Typical season ......................................................December - MarchTotal Terrain .....................................................................................60 kmMachine-tracked ...........................................................................60 kmSkating Terrain ................................................................................40 km

Jay Peak Nordic and Snowshoe CenterThe Jay Peak Nordic and Snowshoe Center is located in the Golf Clubhouse and offers 20km of groomed and tracked ter-rain for beginners and experts alike. Pristine winding trails that amble through unspoiled wilderness coupled with unparalled mountain views are the hallmarks of our trail network. Snow-shoers are welcome to experience the backcountry by day or be guided in the evenings on our fireside tours. A true destination resort, Jay Peak also offers ice skating, curling, lodging , dining, an indoor water park and plenty of night life. CONTACT: 830 Jay Peak Road, Jay, Vermont 05859. Main Phone (802) 988-2611 x4653Reservations 1-800-451-4449 • Fax (802) [email protected]: Typical season .........................................Thanksgiving - mid-AprilTotal Terrain .......................................................................................25 kmSnowshoeing trails ............................................................................5 km

Morse Farm Ski CenterVisit Vermont’s newest, family friendly cross-country touring

Located at the Breadloaf Campus, Rt 125 in Ripton, VT802-443-2744 • [email protected]

Open 7days a week 8:30 - 4:30, November – March

• Cross Country Skiing• Snowshoeing• Snow Bike Rental• Pulk Rental• Day Passes

• Snowmaking on 5km• Private lessons• Group lessons• PSIA Instructors

Join Us!Rikertnordic.com


CROSS COUNTRY SKI AREAScenter, with views of Camel’s Hump and the Hunger Mountain range. Professionally designed scenic trails offer a diverse choice of terrain, through softwood forests, sugarbush and across gen-tly rolling open pastures. Suitable for all skill levels, from first-timers to seasoned experts, who will appreciate the banked turns on our many challenging downhill slopes.CONTACT: PO Box 1200 • 1168 County Rd., Montpelier, VT 05601 Main phone: 800-223-0090 www.skimorsefarm.comSTATS: Typical season ......................................................December - MarchTotal Terrain .....................................................................................20 kmMachine-tracked ...........................................................................20 kmSkating Terrain ................................................................................15 km

Sleepy Hollow Inn & Bike CenterCome cross-country ski or mountain bike with us! Our trails are challenging and great fun. Visit Butternut Cabin, with a stunning view of Camel’s Hump and Vermont’s rolling Green Mountains. Our eight bedroom newly renovated country inn is gaining a reputation for great service and hospitality. We of-fer skiing, ice-skating, night skiing, snowshoeing, single-track mountain biking, and hiking. Our full line of rentals will surely make your visit hassle-free and memorable.CONTACT:1805 Sherman Hollow Rd, Huntington, VT 05462 Main phone: 802.434.2283 Phone 2: [email protected]:Typical season ......................................................December - MarchTotal Terrain .....................................................................................40 kmMachine-tracked ...........................................................................30 kmSkating Terrain ................................................................................25 km

Smugglers’ Notch Cross CountrySmugglers’ Notch Nordic Ski and Snowshoe Adventure Center is conveniently located at the center of this year-round resort, providing a host of exciting activities for every member of the family. PSIA-Certified instruction in both classical and skate skiing; daily guided snowshoe treks and night tours on 24 ki-lometers of dedicated snowshoe trails; ice skating on a natural outdoor rink. With over 100 pair of Red Feather Snowshoes and plenty of skis, boots, poles and ice skates, Smugglers’ can outfit age 5 and older. CONTACT:4323 VT Route 108 South, Smugglers’ Notch, VT 05464

Main phone: 802.644.1173 Phone 2: 800.451.8752 • Fax: 802.644.2713 [email protected] • www.smuggs.comSTATS: Typical season ........................................................December – AprilTotal Terrain .....................................................................................34 kmMachine-tracked ...........................................................................23 kmSkating Terrain ................................................................................28 km

Stowe XCStowe Mountain Resort’s 35 kilometers of groomed and 40 kilometers of backcountry trails are the highest in Stowe. Also available are 5 kilometers of trails specifically for snowshoeing. They’re all part of the largest connected cross-country trail net-work in the East... a nordic skier’s dream, that also connects with the Trapp Family Lodge XC Center, Topnotch and Edson Hill ski touring centers.CONTACT: 5781 Mountain Rd., Stowe, VT 05672 Main phone: 802.253.3688 Phone 2: 800.253.4754 * Fax: 802.253.3406 [email protected] • www.stowe.comSTATS: Typical season ................................................December - late AprilTotal Terrain .....................................................................................70 kmMachine-tracked ...........................................................................35 kmSkating Terrain ................................................................................35 km

