2014-15

Into the Woods Plus: Chez Henri’s Golden Anniversary Down by the (Mad) River Forest Foraging Turn a vacaTion inTo a lifesTyle

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FOUR SEASONS OF CASUAL CHIC 4403 MAIN ST. | WAITSFIELD VILLAGE, VT STYLE FOR WOMEN AND MEN WWW.4ORTYBRIDGEBOUTIQUE.COM AlpineAlpine OptionsOptions SKI BACKCOUNTRY John Egan navigating the trees in Slide Brook.

25 Welcome to the Woods 35 Fifty Years of Chez Henri A novice tree skier heads out with John Egan Sugarbush’s iconic French bistrot—and the for her first off-trail lesson. man behind it. Plus: John Egan’s rules for in the trees. Plus: The story behind the Chez Henri Cup. By Katie Bacon By Candice White

30 Valley Exposure 43 A River Runs Through It Snapshots of the Valley community. The Mad River is more than a source of water, recreation, power, and—occasionally— devastation. It’s the geographical and spiritual heart of the community. BY Peter Oliver SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE

president Winthrop Smith Jr.

EDITOR Candice White

Managing Editor Katie Bacon

production Editor Amy Stackhouse

16 st i na b ooth Art director Audrey Huffman Inside Lines 6 One on one with Win Smith, owner and 20 Photo editor president of Sugarbush Resort. Mary Simmons Style Arts & Culture 40 Artisan-crafted objects from advertising MANAGER 8 MUSIC cairns to skateboards. Calli Willette From Grace Potter to a thriving après band scene to informal Timeline contributors fireside jamming on winter nights. 48 A quick history of Sugarbush. John Bleh Plus: Music festivals in the Valley Chris Enman Dana Freeman 10 VIDEO Local Knowledge Brian Mohr The Fresh Tracks Film Camp helps 50 Factoids to maximize your Peter Oliver budding filmmakers turn footage Sugarbush visit. Rob Williams from mini adventure cams into videos worth watching. Sugar-Kids contributing Photographer Summertime 52 Have fun with a mountain maze, John Atkinson coloring pages, and a word search. 12 Foraging Finding wild edibles in the . 55 Dining Directory Sugarbush Resort 14 Family Vacation 1840 Sugarbush Access Road Hiking, biking, golfing, and a whole lot 58 Lodging Directory Warren, VT 05674 more—for the kid in all of us. 800.53.SUGAR sugarbush.com 16 outside dining Sugarbush Close-Up Scenic views, fabulous food—a 60 Facts and figures about the sampling of the Valley’s outdoor mountain and the latest ON THE COVER dining possibilities. developments there. WINTER: Sugarbush’s Coach Diggety finds a Wintertime 64 Events Calendar line through the trees in Slide Brook. Photographer: John Atkinson 18 Local opportunities for Nordic skiing SUMMER: abound—whether on a designated trail A kayaker approaching one of the or out the back door. Mad River’s springtime rapids. 20 behind the scenes Photographer: Brian Mohr Lifting the veil off the mysteries of snow. 22 Training Ground U.S. Ski Team member Nolan Kasper calls Sugarbush home.

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The word “community” is derived from the old French comunete, which is derived from the Latin communitas. Community is about things held in common among a network of people who define that relationship as important to their social identity. When I was a child, I went to Hunter Mountain in New York one weekend to learn to ski—but since I couldn’t hold on to the rope tow, I didn’t get very far. Then, in the winter of my junior year at Amherst College, a group of my friends rented a house on German Flats Road and ventured north each weekend to ski at Mad River Glen. My first run at Mad River was down Paradise—mostly on my backside. Despite my lack of ability, the communal experience we had that winter at the ski house and on the mountain was memorable. Fifteen years later, many of us returned to the Mad River Valley with our young families for a reunion weekend— this time at Sugarbush. Win and Lili at Mt. Ellen’s Fasching Costume Ball. Over the years, our initial community of college friends broadened as we got to know more and more people in the Valley. We learned that this place we had stumbled upon in college was really special. Now three generations of the Smith-Ruane family and many of our friends are enjoying the Valley not just in winter, but in all seasons. And many family milestones are being met here. My youngest son, Cameron, got his first hole in one on the fifth hole of the Sugarbush golf course this past summer. And this winter, four of my five grandchildren will be on . What ties our community together? First, the mountains, composed of both National Forest Service land and private land, are a magnet for skiers, riders, bikers, and hikers. Surely they are some of the most majestic and beautiful in all of the Northeast. Secondly, the Valley, with its many farms, inns, and two historic villages replete with covered bridges, is pure . And lastly, there are the people. While the population here has been described as “eclectic,” there is something about the attraction of the Mad River Valley that ties similarly minded people together. For instance, it was remarkable to see how this community of permanent residents and second homeowners came together after the devastation of Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. This year Henri Borel will celebrate the fiftieth year of Chez Henri Restaurant & Bistrot in Sugarbush Village. People like Henri, Stein Eriksen, and Sigi Grottendorfer, and families like the Gadds, the Elliotts, and the Murphys, along with the Valley residents who have been here for generations, came together to create this unique community. People representing a variety of nationalities, professions, and backgrounds united to support a common interest: this unique place we now call the Mad River Valley. Sadly, this past year we lost two pillars of our community—Arthur Williams and Jackie Rose. Arthur did so much for the Valley, contributing to the founding of Sugarbush and to the Valley’s first professional polo league, and creating the MRV Community Fund. Jackie started the Store in Waitsfield, a treasure of a kitchen store that reflects her personal touch. They were icons, and we will miss them dearly. On my twenty-fifth birthday forty years ago, I joined Merrill Lynch intending to spend an entire career there. This would have been my year of retirement. However, after nearly twenty-eight years, fate took me in another direction, and I now have a remarkably satisfying second career here in Vermont. My primary goal is to help keep the Valley and its community vibrant and sustainable for generations to come. For those of you who are already members of our community, I look forward to another fun year with you. For those of you visiting us for the first time, I look forward to welcoming you, with the hope that you will discover what I did so many years ago.

Cheers,

Win Smith President, Sugarbush Resort

The New Year’s Eve Dog Parade at Lincoln Peak.

6 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE

ARTS & CULTURE

The Mad River Valley’s MusicAL Mojo From Grace Potter to a thriving après band scene to informal fireside jamming on winter nights. By rob williams

hough the magical night happened many years ago now, anyone present remembers the music so well. Relive the moment: a young woman emerging through the crowd’s Jamming at the Brew-Grass Festival. hushedT stillness under a stunning star-filled evening of purple twilight, sinuously tapping a tambourine against her right thigh, River Valley seems to come from the celebration of our surroundings, keeping rhythm to her soulful wailing chorus: “Nothing but the water our quality of life, and a collaboration between young and old,” says is gonna set my soul free.” The chanteuse? Waitsfield-born musician entrepreneur Jeff Mack, the driving force behind the Valley’s annual Grace Potter—homegrown songwriter, pianist, and now frontwoman Vermont Music Fest. for her band the Nocturnals, celebrating the release of the album Mad River music fans quickly discover that every Valley season that would put them on the musical map. Everyone listening offers something to satisfy. Winter weekends witness après-ski that remarkable night at American Flatbread, seated on the cool bands performing at three different ski mountains. In terms of bonfire-lit grass, flanked by the Mad River and the Green Mountains, Sugarbush, “We have performances in the Wünderbar, Castlerock understood we were witnessing a star being born. Pub, Green Mountain Lounge, and Timbers Restaurant, with a wide For every Grace Potter who makes it big, there are countless Mad variety of musical styles ranging from acoustic folk to jazz to rock River Valley residents who infuse this neck of the Vermont woods with featuring some of Vermont’s finest musicians,” says entertainment musical mojo. Talk with anyone about music’s role in the Valley, and coordinator Tom Hooper, a drumming dervish who regularly sits in three themes quickly emerge: community, diversity, and incubation. with some of Vermont’s most popular bands. No wonder Sugarbush Locals and visitors alike are hip to Harwood Union High School’s top- Resort got the “best après-ski music” award from Vermont Ski & notch theater program and impressive choral, band, and jazz band Ride magazine. performances, while the Green Mountain Valley School’s hard-training Down in the Valley, meanwhile, year-round venues like the Localfolk athletes muster an annual autumn musical that delights audiences Smokehouse and the Big Picture Café & Theater offer access of all ages. “We’ve got an extraordinary musical community here in the to intimate musical acts in cozy settings. “Live music creates Mad River Valley,” explains Sugar Shack guitarist Gary Frankel of community by allowing both musicians and listeners to interact Waitsfield, who works as a social worker and therapist to feed his music and develop a shared relationship through songs—it’s that simple,” habit. “People here like to listen and they like to play, and this give-and- explains Big Picture booking agent Asah Rowles. “We try to offer take feeds a thriving scene.” Warren’s musical wunderkind Chicky different music flavors for everyone in a family-friendly environment Stoltz, an equally with local food and drink and an intimate living-room-like setting.” accomplished Next time you are in the Big Picture, don’t forget to notice the singer, songwriter, decade-old framed photograph of Grace Potter and her Nocturnals, guitarist, and a reminder that it takes a whole Valley to raise a musician. Good drummer, agrees. music starts at home, and the winter months offer plenty of time for “I get to gig informal jamming by the fireside. with amazing musicians who Summer, meanwhile, sees the Valley explode with a diverse array are parents and of musical events, bookended by Sugarbush’s June Brew-Grass professionals by Festival (bluegrass, beer, and good local fare) and August’s month- day,” Stoltz says. long Festival of the Arts, featuring painters, sculptors, and, yes, “But at night, they musicians of every description. And don’t forget the farms and rock out.” How to barns for which the Valley is famous. Hear live music at the weekly macys sandy explain it? “The farmers’ markets on Waterbury Common (Thursday afternoons) and Music on the deck at Mt. Ellen. music in the Mad in Waitsfield (Saturday mornings). Looking for diversity? Catch the

8 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE incendiary energy of the Valley’s annual musical MUSIC FESTIVALS IN THE VALLEY barn burners: Waitsfield’s Skinner Barn for professional theatrical performances, including Sugarbush Brew-Grass Festival musicals; the Lareau Farm Inn for live jazz; the Saturday, June 13, 2015. Sugarbush Resort blends local bluegrass music and over Round Barn for Green Mountain Opera; the Mad twenty regional brewers, kicking off the summer explosion of Vermont festivals. River Barn for a weekly acoustic series; and www.sugarbush.com Warren’s Phantom Theater for … ? Well, you just have to track down their schedule to know Green Mountain Opera Festival for sure, but it is often something musically Annual June operatic series supported by the mysterious and cutting-edge. Green Mountain Cultural Center. In 2015 it it “Music,” the legendary jazz drummer Art Blakey will celebrate its tenth season with the once said, “washes away the dust from everyday Emerging Artists Program and free Master Class life.” I first heard this nugget from Blakey’s Series, in addition to top-notch operatic talent. own son Gamal, a longtime Valley resident, www.greenmountainoperafestival.com who showed up at the Big Picture a few years back during a Wednesday Valley night (think Vermont Festival of the Arts local bands and beer on tap). My band, the Annual August gathering of musicians, Phineas Gage Project, happened to be playing, and Gamal sat in for our rendition of the Dave artists, chefs, and performers. Matthews Band’s archetypal tune “41,” suddenly www.vermontartfest.com scatting over the top of our three-part melody in an otherworldly voice that transported listeners Vermont Music Fest to another continent. The locals at the bar went An annual celebration of community, family, wild, people took to a makeshift dance floor in and “all things local.” Look for it in late front of the tiny stage, and suddenly we had a summer, featuring giant puppets, a Wiffle full-fledged dance party on our hands. Such is Ball scramble, a kids’ open mike, and local the power of music in the Mad River Valley—a music and food of every description. Green Mountain Opera Festival spontaneous and collaborative force that cannot www.vtmusicfest.com (photo courtesy of GMOF). be underestimated, one that all residents enjoy celebrating together—in just about any place, Rob Williams teaches courses in media, communications, environmental policy, and global indoors or out, we can find. studies at Saint Michael’s College, Champlain College, and the University of Vermont. FRESHIES . KEEPING OUR BEERS CHILL SINCE 1989.

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2014/15 9 arts & culture

Media Moguls The Fresh Tracks Film Camp helps budding filmmakers turn footage from mini adventure cams into videos worth watching. by John Atkinson

f you have been living under a rock for a while, you might be Film camp students staging a photo shoot on the slopes of Sugarbush. surprised to see how many people are shooting video every day while skiing and riding. Although mini adventure cams are Sugarbush’s chief recreation officer, John Egan, who also happens Iubiquitous, the quantity of footage gathered does not necessarily to be a world-famous ski model (having starred in seventeen Warren translate into a lot of quality videos that you’d want to take the time Miller movies) and filmmaker. (As Sugarbush’s main photographer, I to watch. got to contribute to the on-hill sessions too.) Enter the Fresh Tracks Film Camp, a joint venture started last winter Everybody shot with a GoPro camera and edited their footage with between Sugarbush and Champlain College’s respected Emergent the same Adobe program. At the end of the three-day camp, the Media Center to engage budding young filmmakers. (These potential students presented their finished work on the big screen at an filmmakers have a good example in 1982 Champlain graduate Tom evening reception in Gate House Lodge. Day, who has worked for Warren Miller Entertainment for more than Samantha Murphy was one of the course participants. “I had a a decade and is now the director of photography.) blast,” she said, “from getting first chair to learning how to make The group spent three days together, learning shooting skills (including my videos into a movie. I also had the advantage of being the only how to work safely with athlete models on the slopes) and digital editing girl to show those boys who’s boss. [Murakami, Egan, and Atkinson] techniques, while getting early lift rides, hiking for new settings and showed us how to get the perfect shot from the model perspective, angles, and staying warm on some very cold midwinter days. the perfect shot from the videographer’s perspective, and how to put The course was designed and led by Professor Kevin Murakami, a this jumble of footage into a smooth sequence.” multimedia specialist at the Emergent Media Center, and by Egan added, “From the technical aspect of shooting and editing, to working on both sides of the camera, the students came alive. It was inspiring to see how strongly they responded to the opportunities of what they can do and become in this rapidly evolving field.” Murakami, too, was inspired by the opportunities created by the camp. “The beauty of this class, from my perspective, was the fact that students learned the software with video footage they had shot with their newfound ‘eyes,’ and that the synergy combining behind-the-camera efforts with new computer software fueled their creativity and expanded their horizons.” Be sure to check out the Fresh Tracks Film Camp participant videos (you can find them at www.bit.ly/1lR7bZD)—they include great footage of deep runs in Paradise Woods and on ripping smooth Valley House groomers with up-and-comers like Murphy, Micah Ranallo, and Ethan Akins. You just may be watching the next Warren Miller.

