2019/20

GOLF’S BERMUDA TRIANGLE BEERCATION at LAWSON’S FINEST LIQUIDS

Plus: Resort Tech Upgrades | Those Friendly Ambassadors | Sugarbush Trendsetters 2019/20

ADAPTIVE ATHLETES KICKING BUTT & TAKING NAMES INTRODUCING THE WALL OF FAMERS Plus: TOP TEN TIPS for Sugarbush First Timers BEERCATION at Lawson’s Finest Liquids KIDS ON SNOW: What to Know sugarbush.com 800.53.SUGAR

34 Undaunted: The Story of Adaptive A program at Mt. Ellen provides adaptive adventures to athletes with disabilities. BY CANDICE WHITE Plus: Sugarbush’s Adaptive Sports Triumvirate

44 Thirteen at 13 The dark heart of the Sugarbush back nine is a tricky stretch for even the Valley’s most competitive golfers. BY DREW SIMMONS Plus: The Pro's Take on Holes 12–14 Sugarbush Golf Tournament Preview 52 Matters of Style If you spent any time at Sugarbush between 1960 and 2000—and beyond—you were likely to encounter something seminal in ’s Darwinian evolution. BY PETER OLIVER

be here There are a lot of places you could be but only one place you should be. Here. Come to Sugarbush to discover one of the best kept secrets in the East. Our legendary terrain and rich history beckons all who are looking for the refreshing adventure of a new challenge. JA DEPARTMENTS SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE INSIDE LINES PRESIDENT 4 One on one with Win Smith, majority owner Winthrop Smith Jr. and president of EDITOR VALLEY LIFE Candice White 6 Welcome to the Sunny Side MANAGING EDITOR Lawson’s new taproom is much more Katie Bacon than a place to enjoy great beer. PRODUCTION EDITOR Plus: It Takes a Village Amy Stackhouse Route 100, Waitsfield, VT 802-496-3272 New Foodie Stops in the Valley 6 BARRIE FISHER ART DIRECTOR www.sportiveinc.com MOUNTAIN LIFE Audrey Huffman 10 Sharing the Love ADVERTISING MANAGER The Sugarbush Ambassador Program is filled with volunteers who love the mountain—and Jen Schonder want to help guests love it as much as they do. CONTRIBUTORS Plus: You Asked, We Listened John Atkinson The Largest BOGNER WEDDINGS John Bleh Chris Enman Selection in Northern 14 Tying the Knot, Mountain-Style Samantha Loesch Highlights from three Sugarbush Peter Oliver wedding weekends Megan Page WINTERTIME Drew Simmons STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

CLAIREANDBARRETT.COM 18 Sugarbush Top Ten Tips John Atkinson For first-time visitors (and everyone else) Alan Hurwitz Dave Rocha 20 Child’s Play Advice from the pros on teaching kids to and ride CONTRIBUTING Plus: What I Love About Sugarbush PHOTOGRAPHERS (According to the Seven-and-Under Set) Barrie Fisher Jeb Wallace-Brodeur 24 The Sugarbush Wall of Fame 14 Introducing the inaugural inductees SUGARBUSH RESORT 1840 Sugarbush Access Road BEHIND THE SCENES Warren, VT 05674 30 Snow Farming 800.53.SUGAR Heading out with a groomer on Sugarbush’s slopes sugarbush.com 33 Technology Top-ups ON THE COVER Over the past several years, the resort has introduced a range of new technologies to WINTER: Nick Fairall, who uses a sit ski, rips a turn on Spring Fling. enhance the guest experience. Photographer: John Atkinson 42 STYLE SUMMER: Aerial shot of holes 12, 14, and 15 Slopeside Fashion at Sugarbush Resort Golf Club Photographer: Alan Hurwitz 58 SUGAR-KIDS Discover Sugarbush with a word search, For comments or suggestions about riddles, and jokes. Sugarbush Magazine, contact us at [email protected]. 60 DINING DIRECTORY 62 LODGING DIRECTORY 64 TIMELINE A quick history of Sugarbush 66 SUGARBUSH CLOSE-UP Facts and figures about the mountain and Sugarbush is operated under special use the latest developments here 42 permit with the Green Mountain National Forest and is an equal opportunity provider. 72 EVENTS CALENDAR 2019/20 BARRIE FISHER 73 PARTING SHOT

2 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE INSIDE LINES JA

I was born in New York City on a blisteringly hot August morning, but was taken directly to my parents’ farm in Litchfield, ONLY A FEW HOMES REMAINING Connecticut. While we lived full-time in New York City, I always loved getting out and enjoying the beauty of the Northwest Connecticut Hills. Abutting our Litchfield property was the White Memorial Foundation, which consists of 4,000 acres that have been preserved for future generations to enjoy. I was lucky to be able to spend time in that special place. I was also fortunate to attend a boys’ camp on Great Moose Lake in Harmony, , where I enjoyed numerous outdoor adventures, including fishing in the local streams, canoeing on the Allagash River, and climbing Mt. Katahdin. Those early life experiences taught me an appreciation for nature and for the importance of conservation. Much of my pleasure in skiing derives from being outdoors and enjoying the majestic views from the mountains. One of my greatest morning thrills is getting to the top of Upper Snowball for first tracks and looking out over the landscape of the Mad River Valley, which has been so carefully preserved by those who preceded us. Today, the planet as we know it is facing a battle for its very existence. While Win enjoying a November snowstorm the effects of climate change are broad—with some people experiencing more dire effects than others—we must all do our best to mitigate them. It can seem daunting to know what to do locally, when the world relies on fossil fuels for so much of its power. It is easy to talk about climate change, but much more difficult to know how to help—we wonder if we, individually, can really make a difference. But I firmly believe that a lot of small actions can add up to a big change. I remember first learning from the polar explorer Robert Swan about the hole in the ozone layer, after he observed it firsthand. Chlorofluorocarbons were subsequently banned, and now the ozone layer is repairing itself. People spoke up, action was taken, and now we are seeing the effects. In May 2019, we at Sugarbush Resort were very honored to receive the Climate Change Impact Award at the annual National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) convention. We were recognized for having reduced CO2 emissions by 24.4 percent since 2014, which adds up to a little more than 1,000 tons. We achieved this largely through more efficient energy consumption, reducing our electricity use by 32 percent since 2013. This reduction was driven by our significant investment in low-energy equipment, but we have also taken numerous other small steps to be environmentally responsible. For instance, we partnered with Green Lantern on the development of five solar fields, which are currently producing at least 2.5 megawatts of power annually. All of our new construction is energy efficient, we foster a no-idling policy, and we have installed electric-car chargers in a number of areas around the resort. We also take recycling and composting seriously, and have phased out plastic straws. In 2012, we joined the NSAA Climate Challenge, a voluntary program that helps resorts quantify, track, and set goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, Sugarbush has become a major supporter of Protect Our Winters (POW), a climate advocacy group for the community, and of 1% for the Planet, whose members contribute 1 percent of their annual revenue to environmental organizations. I personally have joined the board of the Nature Conservancy in Vermont. These organizations, among many others, are actively working to implement local nature-based solutions to climate change. (For instance, a healthy acre of Vermont forest will absorb the yearly carbon emissions from twenty-two automobiles.) My team here at Sugarbush has profound respect for the environment, and we are committed to doing our part to help ensure that the winters we enjoy so much continue for future generations. In this issue of the magazine, we celebrate our partners at Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports, who are bringing joy and discovery to those with disabilities; we highlight our neighbor, Lawson’s Finest Liquids Brewery and Taproom, whose commitment to our community goes much further than great beer (which we sell in all our food and beverage outlets); we feature our legendary , our mind-bending golf course, our grooming team, our ambassadors, and the first inductees into Sugarbush’s Wall of Fame. All of the above contribute to our mission of cultivating a spirit of lifelong adventure and camaraderie. And beneath all that is a fundamental appreciation for our Vermont climate—both the cold, snowy days and the warm, sunny ones—which we rely on to make everything here possible. An unmistakably authentic atmosphere. A genuine Cheers, Vermont country setting. A local spirit that reflects the diversity of characters who live here – farmers, artisans, and adventurers, to name a few. Come Win Smith discover Sugarbush Living. President, Sugarbush Resort H SUSTA US IN B A R B I Three-bedroom slopeside homes now available at A L G I T U Y S Gadd Brook Slopeside.

F O Y R G E R S E T N • E • WA E SUGARBUSH TER • WAST REAL ESTATE ARBU G SH Sugarbush Resort, Warren, VT SU 802.583.6896 JA SugarbushLiving.com

S Y U T S L I TA I N A B I VALLEY LIFE

ALAN HURWITZ Celebrating the Art of Simple Elegance

Meet our new Chef. See our refreshed dining room. Stay awhile.

Pouring Lawson's Finest in the newly built taproom Welcome to the Sunny Side Lawson’s new taproom is much more than a place to enjoy great beer. BY CANDICE WHITE

o enjoy a can of Sip of Sunshine IPA is far corner sit a pair of classic arcade games, with classic deep green Vermont Verde stone— to travel down a gustatory pathway that where guests can battle over throwbacks such that houses the taps. They feature Lawson’s pitcherinn.com reveals some of what is unique and as Pac Man and Donkey Kong for free—just like playful beer varieties, of course, but there’s satisfyingT about the new Lawson’s Finest Liquids old times, but without the worry of running out also a small selection of wines and ciders, and Brewery and Taproom in Waitsfield. The extra- of quarters. A smaller room just past the games nonalcoholic lemonade and root beer. An outdoor tall, yellow can of beer emblazoned with a fanciful houses the retail space, a Willy Wonka–like patio with fire pits, Adirondack chairs, and orange sun and dancing graphics fills you first display of brightly colored four-packs—The Space cornhole boards provides another inviting hangout with bright anticipation. Peeling back the can top in Between in blue, Sugarhouse IPA in turquoise, space in the warmer months. Food is served as and taking that first sip then sends you on your Maple Nipple in orange, Hopzilla in green—and a complement to the beer, and is another ode to way to a happy place. Whether it is the lupulin matching T-shirts, hats, fleeces, cycling jerseys, Local and Sustainable from the hops, or the heightened alcohol content and work shirts. (8 percent), this India Pale Ale is, as Lawson’s The main event, the taproom, is a community Come meet Jacob Ennis, our new says, “a vacation in a glass.” gathering space, a locals’ bar, a visitor’s point Relais & Chateaux-trained chef. A visit to Lawson’s Taproom is also a vacation of of interest, and a place to celebrate a special sorts—a getaway deeply rooted in central Vermont, occasion. The horseshoe-shaped bar offers Savor local ingredients from where many local craftspeople contributed to its many cushioned stools to perch on, solo or with sustainable sources. creation. A double wooden front door displaying a friend. Long wooden picnic-style tables fill Relax in Tracks tavern or that fanciful sun floating in glass opens onto an up on busy afternoons, inviting you to chat with enormous timber-frame structure that hosts your neighbor, whom you may or may not have gather upstairs in our the taproom and retail space. You are greeted met before. Fireplace nooks can accommodate Main Dining Room overlooking warmly by a two-sided stone fireplace with a romantic dates, teenager gatherings, and little- Warren village.

floor-to-ceiling chimney, surrounded by several kid play zones. Lawson’s Taproom is truly all BARRIE FISHER Welcome! cozy sitting areas, some of which have tables for things to all people, in the best sense. Lawson's retail store is fully stocked with all their checkers, chess, and other board games. In the Behind the bar stands a giant wall—covered brews (and colorful gear to go with them).

6 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE

**Pitcher Inn CHEF FINAL 6.26.19.indd 1 6/26/19 10:50 AM local talent: a charcuterie plate boasts saucisson IT TAKES A VILLAGE: LOCAL BUSINESSES sec and sopressata from Babette’s Table; a THAT HELPED BUILD THE TAPROOM Vermont cheese plate highlights rotating local Peter Brough Inc., East Calais cheesemakers like Von Trapp Farmstead and (creation of entry doors) Consider Bardwell Farm; and Green Mountain Conant Metal & Light, Burlington Twisters of Montpelier provides the pretzels, (light fixtures) served with Ploughgate Creamery butter. Deerfield Designs, Waitsfield The man behind the beer, Sean Lawson (retail item embroidery) (whose bearded face is etched on the brewery’s Gary Kenyon, Waterbury (fireplace masonry) silo), discovered home-brewed beer while in Mad River Post & Beam, Waitsfield college at the University of Vermont. His first (timber-frame structure) officially licensed home-brew operation opened Joanne Palmisano, Shelburne in January of 2008 in a small cabin built with (interior design) friends next to his home in Warren. That same Select Design, Burlington year, he wrote a business plan that envisioned (branding) a future brewery and taproom in the Valley. Sellers & Co., Warren In 2011, Lawson expanded his home-brewing (design of entry doors) system, and in 2014, he struck a deal with Two Simon Pearce, Quechee Roads Brewing in Stratford, Connecticut, to (blown-glass light fixture) contract-brew his Sip of Sunshine IPA. (Sip is still Warren Pieces, Warren (creation of tables and bar) brewed there.) By 2015, Lawson had expanded his beer distribution outside of Vermont, and in 2016, he found the Waitsfield space that would NEW FOODIE STOPS IN THE VALLEY become the brewery and taproom. Lawson and Last winter, PARADISE PROVISIONS replaced his wife, Karen, oversee more than forty full-time the original Paradise Deli on the Access Road, employees and a host of part-timers who help and upscaled the house-made meals, the beverage selection, and the décor. Breakfast them run an operation that is open 359 days a items include a reimagined egg sandwich and year. (They are closed on a handful of holidays a breakfast burrito; lunch offers salads and and for two staff retreat days.) sandwiches or wraps, from the traditional BLT The Lawsons’ commitment to quality is apparent to the Veggie Deluxe. In the winter, dinners in the beer they create and in the many details of are made to carry out. Stop here for a hefty the taproom and brewery they have built. They value selection of local craft beer, wines suitable for those details, and, for example, traveled to Simon a dinner party, and many other local products. Open daily. www.paradisevt.com Pearce in Quechee to work with artisans there In January 2019, SAGE RESTAURANT took up who blew the glass for a stand-out light fixture residence in the former Egan’s Big World at the hanging in the taproom. The Lawsons’ investment corner of Routes 17 and 100 in Waitsfield, filling in the community is multifaceted, though nothing a spatial and culinary void in the Valley. Sage’s speaks to this more clearly than their philanthropy menu suggests a Mediterranean influence, program. They proudly pay their staff a living offering small and large dishes such as wage, making it unnecessary for staff to rely on grilled lamb chops, paella, and potato-crusted tips. When gratuity is offered, it is channeled to a sea bass. Dessert offerings range from the traditional tiramisu to a baklava family recipe. designated nonprofit, which changes every two Serving dinner Thursday through Monday. weeks. In 2018, Lawson’s gave more than $80,000 www.Sagevt.com to charities, including Green Mountain Habitat for WORTHY BURGER TOO, an expansion of the Humanity, Hannah’s House, the local ambulance Worthy Burger in nearby South Royalton, service, and Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports (see serves a simple but satisfying menu of wood- “Undaunted,” page 34). fired grass-fed-beef burgers, hand-cut fries, A visit to Lawson’s Finest Liquids may feel like a and an ever-changing selection of locally vacation; certainly, their main product provides an brewed beers. Poultry and fish are options, but element of relaxation. And the ambiance allows the cow is king at this casual, family-friendly bar and restaurant in Waitsfield. Serving dinner you to shape your own experience, whether it is daily, except Tuesdays, and lunch on weekends. playing games with your child, chatting with your www.worthyvermont.com. table mate, admiring the mountain views from the Also, don’t miss STOKE RAMEN BAR and patio, or intently sampling the eclectic offering TOAST & EGGS, both in Waitsfield. of beers on draft. It’s a place you can grow very See a complete listing of area restaurants on

H SUSTA US IN B A R B I comfortable with, near the fireplace,A L at the picnic G I T U Y S page 60.

