Well, you've come to the right place. Here you'll find information and views about Vermont skiing and riding, powder dumps, Vermont ski resort reviews, ski travel tidbits and all-around snow culture from a Vermont skiing enthusiast. I don't work in the ski industry, so what you read in this Vermont ski blog is from someone who just loves to get out on the snow!
The Canadian owners of Jay Peak ski resort in northern Vermont have sold the four-season resort to a group of American investors. The investors include longtime Jay Peak president Bill Stenger.
Mont St. Sauveur International Inc., based in Québec, has owned Vermont's northernmost resort since 1978. The ski area is known for its high annual tallies of snowfall, challenging glade skiing, and for having the state's only aerial tram.
Mont St. Sauveur International owns six...[Read more]
The Catamount Trail Association (CTA) is one of five finalists for a $50,000 grant that could help secure some 90 miles of unprotected sections of the 300-mile-long ski trail.
Catamount Trail officials are asking skiers to visit their home page for a link to where they can vote for CTA. And you can add a vote every day! So, go on and use a disposable e-mail address from Yahoo or Hotmail and log in to vote!
These funds would be a huge boost to CTA's...[Read more]
Skiers who took the time to drive to Colorado's Arapahoe Basin on Sunday had a powder day to close out their ski season. Yes, it had snowed a couple of inches the night before at the higher elevations around the Continental Divide, which the ski area straddles.
A-Basin was the first to open for the 2007-2008 season on October 10, 2007, and the last to close.
Sounds like American ski resorts had a great year all around. The National Ski Areas Association reported earlier this month that...[Read more]
As I pack to make a short family visit to Colorado, I'm daydreaming of snow-capped peaks and blue skies. The Rocky Mountains are in a league of their own and I can't wait to see them again.
I stumbled across this interesting photo site recently at www.archives.gov/research/ansel-adams/. It's a National Archives site that shares some of Ansel Adams' photos of our national parks in the 1930s and 1940s.
Apparently, the US government commissioned Adams to document the parks, but World War...[Read more]
We've had a gorgeous morning in northern Vermont. When I drove home yesterday after work, however, I looked toward Bolton Valley ski resort and beneath the lifting clouds I saw ski runs. White ski runs.Turns out the upper elevations were blanketed with snow yesterday. Stowe Mountain Resort reported about 5 inches fell on the top of the mountain. Not that I don't trust them, but I proceeded to the NOAA site and yes, there is about 18 inches at the stake near the summit of Mt. Mansfield. I...[Read more]
"It's not quite over yet." So says Sugarbush ski resort, which will open up on Saturday so they can say that they skied into May. The same goes for Jay Peak resort. Both Vermont ski areas are running a lift and a couple of trails for a spring-skiing ticket price of $25.
Sugarbush will run the Super Bravo lift for skiing on the Valley House Traverse, Stein's Run and Coffee Run. They say that skiers may need to walk a bit at the end of Coffee Run to get back to the lift. They'll be serving up a...[Read more]
If you still haven't got your fill of skiing this season, this is your last weekend to hit the slopes in Vermont. Ski Vermont reports that these areas remain open:
• Jay Peak - Open Sat & Sunday, 4/26 - 4/27 for intermediate and advanced skiers
• Mount Snow - Open Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 4/25 - 4/27
• Sugarbush - Open through Sunday, 4/27
Check for links to their springy snow reports and driving directions on the Vermont Ski Resorts and Snow Conditions page.
Nothing like a cheap lift ticket to get people out on the slopes! Stowe Mountain Resort had a rare ticket deal yesterday: bring two cans of food for the Vermont Food Shelf and you could ski for $20. With yesterday being the last day of lift service at Stowe, the Skimeister and I just had to go.
I used to work and live in Stowe years and years ago, back when there actually was a guy named Perry Merrill. OK, not that long ago. Working for the mountain company was not as glamorous as it seems,...[Read more]
Corn snow and creamees in one day—now that's what I call heaven.
The Skimeister and I and three friends hit the slopes of Jay Peak in the northern reaches of Vermont for a fabulous day of spring skiing yesterday. This week's weather is amazing, so we all decided to play hooky and make the most of the incredible late-season snow cover.
The high-speed quad wasn't open, so we took a handful of runs off the tram, which normally has a long liftline during the season. Not so this week.