In addition to his photography work for Sugarbush, John Atkinson has published photos in a variety of publications, including Men’s Journal, Outside, Couloir, Telemark Skier, Vermont Sports, and the Valley After shooting all morning, participants download their videos onto their laptops. Reporter.

10 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE RULE No 8 FUEL YOUR PASSION

photo by PETER CIRILLI ‘16 major GRAPHIC DESIGN location MCDONALD HALL, CHAMPLAIN COLLEGE

Champlain’s career-driven programs and active approach to learning allow you to put your skills into practice. Learn more about our Undergraduate, Graduate and Online & Continuing Education programs at

WWW.CHAMPLAIN.EDU summertime

FreeLunch

Finding wild edibles in the Green Mountains. by John Atkinson

rom the top of Mt. Ellen, down 3,500 vertical feet through the foothills to the fertile Mad River floodplain, the Valley A Vermont feast: chanterelles and the Alchemist’s Heady Topper. is blessed with a wide range of habitats: hardwood and Fevergreen forests, open grassy fields, quaint villages, and even a Ramps (Allium tricoccum) small island of alpine tundra (on Mount Abe). This makes it excellent Ramps are in the onion family and simple to identify, with a strong, territory for a delicious array of wild edibles. They can be found all over familiar aroma. Aside from the roots and outer skin, the entire plant the Mad River Valley, but the most favorable terrain is disturbed land is edible. Ramps grow in clusters in fertile low areas. Among the (developed areas, farms, managed forests) at lower elevations. first spring plants, they are easy to spot, once you’re aware of their The main season runs from spring to late fall, depending on weather leaf shape and habitat. Nearly every flowing stream in the Valley has and location (the Valley encompasses several climate zones, ranging colonies of ramps near its banks. (The Abenaki named the Winooski from 3b to 5b). Spring edibles kick off with favorites like ramps, River—also called the Onion River—after the wild ramps growing fiddleheads, and occasionally morels. After a long winter, these wild beside it.) You can remove individual clusters with a small garden foods taste so fresh and full of life—as much spiritual sustenance as pick. Leave hillside patches alone—they are especially fragile. Pick actual food. Through summer and fall, searchers can find a variety of lightly everywhere else, since ramps are easily overharvested (they are fruits, vegetables, nuts, and fungi. already protected in Quebec). The lightest way to harvest is to pick only one leaf from each plant, leaving the other leaf. Foraging requires a deep knowledge of local plants and habitats. There are a range of good reference websites and local guides, but Fiddleheads, or Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) two books to start with are The Foraging Falcon Guide Most ferns unfurl from a fiddlehead shape. We typically eat the and the Audubon Society’s Field Guide to Mushrooms. If you go out ostrich fern, which prefers growing on riverbanks throughout the foraging, avoid endangered and sensitive species (and keep in mind Mad River Valley watershed and sprouts in early spring. This species that animals may forms dense mats and can be resistant to flooding, and is therefore rely on the resources integral to the health of the local streams and rivers. you’re harvesting). Take few, leave many. The easiest way to find ostrich ferns is in Certain species should summer, when they reach almost six feet tall. Go back to the same be harvested only spot the following spring and look for well-curled fiddleheads with a lightly. Others, like brownish parchment-like covering. dandelions, are in no danger of overharvest. Wash the covering off and then thoroughly cook fiddleheads to But whatever you’re break down toxins. Use caution when picking—some species of fern foraging, to be safe, contain carcinogens. Fiddleheads can be used like asparagus, with always positively identify a similar, though less intense, flavor. They don’t have the distinctive what you plan to eat, and bodily effect of asparagus, either. then prepare and cook Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica) it properly. (Foraging Look for short narrow shoots in bamboo-like patches along is generally allowed riverbanks in early spring. (The taller, wider ones become woody without a special-use and exceedingly sour.) They can be cooked like asparagus or permit in the Green rhubarb. Pick knotweed all you want, but be careful not to drop even Mountain National small pieces; this invasive plant readily roots and grows anywhere, Forest, as long as you’re crowding out important native species (including riverbank not trying to sell what stabilizers like ostrich ferns). you find. Check at a local ranger station for Sauté or grill the tender shoots with soy sauce or oil and garlic. The Freshly picked ramps. specific requirements.) savory sauce and mildly sour knotweed create a surprisingly good

12 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE nutty, lemony blend. Prepare larger shoots as you would rhubarb, cooking longer to break down fibers and adding a little sugar to balance the sour taste.

Chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius) The Mad River Valley is home to several excellent edible fungi, including oysters, puffballs, lobsters, chicken of the woods, and king boletes, but our most famous are chanterelles. These beautiful mushrooms can be abundant in the proper conditions. They tend to start in late June and run to late September. Look under piney stands from the floodplain up to about 1,500 feet in elevation. Be sure to learn to differentiate the chanterelle’s main poisonous lookalike, the jack- o’-lantern (Omphalotus olearius). Cook before eating. My favorite way is to sauté them with butter until they get almost crispy.

Beech (Fagus grandifolia) Beech nuts are produced by mature beech trees (at least forty years old) in the fall, though not necessarily every year. The smooth gray bark is the easiest way to identify the trees; look on the ground underneath them in autumn to find the nuts. Many animals eat beech nuts, including mice, turkeys, fox, deer, opossums, black bears, and porcupines. The nuts are small, moderately bitter, and hard to extract, but they have many potential uses: they can be crushed into a butter, added to breads, or used as an accent to sauces. Roast the whole nut and then remove the husk before cooking or eating the meat. Boiling can help reduce bitterness. Young, soft spring beech leaves are also a tasty edible. You can eat them raw or cooked like spinach. The flavor is sweet and mildly minty. The species name, Fagus, comes from fagito, meaning “to eat” in Greek, so apparently beech leaves and nuts have long been thought of as a food source, even if that tradition has mainly been forgotten in the U.S. Fiddleheads ready for harvesting.

discover the Greener Side of the Mountain

Summer Activities include: Summer: mid-June – Labor Day Scenic Lift RideS Sun. – Thu.: 10 AM – 4 PM Fri., Sat., & holidays: 10 AM – 6 PM Hiking Bounce HouSe Fall: early Sept. – Columbus Day Bungee tRaMpoLine Weekends & Columbus Day: 10 AM – 4 PM diSc goLf ZipLine

sugarbush.com | 800.53.SUGAR

2014/15 13 summerTime Summer Vacation Sugarbush-Style

Hiking, biking, golfing, and a whole lot more—for the kid in all of us. By dana freeman

ugarbush is principally known as a ski destination, yet its where the clay courts are nestled in the valley surrounded by lush mountain peaks are part of the Green—not the White— green foliage and running brooks. Mountains. So what better time to visit Sugarbush and the At the base of Lincoln Peak, kids love the chance to try the bungee SMad River Valley than after the snow has melted and the beautiful trampoline that has them soaring 25 feet in the air. Or, if they prefer mountain peaks are revealed in all their leafy green glory? With flying across the treetops, they can try out the traversing this in mind, my family spent a summery weekend at the resort, a the mountainside. picturesque playground with no shortage of attractions to keep our active family happy for days. Parents with thrill-seeking kids ages three to seventeen will want to check out Sugarbush’s weekly camp offerings. Whether they After starting the day with a hearty buffet breakfast (available on are first-timers, intermediate, or advanced, there is something for weekends) on the porch of Timbers Restaurant, I took advantage of the everyone. Young travelers ages three to five can partake in Mini mountain’s terrain by hiking up one of the trails. Not only was it a good Camp. The weekly themed Adventure Camp takes kids ages six to chance to exercise my lungs and legs, but it was also an opportunity twelve; kids ages six and up might choose to focus on their golf to exercise my dog, who loves to travel with us and is welcome at the game; the over-eights can try their hand at tennis. Free-wheeling pet-friendly Clay Brook Hotel & Residences. Spring Fling is a wide, kids ages eight and up can hone their bike skills and learn about moderately steep trail located near the base, just steps from the cross-country riding, downhill, and more. restaurant. In years past we have spotted several moose on this trail, so I packed some binoculars. Some families ride the Super Bravo Express For the best family value, I suggest booking a summer camp package Quad to the top instead and then take their time coming back down, that includes lodging at Clay Brook in a one- or two-bedroom suite. walking slowly with the kids, enjoying the breathtaking views. Or, for The packages bundle in summer camp for the kids, daily breakfast, some competition along the way, they can try out one of the mountain’s and complimentary access to the health and racquet club, as well as two challenging eighteen-hole disc golf courses. For the more to Clay Brook’s outdoor pool. adventurous, there are 20 miles of mountain bike trails that wind across For the traditional game of golf, there is no more beautiful the ski trails and through the woods of Lincoln Peak. Not an expert? backdrop to tee off against than at the Sugarbush Resort Golf Club. Don’t worry. There are camps and clinics for all ages and abilities. The views from there of the Valley are spectacular. Play eighteen The indoor wall at the Sugarbush Health & Racquet Club holes, hit some balls on the range, or take a lesson. After just one (SHaRC) provides another kind of challenge—one that my kids loved hour of private instruction with PGA teaching pro Paul Meunier, our testing themselves on. After a quick lesson during our visit there family’s game improved significantly. He worked with each of us over Memorial Day weekend—and a dip or two (or three) into the on our swing, grip, and stance. My son loved the training-grip golf chalk bag—they quickly began their ascent. While I belayed them club that Paul used with him to correctly position his hands. After from down below, they raced to the top to ring the bell. Adventure hitting the links, we grabbed a quick lunch on the deck at Hogan’s seekers of all ages and levels will be challenged and supported by Pub, overlooking the eighteenth hole. With a family-friendly menu the expert instructors. of burgers, sandwiches, and salads, it’s a great place to wind down the afternoon before heading back to the hotel for a late-day Visitors to SHaRC can also try their skills at basketball, racquetball, swim. Floating in the pool, looking up at the Green Mountains in and squash, or take advantage of their top-notch tennis program. their leafy guise—it’s hard to think of a better way to end a day of Sugarbush partners with New England Tennis Holidays to offer summer adventures. camps and lessons. (NETH also offers camps in Florida and New Hampshire.) The racquet club has several indoor courts, where we Dana Freeman is the founder of FindandGoSeek.net, a Vermont-based served up a few games—but we’d rather play outdoors when we can, website for active families.

14 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE Play one of Mother Nature’s

A Robemasterpieces.Rt tReNt JoNes, sR. desigN.

A SAmplinG oF oUR pASS optionS Golf membership: Join our community at the highest level. includes priority tee times, member socials/activities, and pass discounts. Gold pass: Unlimited golf with cart, discounted event entry, and special passholder events. Shoulder plus pass: our best value. golf anytime from May 1–June 26 and stay fit september 8–closing day, and after 3PM in July and August. Sugarbush Health & Racquet Club (SHaRC) is a fully-appointed year-round fitness and racquet club. Whether you seek For more information and to purchase a pass group classes, personal training, tennis, call 802.53.SUGAR or visit sugarbush.com. swim instruction, family entertainment, or relaxation, a visit to SHaRC will enhance your Sugarbush experience. Open to members and non-members. Being a kid MASSAGE & BODYWORKS POOLS & HOT TUBS is better at SPin CLASSES VALLEY ROCK GYM Sugarbush PERSOnAL TRAininG SQUASH & RAQUETBALL GROUP FiTnESS CLASSES SugarbuSh ’15 YOGA & PiLATES adventure CampS CARDiO & WEiGHT TRAininG Daily & weekly sessions available. EQUiPMEnT Themed camps include (ages 6-17): TPi–PERSOnAL TRAininG mountain bike adventure FOR GOLFERS nEW EnGLAnD TEnniS HOLiDAY Water Exploration inSTRUCTiOn outdoor survival Farm-To-Plate Junior Tennis Junior golf Mini Adventure (ages 3-5)

For more information, call 802.583.6700 or visit sugarbush.com sugarbush.com | 800.53.sugar

2014/15 15 summertime b arr i e f sher Dining En Plein Air Scenic views, fabulous food—a sampling of the Valley’s outdoor dining possibilities. By Candice WHite

here is assuredly a certain romance to sitting at a cramped café table on a Parisian side street, sipping a glass of wine and eating a baguette while taking in the bustling energy Tof the city. But when it comes to outdoor dining, I am not sure even Paris is a match for these unique outdoor dining choices in Vermont’s Mad River Valley: American Flatbread.

Historic Bridge Street (Waitsfield) Warren Store (Warren) Tucked quietly behind Bridge Street’s high-end shopping stretch lies This could be the coolest general store in the state of Vermont, selling a swath of green grass topped with square tables and surrounded a smorgasbord of items everyone loves. Penny candy, a variety of by an ivy-covered pergola and flowering bushes. This oasis of rural magazines that even the most literate would find satisfying, kooky tranquility invites patrons of a number of Bridge Street businesses to T-shirts, fine yet affordable wines, a deli you’ll want to visit early sit back, relax, and enjoy a bite. or late but not at noon, when everyone and their brother is there, and, finally, a second floor filled with unique clothing, jewelry, and Stop in to the Sweet Spot for the hands-down best latte in town, gift items that guarantee a compliment. But back to the food: the and pair it with any number of delectable baked goods (I have a Breakfast Burrito and the Morning Muffin are local favorites; for terrible time choosing between the scones and the coffee cake). lunch, made-to-order sandwiches like the Number Six (turkey with If it’s lunchtime, visit Bridge Street Butchery for a custom-made cranberry mayo) and the Foxy Lady (smoked ham and Swiss) are what sandwich or house-made soup (and take home some fish from keep the crowds coming. Not to mention the oversized cookies, which Wood Mountain Fish for later). Or step into Peasant for a glass of include the Long Trail—a dreamy treat made with dried cranberries, wine from the owner’s vineyard—though you won’t stop there, as the walnuts, and white chocolate chips. staff is so friendly and the aromas so inviting you’ll want to stay for dinner. Lastly, Round Up at the River is an every-other-Wednesday The store lies to one side of the river, with a picnic-tabled porch summer gathering of these and other food purveyors, accompanied extending above the water. Grab a table here, or kick off your shoes by live music and an even livelier community. (Sweet Spot: Monday– and find a place on the gigantic river rocks below. (Monday–Saturday Wednesday 2 p.m.–8 p.m., Thursday–Sunday 8 a.m.–8 p.m.; Bridge 8 a.m.–7 p.m.; Sunday 8 a.m.–6 p.m.) Street Butchery: Tuesday–Saturday 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Peasant: Thursday–Monday after 5:30 p.m.) The Pitcher Inn (Warren) In my estimation, dinner at the Pitcher Inn is always an affair to remember, but how to make it even more memorable? Request a table upstairs on the porch, overlooking the perfectly green lawn and the coursing river bordered by grape vines, and relax in the stillness of a Vermont summer evening. Chef Sue Schickler’s food pairs well with the setting, and you won’t i nn Pi tcher go wrong with anything on the menu, though if available, I always begin with the foie gras and the wine that longtime waiter Mason Cobb recommends with it, a 2010 Historic Bridge Street. Heidi Schröck Beerenauslese An entrée at the Pitcher Inn.