Trapp Family Lodge Cross Country CenterLocated on the spine of the Green Mountains, they are blessed with good snow conditions all season long. The center offers 55 km of groomed trails that are interconnected to the Stowe Mountain Resort, Topnotch and Edson Hill ski touring centers, making a trail network of 120 km groomed trails and another 100 km of back country trails. The center has a complete retail store with accessories, clothing and equipment, a repair shop, a ski school and rentals of all kinds.CONTACT: 700 Trapp Hill Rd, Stowe, VT 05672 Main phone: 802.253.8511 Phone 2: 800.826.7000 • Fax: 802.253.5757 [email protected] • www.trappfamily.comSTATS: Typical season ........................................................December – AprilTotal Terrain ..................................................................................100 kmMachine-tracked ...........................................................................55 kmSkating Terrain ................................................................................55 kmCENTRALR

EGION

CENTRAL VERM NT Blueberry HillBlueberry Hill Blueberry Hill is continually expanding its trail network and maintaining high grooming standards. The ski lodge sits at just over 1,600 feet, ensuring a fair dumping with any snowstorm. 65 kilometers of groomed and wilderness trails spread across the beautiful Vermont countryside, with con-nections to the Catamount Trail and Vermont’s Long Trail. The Halfdan Khlune Trail climbs to 2,800 feet, making it the high-est maintained ski trail in Vermont. The rental shop offers a full line of touring, backcountry and skating skis on a fi rst come, first served basis. We also have 40+ pairs of snowshoes, for both adults and children.CONTACT: RFD 3, Goshen, VT 05733Main phone: 802.247.6735Phone 2: 800.448.0707 • Fax: 802.247.3983info@blueberryhillinn.comwww.blueberryhillinn.comSTATS: Typical season ........................................December to mid-MarchTotal Terrain .....................................................................................65 kmMachine-tracked ...........................................................................25 kmSkating Terrain ................................................................................25 km

Blueberry Lake“The Snow Bowl of Sugarbush.” For the last two years, we have skied everyday of the season after opening. The ski area offers 31 km of trails all of which are groomed. Some of the trails are lit for night skiing. CONTACT: 424 Robinson Road, Warren, VT 05674 Main phone: 802.496.6687 • Fax: 802.496.5198STATS: Typical season ........................................December to mid-MarchTotal Terrain .....................................................................................31 kmMachine-tracked ...........................................................................31 kmSkating Terrain ................................................................................31 km

Catamount Trail AssociationThe Catamount Trail is a 300-mile public cross country ski trail that spans the length of Vermont. It offers a mixture of ung-roomed backcountry terrain and groomed trails - a ski expe-rience for everyone. Guidebook available. Maintained by the member-supported nonprofitCatamount Trail Association. CONTACT: Main phone: (802) 864-5794 [email protected] www.catamounttrail.org


CROSS COUNTRY SKI AREAS

Mountain Meadows XC AreaLocated in the heart of the Green Mountains, Mountain Mead-ows cross-country ski area has been attracting skiers from all over the world for the past 35 years. Snowmaking, new trail marking system, improved trails through spectacular meadows and hard woods.CONTACT: 209 Thundering Brook Rd, Killington, VT 05751 Main phone: 802.775.7077 Phone 2: 800.221.0598 • Fax: 802.747.1929 www.xcskiing.netSTATS: Typical season ....................................................... November – AprilTotal Terrain .....................................................................................57 kmMachine-tracked ...........................................................................57 kmSkating Terrain..................................................................................57 km

Mountain Top Inn and ResortEleven miles from Killington, 60km trails (40km groomed) clas-sic, skate and pristine backcountry for skiing or snowshoeing on 350 of acres at elevation up to 2,100 ft. Varied terrain for all skill and age levels. Private or group lessons, rentals, snowmaking, daily grooming, ski shop (Rossignol demo equipment & rent-als, Tubbs snowshoe rentals), snack bar. Designated pet friendly trails. Nordic ski and other seasonal packages available. CONTACT: 195 Mountain Top Rd, Chittenden, VT 05737 Main phone: (802) 483-2311Phone 2: (802) 483-6089 Reservations: (802) 483-2311 • Fax: (802) 483-6373 [email protected]: Typical season ................................................................ late Nov.-AprilTotal Terrain .....................................................................................60 kmMachine-tracked ...........................................................................40 kmSkating Terrain ................................................................................60 km