F O Y R G E R S E T N tables, or on a bar stool. But be • sure E to avoid • WA E TER • WAST

ARBU UG SH the fourth bar stool from the left—thatS one has Candice White is a freelance public relations

S U Y I T S T I L BARRIE FISHER already been claimed, by a local A I NwhoA B begins his consultant and occasional writer who served as Owner and brewmaster Sean Lawson checking a vacation each day around 5 p.m. Sugarbush’s vice president of communications for beer in production lawsonsfinest.com ten years. She lives in Waitsfield with her family. 8 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE AO SB 2019 Full Page Color Final.pdf 1 7/23/2019 9:53:11 AM

MOUNTAIN LIFE JA AlpineAlpine OptionsOptions Sharing the LoveLove

Alpine Skiing and Back Country Specialists EquipmentJunior ApparelSeasonal Demos Ski Leasing Service

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CM Sugarbush ambassador John Mercer ready to give a mountain tour MY

The Sugarbush Ambassador Program is filled with volunteers who love the mountain—and want to help guests love it as CY

much as they do. CMY

K BY JOHN BLEH

inter can be unpredictable. Conditions iterations for decades. Barbara King, the to provide guests with current information about change from day to day, even hour to ambassador with the longest tenure, has been the ski conditions,” said Tim. hour. But arrive at Sugarbush on any involved since the early 1990s. At that time, the But look earlier than that, and it starts to get a givenW morning and you’ll find a constant presence program was run by Tim Harris, who now works little fuzzy. What is certain is that the program is regardless of the weather: one or two people at Green Mountain Valley School. “I think it was much older than anyone currently at Sugarbush bundled in red jackets, ready to greet you—rain, about forty or fifty people back then, and just thought, before we started digging into the history. snow, or shine—with a smiling face as you head into like today, the focus was on customer service. According to Blaise Carrig—who began his ski the lodge. However, a big part of the ambassador’s job was industry career at Sugarbush in the 1970s as a Depending on how often you visit, you may ski patroller, worked his way up to president, and JA get to know these faces pretty well—or maybe helped lead Vail Resorts until his retirement in not, since close to 100 volunteers make up the 2018—the program actually began at neighboring Sugarbush Ambassador Program. Sugarbush Glen Ellen. “When Roy Cohen bought Glen Ellen prides itself on providing excellent guest service— in 1979, he liked a program they had where each the resort was given a Best in Service in the East morning one ski patroller and one ski instructor award in Ski magazine’s resort guide last year. were stationed in front of the base lodge greeting Over the past couple of decades, much of that guests and answering questions.” Roy put that New this season! work has been done by the ambassadors. “What practice into place at Sugarbush, and over time some don’t realize is the high bar this group sets it evolved into a volunteer program drawing from Scout for themselves,” noted Amber Broadaway, who the community. As Harry Hutchison, who ran currently oversees the program. “They set an the program from 2007 to 2016, described it, The Art of Precision Ski Tuning example for the rest of the departments with their “The whole point is to have them be a bookend 1726 Sugarbush Access Road Visit our newly renovated service center great sense of teamwork and camaraderie.” experience. They’re the first you see in the The program has been around in various Ambassador Barbara King enjoying some free skiing morning and the last you see when you leave.” Warren, Vermont 05674 802.583.1763 www.alpineoptions.com 10 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE Ambassadors today are as unique as the ski single ambassador I spoke with. “It’s a group that all sorts of trips, to destinations around the world. trails they point people toward, but their love really looked like they were enjoying themselves,” There’s the annual trip to the Mont Sutton ski area for Sugarbush binds them together. “I fell in Nancy Mercer told me, of her decision with her in Quebec, where the ambassadors rent out an love with this mountain and immediately knew I husband, John, to become ambassadors a decade entire inn for several days. Then there are the big BOB DURKIN

wanted to help share that passion with others,” ago. “We joined to meet people.” David Grimason, a trips, filled with ambassadors and their friends DON SIMONINI said Anne Halvorson, who has a condo near the Vermont resident who has been in the program for and family, to places including Kenya, Tanzania, mountain and has been part of the program since the past eight years, joined for a different reason: and Japan. 2007. And though participants in this volunteer “The perks are so great at first,” he said. But he, When Sugarbush introduced the Boomer program get various discounts and benefits at the too, has stayed with the program because of the Pass a few years ago, Win and Harry both had resort (including a season pass, ski vouchers, and people. “It’s the camaraderie of the group that is concerns that they’d see a number of the older discounts on food and retail), it’s that yearning to really enjoyable. And they keep you skiing, too!” ambassadors bail out of the program once they share their love for Sugarbush that keeps them The group does a lot more than just work had access to an inexpensive pass. But only one here. “This program is different from others,” together. You’ll see them eating together in the ambassador ended up leaving. current ambassador Bob Durkin told me. He first cafeteria, and they often share meals at each The ambassador community is tightly knit, skied here in 1959, and though he lives closer to other’s houses after they’re done at the mountain. yet it’s always open to expanding its family. Many Stowe, he’s chosen to come to Sugarbush for the They bolster their yearly orientation with a festive ambassadors are retired couples who either past decade because of how much he loves the potluck, complete with homemade muffins, live nearby or have a second home here, but a Ambassador Harry Hutchison celebrating at the program. “This is more engaging. You’re out on the coffee cake, and fruit for breakfast, and chili, growing number of new ambassadors are younger Ambassador Bob Durkin on the Panorama trail at Mt. Ellen, his favorite spot to take photos of guests during annual AmBash H SUSTA US IN B A R B front lines with guests, helping them and sharing I sandwiches, and salads for lunch. At the end of professionals with families. Take Jason Schnoor, A L G I T U Y their Sugarbush visit S F O Y R G E R S E T N your passion. Making somebody’s day is the best the orientation, they host a big bonfire party, which who joined in 2012 in his mid-thirties. “My kids the mountain, or if you’re just looking • E for a new • WA E TER • WAST

ARBU UG SH part. To see the tenseness of a family melt away with various events. Look around, and you’ll find about the mountain. “People joined the program used to be at Harry’s house and has since moved have grown to love this place, and they don’t really community to join, you may want toS consider the

S Y U T S L I as they step out of their car is incredible.” them at the top of , in front of the base because they liked to ski,” said Beth. “And so they to the home of Win Smith, Sugarbush’s president like going anywhere else. For me, it really fit in ambassador program. They’ll welcomeTA I N A B I you with You’ll see ambassadors doing plenty more lodges, and touring around the mountain, ready appreciate the combination of being on mountain and majority owner. They throw a big party at the with my busy life of being a young professional.” open arms—and a new red jacket. than just greeting. Ever had a cup of hot cider to help if you need it. For many, their favorite while providing frontline guest service.” end of each season, aptly named “AmBash,” with So if you ever feel lost or confused, or simply handed to you at the end of the day? That’s all service to provide is the Meet the Mountain Tour, The other big reason they’ve stayed is because a DJ, dancing, food, and games at one of the local have a question, don’t hesitate to track down one To learn how to join the program, contact Amber them. Have you been asked to provide feedback which started under Beth Urie, who ran the they love the community. “It’s sort of like joining restaurants. Each bash has a different theme, from of those red-jacketed ambassadors. They’re not Broadaway at [email protected] or on your visit? That’s them too. They’ve been program from the mid-1990s until 2007. “Back a club,” said Paula Baldwin, a longtime Vermont Hawaiian surf to western to vintage ski to disco. just here to smile at you, they want to help. And if 802-583-6382. For information on all opportunities known to go above and beyond in a host of then you’d take guests on every single ,” resident who first came to Sugarbush because of But maybe the most impressive piece is their throughout your ski day you find yourself stopping at Sugarbush, contact [email protected]. ways, including helping guide skiers who seem reminisced Barbara. Today, tours are about two its ski school programs. She spends most of her travel camaraderie. Harry, whose partner, Geri, is on a trail to help another guest, if you enjoy John Bleh has been a member of the Sugarbush overmatched or lost on the hill down to the base hours, with ambassadors focused on a couple ambassador hours at Mt. Ellen. “It’s fun, there’s (conveniently) a travel agent, has helped arrange guiding your friends or even strangers around communications team since 2011. even when they’re not on duty; picking up any of key chairlifts to give a quick layout of the trail great teamwork, and everyone really enjoys being trash they see around the resort; and pitching in system while providing lots of interesting tidbits there.” That sentiment was expressed by every

YOU ASKED, WE LISTENED LIFT PASSES SEASON PASS RESTRUCTURING We receive a lot of guest feedback here at the Feedback: The RFID card system is confusing, Feedback: Adult All Mountain Passes include resort. It comes from emails, face-to-face and ticket lines are too long. free passes for kids twelve and under. That’s a conversations with our staff, and, more recently, Resolution: Sugarbush improved guest education wasted benefit for those without kids. our online surveys. But whatever the form, by adding information about the RFID system to Resolution: Sugarbush restructured its season we listen. Here are some examples of guest signage around the mountain and to our website. passes in 2017–18, introducing new Premium feedback from the past several years, and how The resort installed kiosks so guests can easily and Value Passes at lower rates than before, we’ve addressed it. print their cards, improved the option to reload and splitting off the twelve-and-under benefit so the cards online, and mailed Quad Pack cards to those without children are no longer paying for guests so they could go directly to the lift. something they aren’t using. HEALTHY FOOD OPTIONS NOMAD COFFEE Feedback: There are not enough healthy options in Feedback: There’s nowhere to get a good the cafeterias. espresso on the mountain. Resolution: Sugarbush diversified its cafeteria Resolution: The resort brought in Vermont- options by adding a noodle bar station (Friday– based mobile coffee shop Nomad Coffee to set Sunday) in Gate House Lodge, sushi bowls in up in the Gate House courtyard, complete with Valley House Lodge, grain bowls in Walt’s at the specialty coffee offerings such as espressos, Glen House, and built-to-order salad stations in all cappuccinos, and lattes. It’s typically open Friday cafeterias, along with a variety of rotating healthy to Sunday and holidays. choice options, including stir-fries and sandwiches. SALTWATER POOL OPERATING HOURS AT MT. ELLEN Feedback: There’s too much chlorine in the pool Feedback: Sugarbush doesn’t open early enough at Sugarbush Health & Recreation Center. midweek for local skiers and riders to get on the Resolution: The resort transformed its indoor mountain before their workday begins. pool and hot tub into a saltwater system, Resolution: The resort began opening Mt. Ellen’s substantially reducing the need for chlorine. Green Mountain Express Quad at 8 a.m. daily. ( has lifts that open at 8 a.m. on weekends and holidays.) —JB BARRIE FISHER

12 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE 2019/20 13 WEDDINGS Tying the Knot, Mountain-Style Highlights from three Sugarbush wedding weekends BY KATIE BACON

Darren & Joevrose 9 . 1 . 2 0 1 8 (Labor Day Weekend)

WHY SUGARBUSH? Darren went to Middlebury College; Joevrose’s family had a Labor Day ritual of meeting up in Vermont with friends. “We both knew that Vermont meant something special to us, and at Sugarbush we found a place that captures who we are: it’s easygoing, nothing stuffy, but nice enough for a special occasion,” said Joevrose. WEEKEND DETAILS The rehearsal dinner was a barbecue out in the courtyard, with cornhole and lots of dancing. The wedding reception was in Gate House Lodge, followed by fireworks. “It was unreal. I really wish I’d been a guest at this wedding,” said Darren. BEST MEMORY: THE CEREMONY, AT THE TOP OF GATE HOUSE The families of both the bride and the groom are of Caribbean descent: Darren’s family is from Barbados, and Joevrose’s is from Haiti. Joevrose told me that the majority of her family had never been to a ski mountain, let alone ridden on a lift. Some guests were terrified the whole way up, “but once they got their feet on the ground again, they loved it.” The ceremony was performed by Joevrose’s cousin, who had just graduated from divinity school. The weather had been overcast, but there was a moment during the ceremony when the sun came out from behind the clouds. “My cousin paused as she was speaking, and almost choked up,” Joevrose said. “The timing of the sun was perfect.” Christian Pleva Images Pleva Christian 14 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE Andrew & Meagan 8.11.2018

WHY SUGARBUSH? Andrew and Meagan both love the outdoors—they hike in the summer, and usually spend more than twenty days skiing and each winter. “We didn’t want to get married in a Style for the Journey church,” said Andrew. “We wanted to show people the essence of our relationship—being on the mountain. We wanted to share the things that are important to us with people who are important to us, in a place that offers up what Vermont truly looks like.” WEEKEND DETAILS The rehearsal dinner was in Lareau Farm’s historic dairy barn, and was followed by an impromptu pool party back at Clay Brook. The wedding ceremony was up on the mountain (they’d had fun showing Meagan’s mother the ceremony spot while skiing the winter before), with the reception in the lodge and brunch at Rumble’s Kitchen the morning after. “It was a heck of a weekend! We needed a while to recover,” said Meagan. DIY DECORATIONS Andrew, Meagan, and their families spent the whole summer creating decorations for the wedding, from the “wood cookies” spangled with glitter that helped adorn the room, to the table numbers with small watercolor paintings of local scenery and flowers painted by Meagan’s mom, to the wedding arch made out of birch trees from their property in Essex, Vermont (that arch is now back home, marking the entrance to their trail system). “I had a big truck and an enclosed trailer full of decorations; all of them were things we’d made or collected,” Andrew said. At the corner of 4orty Bridge Boutique 802.583.4002

claireandbarrett.com photography claireandbarrett.com Bridge & Main Streets 4404 Main Street, Waitsfield, VT 4ortybridgeboutique.com

Michael & Melissa 11.3.2018

WHY SUGARBUSH? Mike taught Melissa how to ski at Sugarbush—by taking her up Super Bravo and down a blue on her first run. “There were a lot of face-plants and a lot of tears,” she told me. “It took me about forty-five minutes to get down, but he wouldn’t let me give up.” The story of that overly ambitious first run made it into their vows; these days the couple (happily) at Sugarbush every weekend they can. WEEKEND DETAILS Their fall weekend had “the worst wedding weather of all time,” Melissa said, complete with rain, sleet, and snow. But there was a great backup plan. The ceremony took place in Gate House Lodge, instead of the courtyard; cocktails were in Rumble’s; and the dinner was back in Gate House. In the end, Melissa said, “the weather didn’t put a damper on things at all.” FAMILY TIME The best part for Mike and Melissa was having 200 of their family and friends together all weekend, up at the mountain. They incorporated family into the wedding in various ways: Mike’s mother is a florist and did the flowers; Melissa’s

H SUSTA US IN B A R B I A L G I T U Y father, a justice of the peace, performed theS ceremony.