16 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE from Austria. Tracks, the inn’s more casual basement bar, has its own outdoor patio. (Both venues are open for dinner Wednesday– Monday 6 p.m.–9 p.m.) One final tip: If the outside tables are in high demand, hotel guests take priority. As it should be.

Timbers Restaurant at Sugarbush (Warren) The outdoor patio at Timbers, surrounded by spilling-over flower boxes often teeming with hummingbirds, provides a front-row view of Vermont’s Green Mountains. Take a seat at one of the wrought-iron tables, order a glass of wine from a carefully chosen by-the-glass list (or a bottle off the “30 for $30” list), and settle in to catch the last glorious rays of the evening sun before watching it set in the west. Pair that with any number of small plates (I like the asparagus lyonnaise and the mussels) and an order of steak-frites or fresh catch from Wood Mountain Fish. All this, while restless kids can romp on the swing set or somersault down the slopes in full view. A perfect Vermont evening is at hand. (Breakfast daily 7:30–10 a.m.; dinner Thursday–Monday 5–9 p.m. Lunch across the courtyard on Castlerock Pub’s patio: daily late June through Labor Day, and weekends through Columbus Day.)

Hogan’s Pub at Sugarbush Resort GOLF CLUB (Warren) When you are ready for spring, but Mother Nature is not, enjoy lunch inside at Hogan’s Pub, surrounded by windows, and take in stunning eastern views of the painstakingly maintained golf course and the Roxbury Mountain range. As warmer weather arrives, take your Arnold Palmer outdoors to the porch—but remember your sunscreen. The Neill Farm Burger is a longtime favorite here—with sautéed onions and blue cheese— along with an assortment of sandwiches and salads. Open through Halloween, celebrated with the Glow Golf Costume Party. (Sunday– Tuesday 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; Wednesday–Saturday 11 a.m.–8 p.m.; Sushi Nights on select Fridays.)

American Flatbread (Waitsfield) Summer at American Flatbread means you can get a table here without waiting for hours, the kids can join in a game of soccer or Frisbee on the huge field out back, and you can relish this season’s slower pace while sipping a featured local draft in an Adirondack chair. Organic salads, pizzas, and homemade KIND RYED WINTER SEASONAL desserts like brownie a la mode keep me A big, unfi ltered American IPA built to returning over and over again. (Thursday– accompany the big Eastern Winter. Sunday 5–9:30 p.m.) ABV – 6.0 • IBU 60

Candice White has written for publications CITRA MANTRA SPRING SEASONAL that include Vermont Life, Mothering online, Our spring seasonal offering brewed with 100 percent positive vibrations and single- OTTERCREEKBREWING.COM and Seven Days Vermont. She has worked at hopped with Citra hops. ABV – 5.75 • IBU 55 Sugarbush since 2008.

2014/15 17 wintertime

Nordic Br i an M ohr /E m b er P hotography

Local opportunities for Nordic skiingTracks abound—whether on a designated trail or out the back door. by Brian Mohr A cross-country skier takes in spectacular mountain views.

nlike its alpine cousin, Nordic skiing is something you the upper Mad River Valley. While there are great options for all can do just about anywhere there is snow and room to abilities and energy levels, I’ve discovered that mixing trails 6, 7, 8, set off on skis, be it a field, a snow-covered path, or open or 11 brings some solid climbs and fun descents to your ski tour. Uwoods—and we have all of these in abundance around here. While it Lessons, as well as rental skis, snowshoes, and pulks (sleds for stands alone as a sport for some skiers, many in the Mad River Valley towing a child), are available. Well-behaved dogs are also welcome at enjoy Nordic skiing as the perfect complement to their more gravity- Blueberry Lake. More info: blueberrylakeskivt.com. fed alpine and pursuits. Skiers of all kinds love it for the convenient exercise it provides, the rhythm and flow of the Ole’s Cross Country Center movements, and the self-reliance it demands. In addition to the woods Started in the late 1970s by Ole Mosseson, who returned home to his and fields out our back doors, the Valley is home to several formal native Norway several years ago, Ole’s is just a couple of miles north Nordic skiing centers and trails. of Blueberry Lake, alongside Airport Road. Featuring guided tours, lessons, a popular kids’ program, a ski shop, and a café open on Referring to all types of skiing where the heel of the boot cannot be weekends and holidays, Ole’s is cherished for its abundance of wide fixed to the ski, Nordic skiing was the earliest form of skiing to arrive open views and its network of generally spacious and rolling trails. in the Valley, in the early decades of the twentieth century. Under their These same features, combined with Ole’s excellent grooming, make own power, skiers would take to any fields or mountainsides they it a favorite place among locals to go skate skiing. Ole’s features could handle on the wooden planks and simple leather boots of the about 30 miles of groomed trails. For some of the best views of the era. With the development of ski resorts throughout the U.S., Nordic Green Mountain skyline, make your way out to trails 3, 4, 4a, and skiing fell under the shadow of lift-served . But by the late 5. Skis, snowshoes, and pulks are available for rental. More info: 1970s and early ’80s, a nationwide boom in outdoor recreation and olesxc.com. fitness led to renewed interest in the sport. Nearly one dozen Nordic ski centers operated in the Valley during this time, including trail Catamount Trail—Mad River Valley networks at the Round Barn Farm and the Mad River Barn. (CT Sections 18 & 19) Today, two excellent Nordic ski centers survive in the valley: Ole’s The Catamount Trail (CT) is a 300-mile Nordic and backcountry trail Cross Country Center and Blueberry Lake Cross Country and that varies in character and difficulty along the length of Vermont. The Snowshoeing Center, both in Warren. A 15-mile section of North CT wouldn’t be possible without countless cooperative landowners America’s longest backcountry ski trail, the Catamount Trail, also and the volunteer members of the Catamount Trail Association (CTA) passes through the Valley. Combined, these resources offer a who help to maintain it. Approximately 15 miles of the CT weaves its tremendous variety of terrain, scenery, and opportunities for Nordic way through the west side of the Valley between Lincoln Gap to the skiers and snowshoers of all abilities to explore some of the Valley’s south and Huntington Gap to the north. The trail can be skied in either quietest corners in winter. direction, and can be accessed at a variety of trailheads along its route. A scenic and popular section connects the Sugarbush Inn (park Blueberry Lake Cross Country and in the lot across the street) to the Mad River Barn along Route 17. This Snowshoeing Center section winds, dips, and climbs for over 4 miles between the two inns, crossing German Flats Road along the way. If you’d like to experience Valley native Lenord Robinson opened Blueberry Lake in 1993 in a more remote side of the CT, head north from the Battleground his retirement. Now in his eighties, he’s still actively skiing the Condos on Route 17, where the trail climbs into the Phen Basin trails he built. Named after the beautiful lake in East Warren that backcountry toward Huntington Gap, and offers a fun descent Robinson himself constructed and that was later acquired by the upon return. The CT is generally ungroomed and unpatrolled; be Green Mountain National Forest, Blueberry Lake features more than sure to visit the CTA’s website, catamounttrail.org, for detailed trail 18 miles of groomed trails for classic cross-country skiing, skate information and other guidance before setting off. skiing, or snowshoeing. Many trails are sheltered by the surrounding forest, ideal when it’s cold and the wind is blowing, but several carry Brian Mohr is a writer and photographer whose work has appeared in the into meadows with beautiful views of the mountains surrounding New York Times, Outside, and on the cover of the Patagonia catalog.

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2014/15 19 Wintertime - Brodeur allace Snow J e b W

Lifting the veil off Sciencethe mysteries of snow. By Chris Enman

ere in Vermont, snow is something we dream of, live by, and obsess over, so I set out to answer some questions that explain the inner workings of snow and Hon the mountain. Questions like: Why is manmade snow more durable than natural snow? What’s a snowmaking whale? What’s wet bulb temperature versus dry bulb? Does the mountain have a heart? How do you improve snowmaking efficiency? And, for kicks, just how much snow could you make with all the water in ? Snow: Natural vs. Manmade A Sugarbush snowmaker setting up one of the new Snow Logic guns. Sure, natural snow and manmade snow are both made of the same thing: water. But their molecular structure—how that water is bonded— Wet versus Dry Bulb—Same Temperature, Different looks entirely different up close. A natural snowflake is made up of Results fragile little hexagons all fused together. It can be light and fluffy; and, When is it possible to make snow at 39 degrees Fahrenheit? “When once skied over, these flakes shatter and compress. Manmade snow, the humidity is at 10 percent or less,” says Wing. “Alternately, at 100 on the other hand, is composed of frozen water droplets. The flakes percent humidity, we can barely make snow even at 27 degrees.” look like round pellets, have more structural integrity than snowflakes, The difference is in wet bulb versus dry bulb temperature. Dry bulb and feel denser underfoot. In other words, it’s not just more snow that is the ambient air temperature, or what we traditionally measure keeps Sugarbush’s snowmaking trails going into May, it’s the structure with our home thermometers. Wet bulb combines the ambient air of that snow that allows it to last so long. temperature with the relative humidity, and has a lower temperature reading than the dry bulb. Because humidity plays such a huge role in A Whale of a Tale snowmaking, snowmakers use wet bulb readings to determine when We’ve all come across them—giant snowmaking mounds, or to fire up the guns. In short, the dryer and colder the air, the better it “whales,” as they’re called in the industry, sitting along the entire is for snowmaking. width of a trail, blocking our view down the mountain. Some may think they are terrain park features (they can be), while others see Snowmaking Efficiency a lapse in grooming. So why does the “whale” exist? We took the Water and compressed air are the two ingredients in snowmaking, question to Sugarbush’s head of snowmaking operations, Mike Wing. with compressed air being the bigger energy consumer. But in recent “It’s all about drainage and freezing,” said Wing. “If we groom over years, the amount of energy required to make snow has been coming freshly made snow, we’ll compress all the still-moist balls together. down, and the snow quality has been going up. Almost two million The result would be a hard, firm—even icy—surface. By giving the dollars of the newest technology will hit the slopes for the 2014–15 whales a couple of days to drain and freeze the moisture insulated winter season, allowing Sugarbush to make more snow earlier in the inside, we preserve the integrity of the snow, so when we do groom, season, and to use less compressed air and thus less energy. It’s a the results are a better overall experience for our guests.” win for skiers, riders, and the environment. If the Mountain Had a Heart, It’d Be CB1 Champlain Powder Much like your heart controls the flow of blood and oxygen to your body Lake Champlain is the sixth-biggest lake in the United States and through a network of veins, Control Building 1, aka CB1, controls the flow holds a whopping 6.8 trillion gallons of water. What could that make of water and air to the mountain during snowmaking through a network in snow? It takes 180,000 gallons of water to make 1 acre of snow, 1 of valves and plumbing. Need more snow to the Gate House side? foot deep. This means that Lake Champlain could cover more than Controllers stationed in CB1 will program computers to direct more 37.5 million acres with a foot of snow—or the entire state of Vermont water to the snow guns positioned on that side of the mountain to get (roughly 6.2 million acres) with over 6 feet of manmade powder. the snow there. Is the temperature dropping, allowing for more water, less air, and better efficiency? Controllers in CB1 react accordingly by Chris Enman is an outdoor enthusiast and founder of Maple Tree Tea. reducing the amount of air being produced in the plant. He has worked at Sugarbush since 2006.

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U.S. Ski Team member Nolan Kasper calls Sugarbush home. By John Bleh

t was a warm morning in mid-April when I first met Nolan Kasper. I was waiting at the base of a lift tower on Mt. Ellen’s Inverness trail where Kasper, a newly sponsored athlete of ISugarbush, was making his first official appearance at the mountain. It wasn’t just about putting on clinics and signing autographs, though he did those things. An athlete as focused and dedicated as Kasper had to get a training session in beforehand. As I sat at the tower, soaking in the sun, I thought to myself how beautiful a day it would be, with the temperature reaching into the fifties. Looking down the hill, I saw Nolan come up over the rise on the upper Poma lift. Upon shouting an introduction and stating how perfect the day was, I got the reply, “Hopefully we can get this course firmed up to ski!” It was then I realized: slalom skiers don’t want warm and sunny conditions—they need the snow firm. Shows how much I knew. A large chunk of his training session was spent trying to get the snow Kasper practicing on Inverness at Mt. Ellen. firmed up. Coaches from the nearby Green Mountain Valley School, tries not to think about life after competitive skiing, and at this point the local ski academy, worked on salting the course before his runs. he doesn’t have a dream job outside of that. And maybe he won’t When he took to the course, the first thing I noticed was how smooth need to. Though most people spend more time laying out money in and powerful a skier he was. He’s known for attacking a hill rather skiing than making it, Kasper’s been lucky enough—and competitive than being passive, and I could understand why he wanted the course enough—to enjoy the other side. firm. The problem of soft snow conditions garnered a lot of attention at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, where Kasper finished as the top It was independence at a young age that helped foster that spirit. U.S. slalom skier at thirteenth place overall (ahead of well-known “I want to go fast” was how Nolan explained his credo. As a kid he American favorite Ted Ligety). It was the second straight Olympics in found that thirst quenched by the thrill of skiing. After visiting from which he finished as the top American in that event; in Vancouver he New Jersey to ski every winter in Vermont, in 2000 his family moved finished twenty-fourth overall. to the Mad River Valley, where Kasper spent time skiing Sugarbush, among other mountains. His brother currently attends the Green Incredible finishes like that, while competing against the best in the Mountain Valley School, though Nolan himself competed against world, make it hard to remember that Kasper is only twenty-five them during his high school days at . years old. When not busy competing or It hasn’t always been fun and games, and it hasn’t always been easy. training, he can be Kasper has already endured two hip surgeries and a knee surgery. found in one of the “It was boring coming back at first, having to fight the adrenaline,” many classrooms at he says. “But you have to wait. You can’t go too hard or too fast too Dartmouth College soon.” pursuing a bachelor’s In between training, competition, and schoolwork, Kasper will return degree in economics. to Sugarbush several times over the next year. He’ll likely be giving Because of his skiing clinics and signing autographs, but before that, I’m guessing we’ll career, his academic see him packing down the slope, and testing the texture of the snow, path has been a long in preparation for a morning training session that demonstrates just one. He estimates a how fast an Olympic slalom skier can move. graduation date of 2021 if he continues enrolling in one quarter John Bleh has worked for various ski resorts throughout Vermont over Kasper with Green Mountain Valley School students. each year. He says he the last ten years. He now works in communications for Sugarbush.

