Food, coffee & aprés
"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]
Friday, May 2, 2008
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Filed in: Alpine skiing, Food, coffee & aprés, Jay Peak, Spring skiing, Sugarbush, Ticket discounts
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]
Monday, April 21, 2008
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Filed in: Alpine skiing, Food, coffee & aprés, Spring skiing, Stowe, Ticket discounts
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.
The views...[Read more]
Thursday, April 17, 2008
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Filed in: Alpine skiing, Food, coffee & aprés, Jay Peak, Spring skiing, Ticket discounts
What a difference a day makes.
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]
Monday, March 31, 2008
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Food, coffee & aprés, Mt. Mansfield, Trapp Family Lodge
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]
Sunday, March 30, 2008
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Filed in: Backcountry skiing, Bolton Valley, Food, coffee & aprés
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]
Thursday, March 27, 2008
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Filed in: Food, coffee & aprés
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]
Monday, March 24, 2008
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Filed in: Backcountry skiing, Food, coffee & aprés, Mt. Hunger
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]
Monday, March 17, 2008
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Filed in: Alpine skiing, Bolton Valley, Food, coffee & aprés
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]
Thursday, March 13, 2008
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Filed in: Food, coffee & aprés
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.
Mt. Millicent...[Read more]
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
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Filed in: Alpine skiing, Food, coffee & aprés, Western skiing
Did you know that Burlington has the largest Mardi Gras celebration in New England? Yes, snowy and oh so cool Burlington, Vt.!
We Vermonters are hardy folk, so we pile on the layers and stand in the cold to catch some of the thousands of beads, chocolates and Moonpies (those tasty little things) that are thrown at us. And we have a blast doing it.
Magic Hat brewery plans the event, now in its 13th year. Held on Saturday, February 23, the parade route starts on Main Street and heads north...[Read more]
Thursday, February 21, 2008
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Filed in: Alpine skiing, Food, coffee & aprés, Stowe
When you live in the north country, winter is something you embrace. This weekend in Stowe, Vt., they're doing just that with the Stowe Winter Carnival.
Some of the country’s best amateur and professional ice carvers create frozen masterpieces on Saturday, January 26. The nationally sanctioned competition is one of many activities during this annual celebration with roots back to 1922.
Yes, ice can be nice. The chopping, picking, chain sawing and creative blow torching goes on between 11 a.m....[Read more]
Friday, January 25, 2008
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Filed in: Food, coffee & aprés, Jay Peak, Smugglers' Notch, Stowe
I'm happy to report that there is some fresh snow up in the mountains of northern Vermont!
The Skimeister and I headed to Bolton Valley's cross-country trails to do some classic nordic skiing today. The conditions on the groomed trails were pretty good and the fresh snow on the side of the trails measured to about five inches or so. Nice, fluffy white stuff. Of course, we would like much more to really cover up the ice-covered base that's under there, but this is a start!
On our skinny skis,...[Read more]
Saturday, January 19, 2008
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Filed in: Bolton Valley, Cross-country skiing, Food, coffee & aprés
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