F O Y R G E R S E T N • E W • ATE STE And with the band, A House on Fire, everyoneR • WAgot out on Photography Blackmore Paul

ARBU UG SH the dance floor—from Mike’s three-year-old S niece to his Katie Bacon is the managing editor of Sugarbush

S Y U T S L I ninety-one-year-old grandmother—highlightedTA I NbyA B I a dance- Magazine. A former editor at the Atlantic, her off between the bride and her “Grandpa Joe.” work has appeared in the Boston Globe, the New LIKE US ON FACEBOOK.COM/FERRO.JEWELERS York Times, and other publications. 16 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE 2019/20 17 WINTERTIME

SUGARBUSH ROCHA DAVE TOP 10 TIPS For First-Time Visitors (and Everyone Else) BY JOHN BLEH

1. THE SUGARBUSH APP The gondola at Lincoln Peak is a popular photo op location— This is your one-stop shop for Sugarbush information. even for the family dog. Available for both Apple and Android, the app has lift cams, the daily snow report, phone numbers, trail maps, events, 6. GUEST SERVICES deals, and other important mountain details. If you’re having issues with your tickets, want to know what’s been groomed that day, or are looking for lost 2. RESERVATIONS ARE YOUR FRIEND items, the Guest Services desks at both mountains can Don’t forget to book everything ahead of time. Daycare, help. No question is too weird for them. Trust me, they’ve seen and heard rentals, fitness classes, massages, holiday dinners, and a lot over the years. fun events can all be booked online or by phone. 7. AMBASSADORS 3. GETTING a nd PARKING HERE All those friendly people wearing the red jackets with the The best parking spots are awarded to those who show up white “i” on them? They’re here to help! The ambassadors, early, of course. (Check online or on your app each morn- located around the base area and up on the hill, can help ing to see when the lifts start running.) Getting to Lincoln provide directions, give you mountain information, and tell you what trails Peak or Mt. Ellen at the start of the day is also the best way to avoid morning are skiing the best. (In the afternoons, you may find them handing out traffic, which peaks between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Plan to sort and organize hot cider at the base.) Whatever you need to know, ask the ambassadors; your gear before you get here so you don’t need to spend much time in the they’re a great resource. drop-off zone. On weekends and holidays, if you do end up parking farther away, have no fear: jitney shuttles will be out in full force. There is also valet 8. AVOIDING LIFT LINES parking on a first-come, first-served basis in front of Clay Brook. Alterna- Our base area lift lines tend to be longest from mid- to tively, consider riding the GMT Bus to avoid parking altogether, with stops late morning. Ski and ride early to avoid the mid-morning including both base areas, the Sugarbush Inn, Sugarbush Village condos, rush. If your ability permits, stay on the upper-mountain and downtown Waitsfield. And for those with electric cars, there are charging lifts, which are often less crowded (though Castlerock’s line can be its own stations in the garage at Clay Brook and in Lot C at Lincoln Peak, and new beast). If you’re at Lincoln Peak, the Valley House Quad usually has a short- ones planned for Mt. Ellen. er line. At Super Bravo and Gate House, make sure your group is organized, with passes in the correct pockets, to move right through the RFID gates. 4. TICKETS a nd PASSES Mt. Ellen—accessible via shuttle, on the Slide Brook Express Quad, or by Everyone needs an RFID card to get on the lifts—either car—is often less crowded than Lincoln Peak. Plus, the views from Mt. a SugarXpress card or a 2019–20 IKON Pass card. If you Ellen’s summit are unbeatable. already have a SugarXpress card from a previous season, simply reload it online and head directly to the lift. (Mountain Collective 9. DINING passholders need to reload at the ticket office.) Buying tickets online will Try having lunch or snacks at off times to avoid the indoor save you at least 10 percent, even if you purchase on the day you ski or ride. crowds. The cafeterias and bars tend to be busy between If you don’t have your SugarXpress RFID card yet, you can either head to the 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Quieter dining spots often include ticket office or buy it online and print it at one of the Xpress kiosks, located Green Mountain Lounge, Valley House cafeteria, and Rumble’s Kitchen. If at the Gate House, Farmhouse, and Mt. Ellen base lodges. the weather’s warm enough, consider dining out on the patios or decks or Remember to put your RFID card in a left-side pocket with NOTHING else in it while enjoying the new firepits in the Lincoln Peak courtyard. (for example, no other tickets, pieces of paper, or cell phones). 10. PHOTO OP LOCATIONS 5. LOCKERS a nd BAG STORAGE We all love to record our ski trips. Here are a few spots Gate House Lodge, the Farmhouse, and Mt. Ellen Base to get that Instagram-worthy photo: the Panorama trail at

H SUSTA US IN B A R B I Lodge have plenty of baggage storage space. Another op- Mt. Ellen, with views of Lake A ChamplainL and the Adiron- G I T U Y S

F O Y R G E R S E T E N tion is to check your bag with Guest Services in Gate House • dacks; the top of Spring Fling, with views of Lincoln• Peak village; the top WA E TER • WAST

ARBU UG SH Lodge at Lincoln Peak or at Mt. Ellen Base Lodge. If you’re sick of lugging of Super Bravo, with views of Heaven’s Gate Sand Allyn’s Lodge; and the

S Y U T S L I your gear up to the hill every day, consider renting one of the seasonal gondola in the Lincoln Peak courtyard. Or pose TwithA I N A B I the cow in front of Clay lockers, located next to the General Store at Lincoln Peak. Brook—always a favorite with kids of all ages. 18 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE WINTERTIME Child's Play Advice from the pros on teaching kids to ski and ride TEXT AND PHOTOS BY JOHN ATKINSON

very parent who loves to ski or ride faces an important question: What’s the best way to get your children to love the sport as Emuch as you do? Skiing and riding are true family activities, with young kids to grandparents—even great-grandparents—able to play together. You want your kids to follow your lead and love being in nature, sliding on snow, playing with gravity, and wandering the mountains. But nurturing a lifelong love for skiing and riding can be challenging. As a coach, I’ve helped hundreds of kids learn to ski over the years, but I appreciated the challenge in a new way when it came time for my wife, Hannah, and me to teach our two daughters. Here are a few tips.

Early Birds We got both of our kids on skis for the first time before they turned two. However, the principles below apply regardless of what age you start your kids. Make sure your children are familiar with the idea of skiing before you have them actually try it. We brought our daughters to the mountain from the time they were born (actually, before), so the idea of people sliding on skis and boards was already ingrained in them. Start your kids inside on a carpeted surface and have them walk or scoot with skis or board on, teaching them the first moves in a warm, safe place. U.S. Ski and Ride Hall of Famer John Egan duct-taped soft slip-on boots to a pair of little kids’ plastic skis and left them in the toy bin. His boys would put them on and scoot around the house or yard whenever they wanted. The next step is to use a flat part of your yard for towing and gentle sliding. Make the move to the mountain gradually and pick the first few days carefully in terms of temperature and snow. Choosing when and where to ski and ride based on conditions should be an integral part of any adventure planning, but it is even more important when you’re headed out with kids. Take it slowly at first. In the beginning, our daughters’ milestones were measured by their first Village Chair ride and mastering Pushover. But we’ve skied a lot with them since then, Lynden and Nathalie Atkinson skiing Eden Woods with their mom, Hannah Flynn averaging twenty to twenty-five days a year, and

20 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE the 2018–19 season was monumental for the As our girls have gotten more proficient, my legs that don’t work quite right yet. Now imagine girls, now five and seven. Both of them ticked off own fear factor has shifted from being worried how good it will feel for them to be able to glide some big lines, including several runs in Slide about what they are doing to being worried about for miles down a mountain on beautiful trails. A Brook and classic trails like Lift Line, FIS, Stein’s, what the people around us are doing. Hannah and case in point is my daughter Nathalie’s response and Rumble. We waited for comfortable temps I tend to stick very close behind them and fend off when I asked her about her favorite part of skiing. and soft powder or confidence-inspiring corn to incoming traffic. This also puts us in a good spot She just repeated “Down!” over and over. For tackle these challenges. to help pick them up after a tumble. DeeDee Boyle-Lubin, the daughter of Sugarbush Wall of Famer Darian Boyle (see page 24), the Fear Factor Fun Factor answer—“the French fries!”—had more to do with Everybody has heard, “Kids learn to ski and Making sure kids are having fun is second only post-run treats. The salty crunchies in the lodge ride easily, because they don’t have any fear.” This to safety. The kids are ultimately in charge. If they have definitely worked their magic on generations

can be easily disproven by watching reluctant new are not having fun, figure out why and change SUST H A US IN B A R B I of Sugarbush kids. A L G I T U Y S

F learners riding on the Welcome Mat or a parent things up—or be okay with being done for the day. O Y R G E R S E T E N While my daughters’ love of skiing and riding• • WA E TER • WAST

ARBU G SH dragging an underprepared kid down Waterfall. First and foremost, keep your kids well fueled. U (and eating) is clearly developing nicely, the workS

S Y U T The myth persists, though, and can be a We carry “trail treats,” while some family friends S L I is not done. Every day on the mountain togetherTA I N AisB I dangerous mind-set for parents. Coach Marijke of ours often hide food along the trail for the kids another opportunity to fall in love more deeply. Niles, a Sugarbush kids’ favorite, agrees. to find, like a treasure hunt. Healthy snacks are “Children get anxious more often than adults great, but occasional sweeter rewards are okay, think. Teaching is about understanding what goes as well. The power of hot chocolate is real; it can Even if you’re an expert, or a trained coach, on inside [their heads] and making skiing and celebrate a great run or mend a fall. getting lessons for your kids is highly riding easier for body and mind. Celebrate the Skiing and riding adventures are great times recommended. The parent/child dynamic can small steps,” she says. to incorporate other learning. Coach Marijke Fueling up for the slopes sometimes get in the way of learning, and most One of Egan’s methods to help kids overcome adds, “Share life lessons. Appreciate being with kids learn quickly when skiing and riding with their fear is to remind them how skiing is similar nature. Skiing and riding are also about seeing Pushing children onto trails they are not ready for others their own age. For more information on to movements they’re already comfortable the clouds, the miracle of snowflakes, the because you want to ski or ride them is tempting, booking one of our children’s coaches, check out with. “[You] already know how to walk, run, and pleasure of speed, the wind across your face, the but often produces negative results. Former U.S. Freestyle Ski Team member David Babic teaching his daughter at the Schoolhouse lift sugarbush.com. jump,” he tells them. “Skiing and riding are just beauty of the mountains.” Award-winning Sugarbush coach MA Raymond extensions of these common athletic movements. Patience is essential to creating fun, too. Forget has another tip to help get kids moving and or feels like. I ask them to pretend they are [curving] shapes.” John Atkinson is Sugarbush’s staff photographer Skis [and boards] are the coolest sneakers you’ll about ripping long fast runs for a while. Learn to motivated on skis and boards. “I like to give them spreading soft cream cheese around the edge Speaking of imagining, try to feel how hard it is and serves as executive director of the Mad River ever have on your feet.” appreciate the slower pace and mellower terrain. images [so] that they can imagine what it looks of a bagel, feeling the skis or board making soft for a young child to walk around with very short Riders mountain biking alliance.

What I Love About Sugarbush sugarbush.com 800.53.SUGAR (According to the seven-and-under set)

“I like skiing with my family. My dad is a patroller, and I love going in the woods with Mommy. I like the snacks at the coffee place, too.” —DeeDee, age 4, on post-ski snacks at best Nomad Coffee in clasS “We get to ski together as a family and with lots of our friends Perfect your style with a Sugarbush almost every Sunday. There are so many fun runs. My favorites Ski & Ride School Private Lesson. are Sleeper, Waterfall, Lift Line, Stein’s, and Paradise.” Our coaches are excited to help you —Nathalie, age 7 “Be Better Here” with personalized attention, expert instruction and fun.

“The bike trails are swoopy, “My favorite thing about Sugarbush and Emily’s special hot is skiing with my best instructor cocoa with extra whipped ever, MA. I also love that I have such ADVENTURES with JOHN EGAN cream is super yummy.” a great family who helps me ski.” Book the adventure of a lifetime with US Ski & Hall of Famer John Egan. —Lynden, age 5, on skiing the —Vivian, age 7, on skiing with A lifelong Sugarbush devotee, John can show you the ins and outs of the mountain – bike trails, and après at the coach MA Raymond Wünderbar from tree skiing to hike-to runs – with a perpetual smile and a good story.

22 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE 2019/20 23 MOUNTAIN LIFE BARRIE FISHER the Wall of Fame Introducing the inaugural inductees BY SAMANTHA LOESCH

As part of Sugarbush’s sixtieth-anniversary celebration, the resort started a Wall of Fame honoring those who have made a significant contribution to Sugarbush’s mission of cultivating a spirit of lifelong adventure and camaraderie in the community. Over the course of a few months, community members nominated a range of people for the honor, and four inaugural inductees—Darian Boyle, Dave Gould (who died in January 2019), Marit Tardy, and Wayne McCue—were selected by a review committee. They are a diverse group: a professional athlete, an

exceptional ski instructor, a Sugarbush Day School veteran, and “Mr. Castlerock” himself. As part of the Wall of Fame installation, six founders were also recognized, for pioneering the development of Sugarbush: Damon and Sara Gadd, Jack Murphy, Lixi Fortna, Peter Estin, and John Roth. The founders and the 2019 inductees were announced and celebrated during a springtime ceremony led by Win Smith and John Egan. Each year, at least two new inductees will be added. The Wall of Fame, built and designed by community member and local business owner Sparky Potter, can be found in Gate House Lodge.

Photo (left to right): John Egan, Marit Tardy, Wayne McCue, Sandra Cardosi (widow of Dave Gould), and Darian Boyle DARIAN BOYLE DAVE GOULD It may have started with racing Dave Gould received a posthumous her older brothers down the trails at induction and, not surprisingly, some Sugarbush during their weekly stays, of the most nominations of any of his but Darian Boyle began making a peers (over 100 signatures). At the Wall name for herself as a female athlete in of Fame ceremony, a friend of Dave high school in Montclair, . and his wife Sandra’s, Sue Frechette, Darian was the only girl to play on the echoed Sugarbush’s slogan, “Be boys’ lacrosse team, and also joined the Better Here,” in saying that Dave

JA boys’ ski team. About the novelty of this “made us all better here.” During his endeavor, Darian simply says, “Well, there was no girls’ team.” Darian chose time at Sugarbush, Dave filled many to spend her senior year at the Green Mountain Valley School in Waitsfield roles, including as a PSIA-certified learning to ski-race instead of her other option—to attend a performing arts ski instructor, a Blazer coach, a Black academy. Years later, Boyle took on the moniker “Digger,” not only for digging Diamond Club coach, a supervisor at headfirst into the snow or dirt (whether from a snowmobile, skis, or a dirt bike), the ski school, and a Sugarbush Golf Club employee in the summer. but also for how she stood up after each fall and, as she says, “just got better.” Dave and Sandra met while they were both working in Massachusetts, and Darian competed in her first ski race in Aspen, Colorado, and immediately they began traveling to the Mad River Valley to ski on weekends and school began to pick up sponsors and enter the world of extreme sports. She went vacations. The Gould-Cardosis rented a house with two other couples and on to finish second overall in the 1993 World Pro Mogul Tour, was champion eventually decided to buy a house, securing a home base and allowing Dave in the 1998 U.S. Open Skiercross Championship, came in second in the 1999 X to teach full-time at Sugarbush. Sandra says that he loved teaching skiing so Games in skiercross, and won the 2000 World Extreme Sports Award for Best much that he didn’t care what level his student was or what the weather was; Female Freeskier. Darian says that being a sponsored athlete was the most he went out every day excited to be on the mountain. “He didn’t care if it was fun she’s ever had, “pushing myself physically and mentally and traveling the a powder day and he was teaching a brand-new skier.” He simply loved being world with my friends.” But despite these accomplishments and worldwide around people who were interested and enthusiastic to ski. In between lessons, recognition, Darian says that her induction into the Sugarbush Wall of Fame Dave was known to ski “every little jug handle” and truly loved the terrain at is “the best award I have won in my entire life.” Sugarbush. Sandra describes how he was always reading PSIA manuals and After a crash in which Darian broke her neck in six places, she made talking to other instructors in order to learn new techniques. the decision to retire from racing; however, she actively participates in the Dave’s curiosity and constant research into the ski industry rendered Sugarbush ski community. She is an instructor in the Bush Pilot program, him a true student—and therefore a wonderful teacher. However, his and is regularly photographed for marketing initiatives, often in bright ski cunning knowledge of the mountain and his sport wasn’t what made him an gear and with a wide smile on her face, skiing a tough line. While she was unequaled ski instructor. Dave’s clients say that he was the “world’s greatest talking with me, Darian’s love for the sport was very clear, but even more conversationalist” and that he had the unusual ability to make them feel as apparent was her gratitude for all aspects of the culture and community at though they were the center of attention. Because of these qualities and more, Sugarbush: for the dedication of ski patrol; for Mountain Operations working Dave was one of the most sought-after private instructors for both adults and on the mountain every day to make even the toughest conditions skiable; and children at the ski school. for Win, not only for handing out cookies at the lift, but also for inculcating the Dave was seldom seen without a smile and will always be remembered as community that envelops two, sometimes three generations of families, and an eternally positive person, whose standing answer to “How are you?” was continues to attract new members. “All the better for you asking.” After growing up spending weekends at Sugarbush, Darian says that “just waking up here” captures the essence of family and home. Now, Darian and her husband, Jeff, continue to wake up on winter mornings at Sugarbush, and their four-year-old daughter is the first one ready to get onto the mountain, specifically onto her newfound favorite trail, Waterfall. JA JA JA BARRIE FISHER BARRIE FISHER BARRIE FISHER (clockwise from right): Darian and daughter DeeDee; Jeff Lubin, Florence Boyle, (clockwise from right): Gould's former student Wyatt Adams and widow Sandra Win Smith, and friends with Darian; Jeff Lubin, Darian, and DeeDee Cardosi; Win Smith presiding; a view of the crowd

26 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE 2019/20 27 MARIT TARDY WAYNE MCCUE In 1965, a family in her neighborhood outside of In 1997, Sugarbush began the The Farmhouse Oslo, Norway, asked Marit Tardy if she wanted to Castlerock Extreme Challenge, and the take a nanny job overseas in a town called Warren, only person to have skied in every single Rental & repair Shop Vermont. And, as she says, “the rest is history.” competition since is Wayne McCue—known She was adventurous and excited to see a new in the community as “Mr. Castlerock.” part of the world. The family she worked for in Also known as “the mailman” (referring Warren ran the Sugarbush Inn, and Marit’s future to his day job), McCue has finished in husband, Philip, had a summer job there. The second and third place in the Castlerock following year, the two became the Tardys, bought a house in North Fayston, Extreme several times. Despite Wayne’s and went on to have three children of their own. self-proclaimed “overwhelming” shyness, In 1975, Marit began working at the Sugarbush Day School. (She had his photo has been published on the front received a degree in delivery and infant development before she left Norway.) cover of local Vermont newspapers and magazines, as well as in the sports During this time at Sugarbush, there were a lot of Norwegian ski instructors, section of USA Today. If he isn’t captured in midair off an impressive jump or so Marit was able to speak and socialize with that group. Marit says that she carving a double black diamond, he’s smiling into the camera with a thumbs-up. fell in love and remains in love with the Valley not so much for the skiing—she In order to keep himself in shape for challenging skiers half his age on is not as much of a skier as her husband is—but because it reminds her of one of the toughest trails on the mountain, Wayne admits to doing the “Bode Norway, with the small-town community, mountains, and farms. Miller” workout. The grueling exercise consists of pushing a wheelbarrow filled For the past forty-four years, Marit has been in the same building, Monday with cinder blocks up and down a small hill “four or five times” in a row. Wayne through Friday during the summer months and seven days a week during says he gives his legs a break in the summer, but starts up again in September the ski season, working ten-hour days. She has seen many employees come in order to prepare for ski season. and go, and according to the current Day School manager, Sara Hurley, Marit Wayne has been a loyal member of the Sugarbush community since 1974, “runs circles around new and young caregivers.” Occasionally Marit will meet when he came to “the ’Bush” for a week of skiing and knew right away that he PREMIUM DEMOS mothers dropping their infants off who say, “You watched my mother here.” had “found his home mountain.” In that week he and his group were treated to HIGH-PERFORMANCE & SPORT RENTALS Marit has cared for thousands of children of employees, guests, and local lake-effect snow every night and skied “knee-deep freshies every day.” Shortly WINTERSTEIGER TUNE EQUIPMENT families. Now, she scans the Harwood High School graduation list in the after, McCue bought a cabin in the SNOWSHOE RENTALS Valley Reporter and sees the names of many children she used to care for. woods of Fayston, and has been, he Quick Waxes • Full Tunes • Tune Punch Cards For Marit, her position at the Day School is much more than a job. “I do says, “living the dream ever since.” Located in The Farmhouse at Lincoln Peak what I love to do,” she says. When I asked her how Wayne’s favorite trail is Rumble, LEARN. TRAIN. ACHIEVE. | GMVS.org or GMVSskiclub.org SUGARBUSH.COM 802.583.6504 she spends her time in the Valley when she is not and he has already deemed it as at work, the first thing she mentioned was that the place where he wants half of his she visits with one of her closest friends, who has ashes to go.