Okemo Valley Nordic CenterOkemo Valley Nordic Center features 22 km of traditional Nor-dic track trails and skating lanes that wind their way through pristine meadows and Nordic hillsides and along the Black River.The Nordic Center also has an additional 13 km of dedicated snow-shoe trails. Okemo Valley features modern trail groom-ing and terrain ideally suited for all ability levels. Cross-country ski and snowshoe rentals are available, along with group and private lessons.CONTACT: 77 Okemo Ridge Rd, Ludlow, VT 05149

Main phone: 802.228.1396 Phone 2: 800.78.OKEMO • Fax: 802.228.7095 [email protected] • www.nordic.okemo.comSTATS: Typical season ........................................................December – AprilTotal Terrain .....................................................................................22 kmMachine-tracked ...........................................................................22 kmSkating Terrain ................................................................................22 km

Ole’s Cross Country CenterThe combination of snow and scenery at Ole’s Cross Country Center in the Mad River Valley is perfect for skiing and snow-shoeing. Discover 30 miles (50K) of moderately rolling trails groomed for classic skiing and ski skating. All abilities can ski to panoramic views of Sugarbush or into the rare quiet of the deep woods. Rent cross country ski gear and snowshoes at Ole’s, in-cluding skating skis. Learn to cross-country ski better. We of-fer fun lessons for beginners to coaching for racers. We love to share our favorite sport. Adventure with us on a guided ski or snowshoe tour. CONTACT: PO Box 1653, Waitsfield, VT 05673 Main phone: 802.496.3430 Phone 2: 877.863.3001 • Fax: 802.496.3089 www.olesxc.comSTATS: Typical season ....................................................... November – AprilTotal Terrain .....................................................................................50 kmMachine-tracked ...........................................................................50 kmSkating Terrain ................................................................................45 km

Rikert Nordic CenterLocated 12 miles east of Middlebury on Route 125 in Ripton, VT - 2 miles west of the Middlebury Snow Bowl. Situated on the Bread Loaf Campus of Middlebury College bordered by the Green Mountain National Forest and the Robert Frost Home-stead, the center offers 50 km of carefully groomed trails for classic and skate skiing and snowshoeing for all abilities. In-cluded in this terrain is a new world class 5km FIS sanctioned race course that was built this fall. The newly renovated shop offers rental equipment, repairs and maintenance and is fully ADA accessible. A staff of instructors offer both private and group lessons.CONTACT:Route 125 Middlebury College Bread Loaf Campus, Ripton,VTPhone: 802 - 443- [email protected] • www.rikertnordic.comSTATS:Typical Season: ..................................................December - March

Total Terrain: ...................................................................................50 kmMachine Tracked: ..........................................................................50 KmSkating Terrain:.................................................................................40 km

Three Stallion Inn Touring CenterCome and enjoy the “Sporting Life” on 35 km of x-c skiing and snowshoeing trails that criss-cross our 1,300 wooded acres and open pastures. CONTACT:Three Stallion Inn, Randolph, VT 05060 Main phone: 802.728.5656 Phone 2: 802.728.5575 • www.3stallioninn.comSTATS:Typical season .................................................... December – MarchTotal Terrain .....................................................................................50 kmMachine-tracked ...........................................................................35 kmSkating Terrain ................................................................................17 km

Woodstock Nordic CenterJust out from the ski center are 10 km of gentle “meadow” skiing that connect to our fitness center and the 20 km of woodland trails on Mt. Peg. There are also 30 km of trails located across the village green on Mt. Tom – and these quite often become the favorites of those who discover them. Skiing or snowshoe-ing Mt. Tom puts you on century old carriage roads in the midst of Vermont’s first tree farm and Vermont’s first National Park site. CONTACT: Route 106, Woodstock, VT 05091 Main phone: 802.457.6674 Phone 2: 800.448.7900 • Fax: 802.457.6699 [email protected] • www.woodstockinn.comSTATS: Typical season .................................................... December – MarchTotal Terrain .....................................................................................60 kmMachine-tracked ...........................................................................50 kmSkating Terrain ................................................................................20 kmSOUTHERNREGIONS UTHERN VERM NT Brattleboro Outing ClubThe BOC Ski Hut is the place to cross-country ski in Brattleboro. It’s so close and convenient, it’s practically XC in your backyard! Just two miles from town, the Ski Hut is where friends and fam-ily gather to make the most of winter. Learn-to-ski programs after school, ski and snowshoe rentals on weekends, special events that celebrate the gift of winter. We maintain trails for all tastes- — Classic-only trails meander through the woods, while our fairway trails are groomed wide with both skating lanes and stride & glide tracks. In fields adjacent to the fairways, our

Enjoy 60km of groomed trails, rated as some of the nicest trails in New England!