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A novice tree skier heads out witH John Egan for her first off-trail lesson

By Katie Bacon

Photos John Atkinson

he text came in early on a crisp and sunny morning in April: T“John Egan will meet you in two hours to take you skiing in the trees.” Most skiers reading this would have been thrilled—a chance to spend the morning exploring Sugarbush’s famed off- options with extreme-skiing legend John Egan. But for me, an intermediate skier who has rarely ventured off-trail, the prospect was more terrifying than thrilling. When I met up with him at the base of the Gate House lift, Egan did his best to put my mind at ease, telling me that first we’d test things out and work on my turns on one or two of the groomers. And Even though Sugarbush is known that even though Sugarbush is known for its rugged, “ridiculously good” lines through the trees, the huge range of its woods terrain, for its rugged, “ridiculously good” including the 2,000-acre Slide Brook Basin, means that there’s something for every level of tree skier, from someone who has lines through the trees, the huge range starred in a bunch of Warren Miller films to an intermediate skier who wants to take things to the next level. “We can go in and out of its woods terrain, including of the woods on the side of the trail to test spots. There are lots of little sections on this mountain, which is why it’s so great for people the 2,000-acre Slide Brook Basin, who want to learn,” he said. Skiing in the trees, he told me, is all about attitude. “It’s a mental thing—if you know how to do this on means that there’s something for the mountain, then you can do it in the woods. It’s a matter of taking every level of tree skier. that confidence and applying it to different terrain.” We headed down Birch Run, working on a variety of turning styles I would need in the woods. Egan had me shift my weight quickly move faster than gravity pulls me, I slow down. If I move slower, I from one ski to the other, lifting the uphill ski for emphasis. He go faster. It’s simple math.” He pulled over to the edge of the trail, had me do quick hockey-stop turns, and turns where I exaggerated by the entrance to Deeper Sleeper. “You’re going to be fine, no my up-and-down movement, explaining that the faster I moved my problem. We’re going to have a blast,” he said. Then we headed into body, the more I could control my speed and the slower I’d go. “If I the woods.

The author studying John Egan’s line into Deeper Sleeper.

26 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE Skiing in the woods at Sugarbush has grown substantially over the past decade or so, with the opening of woods terrain like Eden, Lew’s Line, and Egan’s Woods, and you can now head off-piste from many trails, including (with a backcountry guide) into the Slide Brook Basin. The Basin—which has been designated critical habitat for the black bears that feed off nuts from the beech trees growing there—is open for recreational use in the winter when the bears are hibernating but closed during the seasons when the bears are waking up and actively looking for food. Groups can take their pick of lines through the wilderness from North Lynx down to German Flats Road, where they can get on the Mad Bus to Mt. Ellen or back to Sugarbush. For Russ Kauff, the director of the Sugarbush Ski & Ride School, the volume of available wooded terrain at Sugarbush, and the ability to easily integrate it into instruction for multiple levels of skiers, is part of what drew him to the mountain. “The adventure component has always been at the center of what we’ve done,” he said. He describes how, when teaching either children or adults, instructors will help them perfect a particular skill on familiar terrain, and then will move into woods with the same pitch to work on the same skill there. “We help you take those turns you were doing really well on the mountain and put them in the woods. That’s how you expand the terrain on A Blazers instructor leads his crew through Slide Brook. which someone can ski,” Kauff said. chance for his students to immerse themselves in a mountain With the availability of many levels of off-piste skiing, from gentle environment. “You can see claw marks on the trees from the bears, slopes to steep chutes and drops worthy of Tuckerman’s or the animal tracks in the snow, and holes from the pileated woodpeckers. Alps, from widely spaced trees to tight, spruce-packed woods, many Slide Brook should be and is a big part of the whole adventure,” different lesson groups head off the trail. Anyone who wants to Gould said. Andy LeStage, a longtime Sugarbush skier who is in practice skiing on ungroomed terrain can take a Max 4 Adventure Bush Pilots with his wife, and whose two children are in the Blazers Workshop. Skiers and riders can also hire a guide to take them into program, also sees Slide Brook as integral to the mountain’s appeal. Slide Brook. For the season-long programs, John Egan’s group “The seclusion of it, the separation from the rest of the resort, the of Bush Pilots spend much of their time in the woods, as do many length of the run, and the whole event—Slide Brook is pretty unique,” of the youth in the Blazers program. Rick Hale, who is one of the he said. instructors for the Blazers program, says skiing in the woods—and being in the woods—is an integral part of the Meg Adams, who skied with her family at Sugarbush most weekends adventure and the skills he tries to impart. Every weekend when this past winter and took lessons with Gould, describes the evolution the conditions are right, the Mountaineering Blazers head out with of her attitude about skiing in the woods, helped along by some backpacks and skins for their skis so they can climb up the hills and skilled coaching. “I started slowly in Eden, which used to look tight reach areas not serviced by lifts. “When the woods skiing is on,” Hale and I would stop breathing! Now it looks so open and flat. Dave said, “we’re in the woods more often than not.” Aside from teaching always asks how we are feeling, if we want to try something new, and kids who love going straight down the hill that they have to slow talks a little bit about the topography and how to use it to help slow down (“In the woods, they learn pretty quick that they need to turn,” us down or speed us up. Toward the end of the winter I was in the woods in places that were really remarkable. It’s being able to take in the beauty in those woods that is becoming a driving force for me in “We help you take those turns you were terms of skiing,” she said. doing really well on the mountain and Extensive knowledge of the mountain and its terrain is essential when skiing in the woods here. Woods terrain, more than any other, put them in the woods. That’s how you said Kauff, “highlights the value of really great coaching. We have people who know this place like the back of their hand, and they expand the terrain on which someone know not just where the good stashes are but which one would suit this guest with this skill set on this day and in these conditions.” can ski.” This knowledge is especially important early in the season, as the snow is just building up to skiable depth in the woods. For Egan and – Russ Kauff, Ski & Ride School Director other instructors, figuring out when the woods are safe to ski is an involved process. “My gauge for woods skiing is testing the area with exploratory missions. I take hikes through my favorite areas and test said Hale), the woods provide a chance for building teamwork and snow depth. Soon these trips start producing a turn here and there teaching responsibility on the slopes. “When you go in the woods, it’s and eventually a first run. It is a fool who jumps in after a powder serious,” said Hale. “We teach people that they need to stay together storm without prior knowledge,” he said. But when the snow is right and keep an eye on each other.” at Sugarbush, there are those who spend all day in and among the For Dave Gould, a PSIA-certified instructor who teaches private trees. As Rick Hale described it, “I’ll be sitting at Castlerock Pub or lessons in alpine and to both children and adults, the Wünderbar après ski, and so many people will tell me, ‘I didn’t the extensive territory of the Slide Brook Basin provides an unusual ski a trail all day!’”

2014/15 27 John Egan’s Rules for Skiing in the Trees

• Always put goggles on and take your pole straps off before heading into the woods. • Pay extra attention to weather: the sun, the shadows, and the temperature. Even if the snow is soft on Spring Fling, it may not be soft yet in the woods next to the trail. • Use the ungroomed corridor at the edge of the trail next to the trees to practice. With trees on one side, you’re half tree skiing. • Stay calm inside and go at a slower pace. The woods are a place for classical music, not ZZ Top. • The snowplow is awesome; you can always use it to slow down. • Always look down the hill. The hill is the puck; the ball, the opponent. Don’t turn away. • Make a plan for your run through the trees. adjust as necessary. • Don’t follow someone else’s turns. Take your own line. • Pause to appreciate what’s around you: the pileated woodpeckers, the birch trees, and the mountain streams. • Watch out: Skiing in the woods can be addicting.

As we headed into the soft snow of Deeper Sleeper, I watched as Egan made quick, smooth turns that made it seem as if the trees weren’t even there. I tried to follow his line, and used the technique we’d worked on of lifting one ski or another to step over scattered rocks and logs that my ten-year-old son, if he’d been there, might have jumped over or caromed off. We stopped halfway down so Egan could give me some tips. With the more challenging terrain of the woods, I was reverting to my old habit of facing a little sideways rather than down the hill. “The goalie never looks away from the guys with the puck, but he can move left and right. Think of yourself as a goalie, moving laterally left and right to avoid the trees,” he said. After a few more runs in and out of the trees, we made our way over to the Heaven’s Gate lift, then headed down Ripcord and over into the woods off Downspout. This time, I decided to take my own line rather than trying to follow Egan’s. I remembered his mantra—“You get speed by going down the hill, you give it away by turning”—and concentrated on facing downhill and getting to a point of comfort with the speed I was going before starting the next turn. I took off down through the silent and sun-speckled woods, with no sound other than the wind rustling through the trees and the swish of my skis. Up ahead, I heard Egan whoop. Behind, at my own pace, I felt the same sense of exhilaration. I knew next season I’d be back in Sugarbush’s woods. There was a lot more territory for me to explore.

Katie Bacon, a writer and editor based in Boston, is the managing editor of Sugarbush Magazine. 28 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE don’t accept good enough– Be Better

Sugarbush Ski & Ride School offers single and multi-day group programs, specialized multi-weekend and season-long programs for children and adults, adult maximum-4 group lessons, and private lessons for the most customized one-on-one learning. Book now for winter.

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2014/15 29 valley exposure je b wallace -b rodeur

Win Smith takes the Pond Skimming plunge. M acys sandy

The community pitches in at American Flatbread following Tropical Storm Irene.

COMMUNITY

John Egan, Eric Friedman, and Roy Tuscany. #SB cory rondeau

Retro gear on display at December’s annual SugarBash.

The Mad River Path’s Mad Dash. Warren Fourth of July parade. Community Weekend 2014. parker H erl i hy B . M cInerney

Bear Simmons judges the Geländesprung Championship.

Coach Diggety in Slide Brook. Riemergasse Park at Mt. Ellen. Vasu Sojitra ripping some fresh powder.

-b rodeur je b wallace valley exposure 34 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE Fifty Years of

Sugarbush’s iconic French bistrot—and the man behind it.

By Candice White Photos courtesy of Charlie Brown There is nothing at all pretentious about Henri Borel ... he enjoys a hot dog equally as much as he enjoys beef Bourguignon ... for its uniqueness, for its timelessness, and for the story it tells.

Henri and Rosie.

he screen door slams shut behind me as I walk briskly into and François. (Truth be told, it’s not until three-quarters of the the bar of Hogan’s Pub, the small, windowed restaurant atop way through our lunch that I realize Henri has two children with Sugarbush Resort Golf Club with eastern views of the Green almost the same name. “That’s confusing!” I finally admit. Henri and White Mountains. I quickly glance around to see if I can locate agrees: “Yes, for them, for us, for everyone”—including Georgetown my lunch date, admonishing myself for my tardiness, and hoping University, he says, which assumed that “Françoise” was a boy’s I haven’t kept him waiting too long. I slow down a notch, catch my name and placed her in an all-male dormitory after she was breath, and cast my eyes about the bar. accepted as an undergraduate.) It’s a sunny spring day, just past noon, and I don’t expect to see I could happily spend all afternoon chatting amiably with Henri about customers on the stools, but the bartender is chatting amiably with a nothing in particular, but I heed my list of questions, and ask Henri to well-coiffed gentleman wearing a gray golf shirt with a green sweater take me on his journey from France to Sugarbush. thrown casually around his shoulders. The man is perched on a stool, with an air of elegance, sipping a glass of red wine. Ahhh. I have a moment of recognition as I recall that this is not a normal business lunch, but a lunch date with a Frenchman, and in Henri Borel was born in 1926 in Avignon, a city in the southeast France, people do sit at bars at noon, and wine at lunch is mandatory. of France on the banks of the Rhône River. As a youth he recalls spending Thursday afternoons—his day off from school—with his Henri Borel, the original proprietor of Chez Henri, the notable French grandfather, cleaning out oak barrels used for wine storage. His bistrot in historic Sugarbush Village, is deep in conversation at the grandfather was one of the first wine merchants in Avignon, selling far end of the bar with the server and another patron or two. This is a red wine (Gigondas) and a rosé (Lirac), which he recalls as “simple standard protocol for Henri, who has a knack for pulling people out drinking wines.” Today, both wines are sought-after French varietals. of their solitary states, making them feel comfortable, and engaging them in dialogue about almost anything. Henri joined the French Armed Forces in 1944, just after D Day, and journeyed to Alsace-Lorraine for a six-month tour of duty that After we share greetings and settle ourselves at a table on the sun- would pass through the Black Forest. Shortly thereafter, in 1945, splashed deck, our conversation turns to food. I join him in a glass of peace was declared, and his army unit was sent to the war-ravaged, wine, and ask him what he is considering off the menu. struggling city of Berlin. His unit was woefully unprepared for the “I think I am going to have a soup and a hot dog, maybe,” Henri scarcity of food in the city. He recalls one situation where the men suggests. “A hot dog is something that reminds me of when I used had to approach a British unit for food. (The French troops were given to go to UVM to watch a game … when my son François was playing donuts.) And another, where his unit hunted for food in a park in the soccer.” middle of Berlin, shooting and then cooking “two beautiful deer.” Henri’s normally cheery disposition flattens, and his heavily accented I am surprised that Henri is having a hot dog and soup—clam voice reveals a wistfulness brought on by his recollections: a burned- chowder, to be precise. I had expected something more gourmet out city, a starving population. “All accidents of life are part of life,” from the man who first brought French cuisine to Sugarbush. But the he muses. more I get to know him, the more I understand that there is nothing at all pretentious about Henri Borel, and that he enjoys a hot dog Shortly after the war, Henri traveled to England, intent on improving equally as much as he enjoys beef Bourguignon … for its uniqueness, his English skills. He found work with Group Captain Geoffrey for its timelessness, and for the story it tells. Cheshire, one of the most highly decorated British fighters of World War II, who had opened a large home in Hampshire to house and Henri’s lunch order leads us to a short discussion of his family: his care for those in need. After working there for the good part of a wife of more than fifty years, Rosie, and their two children, Françoise year, Henri heeded the advice of a beautiful woman he met there to

36 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE Henri knocked down walls and added archways and a fireplace to create a French bistrot atmosphere. The Chez Henri menu.