I got an e-mail from the Catamount Trail Association, the caretakers of the 300-mile-long ski trail that covers the length of the state of Vermont. They are asking people to fill out their online survey so that they can prioritize their activities for the coming season.
Members and non-members alike are invited to respond. It took me about five minutes to fill it out.
I've enjoyed skiing sections of the Catamount Trail and I've made good use of my membership discount booklet at Vermont...[Read more]
A short list of things that are 30 feet tall or long:
1. A 30-foot-tall scale model of the Sears Tower built with Jenga blocks at Northern Michigan University: faculty.nmu.edu/ims/sears1.htm
2. The meat-eating dinosaur called Torvosaurus cf. tanneri, a "Savage Lizard" found in western Colorado; 30 feet long, standing 8.5 feet tall at the hips, and tipping the scale at about 5,000 pounds:...[Read more]
This morning I saw a moose! At first I thought it was a horse, but quickly I realized it was a large moose and he or she was on the move.
Now you might ask why this is so exciting. Well I didn't see the moose in the woods or along a dirt road. This guy was crossing the four lanes of Kennedy Drive in South Burlington!
For those of you familiar with South Burlington, Vt., you know that it is highly residential. There are nice small chunks of woods but really there are a lot of condos and...[Read more]
OK, you've got to check this out: NOAA reports there are 98 inches of snow still left on the summit of Mt. Mansfield, here in Vermont. 98 inches on April 7!
I got out on the trails at Bolton Valley yesterday and enjoyed some super spring skiing in the bright sunshine. And I wasn't alone. It was Bolton's last day of operation, despite having abundant snow, so everyone was getting their last rides on the lifts. They even kept the Vista Quad open until 5 p.m. for the die-hards.
I think I mentioned before that I'm spoiled rotten. Well yesterday the Skimeister and I made the most of a blue sky afternoon by skiing from 2 to 4 p.m. at Bolton Valley. We knew the weather was looking rough today so we moved around our work schedule to accommodate the sun! (It's now raining/snowing in Burlington, Vt., but it is supposed to be all snow over 2,000 feet.)
The spring skiing was quite good. The snow had turned into soft corn snow in most places. We really set our edges in the...[Read more]
On Saturday I was bundled up against the wind and cold while backcountry skiing, and by Sunday afternoon I had no hat and only wore a midweight fleece as I cross-country skied at Trapp Family Lodge nordic center in Stowe, Vermont. It was heavenly!
Before I skied, I stopped at the Stowe Coffee House, located near the three-way stop in Stowe Village. It's tucked back behind the Stephen Huneck gallery—you know, the dog art guy. I read the Sunday paper over a small...[Read more]
The sun was deceiving on Saturday morning. If you looked at the calendar and the blue skies, you would have sworn it was going to be a spring skiing day. You would have also been wrong.
It was windy and downright cold in the mountains. At Bolton Valley ski resort, someone said it was zero degrees at the top of the lift early in the morning. Brrr.
While the Skimeister took to the lifts, I headed for Bolton's lower backcountry trails. I was intent on generating my own heat on this chilly day....[Read more]
This weekend is Maple Open House Weekend in Vermont. That means that you can combine skiing with a visit to a sugarhouse and see how they make that sticky, sweet stuff. Check this site for details on where to go during the March 28-30 weekend. If you see a sugarhouse with steam billowing from it, check for a open house sign out front and then head on in!
Today's Burlington Free Press quoted some Vermont maple producers who were lamenting the weather. They say it has been too cold at night to...[Read more]
On the day before Easter, I wanted to try a new backcountry route. I convinced the Skimeister to drive to Montpelier, Vermont, and head north a bit to ski on the Middlesex Trail toward the summit of Mt. Hunger.
Saturday was a beautiful day: blue skies with mountains that were frosty-white on the top. It was windy, but it didn't bother me as I marched my way up the mountain through the snow. No one had been on the trail for some time, so we were breaking trail. In some places the wind packed...[Read more]
Well it seems really early this year, but Easter weekend is here! We're going to do some skiing this weekend. Are you?
If you are headed to the slopes in Vermont and want to enjoy a unique tradition, roll out of bed extra early on Sunday to take in a sunrise Easter service. The ski resorts hold these at the top of the mountain, so if the weather is good you can get an inspiring view, and a nice early morning ski run.