Enjoy lunch at the Ski Center and stay in one of Vermont’s most scenic and historic inns tucked in the heart of Robert Frost country with exquisite dining.

For more information go to www.blueberryhillinn.com

Blueberry Hill Ski CenterGoshen, Vermont • 802-247-6755

Enjoy 25km of groomed trails, rated as someof the nicest trails in New England!

Enjoy lunch at the Ski Center and stay in one ofVermont’s most scenic and historic inns tucked in the heart of Robert Frost country with exquisite dining.

For more information go to www.blueberryhillinn.com

Goshen, Vermont • 802-247-6735


CROSS COUNTRY SKI AREASHunde-loipes (Hound loops) for dog-lovers and their pets are groomed regularly. CONTACT: 348 Upper Dummerston Rd. • PO Box 335Brattleboro, VT 05302 Main phone: 802.254.4081 Contact our web page at [email protected]: Typical season ..........................................mid December – MarchTotal Terrain .....................................................................................33 kmMachine-tracked ...........................................................................25 kmSkating Terrain ................................................................................20 km

Grafton Ponds Outdoor CenterGrafton Ponds focuses on cross country skiing, snowshoeing, ice Skating (no ice skating) Biathlon, and tubing on a 600-foot hill. There are 15 km of Nordic trails groomed with a snow-cat and a tiller (which includes 5 km with snowmaking) and 15 km of back-country trails, along with another 10 km of snowshoe trails. They offer a wide variety of terrain and a full service cross country center including rental, retail and snacks. A series of winter activities, including family and kids programs, demos, clinics and races, take place throughout the season. Grafton Ponds is part of the Grafton Inn, which offers special ski & stay packages.CONTACT:783 Townshend Road, Grafton, VT 05146Main phone: 802.843.2400Reservations: 800.843.1801 • Fax: [email protected] • www.graftonponds.comSTATS:Typical season .........................................December – Mid-MarchTotal Terrain .......................................................................................45 kmMachine-tracked ............................................................................15 kmSkating Terrain..................................................................................15 km

Hildene, The Lincoln Family HomeHildene is a historic house built by Robert Todd Lincoln primar-ily as a summer home. It is open year-round and includes the mansion and gardens, farm and restored Pullman palace car. In the winter months, we offer ski and snowshoe rentals for chil-dren and adults, and lessons by appointment.CONTACT:1005 Hildene Rd, Manchester, VT 05254Main phone: 802.362.1788 • Fax: 802.362.1564www.hildene.orgSTATS:Typical season .................................................... December – MarchTotal Terrain .......................................................................................14 kmMachine-tracked ............................................................................14 kmSkating Terrain.....................................................................................0 km

Prospect Mountain Cross Country Ski CenterProspect Mountain Cross-Country Ski Center is located on Route 9 in Woodford, Vermont, just 7 miles east of Bennington. At the highest base elevation of any ski area in the state, Pros-pect Mountain has earned its reputation of being the “snow magnet”. Prospect has over 35 km of expertly groomed ski trails, and offers excellent skiing to everyone from racers to families. The full service ski shop includes a heated waxing room and a professional waxing service. Adult and children’s skis, snow-shoes and baby sleds are available for rent. The spacious Base Lodge Restaurant is open 7 days/week. Open everyday from 9 am to 5 pm. CONTACT: Route 9, Woodford, VT 05201

Main phone: 802.442.2575STATS: Typical season ....................................................... November – AprilTotal Terrain .....................................................................................35 kmMachine-tracked ...........................................................................35 kmSkating Terrain ................................................................................30 km