“go out and see the world.” He accepted a job on a merchant marine the Alpen Inn) and helping with Coquelin’s nightclubs in New York ship, and began his journey. City and South Hampton, they asked Henri to open a restaurant at the mountain. The Gadds offered him free rent, insurance, and Over the next several years, Henri’s merchant marine work took him carte blanche access to a building just through the covered bridge in to New Zealand, Panama, Seattle, and South America. On a short Sugarbush Village. Henri and Rosie decided to give it a try. leave, Henri toured Paris, where, while walking along the Champs- Élysées, he spotted an Air France office with a sign soliciting “We had no money,” Henri says, “and I don’t believe in new things.” recruits. Henri was soon offered a position as a steward with Air He remembers the tribulations involved in infusing character into France, and continued his travels, this time by air. the new building. “There was no fireplace, so I stole the flue from the bathroom to make one. Then I spent a few days knocking down the As Henri lists the names of places he visited while working for Air walls to make arches.” Rosie decorated, supplying antiques from her France—Rio de Janeiro, St. Martin, Alaska, Japan, Tehran—he adds shop, paintings on loan from or donated by artists, booths bought at that he skied in both Japan and Tehran. “I called it skiing, though I auction, and Les Olivades fabrics imported from France. did not know how to make a turn,” he says, chuckling. The restaurant opened shortly before Christmas in 1964. There was I am curious to learn where Henri first learned to ski, knowing that no snow, the mountain was brown, it was raining, and Stein Eriksen, these days, he skis an average of fifty times a year. Henri mentions the Norwegian Olympian, had just arrived to run the Sugarbush Olivier Coquelin, a fellow Frenchman who plays a key role in Henri’s . “I still remember Stein saying, ‘They told me there was tale. Coquelin accompanied Henri on a trip to Saint-Gervais, in the snow at Sugarbush. Is this true?’ We had a problem at Sugarbush French Alps, where they first sampled the sport of skiing. for Stein—no snow, and no Aquavit.” (Vermont’s stringent liquor Coquelin arrived at Sugarbush in the late 1950s to become the laws were infamous even back then.) Snow did arrive shortly after manager of Ski Club Ten—named after the “ten” original members. Christmas, and things began to look up. It had a roster of jet-setting clients, including club founders Hans “Stein was my best customer,” Henri says. “He had a table by the and Peter Estin, brothers Oleg and Igor Cassini, Skitch Henderson, fireplace.” He continues, “We were very lucky Stein was here. He and the New York socialite Nan Kempner. was a very interesting man for everyone … well, maybe not for the After several years running the club amid this high-octane crowd husbands.” (who helped earn Sugarbush the nickname “Mascara Mountain”), Jean Claude Killy and Vincent Sardi were regulars, as was Igor Coquelin moved to New York City to open a nightclub—what would Cassini—a close friend of Jackie Onassis’s, the brother of designer become the famed Le Club, in the East Fifties. Coquelin looked Oleg Cassini, and the writer of the syndicated column “Cholly to Henri as his replacement. “Coquelin tells me, ‘Sugarbush is a Knickerbocker.” Henri’s customers over the ensuing years were a beautiful place. It is sunny all the time.’ … I know he lies, but I came Who’s Who of American society, with Yoko Ono, the Kennedy clan, anyway.” Thus Henri, Rosie—newly pregnant with their son—and and the Heinz family among them. their six-month-old daughter, Françoise, moved into a single room on the first floor of Ski Club Ten. Henri thought he might stay for a “I was going to name the restaurant ‘L’Escargot,’” he says. But the year—but that was more than fifty years ago. Gadds, who spoke some French, had envisioned saying they were “dining at Henri’s place”—“chez Henri.” Prior to opening, while Henri was in South Hampton with Coquelin, he received the insurance certificate in the mail. It read “Chez Henri.” The Gadds had had the final say. In 1964, Sugarbush founders Damon and Sara Gadd, close friends and colleagues of Henri’s, had an idea. Knowing Henri’s past experience But L’Escargot is still a part of the story. In the late 1960s, Henri running numerous restaurants (Ski Club Ten, the Sugarbush Inn, began a search for a business partner so he could spend more

2014/15 37 Henri presents the cup to the victors. The Chez Henri Cup Twenty-eight years ago this winter, in 1986, the Georges Duboeuf Chez Henri Cup made its debut at Sugarbush. Snowfall had been light that year, and Henri Borel realized he needed to shake things up. All that was necessary was some wine, and a race course. Borel called the main importer at Georges Duboeuf Winery in New York City to introduce his idea. But the call did not go well. Undeterred, Henri placed a call to Georges Duboeuf himself, in France. (They had never met.) He left a message. Within a half hour, Duboeuf called him back. The two Frenchmen quickly established a rapport based on their shared fondness of wine and skiing. The next day, the naysaying importer from New York called Henri’s partner, Bernard Perillat, at the bar. Henri back—how much wine did he need? The race was on. The first race attracted around 100 participants. “It was a big success,” recalls Chez Henri co-owner Bernard Perillat. time with his family. At the recommendation of a friend, he drove to The twenty-eighth annual cup—now called the Grand Marnier Montreal one evening to meet Bernard Perillat. Over an hour-long Chez Henri Cup, based on its current sponsor—takes place on chat—and a plate of escargots—Henri and Bernard formed what March 28, 2015. Race registration is held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday would turn out to be a partnership that has lasted forty-five years. at Chez Henri, accompanied by cheese fondue and, of course, lots of good French wine. Late race registration is held Saturday morning from 8 to 9:30 a.m. in Gate House Lodge at Lincoln Peak, prior to a 10 a.m. race start. The race, held on Racer’s Edge, is Chez Henri has not changed much since 1964. The same artwork open to all ages and abilities. adorns the walls. The same fabric covers the tables. And the menu Truth be told, it may be more about the before and after parties than remains classically French: steak tartare, country paté, croque- the race itself—though Henri traditionally takes home a gold medal monsieur, steak-frites, and, of course, escargots. in his age category. Saturday’s après celebration invites participants The staff, too, has a continuity. Jack Lonsdale, the Harvard graduate back to Chez Henri at 3 p.m. for awards, a raffle, and more French turned ski bum who ran the 1960s-era bus ferrying New Yorkers to food and wine (you can never have too much). Proceeds of the Sugarbush, has tended bar for decades. “My notion of a business is race go to one of two local that the most important thing is the crew,” Henri confides. nonprofits—the Mad River He thinks out loud about his own role in the restaurant. “My job Valley Health Center or the Mad is to always present the good side. Any situation is an interesting River Valley Community Fund. situation.” I am reminded that a crew needs a good captain. While What started out as a lark has Henri insists he is not the leader, it is he who makes the restaurant become a cheery tradition so enchanting. In December 2014, he will have run Chez Henri that draws skiers from nine for fifty years. I ask him if he has big plans for the restaurant’s to ninety to face off on the anniversary. “No plans,” he responds. “I am waiting for the big race course—and, more number. One hundred.” His loyal patrons may have other ideas. importantly, to gather together afterward to share something to eat, something to drink, and Editor’s Note: In deference to Henri, we have spelled bistrot in the something to talk about. French manner throughout this article. Henri on the race course.

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42 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE A River Runs Through It

The Mad River is more than a ith cliffs and boulders and terraced pools and water-sculpted sluiceways, source of water, recreation, power, Warren Falls on the Mad River is an almost cathedral-like work of natural architecture. But on a hot summer day, the falls are transformed into a and—occasionally—devastation. Wwatery jungle gym, with the under-twenty crowd and accompanying canines well It’s the geographical and spiritual represented. Daredevil divers scramble to narrow ledges 30 feet or more above the heart of the community. river to launch themselves into the deep-green water below. Others throw backflips By Peter Oliver off of giant riverside boulders, while still others slide down short stretches where the river, over time, has smoothed and shaped the rock into bobsled-like chicanes. Many simply luxuriate in the pools, kept cool in the mountain air, that provide relief from the summer heat.

Cathedral and jungle gym, Warren Falls—in its beauty, its hydraulic energy, its abundant recreational possibilities—is emblematic of a river that is the geographical and spiritual heart of the community that surrounds it. Both now and historically, the river is such an aortal and vital centerpiece that it is, of course, the Valley eponym. Towns have flourished on its banks and hillsides—Warren, Waitsfield, Fayston, Moretown, Middlesex—but they are all bundled into a greater whole, the Mad River ~ In fact, it has at times been seen as a river of almost too much character. That’s one reason why the Mad River Valley was a relative latecomer in the overall settlement of Vermont. According to the denn i s curran recent documentary film Hill Farming in the Mad River Valley: Past, Present & Future, early settlers initially resisted building near the river because of its frequent habit of flooding. Given the surrounding geography of steep hillsides and a narrow valley floor, floods, though usually short-lived, could be sudden and devastating. According to the film, significant flooding has occurred twenty-one times since the late eighteenth century, most notably in 1927, 1998, and 2011, with Tropical Storm Irene. According to Jeff Nelson, a partner in Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (VHB), an environmental consulting firm, the Mad River’s highs and lows “range considerably, from placid to raging, making it a very flashy system from a hydrological standpoint.” Irene provided a painful demonstration of the river system’s capacity for violent rage. Brooklets no wider than a hand turned quickly into torrents, exploding beyond their banks and overwhelming culverts before converging with compounded force in larger tributaries and, ultimately, the river itself. Roads like Route 100 through Granville Gulf and German Flats Road in Fayston caved in and became impassable rubble. Bridge Street in Waitsfield and the covered bridge for which it is named were so heavily damaged that images were shown on the national news. (Singer Grace Potter, who grew up in the Valley, even wrote a song commemorating the storm, “Nothing but the Water.”) Homes and businesses near the river’s edge were washed away or rendered uninhabitable, and riverside farmland became inundated with life-choking silt and debris. The river tore away savagely at its banks and reinvented itself, creating new channels to vent its fury. Irene’s rampage remains fresh in the minds of today’s Valley resident, and while the river’s run of destruction on August 28, 2011, was relatively short-lived—just a few hours, really—its impacts were costly and are still being felt to this day. Financial losses (roughly $200 million for the entire state) stretched well into the millions of dollars—a big hit for a small valley—and the local community was forced to rethink its management plans for stormwater, erosion, and riverside development should future Irene-sized storms strike. Waitsfield’s covered bridge functions as a river crossing as well as a favorite Businesses at the river’s edge, like MINT restaurant on Bridge Valley swimming spot. Street, now stock supplies of sandbags as a precaution. And the river, as a hydrological entity, was forever changed by Irene. Valley. As Kinny Perot, president of Friends of the Mad River, puts it, Heavy, fast-moving storms two years later caused flooding in Warren “Water is the great connector.” As rivers go, the Mad is barely a flyspeck, flowing northward for just 26 miles from its source in Granville Gulf to its confluence in Middlesex with the . And, like all rivers, the Mad is not a singular organism but instead the core constituent of a vascular complex of rivulets that feed tributary streams that in turn feed the river itself. Thirteen noteworthy tributaries flow into the Mad River, as well as innumerable and ephemeral ribbons of water that rise and expire in accordance with rainfall patterns. In all, its watershed is only about 140 square miles—a fraction of the more than 1,000 square miles drained by the Winooski, for example. And compared with the world’s largest watershed, the Amazon River basin, covering more than 2.7 million square miles, the Mad might seem a piddling trickle of utter inconsequence. But, as its name suggests, it is nonetheless a river of robust and sometimes volatile character, upon which the surrounding valley has for centuries depended for agriculture, industry, transportation, recreation, and inspiration. Swimmers enjoying a summer day at Warren Falls. 44 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE Village and Granville Gulf that might not have occurred if feeder of VHB, who consulted for Sugarbush on the issue, it was a novel streams hadn’t been rerouted and debris deposits hadn’t been left concept. Sugarbush also agreed to monitor fish populations after the behind by the Irene floods. construction of the weir. “The study went on for a period of years,” says Nelson, “and there was no impact.” But while the river’s occasional incarnation as a destructive force is memorable and startling, for the vast majority of the time the river is a gentle and well-behaved source of life and contentment in the ~ surrounding valley. Thus is the river responsible, to borrow from The creation of the snowmaking pond represents a turning point, Dickens, for both the Valley’s best of times and its worst of times, both real and symbolic, in the interface between the river and the with the former far exceeding the latter in number. people of the Valley—indeed, a change in priorities for the entire state of Vermont. Before the 1990s, dams built within the Mad River When early settlers finally did accept the river as a life-supporting watershed had a manufacturing or agricultural raison d’être. The entity rather than an intemperate rogue, it was not simply as a Sugarbush weir, on the other hand, was all about recreation and source of water but as a source of energy. At one time, says Corrie tourism, which has come to displace agriculture as the state’s Miller, executive director of Friends of the Mad River, there might leading industry. Tourism contributes between $1.5 billion and $2 have been as many as fifty-nine mills within the watershed— billion annually to the state economy, according to various estimates. sawmills, gristmills, bobbin mills, and so on—tapping the river One study reports that tourism accounts for about 15 percent of system’s hydraulics for energy. Only vestiges of that industrial past Vermont’s economy, a percentage that ranks sixth among U.S. remain: a small hydroelectric dam in Moretown, with a 920-kilowatt states. capacity; and, in Warren, the remains of an old timber crib dam, now in gradual decay, a non-operational historical relic. Swimming, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, and skiing (indirectly, through the water supplied by the pond) are now among the principal There is also a small weir, put in place only during the winter activities supported by the river, rather than energy production or months by Sugarbush, just to the north of the bridge crossing agriculture. Artists with easels can often be seen along the river’s the river between Waitsfield and Warren. First built in 1995, the banks, inspired by the natural beauty of their riparian surroundings. weir, with an accompanying flume, measures river flow before

The Mad River is nonetheless a river of robust and sometimes volatile macys sandy character, upon which the surrounding valley has for centuries depended for agriculture, industry, transportation, recreation, and inspiration.

allowing water to be diverted to fill Sugarbush’s 25-million-gallon snowmaking pond. The pond has become a critical resource for Sugarbush in assuring widespread trail coverage, especially during periods when natural snow might be lean. The pond is the outcome of a protracted battle two decades ago between the ski area and environmental groups. “‘Water wars’ is how I describe my time there,” says Robert Apple, who now works for Stowe Mountain Resort but who at the time led Sugarbush’s effort to secure water-withdrawal permits. Environmental organizations such as the Conservation Law Foundation argued that withdrawing water for snowmaking would damage fish habitat in the river, and for a decade or more they were able to stymie Sugarbush in Vermont environmental court. A truce between the ski area and environmentalists was eventually reached, when it was agreed that water could be withdrawn from the river only when the level exceeded the median flow for February, and local, state, and federal permits were granted. February median flow has since become a standard applied to similar water-withdrawal projects around the country, but at the time, according to Nelson The Mad River inspires artists all year round. 2014/15 45 Br i an M ohr /E m b er P hotography

Local whitewater enthusiast Justin Beckwith a wave in one of the Mad River’s favorite playspots during spring runoff.