Parkinson’s disease. On staying in the Valley into Upon receiving this nomination, BARRIE FISHER retirement, Marit says the brutal Vermont winters Wayne said he was “deeply humbled” and “will never forget this day.” Look for have begun to take a toll on her husband and he Mr. Castlerock at the Challenge or at après at the Wünderbar with what he calls often inquires about moving to Florida, to which “my hardcore buddies” for many more years to come (and, rumor has it, wearing

Marit says, “You can go to Florida anytime you want." BARRIE FISHER the same decades-old yellow ski jacket).

THE FOUNDERS Damon and Sara Gadd founded Sugarbush in 1958 and gathered a small team who helped them with the hard work of building the resort and defining its culture and community. The Gadds chose Lincoln Peak as the ideal location for a (above, left to right) after flying over the Vermont landscape with Jack Murphy. Known as the Founders: Sara and “Jack of all trades,” Murphy partnered with the Gadds and was the general Damon Gadd, Jack manager of the resort, overseeing the initial gondola construction and Murphy, Lixi Fortna, helping to design and cut the original ski trails. Damon and Jack recruited Peter Estin, John Roth Lixi Fortna, a Czechoslovakian-born lawyer, to help run the mountain as the (right) John Egan, office manager, a position she stayed in until 1982. Peter Estin established

H SUSTA US IN Win Smith, and B A R B I the iconic Sugarbush ski school, which boasted expertA instructorsL from all G I T U Y S

F O Y representatives of R G E R S E T N • E around the world, including ski racers whom Estin recruited W • during trips A E TER • WAST

ARBUS the founders BARRIE FISHER UG H to Europe. John Roth surveyed and laid out ski trails S on the mountain and

S Y U T S L I Samantha Loesch worked in hospitality at Sugarbush and is now a high school helped to design the original golf course. He also TdesignedA I N A B I Sugarbush English teacher. She enjoys mountain biking and skiing at Sugarbush. Village and many of the ski-chalet-style homes there.

28 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE 2019/20 29 BEHIND THE SCENES JA

SnowFarming Heading out with a groomer on Sugarbush’s slopes BY CHRIS ENMAN

o groom or not to groom, that is the will create a loose dry surface to ski.” This rule team and a Sugarbush skier for even longer, he sugarbush-ad-2019.pdf 1 7/22/2019 4:51:49 PM question. In part, grooming is about holds true whenever there’s humidity in the snow, didn’t really need that fancy GPS—he already had skier preference and a mountain’s whether from snowmaking, warm temperatures, a sense of the depth of the snow. But he does Tparticular skiers and riders. Do they want rain, or ground moisture. see the technology’s benefit to the resort. As we three-dimensional terrain like bumps, or two- What exactly is the problem with grooming wet passed over another low spot, Dan said, “All the dimensional terrain like corduroy? But grooming snow? The answer has everything to do with air. data passes back to Mountain Operations. They’d YOUR GO-TO ON TAP AT is also about mountain preparation—daily compresses the air out of wet snow, look at this and turn a snow gun on right here if it placement and the handling of man-made snow— blocking pathways for humidity to escape. The result were early season.” Efficiency Vermont, a nonprofit SUGARBUSH! and recovery in response to the weather. from driving a twelve-ton snowcat over wet snow dedicated to reducing energy consumption, is In good conditions, when the ground is frozen that then freezes can be an almost impenetrable exploring subsidizing the technology for the state’s and the snow is soft, cold, and dry, the grooming surface that’s hard for the cat to dig its teeth into— resorts. Knowing where to make snow and where plan is primarily about providing terrain for all and even harder for a skier or snowboarder to carve the groomer should push it helps reduce energy

abilities and desires. Midweek, when there’s less turns on. Conversely, when the snow is allowed to costs by making the operation more efficient. C skier traffic and ability skews toward advanced drain and freeze before a snowcat’s pass, the porous As we descended from our final pass, the wind M and expert, Sugarbush grooms roughly 55 surface is easier to break up into a packed powder or was picking up. “Wind’s tricky,” Dan said. “Prior Y percent of the terrain nightly. But when weekends loose granular structure. to wind we’ll pack loose powder down to keep it and holidays roll around, the plan gets more But on the day I headed out with Dan, freezing from blowing away, and we’ll also avoid grooming CM

aggressive, with groomers laying corduroy on up wasn’t a worry. In a steady April downpour, we something that’s set solid so we don’t make a MY to 70 percent of open terrain. went up and down Organgrinder, making corduroy surface that could be blown away.” CY Where groomers really have their work cut with the winch cat. Why were we out grooming Dan grew up as a dairy farmer; now he considers CMY H SUSTA US IN B A R B I out for them is in dealing with whales—the piles in the rain? “It’s a little less important to stay off himself a snow farmer, movingA L snow around for G I T U Y S

F O Y K R G E R S E T N of man-made snow that form under a snow wet snow in the spring,” Dan explained. “After the skiers and riders—including • himself—to E graze • WA E TER • WAST

ARBU UG SH gun—and in responding to weather involving all, it’s melting anyway, and someone’s going to on. The next day, as I laid an Sedge into the spring

S Y U T S L I rain and warmth followed by a freeze, which want corn snow and corduroy. Plus, we have to fill corduroy, I thought to myself, TAThanks,I N A B I Dan. This is creates challenging surfaces to ski. In both cases, in all these low spots,” he said, pointing to what a herd I’m happy to be part of. explained Dan Paquette, a thirty-year Sugarbush looked like a boat’s depth finder between the cat’s groomer, “the most important rule is to wait for seats. He explained that with new GPS technology Chris Enman lives in Waterbury Center, Vermont, the snow to freeze or drain. With early-season introduced by Pisten Bully, he knows exactly how works in Sugarbush’s marketing department, and PLUS snowmaking, sometimes temperatures aren’t much snow is under the cat. And with nineteen is an avid snowboarder. He has two boys, ages Switchback Ale & ideal and the snow lands with some humidity in feet at one location, and two feet at another, it two and three; the three-year old enthusiastically SWITCHBACKVT.COM | @SWITCHBACKBEER Switchback IPA cans available it. Driving a cat across wet snow can pack it solid, was time to shift some snow around. Then Dan accompanied Dad and Dan for this late-night whereas letting the snow freeze before grooming chuckled. As a longtime veteran on the grooming groomer ride.

30 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE 2019/20 31 BEHIND THE SCENES

Technology Top-ups Over the past several years, the resort has introduced a range of new technologies to enhance the guest experience.

BY MEGAN PAGE

LIFT CAMS, showing crowds or clear sailing; SUGARXPRESS CARD GROOMING MAPS, to help people find the fresh corduroy; These cards, with a chip and an RFID antenna SNOW CAMS, showing accumulation; inside, can be used to store individual lift tickets or & LIFT STATUS UPDATES season passes to the mountain, SHaRC, or the golf all can be found on the Sugarbush app, on flatscreens club, and also to purchase meals and other items throughout the base area, and on the website. at the resort. The cards are reloadable online, so there’s less waiting at the ticket window. And, unlike printed lift tickets, they can be used over and over ENERGY-EFFICIENT SNOW GUNS again, reducing paper waste at the resort. Since 2014, the resort has installed more than 500 new snow guns, which use less air and fewer kilowatts while converting more water into snow. This improved efficiency RFID GATES means that Mountain Operations can now run 144 guns at New gates using radio-frequency identification once, up from sixty. Meanwhile, kilowatt use has dropped technology were installed at the base lifts in 2017. In by 30 percent since 2013. the past, each lift ticket was scanned by hand, causing delays even on slow days; now four customers at a time with SugarXpress or IKON Pass RFID cards in SNOWMAKING CONTROL PANEL their pockets can pass quickly through the lift gates. In 2014 Sugarbush started using iSnow, a program that allows a single control room attendant to operate all the pumps, hydrants, and valves supplying water and LIFTS air to the guns. (Workers used to have to turn on each When the Valley House chairlift was replaced with pump individually.) All snowmaking infrastructure has a faster quad in 2015, a loading conveyor belt was been marked using a GPS system, so attendants can installed as part of the upgrade, allowing for easier produce a live map of where they are producing snow. loading and higher lift speed. In 2017, two of the older double lifts (Village Double at Lincoln Peak and Sunshine Double at Mt. Ellen) were replaced with SNOW DEPTH FINDER new fixed-grip quads, increasing uphill capacity. At Lincoln Peak, Sugarbush has implemented the use of GPS technology in Pisten Bully groomers, allowing the driver to monitor snow depth on every trail. At Mt. Ellen, the resort’s Pisten Bully winch ELECTRIC CAR CHARGERS cat utilizes a sonar-based technology for the same The resort has installed eleven Tesla chargers and four purpose. These technologies allow Mountain Operations to decide where to universal chargers over the past few years at Lincoln shift snow and which snow guns to activate. Peak (two of the Tesla chargers are inside Clay Brook). An additional six universal chargers are scheduled for installation at Mt. Ellen in the fall of 2019. COMPUTER DATA CENTER In order to better ensure the continuity of business operations and limit any ONLINE STORE computer-related downtime that could directly impact guests, in 2017 the H SUSTA US IN B A R B I Upgrades were made to improve the user experience. Guests A whoL G I T U Y resort implemented a state-of-the-art computer data center that incor- S F O Y R G E R S E T N • E shop online at sugarbush.com can easily reload passes and lift tickets • WA E TER • WAST

porates a high level of redundancy and “automated failover” to a standby RB A U UG SH on their reusable RFID cards, allowing more people to go directlyS to

system if necessary, as well as sophisticated data and systems recovery S Y U T S L I the lifts. New automated kiosks around the resort are giving onlineTA I N A B I methods. With this implementation, the network was also redesigned to customers more options for printing lift tickets and avoiding lines. accommodate a new disaster recovery location with a high-speed network connection that could be used in the event that something unexpected were Megan Page has worked in ski industry marketing for the past three years and to happen to the primary data center. is now Sugarbush’s marketing coordinator. She is a passionate snowboarder who spends as much time outside as she can. 2019/20 33 JA