Stratton Mountain Nordic CenterStratton Mountain Nordic Center is located out of the Sunbowl Lodge at Stratton Mountain Resort. We offer 10 km for cross country skiing and for snowshoeing. The beautiful wooded trails are groomed for both classical and skate skiing. The ter-rain offers something for novice to advanced skiers. Inside the base lodge we have a full service rental and retail shop. Open daily from 8-5. Lessons available.CONTACT: RR 1 Box 145, Stratton Mountain, VT 05155 Main phone: 802.297.4114 Phone 2: 800.STRATTON • www.stratton.comSTATS: Typical season .................................................... December – MarchTotal Terrain .....................................................................................10 kmMachine-tracked ...........................................................................10 kmSkating Terrain ................................................................................10 km

Timber Creek Cross Country Ski AreaAcross from Mount Snow, cradled by the Green Mountains, is Timber Creek… a very high quality cross country ski area. With a dependable mountain climate and a high elevation, an abun-dance of snow becomes a way of life at Timber Creek. The skier has a choice of adventures on a trail system that meanders and explores where you can ski the forested hills or reach up to the high Green Mountain ridges. CONTACTS: Route 100 North, West Dover, VT 05356 Main phone: 802.464.0999Fax: 802.464.8308 www.timbercreekxc.comSTATS: Typical season ...................................December – MarchTotal Terrain .......................................14 kmMachine-tracked ............................14 kmSkating Terrain ................................14 km

Viking Nordic CenterViking Nordic Centre is one of the oldest cross-country ski centers in North America. With 40 kilometers of trails we offer something for every skier. From the rolling gentle terrain of our inner trail sys-tem to the long loops through the woods of our outer trail system, beginners and experts can find terrain that will both please and challenge them. After a long day of skiing you can enjoy a hearty cup of soup in our Olympic Café; or bring

your own lunch for a picnic at our warming hut overlooking Vermont’s Stratton Mountain. CONTACT: 615 Little Pond Rd, Londonderry, VT 05148 Main phone: 802.824.3933Fax: 802.824.4574www.vikingnordic.comSTATS: Typical season .................................................... December – MarchTotal Terrain .....................................................................................40 kmMachine-tracked ...........................................................................35 kmSkating Terrain ................................................................................30 km

Wild Wings Ski Touring CenterClassic skiing at its best. Family skiing or ski to train. Tracks set with Piston Bully — they last longer. Ski through the woods or along the brook. The animal tracks we see regularly include bobcat, rabbit and deer. Rental and lessons available. CONTACT: Box 132, Peru, VT 05152 Main phone: 802.824.6793 [email protected] • www.wildwingsski.comSTATS: Typical season .................................................... December – MarchTotal Terrain .....................................................................................25 kmMachine-tracked ...........................................................................25 kmSkating Terrain ...................................................................................0 km


Visit us at clearwatersports.com

clearwatersports.com4147 MAIN STREET, WAITSFIELD, VERMONT • 802-496-2708

open every day

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Soaring at Harris HillMore than 40 skiers from the United States, Norway, Sweden, Slovenia, Italy and Canada competed in the 26th annual FIS Cup at the Harris Hill Ski Jump in Brattleboro, Vt. on Feb. 15-16. The jump is the only 90-meter ski jump in New England and the newest Olympic size 90-meter jump in the country designed to International Ski Federation specifications. Miran Zupancic, Mitja Meznar and Ernest Prislic, all of Slovenia, took first through third, respectively.

Photos by Herb Swanson


For more information on restaurants, live music, activities and events call 800.53.SUGAR or visit sugarbush.com.

3-day Mt. EllEn tickEt for $89Valid three of four consecutive days. Start dates: 2/24 – 3/1.

48-hour advance online purchase required.

2-for-1 youth lEssonsAges 3 – 12, reservations required. Midweek only.

buy a youth lEsson, gEt an adult tickEt frEEAges 3 – 12, reservations required. Midweek only.

Show us your pass from another mountain, and we’ll show you our mountain. Valid midweek, non-holiday with a 2013/14

season pass from another resort.

$50 adult all Mountain

lift tickEts

$25 youth/sEnior all

Mountain lift tickEtsTo redeem please present pass from another

resort at any season pass or ticket office.

3/2 High Fives Fat Ski-A-Thon3/8 Castlerock Extreme 3/8 “Wines of Spain” Dinner3/15 Sugaring Time Festival3/15 Tour de Moon Guided Skin & Ski at Mt. Ellen3/17 $17 St. Patrick’s Day Tickets at Mt. Ellen3/29 Pond Skimming

vermont ski & ride feb 2014

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