For stewards of the river, such as Friends of the Mad River, that time of glory, surfing waves produced from melted snow that at one means a different set of priorities in maintaining the river than might time might have covered Sugarbush trails like Paradise and Stein’s have existed a century—or even just decades—ago. Run. And while Irene was a disaster for many, it was seen as an opportunity for Justin Beckwith, local whitewater enthusiast and “While economics are still in play, we see more of the effects of [our] director of Nordic programs at Green Mountain Valley School. The activity on ecology,” says Miller. “What Friends tries to do is balance Mad in midsummer typically runs at the easygoing pace of about those values.” A concern for the river’s ecological health is a big 300 cubic feet per second, as measured at the dam near Moretown. shift from the stewardship of days gone by, when not only farms but But on the morning of August 29, 2011, after the river had come individual homes would discharge effluents directly into the river. down from a historic high of 22,900 cubic feet per second, Beckwith According to Friends of the Mad River, it wasn’t so long ago that jumped into Mill Brook, which parallels Route 17, in his 14-foot boat. outhouses were sometimes built directly over the river, “straight- He rode the roiling water down the Mad and Winooski Rivers all the piping” waste, as Perot puts it. Health experts warned against way into Lake Champlain, 60 miles in all. swimming in the river. Clearly, however, those were extreme conditions. What Beckwith Times, of course, have changed. Friends of the Mad River volunteers believes makes the Mad a great river is not its allure for whitewater regularly monitor E. coli levels, and except on very rare occasions, extremists. Instead, it offers something for paddlers of all abilities the numbers come in far below minimum safety standards set by using all manner of nonmotorized conveyance: kayaks, canoes, and the state. Riparian buffers—mainly trees along the river that also stand-up paddleboards. In addition to terrific whitewater spots— stabilize the river’s banks and provide cooling shade—have been built pockets above Warren Falls, the Punch Bowl between Warren and alongside farmland abutting the river to minimize agricultural runoff. Waitsfield, the final stretch beyond the Moretown dam—the river Swimming holes such as Warren Falls south of Warren Village also features what Beckwith calls “awesome beginner-level moving and Lareau Farm south of Waitsfield Village have now become so water and intermediate rapids.” popular that parking areas have had to be expanded in the last few As the summer heat recedes and eventually gives way to winter, years. As part of an annual stocking program, the state released the paddlers put their boats in storage and swimmers and divers 2,400 rainbow and brook trout into the river this spring, while at Warren Falls prepare for the recreational opportunities that native fish, mostly absent from the main river, can still be found winter brings. Under the mantle of winter, the river is a changed in tributary brooks. Freeman Brook, which joins the Mad River environment of ice, quiet, sluggish runnels of chilled water, and in Warren, is also known as Kids’ Brook, reserved exclusively for mushroom-like tufts of snow on the rocks in the river. It is almost under-fourteen anglers. a form of hibernation, as if the river were catching its breath in According to Matt Crawford, former outdoor editor for the Burlington preparation for all the activity that will resume in the spring. From Free Press and now an outdoors public-relations consultant in the the exuberance of Warren Falls on a hot summer day to the somber Valley, the Mad isn’t a great river for fishing. “The Winooski, one of beauty of midwinter, the Mad River has been many things to the the best fishing rivers in the entire state, is a much better fishery,” many people who have used and abused it over the years, variously says Crawford. But he goes on to say that “what makes the Mad great a source of pleasure, prosperity, and calamity. For residents and is that it is approachable—not super-technical to wade, not difficult visitors to the Valley, it is life. to figure out. There’s nothing better than grabbing lunch and a few beverages at the Warren Store and going higher up [south of Warren].” Peter Oliver is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in many When the river runs high in spring, whitewater kayakers have their national and Canadian publications. He lives in Warren.

46 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE Peter cirilli

®

easT k in The ain paR RR Rding, 2012 Ranked a Top R5ld Te snowboa by TRanswo Coffee Experts

Central Vermont Medical Center Central to Your Well Being / www.cvmc.org

2014/15 47 timeline ‘14 2014 Sugarbush purchases 351 low-energy snowmaking guns, completing a five-year, $5 million plan to upgrade the mountain’s snowmaking program.

2013 Construction is completed on Rice Brook Residences, private homes linking Lincoln Peak Village to historic Sugarbush Village. Seventy low-energy snow guns are added to improve snowmaking efficiency and capacity.

2010 Housing children’s programs and skier services, the Schoolhouse and Farmhouse open, rounding out the base facilities at Lincoln Peak Village.

2006 Lincoln Peak Village opens to the public. The new facilities include Gate House Lodge and a luxury hotel and restaurant complex: Clay Brook and Timbers Restaurant. The new village is modeled on the traditional style of Vermont farmhouses, barns, and schoolhouses.

2002 Summit Ventures begins to lay the groundwork for a new master plan for the resort that closely reflects the values and philosophies of the original owners, as well as the 2001 Summit Ventures, character and style of the Mad River Valley and Vermont. a small group of local investors led by Win Smith, 1995 The American Skiing Company era begins. ASC makes major infrastructure purchases Sugarbush. investments including installing seven new lifts, three of which are detachable quads. The Slide Brook Express ferries skiers back and forth to newly renamed Mt. Ellen. Snowmaking improvements include a new 25-million-gallon pond and miles of pipe. 1996 Warren Miller films local legends John Egan, Doug Lewis, Jesse 1990 Three new chair lifts are installed at Mt. Ellen—including Green Murphy, Sally Knight, and Seth Miller at Mountain Express. At the time, it was the fastest quad in the world, Sugarbush for the film Snowriders. transporting skiers at 1,100 feet per minute.

Roy Cohen sells Sugarbush to ARA Service. ARA 1983 1984 With a plan to operate as a four- removes the three-person top-to-bottom gondola. Super Bravo season resort, Claneil Enterprises purchases the and Heaven’s Gate chairs are installed and uphill capacity mountain, Sugarbush Inn, the racquet club, the increases fourfold. golf course, and numerous condo and townhouse developments. 1977–79 Roy Cohen purchases Sugarbush (in 1977) and Glen Ellen (in 1979). The two areas join under the Sugarbush brand. Glen Ellen is 1978 Sugarbush is featured in Warren Miller’s film renamed Sugarbush North to reflect the union. Ski a la Carte. Trails highlighted in the segment include (In 1995, it is renamed Mt. Ellen.) a powdery Murphy’s Glades, Organgrinder, Birdland, and Middle Earth. 1964 Chez Henri, a Parisian-style bistro, opens in what is to become Late 1960s Plans develop to build a lift between historic Sugarbush Village. Inverness at Glen Ellen and the summit of at Mad River Glen. Two trails from the summit would connect 1963 The Gate House area skiers to trails at Mad River. Although the lift line to the summit opens with a new double was cleared, the project never materialized. chair, spreading skiers around the mountain, 1963–66 Olympic Gold Medalist Stein Eriksen serves as director of the opening up more Sugarbush Ski School. Each Sunday afternoon he entertains the Sugarbush beginner terrain, faithful with his signature flip on skis. and allowing ski- to access to 1963 Walt Elliott opens Glen Ellen Ski Area. Complete with Scotch-themed trail Sugarbush names, Glen Ellen claims “the greatest vertical descent in the East” with its tiered lifts Village. to the 4,083-foot summit of Mt. Ellen.

1960 With a newly rebuilt access road, a top-to-bottom gondola, and varied terrain, Sugarbush quickly attracts throngs of New York glitterati. Vogue magazine dubs Sugarbush “Mascara Mountain” because of its glamorous guest list, including actress Kim Novak, the ‘58 Kennedy clan, musician Skitch Henderson, and fashion designer Oleg Cassini. 1959 The resort installs a Carlevaro & Savio double chair lift, opening up the legendary Castlerock area. This area was immediately known for its expert ski terrain. That reputation continues today.

1958 Damon and Sara Gadd, along with Jack Murphy and Lixi Fortna, open Sugarbush Resort. Sugarbush boasts the “greatest vertical rise in the East” thanks to its top-to-bottom gondola.

48 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE E ugene K rylov

Official SOft Drink Of SUGARBUSH RESORT local knowledge

Factoids to Maximize Your Sugarbush Visit

Tue & Wed (non-holiday) are the quietest days, followed by Mondays and then Thursdays. 54% SaturdayS 30% Sunday 23% of tickets are purchased from Mondays 9% 9 to 11 AM–arrive earlier to avoid the 68% tuesdays 6% rush, or go direct-to-lift with a of Sugarbush visitors park at Wednesdays 7% season pass or SugarDirect Card. Lincoln Peak. Try parking at Mt. thursdayS 10% Ellen, or, even better, ride the free Fridays 15% Valley-wide Mad Bus. 11 AM – 1 PM sees 51% of all cafeteria traffic. Plan a MT. Ellen late breakfast or late lunch and avoid the 37% boasts 43% of Sugarbush’s acres but crowd press. Timbers Restaurant serves of all skier/rider visits occur during hosts only 27% of skier/rider traffic. brunch and lunch on weekends and holiday periods, which make up holidays—ski boots welcome. roughly 12% of the winter. Plan to come the other 88% of the time and avoid the crowds. $30 will get you a day of skiing and 0:05:44 /mile riding at Mt. Ellen on non-holiday is the Slide Brook rope speed. The two-way Thursdays. Plus, live après music lift will get you from one mountain to the and complimentary appetizers are other in about 12 minutes. That’s plenty of available at Green Mountain Lounge. time for a sandwich or a scenic rest. 18 295 APP it beers and ciders are on tap at people come off the Castlerock Lift in 1 hour. to find the shortest lines with lift cams, track Castlerock Pub, which includes The lift loads 2 people every 24 seconds, your vertical feet, and see what’s happening 16 Vermont-made brews. Get your delivering a pristine, uncrowded this week with the Weekly Rumble video Heady Topper and Lawson’s Finest experience to those who wait. report. The Sugarbush App is a free download Liquids here! for iPhones and Androids.

50 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE Serving Vermont since 1947

Bisbee's Hardware is your local source for Appliances, Electronics, Mattresses, Paint, Flooring, Hardware Supplies, and Lawn & Garden based in Waitsfield, VT.

SERTA America’s best-selling mattress! The quality of Serta, the fastest-growing mattress manufacturer in the country, ensures that you won’t need to count sheep to get sound sleep! Featured at Bisbee’s Bedding & More!

BENJAMIN MOORE PAINTS The colors you love, the quality you trust. Benjamin Moore has the family products to make the colors of your dreams a reality, with the durability to stand the test of time. Stop in and find your perfect color!

KARASTAN CARPET Timeless quality and beauty since 1928, Karastan is the designers choice fun for premium carpet for your home. Come in to Bisbee’s Home Décor and Sugarbush Health & Racquet Club experience the Karastan difference today! (SHaRC) offers an array of Mad River Green Shopping Center, Waitsfield, VT winter activities 802-496-3635 for kids of all ages. www.bisbeesvt.com swimming pool & hot tub rock climbing Kingsbury ConstruCtion Co., inC. tennis, squash & Working with Sugarbush to make their visions become a reality. racquetball Let us help you build your dream too! kids’ adventure Zone bungee tRampoline indooR Swing Set two inflatable bounCe HouSeS baSketball

802.583.6700 | sugarbush.com

Performing quality work for Sugarbush and the Mad River Valley since 1978. Allow us to help you grow your ideas! Kingsburyconstruction.com (802) 496-2205

2014/15 51 SUGAR-kids

d rook, an around Mt lide B . Ellen to d Murphy gh S visit h Fin ’s rou throu is buddy te fro ak, Bear ein. m Lincol n Pe St

Mountain Y R R E B E U L B U O L B D D DID you KNOW? R E R C O Y I K X L F X M Q S Sugarbush is part of the Green Mountain National Forest, giving us Flora & Fauna Help Murphy find the following E K N A H U R M X W M E A Q N places to hike, bike, hunt, fish, camp, ski, ride, and connect with plants and animals while traveling L U U I B I O R Q Z R A H Q T nature. Please respect our forest! from Mt. Ellen, through Slide Brook, P X X E P O C H E C W E P B Z The Green Mountain National Forest is home to many cool animals. and around Lincoln Peak. P F A E R U A K V B M W W L R Keep an eye out for BLUEBERRY FIDDLEHEAD A R I H N W C A A L K L O E E other mammals, and many species of BLACKBERRY PEEPER Z T S D K B X R O D X C K N Q BEAR SNAKE birds, amphibians, and reptiles. Q U O F D P I C O Q E C A C U MOOSE MUSHROOM M L O B C L K R H P E E H L L The Green Mountain National Forest is also home to many species of fungi, FIR WOODPECKER C F P E E P E R C P Q S E R B HAWK HEMLOCK lichen, plants, and trees including I I B E S L Q H D H U J K G V PORCUPINE BEECH U R Z C O W K O E R O E A N H MAPLE THRUSH and of course ! A “sugarbush” is the traditional name of a stand H D A H O H O S H A W J N Z P of maple trees used to make maple syrup. APPLE CHICKADEE BIRCH B I D I M W U T S O D A S H C

52 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE d rook, an around Mt lide B . Ellen to d Murphy gh S visit h Fin ’s rou throu is buddy te fro ak, Bear ein. m Lincol n Pe St

Mountain Y R R E B E U L B U O L B D D DID you KNOW? R E R C O Y I K X L F X M Q S Sugarbush is part of the Green Mountain National Forest, giving us Flora & Fauna Help Murphy find the following E K N A H U R M X W M E A Q N places to hike, bike, hunt, fish, camp, ski, ride, and connect with plants and animals while traveling L U U I B I O R Q Z R A H Q T nature. Please respect our forest! from Mt. Ellen, through Slide Brook, P X X E P O C H E C W E P B Z The Green Mountain National Forest is home to many cool animals. and around Lincoln Peak. P F A E R U A K V B M W W L R Keep an eye out for BLUEBERRY FIDDLEHEAD A R I H N W C A A L K L O E E other mammals, and many species of BLACKBERRY PEEPER Z T S D K B X R O D X C K N Q BEAR SNAKE birds, amphibians, and reptiles. Q U O F D P I C O Q E C A C U MOOSE MUSHROOM M L O B C L K R H P E E H L L The Green Mountain National Forest is also home to many species of fungi, FIR WOODPECKER C F P E E P E R C P Q S E R B HAWK HEMLOCK lichen, plants, and trees including I I B E S L Q H D H U J K G V PORCUPINE BEECH U R Z C O W K O E R O E A N H MAPLE THRUSH and of course ! A “sugarbush” is the traditional name of a stand H D A H O H O S H A W J N Z P of maple trees used to make maple syrup. APPLE CHICKADEE BIRCH B I D I M W U T S O D A S H C

2014/15 53 CastleroCk Pub

A diverse bar food menu with local Neill Farm burgers, creative sandwiches, wings, and an extensive Vermont craft beer menu. Open winter and summer for lunch and après when Super Bravo spins, and dinner on select nights.

sugarbush.com 800.53.SUGAR

Allyn’s lodge fireside dining

ElEgant mid-mountain dining Private dining for groups of 12 or more at Allyn’s Lodge, accessed via the Lincoln Limo cabin cat or private guided hike/skin. Winter only.