Always Good Times

THE STORY OF VERMONT ADAPTIVE Good times is what Elan is all about, and the best times are those spent with friends and family in the mountains. Whether it’s a family weekend A program at Mt. Ellen provides adaptive adventures to athletes with disabilities. road trip to your favorite local destination or a backcountry adventure with your best buddies, it’s always good times when you surround yourself with BY CANDICE WHITE the ones you’re closest to. McCullough, the smiling bald guy who was in charge of food-and-beverage JA operations at Mt. Ellen for close to twenty years). Gary would pick out an order of French fries, wrap it up in tinfoil, and we would take it back to the office. The deal was, we go out and ski for half our lesson, and when we come back in, Chris gets half his French fries.” Hearing Staunton describe the details of this bargain made me feel a little emotional, but he stopped my thought before I could express it. “People will say, ‘Oh, you’re so amazing that you do this type of work.’ No. I am the most selfish bastard—I don’t do this to be a good person. This work makes me happy.” Riley worked exclusively with Staunton for several years, until Riley felt comfortable skiing with others. “Skiing with others” may be an understatement, as Riley has formed some of his most meaningful relationships with people he has met on the race team. He is able to straddle the line between athlete and volunteer, in that he now assists in setting up and taking down the race course, and occasionally helps with other athletes’ permanent damage. Her aspirations to be a professional ballerina were shot; lessons. He is also a consistent silver medal winner at the Vermont Special ski racing, however, was still a possibility. Olympics, held at Pico Mountain in Killington each year. I learned quickly that Cioffi is not someone who dabbles in things that I’m kind of surprised Riley’s not bringing home golds, given how quickly interest her; she goes full throttle. She’s a phlebotomist who practiced at he left me behind as we skied down intermediate runs Joe’s Cruiser and Beverly Hospital in Massachusetts and is now pursuing not one but two Crackerjack. Though Cioffi asked Riley to stay with us, his need for speed master’s degrees—in health informatics, and to become a physician’s took over. “See ya, suckers!” he announced happily as he skied away. My assistant. She founded the Hip Hop 5K and 10K race series seven years ago recollection of having previously met Cioffi became clearer as I watched her to fundraise for hip dysplasia research after learning that treatment for those masterful turns on the monoski—she really ripped. I’ve been skiing since I with her disease had not changed in thirty years. She likes to bake, and in was four, and I wasn’t expecting to get left behind on this outing. But there I 2012 won the NBC Today show’s “Quest for the Best” national birthday cake was, at the end of the corral at Green Mountain Express, barely catching up contest, judged by Martha Stewart. And once she began skiing on a monoski with my group. I slipped onto the chair just in time. with Vermont Adaptive, she became a volunteer, then a race coach, and then We took a run down Which Way and Straight Shot, and Riley didn’t miss a member of the organization’s board. his chance for some wordplay with the trail names. He loves to make puns, Cioffi let me know that Riley and Winchell were ready to ski and, mirroring a habit he picked up from his mother, Ellen, at a very early age. “Which Way her own go-get-’em attitude, weren’t really up for waiting around. I hurriedly BARRIE FISHER are we going?” he questioned. “Which Way!” Pole bumps were traded as Ellen Riley, Chris Riley, Emily Cioffi, and a Vermont Adaptive instructor preparing put on my gear and headed out the door onto the snow. I popped into my everyone laughed. Chris Riley and Emily Cioffi taking a break on the slopes at Lincoln Peak to head out skiing bindings and skied down to catch them in the corral leading to the Green I had announced that this was my last run, as my gear was failing me and Mountain Express Quad. In line, playful banter between Cioffi and the lifties I was soaked through. But back at the bottom, I yearned for another run with been racing together since the beginning. For someone like Chris—he’s not ensued—wisecracks flying like they were all old friends—and the lifties Riley and Cioffi, who were so clearly undeterred by the rain. They were having invited to birthday parties or sleepovers with other kids his age. This is where lthough Mt. Ellen’s season had been loaded with powder days— slowed the chair for Cioffi to load her monoski. She and Riley were clearly fun, and that spirit enticed me back. I got on a chair behind them, catching he has made his friendships.” including that Martin Luther King Sunday when the parking lot regulars here. them just as they were setting off for a last swift run down North Star and maxed out by ten o’clock—the morning I had a ski date with two On the chairlift ride, as the rain came down, I chatted with Riley about his Straight Shot. Once down, we beelined into the base lodge and peeled off Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports athletes was rainy and gray. I wasn’t even love of skiing—and skiing fast. Riley, who was born with Down syndrome, our wet layers. sure I should unload my skis and boots from the car. But soon after I entered first got on skis at the age of two, and his family discovered Vermont Adaptive When we’d left the lodge initially, Maggie Burke had been lounging on riginally called the Vermont Handicap Ski Foundation, Vermont the base lodge, I realized that a little rain was not daunting this crew. several years later through a friend. That first season, he participated in a the couch chatting with a friend. Now she was dancing with another staff Adaptive was started by Laura Farrell in 1987 at Ascutney Mountain The area in and around the Vermont Adaptive office, in a small corner of lesson program, skiing on his own two skis while tethered to volunteers. In member and an athlete in a wheelchair in the center of the lodge. Others in southern Vermont. By 1991, the organization had expanded to the lodge, was abuzz with activity—parents sitting at picnic tables, athletes 2005, when Riley was eight, he joined the Vermont Adaptive Race Team. were slowly joining what would become an impromptu dance party, smiling, Sugarbush, largely due to the efforts of Mike Murphy, the son of Sugarbush’s putting on boots or digging mittens from boot bags, volunteers in green At first, it didn’t go smoothly. That year, Norm Staunton, the current swaying, and waving their arms to the music. It was another reminder that original general manager, Jack Murphy. A lifelong skier, Mike lost his leg jackets preparing to head out. Twenty-two-year-old Chris Riley, of Moretown, director of technical operations and advancement for Vermont Adaptive, was at Vermont Adaptive, nothing gets in the way of showing these athletes a in a motorcycle accident in 1977, taught himself to ski again, and went on was geared up and ready to go, wearing a transparent Disney rain poncho in his first season as a volunteer. Maggie Burke, then the program director good time. The staff and the volunteers are all in, and the families love to earn a silver medal at the World Championships in 1982. After spending over his orange ski jacket. at Mt. Ellen, had taken Staunton aside and asked him if he could spend some them for it. time with the folks at Ascutney, Murphy introduced the idea to Sugarbush. “Rain or shine, we’re skiing!” Riley announced as he walked through the time with one of their athletes who was struggling in the race program. It was When we met earlier, Ellen Riley told me about her family’s experience The organization moved its southern program and headquarters to Pico lodge, smiling and hugging friends as he went. It was the final day of the Riley. “Chris was very hesitant to go skiing, and there were lots of struggles with Vermont Adaptive, and the impact the organization and its staff has had Mountain in 1999, and added a third location, Bolton Valley, in 2008. season at Mt. Ellen, and for the Vermont Adaptive program there, and Riley to get boots on and get on the hill. Many afternoons were spent sitting on the on her son’s life. She mentioned a meeting her family had with Moretown Statewide, Vermont Adaptive provides more than 3,000 adaptive was eager to get out onto the slopes. rock ledge outside the lodge, just talking. Other days, we got some runs in,” Elementary School staff when they were planning Riley’s transition to adventures annually, to participants of any age, regardless of their ability I sought out Emily Cioffi, a cheerful dark-haired woman in her late Staunton recalled. middle and high school and discussing possibilities for his future. The to pay. Within two years of its inception, the organization started offering twenties who was cruising around the small Vermont Adaptive office in When Burke took on the job as program director in 2007, one of her most significant people in Riley’s life were all there—including his parents, summer programming, as well: athletes are frequently taken to mountain her wheelchair. Cioffi reminded me that we had met once before, at a ski primary goals was to establish consistency between the volunteer staff and teachers, and relatives. “Maggie was there,” Ellen recalled. There was a biking trails in Warren and Waterbury, and cycling, canoeing, and kayaking day with the Kelly Brush Foundation at Lincoln Peak the previous year (see the athletes they worked with. Athletes with certain disabilities really needed similar meeting when he was a junior in high school. Again, Maggie Burke outings are run out of the Burlington Waterfront Park, where the group is “Sugarbush’s Adaptive Sports Triumvirate,” page 38). She introduced me to to be able to build a relationship with their coach before they felt comfortable was there. And when Riley brought his prom date to Arvad’s restaurant in working to fund a permanent residence. a tall dark-haired guy with a beard who turned out to be her fiancé, Erik actually going skiing. “It takes time and patience,” said Staunton. “And the Waterbury for a pre-prom dinner, Maggie joined Riley’s mother at a nearby Erin Fernandez has served as executive director of Vermont Adaptive Winchell. Riley came into the room like a windstorm and immediately made relationship is a big part of it.” table to casually chaperone. since 2001. Having grown up in the ski industry and earned her Professional himself comfortable on Cioffi’s lap, ski boots and all. Slowly, Staunton was able to earn Riley’s trust. In addition to long talks Ellen ticked off the ways Vermont Adaptive has shaped her son’s life. “He Ski Instructors Association (PSIA) Alpine Level III certification shortly Cioffi found Vermont Adaptive six years ago, when, after her eleventh on the rock ledge, Staunton employed every parent’s secret weapon: bribery. has blossomed as an athlete . . . and the friendships he has made . . . ,” she after college, Fernandez focused initially on professionalizing instruction hip surgery, her surgeon told her that the hip dysplasia and associated “There was a heavy dose of bargaining,” Staunton recalled. “Chris was super said, listing the names of some of Riley’s race teammates. “These kids have at the organization. The PSIA structure for adaptive certification was still neurological issues she had been diagnosed with at age eighteen had caused motivated by French fries. We would go into the cafeteria and see Gary (Gary 36 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE A Vermont Adaptive impromptu dance party after a morning of skiing in the rain. 2019/20 37 evolving, but Fernandez wanted Vermont Adaptive JA to be on the forefront. “It was a big paradigm shift for the organization,” she told me. And while PSIA certification for is fairly straightforward—Levels I, II, and III—it is not nearly so succinct in adaptive instruction. “To reach a Level III adaptive certification, an instructor must pass on all adaptive skills: blind guiding, monoski instruction, teaching skiers on the autism spectrum, etc.,” Fernandez explained. Her goal was to “be part of whatever the national movement is—the best training, or the best equipment. And we have done that.” Each season, all 400 or so volunteers go through a rigorous in-house training that exposes Kelly Brush and friends at KBF Day at Lincoln Peak in March 2018 them to all adaptive populations. Most volunteers SUGARBUSH’S ADAPTIVE SPORTS TRIUMVIRATE choose to focus on one or two groups. Still, Fernandez proudly cited that she has probably Architectural rendering of Vermont Adaptive's new addition to Mt. Ellen Base Lodge In recent years, Vermont Adaptive has been complemented by the creation of two organizations ten volunteers at each location—Pico, Sugarbush, that further support the adaptive sports world. And the collaboration between the three is inspiring. and Bolton Valley—who can teach at the highest become victim to a lack of independence,” she also dreams of a paralympic program, building on join the race team. In his sophomore year in high The KELLY BRUSH FOUNDATION (KBF) was founded after Brush—a Green Mountain Valley School level in all adaptive disciplines. Some of these are told me. “Finding that, getting that back, that’s the U.S. Olympic Committee Adaptive Race Camp school, he became the first person in Vermont and Middlebury College graduate—suffered a spinal cord injury during a collegiate ski race. The KBF her full-time staff, which has grown from three how you can enjoy life.” at Mt. Ellen in 2016. Right now, many athletes at with a disability to race on a high school team, provides grants to those with spinal cord injuries, allowing them to afford the necessary equipment to ten during her tenure. Fernandez has worked For all that the organization offers its athletes that level head west to train, to places like the encouraged and supported by his Burlington to get back into their sport, be it skiing, cycling, hockey, or another pursuit. The KBF also provides hard to ensure that she can pay a competitive at Mt. Ellen, the current physical space has National Sports Center for the Disabled in Park High School coach Pavel Dvorak. Lawler earned funding for race programs to augment their safety initiatives, including the purchase of B-net race wage and offer an attractive work environment so limitations. While there are ramps for athletes to City, Utah. a silver medal in the World Championships in fencing and spine protectors for racers. Often, athletes who are reintroduced to their sport through she can retain good employees. “Personally, I am get in and out of the building, and an accessible Stephen Lawler of Burlington first skied with downhill in 2013, and has gone to the Paralympics Vermont Adaptive are subsequently awarded grants through the KBF to purchase their equipment. pretty proud of that,” she said. “If I can’t surround restroom on the same floor, there is no elevator Vermont Adaptive when he was six years old, twice. He splits his training between winters in And for the last few years, the KBF has held a Community Ski Day for its supporters at Sugarbush, myself with people who dream bigger than I do, leading down to the rental shop or up to the Green on a bi-ski tethered to volunteers. When Lawler Winter Park and summers in Colorado Springs, with support and monoskiing demonstrations from Vermont Adaptive. The Kelly Brush Ride, held in and if I can’t have the best people, I can’t have the Mountain Lounge. That means that when Cioffi, was eleven, Danielle Hampton, the Vermont with a heavy dose of international travel with the Middlebury each September, raises over $500,000 annually for the organization. Since 2006, the KBF best organization.” for example, wants to meet her friends upstairs in Adaptive race coach at the time, invited him to U.S. Paralympics Alpine Ski Team. “I love what I has helped 740 athletes from forty-seven states purchase adaptive sports equipment. the lounge, “I have to wait until I can get carried up kellybrushfoundation.org the stairs,” she said. “That’s hard for my stubborn, independent self.” The space is too small to allow The HIGH FIVES FOUNDATION was created by Mad River Valley skier Roy Tuscany, who suffered ermont Adaptive offers professional room for service dogs to hang out, for equipment a spinal cord injury while training in Mammoth, California. Tuscany credits his injury recovery to instruction and guidance at the highest to be stored, or for participants with sensory the support and “high fives” he received from the many people who helped him along his journey. level, but the real magic is the sense of issues to find a quiet spot. Phase two of Vermont Tuscany’s organization raises injury prevention awareness, and provides resources and inspiration to possibility the organization gives its athletes. “I Adaptive’s Home Sweet Home fundraising those who have suffered an injury. In 2011, the foundation opened the C.R. Johnson Healing Center can’t say enough wonderful things about them,” campaign aims to raise $4 million: $2 million in Truckee, California, where their athletes work out with a trainer, cost free, toward their fitness Ellen Riley said. “[Vermont Adaptive] has allowed to fund a building addition at Mt. Ellen and the recovery. Fitness classes and machines, physical therapy, massage, and chiropractic services are all us to do things as a family that we may not have location on Burlington’s waterfront, and another part of the offerings. The support that High Fives provides athletes is wide-ranging, from custom- been able to do. . . . Chris rock-climbs, he swims, $2 million to build a permanent endowment. fit ski boots and skis to annual training JA he ice-skates, he wrestles.” The opportunities for (Phase one funded their first adaptive facility and programs at the National Sports Center athletes like Riley are plentiful. state headquarters at Pico Mountain.) The Mt. for the Disabled to living expenses. The This notion was echoed by Cioffi, who vividly Ellen expansion will likely break ground in the foundation’s B.A.S.I.C.S. video series, with remembers the day she met Norm Staunton at spring of 2020, with an anticipated completion titles like Helmets Are Cool and Know Your her first introduction to Vermont Adaptive at Mt. date that December. Cioffi and the other athletes Park, inspires athletes, particularly youth, Ellen. “Norm took one look at me and said, ‘You are eager for the change. “It will be so nice to have to be safe while pursuing their passions. are an athlete. You are strong. You got this.’ There the freedom to go wherever I want, to whatever The High Fives Fat Ski-A-Thon is an was no mention of my disability. He was just full floor I want,” Cioffi said. annual event at Sugarbush that, since of possibility.” Staunton and Cioffi became good Fernandez and Burke, too, get excited when 2012, has raised more than $1 million friends, and he has been a mentor to her in the talking about their new home at Mt. Ellen, and for the organization. In 2016, High Fives organization, bringing her on as a race coach, the possibilities it will present. Fernandez sees partnered with Vermont Adaptive to bring showing her how to set the course, take an athlete an opportunity to offer retreats in the summer, a U.S. Olympic Committee Adaptive Race through their free runs and course runs, and give some sport-specific training camps, and maybe Camp to Mt. Ellen’s Inverness Race Arena, feedback on their performance. “It’s the most a day camp. And Burke, now the organization’s led by four-time Paralympian Chris Devlin- exciting thing I do every weekend,” she added. managing director of development and donor Young. As of spring 2019, High Fives has Cioffi brings a unique perspective to Vermont relations, hopes to host more groups from places helped 206 athletes from thirty-one states Adaptive, as a former able-bodied person who like Zeno Mountain (a camp based in Lincoln, along their road to recovery. now uses a wheelchair and monoski, and serves Vermont, that serves adults with disabilities) and highfivesfoundation.org —CW High Fives founder Roy Tuscany as a volunteer and board member. “It’s easy to Boston’s Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. She

38 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE 2019/20 39 do,” Lawler told me. “Vermont Adaptive was a great start.” Producing Paralympians, Special Olympians, and a volunteer corps that can instruct at the highest level, it is no wonder that Vermont Adaptive is regarded as a leader in the field. But what matters most to the staff, the volunteers, the athletes, and their families is the community Vermont Adaptive offers. Both Fernandez and Burke spoke to the uniqueness of the program in the Mad River Valley, created by the fierce dedication of everyone involved. “It starts with Gordon in the parking lot, to Mopey [Dave Forward] making sure his lifties are dialed in on how to load a sit ski, to the food-and- beverage folks bringing us cookies, to marketing including us in their promotions, to Win coming to our fundraisers,” Burke said, referring to Win Smith, Sugarbush’s president and majority owner. “I love the community,” she continued. “That

H SUSTA US IN B A R B feeling that when you walk into our office,A I L G I T U Y S

F O Y R G E R S E T N you feel welcomed. Our participants and • our E • WA E TER • WAST

ARBU UG SH volunteers . . . they may be coming from a placeS

S Y U T S L I in their world where they are by themselves,TA I NbutA B I when they come to us, they are one of us.”

To learn more about Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports at Mt. Ellen, visit vermontadaptive.org. Paralympian Stephen Lawler started his racing career with Vermont Adaptive. COURTESY OF STEPHEN LAWLER COURTESY stay fit FULL SERVICE

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40 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE 2019/20 41 JA JA JA Style.Slopeside Fashion JA BARRIE FISHER JA JA ALAN HURWITZ JA BARRIE FISHER BARRIE FISHER BARRIE FISHER DAVE ROCHA DAVE

The dark heart of the Sugarbush back nine is a tricky stretch for even the Mad River Valley’s most competitive golfers.

BY DREW SIMMONS

here’s no such thing as luck. Take it one shot at a time. Swing easy. Breathe. These are the things I tell myself each and every time I climb the stairs of the twelfth tee box at the Sugarbush Resort Golf Club—the entry point for three holes of the most challenging and consequential terrain on the entirety of Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s remarkable riddle of a course in Warren, Vermont.

Sugarbush Resort Golf Club pro Roger King goes for the green on hole fourteen. : One part Amen Corner, one part Heartbreak Hill, one part Bermuda Triangle, JA

the three-hole sweep of twelve through fourteen is one of Vermont’s greatest ROCHA DAVE golf challenges, as it truly tests a player’s physical and mental toughness.

THE PRO’S TAKE ON HOLES 12–14

We consulted Roger King, PGA head golf professional at Sugarbush and 2018 Vermont PGA Player of the Year, to share his thoughts on holes twelve to fourteen—the trickiest stretch the resort’s course has to offer. Here’s what he said . . .

HOLE 12: “The most important shot that can derail your great round would be the approach to the twelfth hole. A ball dunked into the water is the fastest way to add strokes and ruin your momentum. Play to your comfort level. If you reach the green easily, then aim away from the water toward the green’s center; if you are uncomfortable with this shot, choose a club that will stay short of the water, and then hit your next—much shorter—shot onto the green. From there, two-putt and move on.”

HOLE 13: “The most benign hole of the three-hole stretch—but still, play with caution. Off the tee, choose a club that will be hit straight at the 150-yard stake. From there, the uphill shot should be hit toward the center of the green and with a club that will not go long. A chip from above this pin is next to impossible to stop. Take your par and run to the fourteenth tee.”