So far, the weekend weather is looking clear and lovely (what a treat!) But...[Read more]
With sunshine in the forecast for today and early Tuesday, and mixed precipitation called for later this week, the Skimeister and I took the afternoon off to go play at Bolton Valley, Vt. I took my Völkl skis out for some exercise and he sharpened up his Burton snowboard.
I knew the scenery would be terrific because of the clear skies and the ice-covered trees I had seen the day before, but I thought the skiing would be only mediocre. On this point I was pleasantly surprised. There were up to...[Read more]
Weird. That's the best way to describe today's ski tour on the backcountry trails at Bolton Valley today. Other words that come to mind are frozen, crusty and otherworldly.
While the high trails picked up some snow over the last week, they also got the deep-freeze treatment. Ice was everywhere. It coated trees at nearly an inch in thickness.
During our ski on Heavenly Highway, Birch Loop and Gardiner's Lane, the Skimeister and I navigated around many limbs and trees that were downed by the...[Read more]
I was in emergency mode the other day after spending some time on the slopes. I thought I had gone through all of my mocha cocoa from Lake Champlain Chocolates.
I tore through my cabinet, which is stuffed with assorted teas and snacks. But this was not a tea afternoon. I craved the cocoa.
Luckily for me, there are several Vermont-based makers of hot chocolate mixes. I came across a list in the winter edition of this tasty-looking new publication called Edible Green Mountains. I had picked up...[Read more]
Solitude, a 50-year-old ski resort in Utah's Big Cottonwood Canyon, is billed as a best-kept-secret kind of ski area. For this reason, we decided to ski Solitude on our last day of our trip because it fell on a Saturday. We figured this was a good plan because droves of skiers from Salt Lake City (only 45 minutes from the slopes) could be hitting the larger resorts in the area.
I'm not saying that Solitude is small, but it's just more manageable and you are able to explore much of the mountain...[Read more]
Wow! This place has got to be one of the most scenic places to ski anywhere. Alta ski area in Utah is perched high in the Wasatch Range and it seemed that in every direction you get a view of a high peak. No wonder my seventh-grade teacher Mr. Tewksbury raved about this place.
Thursday was our first bluebird day during our Utah ski trip and we spent it on Alta's slopes. The Skimeister and I enjoyed left-over powder plus about five inches of new snow. Not too shabby, eh?
Today we spent the day exploring Brighton ski resort in Utah. We were skiing on a little bit of fresh snow from the day and night before, and a whole lot of base from an above-average season for Utah ski resorts.
The weather threw a little sun our way, in between clouds and snow squalls. The Skimeister and I took the opportunity to first check out the new Milly Express lift on the south side of the resort, and we ended up skiing off of every lift except for the bunny slope.
Well the Skimaven has taken a field trip to Utah. Yup, a long way from Vermont. Now I'm skiing at 9 to 11,000 feet instead of 2 to 3,000. I can feel it when I bend over to buckle my boots!
The Skimeister and I started our Utah ski trip with Snowbird today. We took the tram right off the bat to get to the top of the mountain. We did laps in Mineral Basin all morning, enjoying powdery conditions in most places. This part of the resort is on the back side and it features wide, open slopes and a...[Read more]
I love checklists. It gives me great satisfaction to tick things off as I complete them. Yesterday I had the pleasure of checking off the Bolton-Trapp Trail on my skiing to-do list for this season. It was the first time I had done this backcountry excursion and it was tiring, but extra snowy and fun!
The Skimeister, his step-mom and I dropped a car on Nebraska Valley Road in Moscow (a section of Stowe), Vermont, before driving to our starting point at the Bolton Valley nordic center. The car...[Read more]
I hate to rub it in, but I just had a great Friday afternoon of skiing in powder and packed powder conditions at Bolton Valley, Vt.! And, now wait for this, it was a bluebird day to boot!
Vermont enjoyed a hearty helping of fresh snow this week—with more to come this weekend—so I left work behind and spent the afternoon skiing in the sunshine.
Boy, was I glad that I did.
There was still some powder to be found in Bolton Valley's glades and due to cold temps, it had remained light and fluffy....[Read more]