Located at the top of Super Bravo Lift sugarbush.com 800.53.sugar

54 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE DINING DIRECTORY

RESTAURANT DESCRIPTION PRICE RANGE CONTACT 275 Main at the Pitcher Inn elegant farm-to-table cuisine and fine wine in a sophisticated setting. $$$$$ 802.496.6350 “This may be Vermont’s best restaurant,” writes the New York Times. pitcherinn.com

American Flatbread Farm-to-table pizza baked in a primitive wood-fired earthen oven. $$ 802.496.8856 americanflatbread.com

Big Picture Café & Theater The Valley’s unofficial cultural center and café, open seven days $$ 802.496.8994 a week from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. bigpicturetheater.info

Bridge Street Butchery Full-service butcher shop and fish market featuring local meats $$$ 802.496.FISH and Wood Mountain Fish. thebridgestreetbutchery.com

Castlerock Pub Classic Vermont-influenced pub menu with outstanding craft $$ 802.583.6594 beverages. Open winter and summer when Super Bravo spins. sugarbush.com

Chez Henri Parisian bistrot in historic Sugarbush Village since 1964. Winter only. $$$ 802.583.2600

China Fun Standard Chinese; takeout only. $$ 802.496.7889

Common Man Contemporary American cuisine prepared by chef-owner Adam $$$ 802.583.2800 Longworth. Full bar, diverse wine list, and warm hospitality. commonmanrestaurant.com

East Warren The Valley’s local food co-op, providing local, organic, and specialty $$$ 802.496.6758 Community Market items from cheese and eggs to beer and bakery items. Open daily. eastwarrenmarket.com

Elusive Moose Pub & Eatery Family-friendly elevated comfort food in a casual environment. $$$ 802.496.6444

General Stark’s Pub Full bar and table service for lunch and après in winter; $$ 802.496.3551 Fri.–Sun. 4–8 p.m. in summer. In Mad River Glen’s basebox. madriverglen.com

Hogan’s Pub Seasonal lunch menu, local burgers, well-stocked bar, $$ 802.583.6723 long Valley views. Summer only. sugarbush.com

Hostel Tevere Full bar with great local draught beers and live music. $ 802.496.9222 hosteltevere.com

Mad River Barn Pub with burgers, entrées, and local brews; family-style dinners $$ 802.496.3310 on winter Saturdays. madriverbarn.com

Mint Vegetarian/vegan cuisine located in historic Waitsfield Village. $$$ 802.496.5514 mintvermont.com

Mix Cupcakerie Home-baked ice cream cupcakes, wedding and birthday cakes, $$ 802.496.4944 cookies, bars, and pies in Waitsfield’s Village Square. Open daily. mixcupcakerie.com

Mutha Stuffers Eat-in or takeout deli serving full line of Boar’s Head products $ 802.583.4477 and beer on tap. In historic Sugarbush Village. muthastuffers.com

Peasant Traditional rustic European food, open Thurs.–Mon. after 5:30 p.m., $$$ 802.496.6856 reservations recommended. peasantvt.com

Pine Tree Pub Burgers, salads, sandwiches, local brews, and nightlife. Winter only. $$ 802.496.7463

Pizza Soul Authentic, hand-crafted, thin crust, gourmet pizza, calzones, $$ 802.496.6202 and strombolis in historic Sugarbush Village. pizzasoul.com

Sweet Spot Bakery, ice cream, espresso, and cocktails. $$ 802.496.9199 Made-to-order custom cakes. sweetspotvt.com

Terra Rossa Ristorante italian/Mediterranean/American cuisine in a family-friendly, $$$ 802.583.7676 relaxed, and casual atmosphere. terrarossavermont.com

Three Mountain Café Breakfast sandwiches, lunch to go, pastries, sweet treats, $ 802.496.5470 espresso, and coffee. threemountaincafe.com

Timbers Restaurant Farm-to-table cuisine with fine wines. Slope-side. Breakfast $$$ 802.583.6800 and dinner year-round; lunch during winter holidays. sugarbush.com

Tracks at the Pitcher Inn Craft beers, fine wine, and imaginative pub fare. $$$ 802.496.6350 pitcherinn.com

Warren Store Sumptuous baked goods, prepared foods, artisinal beer, and plenty $$ 802.496.3864 of wine choices. Open daily for breakfast, lunch, and staples. warrenstore.com

Zach’s Tavern Farm-fresh local fare featuring creative entrées, sandwiches, $$$ 802.496.2322 at Hyde Away Inn burgers, wings, and salads. hydeawayinn.com 2014/15 55 “Best One Stop Shopping The Elusive in Vermont” Moose Pub & – Yankee Magazine Eatery

Join us for Dinner Specials beginning at 5:30pm everyday!

Sunday: International Food Night & Kids menu is half price Tuesday:Design Your Own Pasta Wednesday:BBQ Ribs & Chicken Thursday:50 Cent Wings Built in 1839, this spirited country store (begins at 2pm) combines an eclectic deli and bakery, an Friday: Bring on the Seafood! award winning wine shop, artisanal beer Saturday: Prime Rib Night and plenty of local color. From penny candy to contemporary clothing and gifts...” Regular & children’s menu available. Beer specials every day! No reservations needed! • Open 363 1/2 days a year! • Located 1 mile south of the Breakfast: Thurs-Sat 8-11; Sun 8-11:30 Sugarbush Access Road off Route 100. Lunch: Tues-Sat: 11-2: Sun: 11:30-2 Grazing (Small Plates, Burgers & “It’s not just a store; it’s a living, Sandwiches): Tues-Sun 2-5:30pm Tues-Sun 5:30-9pm breathing Vermont spirit.” Dinner: Bar open till?? Closed Mondays. – Boston Common Magazine 6163 Main St. Waitsfield, VT 05673 warrenstore.com 802-496-3864 802.496.6444

uncommonly good dining

Indulgence is better at Sugarbush Farm-to-table cuisine with fine wines in an visit us @ & atmosphere modeled after a nineteenth-century commonmanrestaurant.com dairy barn. Vegetarian and gluten-free options warren vt 802 583 2800 available. Open year-round for breakfast and Reservations recommended dinner, and lunch during holiday periods. 802.583.6800

56 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE “275 Main at the Pitcher Inn is a jewel of sophisticated dining. This may be Vermont’s best restaurant.” – The New York Times

THE PITCHER INN HAS BEEN WELCOMING GUESTS SINCE 1850. ORIGINALLY A SIMPLE INN, IT NOW COMBINES VERMONT CHARM WITH THE COMFORTS OF A RELAIS & CHATEAUX PROPERTY. With magnificent views of the mountains A CONDE NAST TOP 100 HOTEL. and the Valley, Hogan’s Pub serves up a 275 MAIN OFFERS ELEGANT DINING UPSTAIRS, variety of salads, sandwiches, and burgers WHILE TRACKS, ON THE LOWER LEVEL, for lunch, and cold beer and cocktails for SERVES A CASUAL LOUNGE-STYLE MENU. après. Open May through October. OPEN WEDNESDAY – MONDAY Located at Sugarbush Resort Golf Club 802.496.6350 SuGaRbuSh.Com 800.53.SuGaR PITCHERINN.COM

HYDE AWAY INN Stay · Eat · Play Open 7 Nights Food ‘til 10

Farm-Fresh & Local

Clay Brook Hotel & residenCes Modern luxury meets slopeside convenience with studio to five-bedroom suites, concierge services, ski and boot valet, heated outdoor pool and hot tubs, and onsite dining.

For a more casual stay, explore the classic country charm of Sugarbush Inn or our selection of over 100 privately-owned, resort-managed condos. Complimentary access to Zach’s Tavern Sugarbush Health & Racquet Club and Valley-wide shuttle service included. 1428 Millbrook Rd (Rt~ 17) • Waitsfield, VT sugarbush.com | 800.53.SUGAR 802.496.2322 • hydeawayinn.com

2014/15 57 LODGING DIRECTORY

INN/HOTEL STYLE PRICE RANGE CONTACT 1824 House Comfortable country inn. Warm breakfasts, hearths, $$$ 802.496.7555 and hospitality. 1824house.com

Beaver Pond Farm Inn Quintessentially restored, beautiful B&B with hot tub. $$$ 800.685.8285 Also available as a house rental. beaverpondfarminn.com

Bridges Family Resort One-, two-, or three-bedroom condominiums with resort $$$ 800.453.2922 & Tennis Club amenities just minutes from Lincoln Peak and Mt. Ellen. bridgesresort.com Clay Brook at Sugarbush Luxury slope-side one- to five-bedroom residences $$$$ 800.53.SUGAR with year-round outdoor heated pool and hot tubs. sugarbush.com/clay-brook

Eagles Resort Freestanding, Swedish-design, two-bedroom homes. $$$ 802.496.5700 eaglesresortvt.com

Golden Lion Riverside Inn local inn atmosphere, minutes from Sugarbush, $$ 802.496.3084 breakfast offered, standard and family-style rooms. goldenlionriversideinn.com

Hostel Tevere Thirty beds of European hostel–style lodging; shared $ 802.496.9222 bathrooms and common spaces. hosteltevere.com

Hyde Away Inn Family-friendly nine-room inn with casual accomodations. $$ 802.496.2322 Farm-fresh restaurant and classic local tavern. hydeawayinn.com

Inn at Lareau Farm Family- and pet-friendly farmhouse with hearty breakfast minutes $$ 802.496.4949 from Sugarbush and Mad River Glen. lareaufarminn.com

Inn at Round Barn Farm Luxury country inn, twelve rooms with private baths, $$$$ 802.496.2276 steam showers, and whirlpools. theroundbarn.com

Mad River Barn Family-friendly lodging with on-site restaurant, pub, and game room $$$ 802.496.3310 madriverbarn.com

Mad River Inn Relaxed atmosphere, with outdoor hot tub and $$$ 802.496.7900 BYOB lounge with pool table. madriverinn.com

Mountain View Inn Beautiful inn with cozy rooms and delicious $$ 802.496.2426 breakfasts. Minutes from skiing and town. vtmountainviewinn.com

Pitcher Inn Relais & Châteaux luxury with eleven well-appointed, $$$$$ 802.496.6350 unique guest rooms and exquisite dining. pitcherinn.com

Sugarbush Inn Comfortable and affordable family-friendly inn $$ 800.53.SUGAR minutes from the mountain; winter only. sugarbush.com

Sugarbush Resort One- to four-bedroom privately owned condos, $$$ 800.53.SUGAR Condominiums on or near the mountain. sugarbush.com

Sugar Lodge One-half mile from Lincoln Peak. Family-friendly, $$ 800.982.3465 modern hotel rooms with great ski packages. sugarlodge.com

Sugartree Inn Closest inn to Lincoln Peak; nine great rooms, creative full $$$ 802.583.3211 breakfast, and outdoor hot tub. sugartree.com

Tucker Hill Inn Peaceful country B&B lodging close to Sugarbush. $$$ 802.496.3983 Fireplace rooms to multi-person suites. tuckerhill.com

West Hill House B&B Beautiful en-suite guest rooms, great breakfasts, and $$$ 802.496.7162 minutes from skiing with door-to-slope shuttle. westhillbb.com

White Horse Inn A twenty-six-room B&B at the entrance $$ 802.496.9448 to Mt. Ellen at Sugarbush ski area. whitehorseinn-vermont.com

Wilder Farm Inn Where farm fresh meets fashion forward. Beautiful rooms, $$$ 800.496.8878 delicious breakfast, and wood-burning fireplaces. wilderfarminn.com

Yellow Farmhouse Inn King and queen beds, private baths with Jacuzzis, and gas stoves; $$$ 802.496.4263 on shuttle route. yellowfarmhouseinn.com

58 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE MAD RIVER INN 1860 country Victorian inn with seven guest rooms and one small suite with private baths, some with television and A/C. Relaxed atmosphere. Comfortable living room with wood fireplace. BYOB lounge with pool table, TV, stereo, guest refrigerator, and woodstove. Outdoor hot tub. Located on Tremblay Road, just off scenic Route 100 Waitsfield, Vermont 802.496.7900 800.832.8278 madriverinn.com WhiteHorseInn-SugarbushAd_Layout 1 7/22/14 11:23 A

Your #1 choice in the Mad River Valley Cozy Comfort at the Y HYDE AWAYßπ Center of Vermont’s West Hill House B&B INN Three Finest Ski Areas (802) 496-7162 www.westhillbb.com Stay · Eat · Play