HOLE 14: “If you are brave, take the aggressive line down the left tree line with a slight draw. The ball will catch the slope and leave you a short iron into the green for a chance at eagle. But don’t pull it, or hit it straight, because the ball will end up in Sugarbush’s famous woods. If your game plan is conservative, then aim a 180- yard club into the middle of the fairway, lay up with your second shot, and let your wedges do the talking. This is the ultimate risk- The infamous apple tree on hole twelve and-reward golf hole.”

Of course, crowding in on my positive swing thoughts there is another— The “thirteen at thirteen” are more than just the dark heart of Sugarbush’s On this stretch, golfers face down two of the course’s infrequent water Part of the reason the thirteen strokes surrounding the thirteenth hole are darker—voice. One of negativity, this pessimistic part of my consciousness beautiful and unpredictable back nine—they are the true difference maker hazards, two sharp doglegs to the left, one uphill dogleg right, three long and such a high priority for a Sugarbush round is their placement in the order: by always seems to work itself into the front of my golf brain despite my most between a good round and a great round, between a close match and a total narrow tee shots, and three wildly different greens. Faced with this diversity of the time you step onto the twelfth tee, you’ve carded your front nine and eased sincere efforts to block it out. implosion, and between a blissful ride home in a Vermont sunset and some geography and distance, players need to be comfortable with nearly every club your way through the tenth and eleventh holes—a pleasant par five and par This is not where rounds are won. This is where rounds are lost. This is the serious alone time in your car wondering why you play this cruel game. in their bag. Played well, it’s pure genius. Played poorly, it’s a total train wreck. three combo that mainly tests a golfer’s ability to hit the ball straight downhill. place where good rounds go to die. One part Amen Corner, one part Heartbreak Hill, one part Bermuda “There are pivotal shots and decisions that need to be made on each of Now the mellow feeling you had at the start of the back nine is gone, A par golfer needs exactly thirteen strokes to correctly navigate the Triangle, the three-hole sweep of twelve through fourteen is one of Vermont’s those holes,” said John Parsons, four-time Sugarbush Resort Golf Club and those easygoing vibes of ten and eleven are history. In their place is a challenging alley that runs from the twelfth tee through the fourteenth green. greatest golf challenges, as it truly tests a player’s physical and mental champion. “The tee shot on twelve is one of the most difficult on the course, boost of adrenaline and excitement. The change in emotion is so fast, and Consider that those thirteen strokes are centered exactly around the middle toughness. Weaving a half mile up and down a steep, remote corner of the and it is definitely one of the most important ones. On thirteen, with a fairly so complete, it’s like an unexpected soundtrack change from yacht rock to of the thirteenth hole, and you’ve got layer upon layer of superstition working Sugarbush course, the stretch plays more like one long par thirteen hole straightforward tee shot and a tiny green, there’s no reason to get greedy. heavy metal. against you. instead of three smaller, individual challenges. And on fourteen . . . boy, can this hole derail you.” There’s no other way to put it: the par four twelfth hole at Sugarbush is 46 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE 2019/20 47 really hard. The drive must be long, but not too centered will give a player a decent chance at the TO IMPROVE YOUR GAME, long. And it must be straight, since short and green. The visual perspective from the tee box, PLAY WHEN IT COUNTS left leaves you blocked by a grassy knoll, and however, is much less kind. Something about A Sugarbush summer golf tournament preview long and right lands you behind the world’s most the extreme hazards flanking both sides makes inconvenient apple tree. the fairway seem precariously narrow, much like While there are a thousand ways (or more) to “Twelve is the hardest hole on the back nine, standing on a thin alpine ridge across from a high- practice a golf swing, there’s only one way to get and the first two shots can make or break your altitude mountain summit. better at winning your weekend foursome. round. You’ve got to get that tee ball in play and It would be much easier if you could just close You’ve got to compete. not miss the fairway, otherwise a double bogey is your eyes and forget about the obvious dangers. Fortunately, the Sugarbush Resort Golf Club lurking. Get through this hole with a four, and the As Aidan Melville, the 2017 Sugarbush club has a full summer slate of tournament-play momentum boost is huge,” said Stu Libby, nine- champion, explained, “The tee shot on thirteen is opportunities designed to sharpen every aspect time Sugarbush club champion. surprisingly intimidating. You can’t miss right or of your competition muscle. Physical, mental, For first-timers, the narrow and elevated twelfth your next shot is blocked, and you can’t miss left and fun, Sugarbush tourneys are ideal for both green can look fairly inviting from the 150-yard because of a hazard that runs all up the left side high handicappers eager for the experience and mark. But what newcomers don’t consider is of this hole. If you hit a good tee shot here, it sets low shooters just looking to push their limits.

MEMBER-MEMBER (August 8, 2020) This traditional “best ball” tournament (where Now the mellow feeling you had at the start of the back nine two-person teams play each hole yet record only one score) is a beloved kickoff to the competitive is gone. In its place is a boost of adrenaline and excitement. season. The flexible tee times are kind on the time-challenged, and the opportunity to pair The change in emotion is so fast, and so complete, it’s like your score with multiple partners gives the event a relaxed and wide-open feel. an unexpected soundtrack change from yacht rock to heavy metal. MATCH PLAY BRACKET (Begins in August) A growing tradition, this single-elimination match-play tourney pairs golfers head to head the trio of challenges that are invisible from that [you] up for your second shot. . . . If you’re trying to in a test of wits and nerves. Beginning in June, distance. There’s water to the left of the green, a make a good round at Sugarbush, these two shots the one-on-one matches continue until only one steep hill falling away from the right, and a frequent need to be on the money.” player is left standing. Anything can happen— swirling wind that requires hitting for extra distance Many golfers stretch their personal limits off and frequently does. to make a successful approach shot. the thirteenth tee in hopes of gaining (or regaining) CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP (August 22–23, 2020) “If I could card a bogey on the twelfth tee box an edge with a booming drive on an aggressive A two-day test of skill and endurance, the without having to play the hole, I’d take it every line. But those who do forget two key things. First, championship is a must-do for Mad River Valley time,” said Taylor Hubbard, a Sugarbush golf there’s no need to overplay the thirteenth: the golfers. As casual and fun as the Sugarbush course regular. fairway is wider than it seems, and the green can golf experience always is, the focused silence Once you have the challenging twelfth hole be remarkably kind and funnel many balls back on the practice range during championship behind you, the thirteenth tee may be a welcome down to the pin. And second—well, thirteen can weekend tells you exactly how much this event sight at first. On paper, it’s a starkly simple tee be a very, very unlucky number, particularly if you matters to hardcore locals. shot, as anything close to 200 yards and relatively push the limits of the tree-lined right side. SUGARBUSH RYDER CUP (September 12–13, 2020) A wildly popular two-day team event, the Sugarbush Ryder Cup drafts entrants into equal squads—Team Europe versus Team USA—then

DAVE ROCHA DAVE pairs them off in a series of individual and two- person matches throughout the weekend. With the course framed by early-season foliage, there’s no better way to ease into a spectacular Vermont fall.

TOURNAMENTS FOR FRIENDS AND CHARITIES (Ongoing) Tournaments both for charity and for fun are hosted at the Sugarbush Resort Golf Club nearly every week during peak season. Top choices include the Brew-Grass Tournament (June 14), the Boomer Scramble (June 15–16), and the High Fives Foundation Golf Tournament (TBD). As always, check in at the pro shop for dates and details. The author teeing off at hole twelve —DS

48 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE 2019/20 49 the fourteenth hole is the most pivotal because for difference between a good approach and a great some reason it seems to set up momentum for one. “Good”—in the minds of Sugarbush’s most the rest of the round. I’ve seen many matches won avid golfers—is a second shot that prioritizes

DAVE ROCHA DAVE or lost based on what happens on the fourteenth intelligence over strength, and trickles up to the tee box,” said Nate Bedford, two-time Sugarbush front edge of the green. “Great,” on the other club champion. hand, is that once-a-summer blast that ignores Smart and safe off the fourteenth tee is a 180- the danger on three sides of the fourteenth green yard punt just to the right of the lone “signal” and strives to put a 200-yard downhill shot within tree. For the desperate, however, the play is to easy putting distance of what is likely your only Sugarbush golf regular Taylor Hubbard shoots for pull the driver out and pray for a lucky bounce. eagle attempt of the round. the green from the 150 mark at hole fourteen. Many Sugarbush regulars agree that it’s vastly Making your final putt on the fourteenth green According to Eric Moffroid, another Sugarbush preferable to hit a mediocre shot off the fourteenth will close the book on the three-hole “thirteen golf course regular, “This is the Bermuda tee, because if you hit a good shot—or, God forbid, at thirteen” at Sugarbush. While it’s a classic Triangle. Good rounds can disappear and drown a great one—pride will force you to go for the golf paradox, capable of tempting you with glory in the middle of the back nine. There’s not much pond- and sand-trap-surrounded green in two. Yet as well as punishing you for greed, it’s also the water at Sugarbush, except on these three holes. while thoughts of glory and double eagles are fun, ultimate backdrop for the story of a great golf

H SUSTA US IN B A R B I sanity argues that the best move is to ease off the round. Standing tall on this part of the courseA setsL That is definitely a factor, and has come into play G I T U Y S

F O Y R G E R S E T N • E throttle and play for par. a player up for a memorable finish, a potentially • more times than it should for me.” WA E TER • WAST

ARBU UG SH After you’ve made it through the twelfth and “On the fourteenth, I have come to the belief historic score, and certainly a golf story worthS

S Y U T S L I thirteenth holes, a certain good humor always that the only way I am going to go at this in two telling and retelling. And it’s a story that couldTA I N A B I emerges at the fourteenth tee box. As the final par is if I somehow get my tee ball down to the 150 finally silence those golf voices in your head. five in the round, it can be a fun place to hang out. mark,” Parsons explained. “For the last few years,

Unfortunately, it can also be incredibly intense as my goal is to play a 200-yard shot off the tee, lay Floodwoods Farm, Waitsfield | Lincoln Gap Photography you face your biggest choice of the day. up inside 100 yards, and try to make birdie with my Drew Simmons is a freelance writer with recent At the fourteenth tee, you know your score, wedge. Looking at the risk-reward, the risk side is work appearing in Jackson Hole Golfer, Adventure you know your opponent, and you know whether too great to get greedy off the tee.” Journal, Elevation Outdoors, and The Drake. He to play the hole as a meat-and-potatoes par five Wide and forgiving, the fourteenth green lives in Waitsfield, Vermont, spending summers or to pull something big out of your bag and do always looks like such an easy target for short golfing at Sugarbush and fishing for bass on 102 Mad River Green Shops | Waitsfield, Vermont 05673 | www.ProductTT.com something your mom would frown at. “For me, irons. But on this large platform green, there’s a Blueberry Lake. #SOURCINGDEMOCRACY

CONFERENCES, MEETINGS & RETREATS TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITIES OUTDOOR ADVENTURES including cat-skiing adventures, backcountry skills, snowshoeing, hiking, golf, and climbing wall DINING from casual to elegant, indoors and out With magnificent views of the mountains LUXURY ACCOMODATIONS and the Valley, Hogan’s Pub serves up a on-site at Clay Brook Hotel variety of salads, sandwiches, and burgers for lunch, and cold beer and cocktails for & Residences après. Open May through October. IDEAL FOR INTIMATE GATHERINGS UP TO 450 Located at Sugarbush Resort Golf Club SuGaRbuSh.Com 800.53.SuGaR 802.583.6370 | [email protected]

50 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE 2019/20 51 A Leader for the Environment MA ERS and Outdoor Recreation Learn with Us. Carve Your Future. Improve the World. From science to sustainability, recreation to entrepreneurship, we offer excellent academics and innovative experiential learning to shape your future and improve the world. F Think critically, engage with communities, tackle complex environmental challenges and lead for the 21st century. UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS Enrich your classroom learning with real world internships, Environmental Sciences service-learning, research and study abroad. Environmental Studies Forestry Natural Resources Green City. Green Campus. Sustainable Parks, Recreation & Tourism Green Building. Wildlife & Fisheries Biology BURLINGTON, VT: #1 college town by Travel & Leisure. UNDERGRADUATE MINORS Environmental Studies #1 U.S. city to draw 100% of its power from renewable energy sources. Forestry STY E UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT: #3 green college in the U.S. by Geospatial Technologies Sustainable Parks, Recreation & Tourism The Princeton Review. Sports Management RUBENSTEIN SCHOOL: Learn and discover in the Aiken Center, Wildlife Biology

UVM’s only LEED Platinum-certified living laboratory. GRADUATE PROGRAMS Ph.D. in Natural Resources If you spent any time at Sugarbush between 1960 and 2000—and beyond—you were likely M.S. in Natural Resources to encounter something seminal in skiing’s Darwinian evolution. M.P.S. in Leadership for Sustainability

BY PETER OLIVER

802-656-2911 | [email protected] | go.uvm.edu/rsenrlearn 2019/20 51 ut first, a little background. All modern skiing technique must count as a principal progenitor the so-called Arlberg technique, B pioneered by an Austrian named Hannes Schneider in the early third of the twentieth century. Schneider codified technical fundamentals while skiing in the Arlberg region of the Alps, before fleeing war-ravaged Europe in the 1930s to settle in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. He identified ways to make downhill skiing safe, efficient, and even elegant—not easy on the long, wooden skis of the day—and then developed ways to teach those same things. Techniques taken for granted today—the snowplow for speed control, weight transfer from ski to ski, knee flexion, and so on—derive from the Arlberg playbook. During the Stein era at Sugarbush in the 1960s, the Arlberg technique had reached its stylistic apex with “wedeling” (literally meaning “wagging” in German). To be a good skier was to be a good wedeler, and nobody mastered the slinky, squiggling style with more proficiency and grace than Stein. Wagging his skis back and forth in dance-like turns, Stein’s wedeling style was iconic, especially when he threw in his own signature component, the “delayed-shoulder” technique. Leading through a turn with his inside shoulder, Stein looked like he was trying to slip sideways through a half-open door, albeit with his characteristic elegance and panache. Soon, figurines atop ski trophies everywhere were re-creations of a delayed-shoulder Stein in elegantly cantilevered action. Stein was fluidity personified. He himself described his skiing style as a linking of “movements with my lower body that were almost independent from my upper body. . . . I let my skis flow.” Indeed. The 1960s were a transformative decade at Sugarbush. With Stein—the embodiment of ultimate skiing cool—at the helm of the ski school, Sugarbush rocketed into the big time as the ultimately cool place in the East to ski and Stein Eriksen be seen. But the ’60s were, of course, culturally transformative in a larger, national context. Integral to that transformation was entry into a realm of soul- the biggest thing was how our minds blow things out of proportion and hold searching introspection, empowered by psychedelic drugs, transcendental us back. And visualization became a huge teaching tool.” Stein Eriksen teaching the wedeling technique meditation, Eastern mysticism, a back-to-nature sentiment, and all sorts Along about the time that McCluggage was conducting her workshops and of other out-of-the-box behavior. That introspective trend continued well writing her book, a curly-headed kid from Massachusetts arrived in the Mad ny righteous young dude who strapped on a pair of skis in the mid- River Valley to embark on a ski bum’s life, with hopes of making a name 1960s wanted to be like Stein Eriksen. The helmet of impeccably for himself in the sport. John Egan brought with him his own characteristic A coifed hair, the erect posture, the translucent eyes, the deeply style, just as Stein had brought his. Quick-footed speed was at the heart of tanned skin stretched as taut as cellophane across a face of sculpted Nordic the Egan way, and it was so visually striking that pretty soon Egan became perfection—Stein had the look all other guys envied. He epitomized the a favorite of Warren Miller, the esteemed ski-film maker. The attacking infusion of glamorous virility that a wave of European ski instructors brought style translated well into a definitive expression of eastern at to American ski culture at the time. But while his irresistible manliness may a time—the 1980s—when mogul skiing was at the height of its popularity. have been a carnal siren to women around the globe, it was Stein’s skiing But a whole new school of skiing was gaining ground: , later style that elevated him toward godliness in the sporting world. With feet to be redubbed . Extreme skiing first announced itself to the world inseparably locked together, he created balletic angles, with his upper body in Europe in the late 1960s, when French mountaineers began skiing big- cantilevered toward the inside of every elegant turn he made. During his mountain lines that carried a no-compromise maxim: If you fall, you die. But three seasons at Sugarbush in the 1960s, Stein was a poster boy for the style as it migrated to the United States in the ’80s, it became less death-defying and technique that all skiers, beginners to experts, aspired to. into the 1970s and filtered into sports of all kinds. Suddenly, sports weren’t and more cinematic. Filmmakers like Miller and Greg Stump began turning But as a stylistic trendsetter at Sugarbush over the years, Stein was not just about athleticism; they were also a mind game. Tim Gallwey’s The Inner their lenses on skiers like Scot Schmidt and Glen Plake jumping big cliffs alone. John Egan, one of two fall-line-charging brothers who helped to Game of Tennis, published in 1974 and destined to sell more than two million and skiing deep powder in exotic locations. John Egan was at the forefront of radicalize and glamorize mogul skiing and extreme skiing in the 1980s and copies, was one of the first to address the mental aspects of sports. Similar the extreme skiing movement in the U.S., and in the late 1980s joined forces ’90s, got his start in front of Warren Miller’s cameras at Sugarbush. Shaped books, by Gallwey and others, followed. The Centered Skier, published in with his brother Dan on the original North Face Extreme Team. Soon Miller skis, which revolutionized turning technique, were in large part introduced 1977, tapped into that vein, promoting the idea that integrating psychological was sending John and Dan to take on big-mountain challenges all over the to the world through instructors at Sugarbush in the early ’90s. Before that, energy into the physicality of skiing was a pathway to improved technique. world—but Sugarbush continued to define who the Egans were and how they Denise McCluggage, author, former race-car driver, and Mad River Valley The book arose from centered-skier workshops that McCluggage had been skied. The title of the 1993 Miller movie Black Diamond Rush seemed a perfect resident, tapped into a 1970s fascination with the mental and emotional conducting at Sugarbush, under the auspices of Sigi Grottendorfer's ski description of Egan-style skiing and included a memorable segment of John aspects of sport with her groundbreaking book The Centered Skier. All the school. The focus was on such stuff as the inseparability of mind and body in and Dan bashing through bumps and powder at Sugarbush. And even when while, students at the Green Mountain Valley School in Waitsfield were at the skiing; visualization techniques; and redirecting the anxious energy produced they were far away in exotic corners of the world, the brothers’ cinematically cutting edge of Olympic-caliber racing technique while training at Sugarbush, by fear toward positive ends. McCluggage was heavily influenced by her own engaging style derived from skills honed at Sugarbush. “Castlerock Lift Line Glen Ellen (now Mt. Ellen), and Mad River Glen. In other words, if you spent foray into Eastern philosophy, especially tai chi and Buddhism. “Centered taught me more than any other trail in the world. You learn how to be precise any time at Sugarbush between 1960 and 2000—and beyond—you were likely Skiing,” wrote McCluggage, “is skiing . . . in harmony of movement, emotion, and use the energy given to you,” says John. By comparison, “couloirs at to encounter something seminal afoot in the Darwinian evolution of skiing places like Verbier [Switzerland] and Chamonix [France] seemed wide open.” Denise McCluggage and Sigi Grottendorfer and thought.” The Centered Skier, says Sugarbush Ski & Ride School director technique and styles. Terry Barbour, “was definitely on the reading list of those in the know. To me, In other words, if you could ski here, you could ski anywhere. 54 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE 2019/20 55 ny skiing style, of course, is dictated at sugarbush.com 800.53.SUGAR least in part by equipment. Stein might A have skied very differently had he had access to twenty-first-century equipment, and Egan might have been a different skier had he learned on the long stiff skis that Stein grew up on in the 1940s. Similarly, techniques taught in ski schools worldwide have evolved as equipment has evolved. Perhaps no equipment development in the OF DEGEN MEDIA COURTESY PHOTO discover last half century has had a greater impact on skiing technique than the introduction of shaped skis, in the early 1990s. But the new technology SUMMER got off to a rough start, before finding a launch pad at Sugarbush. When Elan introduced its at sugarbush revolutionary SCX skis (often called parabolic or John and Dan Egan at a Warren Miller film shoot in Val D'isere. hourglass at the time), ski equipment retailers SCENIC LIFT RIDES were unimpressed, according to Bill Irwin, who skis up on edge just a little bit and—shazam!—you pull off in the backcountry from 100-foot cliffs, it MOUNTAIN BIKING was the assistant ski school director at Sugarbush were turning. Even lower-level skiers were able was at the radical, extreme edge of skiing at the HIKING and a top Elan representative. The skis were to experience carving, previously the exclusive time. “He was a pioneer in pushing the limits,” “weird-looking . . . too different and too new,” he province of much more skilled skiers. says Barbour, talking about Stein, although he DISC GOLF says. So instead of focusing initially on getting Meanwhile, ongoing at Sugarbush since the could be talking about Egan thirty years later. GOLF stores to buy into what were considered goofy toys founding of the Green Mountain Valley School Interestingly, however, Stein’s original calling MEETINGS masquerading as skis, Irwin enlisted instructors in the mid-1970s was the continual push of card wasn’t in stylistic flourishes like flipping or in the Sugarbush Ski School to experiment with the racing-technique envelope at the highest wedeling; Stein launched his career as a racer, WEDDINGS the SCX as a teaching tool. Instructors tried the ski level of the sport. Since 1982, twenty-six GMVS winning the 1952 Olympic . Had he WEEKLY EVENTS and reported favorable results back to Irwin, and athletes have gone to either the Olympics or the been born a generation or two later, he might well the SCX gained a toehold at Sugarbush and in the Paralympics, so the race training happening have been a student fine-tuning his racing craft at national skiing consciousness. In 1995, Les Otten almost daily at Sugarbush for more than forty GMVS. And Egan is connected not just to Stein but also to McCluggage. Egan sees McCluggage’s The Centered Skier as formative in the development of The Egan brothers' cinematically engaging style derived his big-mountain skills. “It really influenced my skiing and my love for the sport, and has allowed from skills honed at Sugarbush. "Castlerock Lift Line taught me to go as far as I have. The awareness factor—of me more than any other trail in the world. You learn how being aware of avalanches and things happening around me—I owe that to The Centered Skier.” to be precise and use the energy given to you," says John. What’s next? Perhaps this winter, some unheralded kid will be executing mind-blowing tricks in one of Sugarbush’s terrain parks, or added Sugarbush to his growing American Skiing years (mostly on Inverness at Mt. Ellen these days) a future Olympic champion will be redefining Company portfolio and made the SCX a major has Olympic proof of being of the highest caliber racing efficiency on a GMVS training course. part of the rental and retail offerings throughout possible. “Those of us who are into technique love Perhaps Barbour, a bright star in the national the ASC family of resorts. Soon, all the other ski to watch what racers do,” says Barbour. “And it’s ski-instruction firmament, will devise some new manufacturers jumped on the trend, and the rest, cool to have that level [of skill] that close and on teaching method that will reshape the way skiers so to speak, is ski equipment history. “We were such a good hill.” everywhere learn the sport for years to come. calling them ‘cartoon skis,’” says Barbour, who As stylistic trends wend their way through He certainly has the talent to pull it off. If past was an instructor at Greek Peak in New York at Sugarbush history, they connect in cross- is prologue, something innovative and cool will

H SUSTA US IN B A R B I the time. “But the sensations were unbelievable. generational ways. In addition to his inimitable be going on this winterA L at Sugarbush. The next G I T U Y S

F O Y R G E R S E T E N Stein or Egan or McCluggage—or• Barbour—may The ski just wanted to turn, with less effort. It turning style, for example, Stein was also famed W • A E TER • WAST

ARBU UG SH made skiing way more efficient.” Skiing technique for doing flips, putting on regular shows at just be on the cusp ofS making some bold, stylistic

S Y U T S L I and instructional pedagogy were reinvented. Sugarbush and elsewhere. While his flipping statement, and the skiingTA I N A B I world will, once again, Instructors, says Barbour, were “able to introduce might today seem like innocent horseplay be forever changed. tipping movements.” All you had to do was tip the compared with the rowdy stunts freeskiers now Peter Oliver’s feature articles have appeared in numerous national publications, including Skiing, Ski, Powder, Outside, Bicycling, the New York Times, and USA Today. He was the recipient of the 2018 Paul Robbins Journalism Award, given annually

ELAN SKIS by the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum. He An Elan SCX parabolic ski from the 1990s (top), and Elan’s current Ripstick 96 (bottom) lives in Warren. 56 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE SUGARKIDS A wedding to remember family in a setting you’ll never forget. ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY At Sugarbush, we are working hard to be responsible environmental citizens, and we hope you will join us! Find the following words that help us be better environmental stewards of our land: fun BICYCLE FOREST REUSE JEB WALLACE-BRODEUR BIODEGRADABLE GARDENING SALVAGE BIODIESEL HABITAT SOLAR POWER BIODIVERSITY LOCALLY GROWN STORMWATER GARDENS BIOFUEL PLANET STRAWLESS BUS PLASTIC FREE SUSTAINABILITY CARPOOLING POLLINATORS VEGETARIAN COMPOSTING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION WASTE ECO FRIENDLY RECYCLE WATER ECOSYSTEM REDUCE WIND POWER JOKES & RIDDLES ELECTRIC CAR RENEWABLE 1) What goes around and around the ENERGY REUSABLE WATER BOTTLE wood but never goes into the wood? Root and Bud Photography 2) I fall but I never get back up V V F Y J E T L P C T D E L D Q I R M A F Y B J C T M Y S N U F Q F N I U V U F I’m unique but I’m not a fingerprint X E W X K A B D A R W A N T M K L L S X Z V L T C L T Q T A O D Q C W K P M G Q I’m sometimes part of a ball but I’m A Z S W T V N R M K R O E R D Z P U C P R E K V U B Q X O I P Q G R A B Y W G P not leather Sugarbush Health & Recreation Center C I D I E Y P K M S S B R U B C S D H Y S K Y W A T E R R R S Q C J D E H P R G If I get warm enough I go away but For information, please contact D T B K Q O J Z F W R G G Z C T V I H W N Q X U Y Z J F M A Q R I M T Z F E O A I’m not a winter wardrobe (SHaRC) offers an array of our experienced wedding planner N A F T O R B H Q A E T Y B A K J I D E W T E N A L P R W T S R E S C W V Q Q M I’m sometimes part of a man but I at [email protected] or H P M L W O G H G C O S L I Q G G K G Y O T E K I G G X A E F X A V Q U I H G Y don’t have any skin WINTER ACTIVITIES call 802.583.6370. E X I A R Y B X P W O Q N S Y L A W Q A R L K Z A J C Z T G K W M B I A Q Y L W for kids of all ages. H N P X R T W L H G P A T W C K L T G A G Q J B Y B T G E E O Z A G D D U I R M 3) Why did the pine tree get into trouble? SALTWATER POOL & HOT TUB G L R A M L N V F D B G V Z S Y N X I N Y X M O C N S V R V G N R E S E O B O P ROCK CLIMBING B H F K F G K A E I B D N W U X T R A H L J T E W W R K G N B A C L T Q A I E M 4) What did the mother worm say to B Z Q B U U K G L P E C A G Y A V H J G L Z K P A O P S A Y Y W R R D Q F O B Y the little worm who was late? TENNIS, SQUASH & B R I J U T O I N B A N J M C N V X S M A Z R B T O C O R F T D Q D N H J Y W M RACQUETBALL P U B L I C T R A N S P O R T A T I O N C D T Q B A L O D Q R P Z X E O B M W H KIDS’ ADVENTURE ZONE JA G V H C Z Y T O J C L R E W O P D N I W O O Q W X Q H R E J C T U S E N J U N H BUNGEE TRAMPOLINE N W S T F W Z O F E V L M B T L J A L W L S H U K O Q F N E O A G R F S I S A M BOUNCE HOUSE N S A R I E E O S U Q J N R E C Y C L E M A B H B Z P S S T G B W F M W I N M A BASKETBALL E T I H D U R E D N D L H N E S T C N U O C O U F C U R G K V V H X R N T F G Z AND MORE! C O G N T J I C S G R E V V H U P X Z T S S T H W E T J V Z P H R Q G S R E H C J S S T Y D E T W Y Q U C R P F S V Q B E V B Q G N T S V P E L T T K I W J S V Z G W N O Y V C D Z A F G X O R B A O R E J O W H B F W J U J Z Z L Z N J M P O P T E I F R P G U O I O X Q L O E U B F S A P F X S F C M A F H R G G L Y V W W E L B A D A R G E D O I B X L G V W S L U M W H T E D Y E R Q P W M R N D W H N

C Q A I G J I C P R E B E I I R Z T O U E G Z R Q T V C X C G N I T S O P M O C

N I U S C Y Z H J Y X R B Z N E S U X P R W A E H Y C X F A R B M H W P U Z C B been? you have earth in Where 4)

Z X A K T E C O S Y S T E M A N T J U B R W A M I P Z S R R M H B G R H R W S Y knotty being was it Because 3)

W J A Y K I B X M F L Q A Y T E U J Q R L A D T D I C R J I A I H Z Z U A S L H Snow 2) N F I D E Y C M D G R K Y B O W T C I E R U L L E F G O Q R I A K J R D U D E R tree a of bark The 1) Answers: A Q I I B W Z F P P J E E X R A O O S L F T Y O O R P D D Q E I S J U L N U C Y D L L L M I D O R T S W U A S B D S M Y W Z E R S H B N D N F L Q K N E S O T M A E U F V H A W W E A A H V X L O D J N I F E B M K K O K B E Q I X I F H K T J H SUSTA US IN B A V D X F O H N R V U E F L X E E U I M A U S V R N G Y G T N I S F R A X C B R U R B I E L E C T R I C C A R D B V Q J I Z Q G T J Z H I E T T A T A T F M V Y D G C O A L G I T U I R Y Y M O R W O E X E G F A V R U P D Y Z K P G K K Y D Z L O C Z C V J W Q E Y S Y P J N O Z S E S Q L R V M I G R Q S Q Z L L O E A K W Y Z C E B G Y T S Y I N U O B A S D S Y L P O C C A B V E M P A B X J B C K N Y N E B T D G C H E R M O

J N G N R E N B G A S Y Y S O G S C M Q H Q L H F I D E U E B I Z C Y S U Z W O F O Y R G T V J M Z G X J Z M R C F C C J S L K O W U A C N Q N R P A O A J I B Y U V R V E R S E HEALTH & RECREATION CENTER T N Z A V H I Z H G N P X Y Y W I U Q I Q D C R Y L P H W M F I C A G J A P V E F I • E • WA E Y B W K S E T M Q B D M P S E B P L O Q Q O Y M I B U C J Q J P E K Q K J F J B TER • WAST 802.583.6700 | sugarbush.com

58 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE 2019/20 59 ARBU G SH SU