At the entrance to Sugarbush Mt. Ellen & just 5 minutes from Sugarbush Lincoln Peak & Mad River Glen, One mile from Sugarbush Casual Accommodations our 26-room Inn serves a full breakfast in 2 minutes by shuttle bus a homey setting at 9 Rooms. Family Friendly. affordable rates. Great Ski Packages Creative, Farm-Fresh Restaurant. Serving Vermont beers & wines. 9 unique guest rooms with steam Classic Local Tavern. Perfect for groups. shower and/or Jacuzzi, really comfortable beds, gas fireplaces, Zach’s Tavern HDTVs, free phone calls & WiFi 802-496-9448 in Open 7 Nights • Food ‘til 10 Fayston/Waitsfield Delicious Breakfasts 3 large common areas: 1428 Millbrook Rd (Rt~ 17) • Waitsfield, VT bar, fireplaces, games www.WhiteHorseInn-Vermont.com HDTV and pool table 802.496.2322 • hydeawayinn.com

2014/15 59 sugarbush close-up

SUGARBUSH After years of skiing at the mountain, Sugarbush owner and president Sugarbush continues to invest in improvements at both Lincoln Peak Win Smith purchased the resort in September of 2001 with a group and Mt. Ellen. This year, the resort spent more than $1 million on of local investors. They have since embarked on reshaping the both mechanical and electrical upgrades to the lifts. The resort also Sugarbush experience to reflect the nature of the Mad River Valley. invested $1.8 million in snowmaking equipment, completing a five- The management team includes Adam Greshin, a Warren resident year, $5 million capital project that saw upgrades in snowmaking who also has served as the state representative for Washington at both mountains. Over the summer, crews installed 351 new County. Incorporating traditional Vermont architecture into the Snow Logic, HKD, and Ratnik snow guns, and made significant village, hosting arts performances, and highlighting the local improvements to infrastructure, replacing a variety of pipes, pumps, agricultural economy in the resort’s culinary offerings are just some valves, and compressors. The resort also replaced one of its two of the ways Sugarbush delivers a rich experience for its guests. winch cat groomers with a new PistenBully 600 to improve the eight- groomer fleet. Additional parking for busy days has been created In 2006, Sugarbush completed construction of Clay Brook Hotel across from Lot E—450 new parking spaces in all. & Residences and Gate House Lodge. Four years later, two more skier-services buildings—the Schoolhouse and the Farmhouse— Linking Sugarbush’s rich history, the uniqueness of the Mad River were added to Lincoln Peak Village. In 2013, construction on the Valley, and the modernity of new amenities, Sugarbush is committed Rice Brook Residences—fifteen new homes in three buildings—was to offering the best in customer service, four seasons of outdoor completed, helping to connect Lincoln Peak Village and historic recreation, and an unrivaled and quintessential Vermont experience. Sugarbush Village. This first phase of construction is part of a larger- And each year, Win Smith and his entire resort team work hard to scale project that will include up to ninety new spaces for residential make good on the Sugarbush brand promise: Be Better Here. and commercial use. Planning is under way for Gadd Brook, another series of buildings hosting up to fifteen private slope-side homes.

60 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE THE MOUNTAINS

Sugarbush brings some of the flavor of western skiing to the East. Like many of the ski areas west of the Mississippi, Sugarbush’s Lincoln Peak spreads out in a natural bowl of terrain. Runs at Lincoln Peak face north, south, and east and make for spectacular skiing no matter the time of day. The natural bowl also makes the trail network easy to navigate. Beginners, intermediates, and experts can all start from the same place, find terrain suitable to their tastes, and end up together LODGING back where they started. The layout of the lift and trail network quickly disperses crowds on peak traffic days, while mid-mountain lifts serve From slope-side luxury to quaint country living, the Sugarbush higher elevation runs, which minimizes long lift lines in the base area. Vacation Team can assist in finding accommodations to suit a variety Lincoln Peak is home to the legendary terrain of Castlerock Peak, whose of needs and budgets (for reservations, call 800-53-SUGAR). The narrow, steep, and winding trails offer seasoned experts a challenge slope-side Clay Brook Hotel & Residences offers sixty-one suites, and an old-time New England ski experience. Powder hungry? Get up ranging from slope-side kings to five-bedroom suites, and features early for first tracks on the Lincoln Limo. When it’s snowing, the twelve- ski-in/ski-out access, full valet service, a year-round outdoor heated passenger snowcat heads to the top as early as 7 a.m., before the lifts pool, a fitness center, and Timbers Restaurant. Down the road is the even open. forty-two-room Sugarbush Inn, open all winter and for private groups in the summer. The inn—with nooks for reading and a parlor with an Connected by the Slide Brook Express to Lincoln Peak, Mt. Ellen is adjoining taproom, open on Saturdays and holidays from 4 to 7 p.m. for the third-highest peak and hosts the highest chair lift in Vermont. après—has the cozy charm of a Vermont country inn. Sugarbush also With thirty-nine trails, Mt. Ellen has steeps, wide-open cruisers, and offers a mix of resort-managed condominiums surrounding Lincoln some great beginner terrain. The base area at Mt. Ellen is a no-frills Peak. All Sugarbush lodging comes with complimentary access to experience with a classic lodge that’s home to the convivial Green Sugarbush Health & Racquet Club, which offers a pool, hot tubs, Mountain Lounge. Mt. Ellen is where you’ll find the Riemergasse Terrain steam rooms, the Adventure Zone for kids, rock climbing, tennis, and Park, recognized over the last several years as one of the top terrain massage. For additional lodging recommendations, please call the parks in the East by Transworld . With rails, tables, and Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce at 802-496-3409. jumps for all levels, the park is home to local talent and a series of events and competitions. Whether at Mt. Ellen or Lincoln Peak, skiing in the trees is often the best way to find great snow. Twenty marked areas provide beginner to advanced tree skiing. Want more? The 2,000-acre Slide Brook backcountry, tucked in between Lincoln Peak and Mt. Ellen, is an adventurer’s paradise. Guided trips are available with legendary skier John Egan and the staff of the Adventure Learning Center’s Ski & Ride School.

Sugarbush isn’t the only attraction to the Mad River Valley. Mad River Glen, just a few miles to the north of Sugarbush, boasts some of the most challenging terrain in the East. The Valley is also home to two Nordic skiing centers, Blueberry Lake and Ole’s Cross Country Center, as well as the Catamount Trail. In Waitsfield, the Skatium Ice Rink provides a unique outdoor skating experience.

2014/15 61 sugarbush close-up TRANSPORTATION The Burlington International Airport is just fifty minutes from Sugarbush, with direct flights arriving from New York City, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, and seasonal direct flights from Toronto. Amtrak runs trains from major eastern cities into Rutland (one hour south of Sugarbush) and Waterbury (thirty minutes north). And once you’ve arrived, Green Mountain Transit offers free public transportation services in the winter season within the Mad River Valley region via the Mad Bus. Distance from: burlington: 46 miles B boston: 180 miles New York City: 300 miles Montreal: 139 miles (224 KM)

62 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE MOUNTAIN STATISTICS Mountain operation HOURS Winter: mid-Nov. – Apr. LIFTS (16 TOTAL) 4,083 Weekdays: 9 AM – 4 PM 578 summit 7 quads (5 high speed) Weekends/holidays: 8 AM – 4 PM Skiable 1,483 elevation acres base 2 triples Spring: Apr. – May elevation 4 doubles Call for spring-adjusted hours. 3 surface lifts Summer: mid-June – Labor Day 53miles 2,600 vertical Sun. – Thu.: 10 AM – 4 PM of trails drop terra3in Fri., Sat., & holidays: 10 AM – 6 PM 20tree-skiing parks Areas inches Fall: early Sept. – Columbus Day 269 average annual snowfall Weekends & Columbus Day: 10 AM – 4 PM Times are subject to change. Please call 800.53.SUGAR or visit sugarbush.com for up-to-date information.

Sugarbush Resort Warren, Vermont

2014/15 63 calendar 2014-15 john penwarden

Community Day Dog Hike Mad River Mountaineering Race Castlerock Extreme Mad Dash

10/11-12 Community Weekend 1/17-19 Martin Luther King Jr. 3/1 High Fives Fat Ski-A-Thon 7/12 Mad Marathon Celebrate autumn in Vermont with Weekend Lap the Summit Quad on your widest This scenic course sends runners pumpkin carving, scenic lift rides and An action-packed weekend with the planks and give out high fives all day along beautiful country roads in the hikes, harvest-inspired dining, live American Melting Pot Buffet, a kids’ for a great cause. Each lap completed Mad River Valley, through covered music, kids’ camps, and mountain cooking class, a brewer-hosted beer raises money to support the High bridges, past farms, and over activities. Family Oktoberfest on Sunday dinner, the Tour De Moon skin and ski Fives Non-Profit Foundation. streams. Participants can run a relay features cabbage bowling, Bavarian- at Mt. Ellen, and a torchlight parade or a half or whole marathon. inspired food, drink, and live music. and fireworks. 3/7 Castlerock Extreme Expert skiers charge the cliffs and 8/1–31 Festival of the Arts 10/12 Mad Dash 1/24, 1/31, 2/7 Champlain dips of Sugarbush’s toughest terrain A monthlong celebration in the Mad A 5K or 10K run, 5K walk, and kids’ College Fresh Tracks Film Camp in the eighteenth annual Castlerock River Valley featuring the “Taste of the race, supporting the Mad River Path Warren Miller film star John Egan Extreme. Are you bold enough? Valley” culinary feast at Lincoln Peak, Association. Registration online and members of the award-winning the Big Red Barn Art Show, theatrical or from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. on the day. Champlain College Emergent Media 3/14 Sugaring Time Festival performances at the Skinner Barn Celebrate the start of spring and Races begin at 10. program coach teens in bridging and the Phantom Theater, and more. sugaring season with a variety of their passion for filming and snow maple-themed activities. Search for 11/22 Big Kicker sports in an adventure camp on three 9/4–7 Green Mountain Kick off the 2014–15 winter season maple nips in a resort-wide scavenger consecutive Saturdays. Finished films Stage Race with Mad River Glen and Sugarbush hunt, play maple-inspired games, will be displayed at a reception on the Largest Pro-Am road stage race east at American Flatbread in Waitsfield. indulge in maple dining specials, and final Saturday evening. of the Mississippi. Close to 1,000 This unmatched ski-mountain duo more. cyclists travel to compete in some of throws a freestyle party with rail 2/1 Mad River Mountaineering the Northeast’s most challenging and jams, ski movies, local food and Race 3/20–22 Nantucket Weekend scenic terrain. It’s a beach party! Island fever takes drink, and words of wisdom from the An endurance race for backcountry over Sugarbush with beach music, High Fives Foundation, the Flyin Ryan skiers and split boarders that begins Nantucket culinary/drink specials, Recurring Events Hawks Foundation, and more. at Mad River Glen, traverses over Mt. a Cisco Brewer–hosted dinner, and Ellen, runs through Slide Brook side SugarBash fun-in-the-sun beach activities. 1/17, 2/14, and 3/14 12/6 country, and finishes at Lincoln Peak. Tour De Moon It’s time to get down and get funky Pond Skimming Learn the essentials of skinning at Sugarbush’s annual birthday Junior Castlerock Extreme 3/28 2/7 Take the plunge across a 120-foot on an after-hours guided skin up celebration. Rock your finest retro Talented young skiers (ages thirteen pond at the base of Lincoln Peak. to the Glen House, with dinner, gear and dance your heart out to & under) compete in a highly Whether you get wet or spectate from beverages, and a moonlit ski to the live music from the Grift. Costume challenging and technical run down the crowd, be sure to participate in bottom. Special equipment available. contest at 8 p.m. Castlerock’s infamous Lift Line. this annual rite of spring. Awards for Reservations required. This is a qualifying race for March’s costume, style, and splash. 12/8 A Taste of Timbers Castlerock Extreme and part of the Ski 12/26, 1/18, 2/18, and 3/14 Sample items from the new Timbers the East Freeride Tour. Registration Easter Celebration Kids’ Pizza and Movie Nights winter menu, inspired by our best 4/5 for 110 spots traditionally sells out in Begin your holiday weekend with a Send the kids for a night of fun with local and national food purveyors. advance. beautiful morning service at Allyn’s pizza and a movie while you enjoy an Lodge, followed by an Easter egg evening of your own. 12/20–31 Holiday Week President’s Week 2/14–22 hunt and elegant brunch at Timbers. Celebration A nonstop week of fun with a live bird 12/30, 1/17, 2/15, and 3/7 Spend your holiday week at show by the Vermont Institute for 6/13 Sugarbush Brew-Grass Kids’ Cooking Classes Sugarbush. Meet Olympic slalom skier Natural Science, kids’ cooking class, Festival Kids learn basic kitchen safety, food Nolan Kasper, send the kids to Pizza family buffet, late-night music, Tour Kick off the summer with Sugarbush’s handling, cooking techniques, and and Movie Night or a kids’ cooking De Moon, Castlerock Beer Dinner, and fifth annual brewfest with craft beers how to set a table, all while they class, decorate holiday cookies, view a torchlight parade and fireworks. from over twenty breweries, tasty local prepare and feast on a three-course a live bird show, and enjoy après live eats, and jammin’ bluegrass bands. meal. music all week. The fifth annual Dog 2/21–22 Mt. Ellen’s Parade with its new canine couture Birthday Celebration 7/4 Independence Day 12/30, 1/18, 2/18, and 3/21 contest kicks off the New Year’s Eve Commemorate Mt. Ellen’s birthday Celebration Castlerock Pub Beer Dinners celebrations, followed by a Family with the Gelandesprung Championship Join Sugarbush’s annual celebration Join Sugarbush’s culinary team Fun Night with street performers, (an old ski-jump tradition) and of the Fourth of July, with the wacky as they prepare a fresh meal with an elegant dinner at Timbers, and a Cowbell Champagne Party. Ease into Warren parade followed by a classic seasonal offerings coupled with local torchlight parade and fireworks. Sunday with the traditional Elliott American BBQ and fireworks at beers in the Castlerock Pub. Chat Family Brunch. Lincoln Peak. with the brewer and learn about the craft brewing process. Reservations recommended. 64 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE

Community is Better at sugarbush There’s something more to the Sugarbush experience than the legendary terrain variety, the meticulous snowmaking and grooming, the fabled history, or the authentic Vermont mountain setting. Come discover what makes Sugarbush different.

Named a “Best Town” by Outside Magazine and a “Top 10 Emerging Ski Town” by National Geographic.

800.53.SUGAR sugarbush.com