S Y U T S L I TA I N A B I DINING DIRECTORY RESTAURANT DESCRIPTION PRICE RANGE CONTACT Allyn's Lodge Fireside Dining Farm-to-table four-course meal served fireside at Sugarbush’s $$$$ 802.583.6590 mid-mountain lodge. Arrive by cabin cat or hike; ski or cat down. sugarbush.com American Flatbread Farm-to-table pizza baked in a primitive wood-fired earthen oven. $$ 802.496.8856 americanflatbread.com Big Picture Café and Theater The Valley’s unofficial cultural center and café, open Mon.–Sat. 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., $$ 802.496.8994 Sun.–Mon. 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. bigpicturetheater.info The Blue Stone A rustic pizza shop and tavern in the heart of Vermont. $$ 802.496.3499 Featuring Old World hand-tossed pizza with a New World local twist. bluestonevermont.com Canteen Creemee Company Serving fried chicken, burgers, fries, and creemees in the heart $ 802.496.6003 of the Mad River Valley. canteencreemee.com CRAFT BEER & WINE Castlerock Pub Classic Vermont-influenced pub menu with outstanding craft beverages Fit2$$ 802.583.6594 and local beers. Open daily in winter, and on summer holidays. sugarbush.com GROCERIES AMERICAN Chez Henri Parisian bistrot in historic Sugarbush Village since 1964. Winter only. $$$ 802.583.2600 China Fun Take out or dine in. Open Mon.–Thurs. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sun. noon to 9 p.m. BeThai’d$ 802.496.7889 BREAKFAST & LUNCH East Warren Community Market The Valley’s local food co-op, providing prepared foods as well as local, organic, $$ 802.496.6758 PREPARED FOODS and specialty items from cheese and eggs to beer and bakery items. Open daily. eastwarrenmarket.org • Thurs-Sun, 5:00-9:30pm Fit 2 Be Thai'd Restaurant Authentic Thai cuisine using home recipes, and a full bar. $ 802.496.3008 Open seven days a week, 3 p.m.–10 p.m. fit2bethaied.com • All Natural Pizza Baked General Stark's Pub & Grill Full bar and table service for lunch and après in winter; $$ 802.496.3551 Thurs.–Sun. 4:30–8:30 p.m. in summer. In the Mad River Glen Basebox. madriverglen.com in a Wood-Fired Oven Green Mountain Lounge Offering specialty salads, wings, nachos, and the famous Smash Burger. $-$$ 802.583.6300 • Farm to table cuisine Located on the second floor of Mt. Ellen base lodge. Open daily during ski season. sugarbush.com Hogan's Pub Seasonal lunch menu, local burgers, well-stocked bar, and long Valley views. $$ 802.583.6723 • Local craft brews on tap Open daily in summer. sugarbush.com Hostel Tevere Pub Serving dinner Thurs.– Mon. from 4 p.m. $–$$ 802.496.9222 / hosteltevere.com • Nightly AprÈs ski bonfire Hyde Away Farm-fresh local fare featuring creative entrées, sandwiches, burgers, $$$ 802.496.2322 wings, salads, craft beers, and specialty cocktails. hydeawayinn.com Lawson's Finest Liquids Family-owned award-winning brewery, retail, and taproom featuring tasting $$ 802.496.HOPS ph: (802) 496-8856 plates of local artisanal food showcasing our freshly brewed beer. Open daily. www.lawsonsfinest.com .5 mile from Sugarbush americanflatbread.com Local Folk Smokehouse Serving house-made BBQ Cajun burgers and more, $$ 802.496.5623 2367 Sugarbush Access Rd. plus twenty-five local and regional drafts. localfolkvt.com Mad River Barn Pub with burgers, entrées, and local brews; family-friendly dining. $$$ 802.496.3310 www.paradisevt.com | 802.583.2757 Open seven days a week. madriverbarn.com Mad Taco Offering some of the most authentic Mexican fare in Vermont, as well as $$ 802.496.3832 a small selection of fine craft and Mexican beers and tequila. themadtaco.com Mehuron's Supermarket Family-owned market and gourmet deli with meats, cheeses, wine, and beer. $ 802.496.3700 Extensive prepared food. mehurons.com Mutha Stuffers Eat-in or takeout deli serving a full line of Boar’s Head products and $$ 802.583.4477 local Vermont beers in historic Sugarbush Village. Open Nov.–May. Paradise Provisions Grocery store and kitchen with large beer and wine selection. Breakfast, lunch, $ 802.583.2757 and dinner takeout. Located on Sugarbush Access Road. paradisevt.com Peasant Traditional rustic European food, open Thurs.–Mon. after 5:30 p.m.; $$$ 802.496.6856 reservations recommended. peasantvt.com The Pitcher Inn Farm-to-table cuisine, fine wine, local craft beers, and innovative cocktails $$$ 802.496.6350 in an updated and relaxed dining room upstairs or an intimate pub downstairs. pitcherinn.com a t Reks Family-friendly restaurant with a bar and arcade, in historic Sugarbush Village. $$ 802.583.3232 Open Nov.-May. LAREAU FARM Rumble's Kitchen Slopeside restaurant serving fresh American cuisine in a fun atmosphere. $$–$$$ 802.583.6800 Well-behaved dogs welcome on patio. Open year-round. • $100-$160/night, Hearty Sage Coastal Mediterranean cuisine prepared from fresh Vermont ingredients. $$$ 802.496-SAGE Amazing cocktails and deck dining. sagevt.com Built in 1839, this spirited country store farmhouse breakfast incl. combines an eclectic deli and bakery, Skinny Pancake Serving sweet and savory crepes with local sustainable products. $$ 802.583.7444 • Minutes from Sugarbush Located on the first floor of the Farmhouse. Winter only. skinnypancake.com an award winning wine shop, Vermont Stoke Ramen Bar Fresh, fabulous ramen in Waitsfield. Healthy, filling, and endlessly customizable. $$ 802.496.5081 & Mad River Glen Sweet Spot Café, bakery, ice cream, and spirits. Serving breakfast and lunch $$ 802.496.9199 artisanal beer and plenty of local color. seven days a week. thesweetspotvermont.com From penny candy to contemporary • Stay 3 nights, Three Mountain Café Breakfast sandwiches, lunch to go, pastries, sweet treats, $ 802.496.5470 4th night free espresso, and coffee. threemountaincafe.com clothing and gifts...” Toast and Eggs Breakfast, brunch, and lunch featuring house-made biscuits and jam, kimchi $–$$ 802.496.7644 • Open 363 1/2 days a year! • Families & Pets bowls, and specialty sandwiches. Wed.–Sun. 6 a.m.–2 p.m. toastandeggsvt.com • Located 1 mile south of the accommodated Tucker Hill Inn Restaurant Enjoy an upscale Vermont twist on comfort food and libations. $$–$$$ 802.496.3983 / tuckerhill.com Sugarbush Access Road off Route 100. Walt's at the Glen House Gourmet grilled-cheese sandwiches, grain bowls, local beers, and specialty cocktails. $$ 802.583.6300 Featuring Lawson’s Finest Liquids’ Sip of Sunshine. Open during the ski season. sugarbush.com “Best General Store in Vermont 2017” ph: (802) 496-4949 Warren Store Sumptuous baked goods, prepared foods, artisanal beer, and plenty of $$ 802.496.3864 – New England Today wine choices. Open daily for breakfast, lunch, and staples. warrenstore.com lareaufarminn.com Worthy Burger Too Grass-fed beef burgers grilled over Vermont hardwoods, tallow fries, $$ 802.496.2575 “Best One Stop Shopping in Vermont” local veggies and greens, craft beer, cocktails, and wines. worthyvermont.com – Yankee Magazine Wünderbar Pulled pork and reuben paninis, soups, salads, and a bar scene that has been $$ 802.583.6300 warrenstore.com 802-496-3864 rocking since 1958. Open during the ski season. sugarbush.com 60 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE $: budget $$: affordable $$$: moderate $$$$: fine 2019/20 61 LODGING DIRECTORY

INN/HOTEL STYLE PRICE RANGE CONTACT 1824 House Relaxed, comfortable, and tasteful B&B on fourteen gorgeous acres in Waitsfield. $$$ 802.496.7555 1824house.com The Battlegrounds Two- to four-bedroom condominiums, sleeping four to twelve. Fully equipped. $$–$$$$ 802.583.3000 Close to Mad River Glen. sugarbushvillagecondos.com Beaver Pond Farm Inn Distinctive and intimate B&B or full house rental five minutes $$$ 800.685.8285 from Sugarbush Resort, adjacent to Sugarbush Resort Golf Club. beaverpondfarminn.com Bridges Resort & Couples or family getaway, one- to three-bedroom condos with tennis, $$$ 802.583.2922 Tennis Club pools, and fitness classes. bridgesresort.com Clay Brook Luxury slopeside one- to five-bedroom residences with year-round outdoor $$$$ 800.53.SUGAR heated pool and hot tubs. sugarbush.com Eagles Resort Freestanding, Swedish-design, two-bedroom homes. $$$ 802.496.5700 eaglesresortvt.com Featherbed Inn Charming Waitsfield B&B with fieldstone fireplace, and home-baked pies. $$–$$$ 802.496.7151 Saturdays on occasion. featherbedinn.com Hostel Tevere European hostel-style lodging; shared bathrooms and common spaces. $ 802.496.9222 hosteltevere.com Hyde Away Inn Family-friendly, pet-friendly, nine-room inn with casual accommodations. $$ 802.496.2322 Farm-fresh restaurant and classic local tavern. hydeawayinn.com Inn at Lareau Farm A classic Vermont farmhouse nestled in the Mad River Valley. $$–$$$ 802.496.4949 lareaufarminn.com Inn at Round Barn Farm Boutique country inn, twelve rooms, cozy fireplaces, farm-to-table breakfast. $$$$ 802.496.2276 theroundbarn.com Mad River Barn Family-friendly lodging with onsite restaurant, pub, and game room. $$$ 802.496.3310 madriverbarn.com Mad River Inn Relaxed atmosphere, with outdoor hot tub and BYOB lounge with pool table. $$$ 802.496.7900 madriverinn.com Mad River Lodge Brand-new lodge opening winter 2019. $$$ 802.496.6969 Located two miles from Mad River Glen and Mt. Ellen. madriverlodge.com WhiteHorseInn-SugarbushAd_Layout 1 7/22/14 11:23 A Mountain View Inn Beautiful inn with cozy rooms and delicious breakfasts. $$ 802.496.2426 Minutes from skiing and town. vtmountainviewinn.com Pitcher Inn Relais & Châteaux luxury with eleven well-appointed, unique guest rooms $$$$ 802.496.6350 and exquisite dining. pitcherinn.com Cozy Comfort at the Sugarbush Inn Comfortable and affordable family-friendly inn minutes from the mountain. $$ 800.53.SUGAR Center of Vermont’s Open winter only; summer for private groups. sugarbush.com Sugarbush Resort One- to four-bedroom privately owned condos, on or near the mountain. $$$ 800.53.SUGAR Three Finest Ski Areas Condominiums sugarbush.com Sugarbush Village Fully equipped one- to four-bedroom condominiums close to Sugarbush $$–$$$$ 802.583.3000 Condominiums and Mad River Glen. sugarbushvillagecondos.com Sugar Lodge One-half mile from Lincoln Peak. Family-friendly, affordable hotel rooms $$ 802.583.3300 and suites. Complimentary Continental breakfast. sugarlodge.com Swanson Inn Set in a nineteenth-century farmhouse, a homey B&B with views of the $$ 802.496.2405 . Your Vermont country home in the Mad River Valley. swansoninn.com Tucker Hill Inn A family-friendly inn. Warm up with après, enjoy dinner, and relax! $$–$$$ 802.496.3983 At the tuckerhill.com entrance to Waitsfield Inn Historic inn within minutes of mountains, centrally located, $$$ 802.496.3979 Sugarbush walk to shops and dining. waitsfieldinn.com Mt. Ellen Warren Falls Inn Five-bedroom inn with large kitchen, living room, and deck on the Mad River. $$ 802.496.2977 & just 5 warrenfallsinn.com minutes from Warren Lodge Newly renovated (2016), standard efficient rooms decorated with rustic $$$ 802.496.3084 Sugarbush (formerly Golden Lion) farmhouse-chic décor. Only three miles from Sugarbush. Open daily. thewarrenlodge.com Lincoln Peak & Mad River Glen, Weathertop Mountain Inn Eclectic and spacious European-style inn. Private baths, hot tub, sauna, $$$ 802.496.4909 our 26-room Inn serves a full breakfast in and game room. weathertopmountaininn.com a homey setting at West Hill House B&B affordable rates. Award-winning B&B beside Sugarbush: comfort, hospitality, and great $$$ 802.496.7162 Serving Vermont breakfasts year-round. Complimentary shuttle. westhillbb.com beers & wines. White Horse Inn A twenty-six-room B&B at the entrance to Mt. Ellen at Sugarbush Resort. $$ 802.496.9448 Perfect for groups. Spacious Swedish Contemporary Homes whitehorseinn-vermont.com Rentals & Sales Wilder Farm Inn & Historic farmhouse with private baths. Available for nightly rental or whole house $$$ 800.496.9935 Vacation Rentals for groups. wilderfarminn.com 802-496-9448 in ROUTE 100 / P.O. BOX 208 Yellow Farmhouse Inn King and queen beds, private baths with Jacuzzis, and gas stoves; on shuttle route. $$$ 802.496.4263 Fayston/Waitsfield yellowfarmhouseinn.com WAITSFIELD, VERMONT 05673 802-496-5700 www.WhiteHorseInn-Vermont.com eaglesresortvt.com

62 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE $: budget $$: affordable $$$: moderate $$$$: fine 2019/20 63 TIMELINE 1958 2008 SUGARBUSH VALLEY Al Hobart, founder of the Green Mountain Valley Damon and Sara School, is inducted into Gadd, along with the Vermont Ski and Jack Murphy and Snowboard Hall of Fame. Lixi Fortna, open Sugarbush Resort. Thanks to its three- 1996 person, top-to-bottom Warren Miller films local 2010 The Schoolhouse (the base of children’s Carlevaro-Savio gondola, legends John Egan, Doug day programs) and the Farmhouse (with a Sugarbush boasts the 1963 Lewis, Jesse Murphy, season pass/ticket office, rentals and repair, “greatest vertical rise in the East.” SUGARBUSH VALLEY & GLEN ELLEN Sally Knight, and Seth Miller at Sugarbush for and a café) open at Lincoln Peak Village. Walt Elliott opens the Glen Ellen Ski Area. the film Snowriders. Complete with Scottish-themed trail names, 1959 Glen Ellen claims “the greatest vertical The resort installs a double chairlift, opening descent in the East,” with its tiered lifts to 2013 up the legendary Castlerock area. This area Construction is completed on Rice Brook the 4,083-foot summit of 2001 is immediately known for its expert ski Residences, private homes linking Lincoln Mt. Ellen. The Gate House 1977–79 1984 terrain. That reputation continues today. With a plan to operate a four-season Peak Village to historic Sugarbush Village. area at Lincoln Peak SUGARBUSH VALLEY— resort, Claneil Enterprises purchases the (Sugarbush Valley) opens SUGARBUSH SOUTH & SUGARBUSH mountain, Sugarbush Inn, the racquet club, with a new double chair. NORTH the golf course, and additional land for 2015 Roy Cohen purchases Sugarbush (in 1977) future development. The original Valley House lift is replaced 1963–66 and Glen Ellen (in 1979). The two areas join with a fixed-grip quad, more than doubling under the Sugarbush name. Glen Ellen is SUGARBUSH RESORT Olympic Gold Medalist its uphill capacity. renamed Sugarbush North to reflect the Win Smith and Joe Riemer form Summit Stein Eriksen serves as 1990 union. (In 1995, it is renamed Mt. Ellen.) Ventures to purchase Sugarbush. After director of the Sugarbush Ski School. Most Three new chairlifts are installed at Mt. Riemer’s death, a handful of minority afternoons he performs his signature flip on Ellen—including the Green Mountain Express, 2016 investors join Smith. He begins to lay the 1960 skis in the base area. at that time the fastest quad in the world, Construction is completed on Gadd Brook 1978 transporting skiers at 1,100 feet per minute. groundwork for a new master plan for the Slopeside, sixteen private homes at the base With a rebuilt access road and the addition of Sugarbush is featured resort that closely reflects the values and of Lincoln Peak named after the resort’s the Valley House chairlift, Sugarbush begins in Warren Miller’s film 1964 philosophies of the original owners, as well founding family. attracting throngs of New York glitterati. Ski a la Carte. Chez Henri, a Parisian-style 1993 as the character and style of the Mad River Vogue dubs Sugarbush “Mascara Mountain” John Egan is voted into the Ski and Sugarbush is featured in Warren Miller’s Black Valley and Vermont. because of its glamorous guest list, bistrot, opens in Sugarbush Diamond Rush, starring local skiers John and Snowboard Hall of Fame. including actress Kim Novak, the Kennedy Village. Dan Egan, and Kelley and Doug Lewis. clan, musician Skitch Henderson, and fashion designer Oleg Cassini. Sugarbush The Green Mountain Valley 2017 is featured in its first Warren Miller movie, School establishes its ski 1994 The Village Double Swingin' Skis. race training site, now and Sunshine Double recognized as a U.S. Ski chairlifts are replaced with Team Development Site, at Mt. Ellen. fixed-grip quad lifts, and RFID gates are installed in lift lines. SUGARBUSH & MT. ELLEN 1983 Les Otten purchases Sugarbush and makes Roy Cohen sells Sugarbush to ARA Services. major infrastructure investments, including 2018 Sugarbush hosts a series of events to ARA removes the gondola. Super Bravo and the installation of seven new lifts, three of celebrate its Diamond Jubilee anniversary, Heaven’s Gate chairs are installed, and which are detachable quads. The Slide Brook 2006 including “60 Years of Sugarbush Music,” uphill capacity increases fourfold. Express ferries skiers back and forth to Mt. Lincoln Peak Village opens to the public. with local band Ellen. Snowmaking improvements include The new facilities include Gate House The Grift, National Jack Murphy is posthumously given the a new twenty-five-million-gallon pond Lodge, Clay Brook Hotel & Residences, Public Radio's Moth Sherman Adams Award by the National and miles of pipe. Soon, Otten creates the and Timbers Restaurant (now Rumble’s StorySLAM, and a Wall Ski Areas Association (NSAA), marking his American Skiing Company with Sugarbush Kitchen). The new village is modeled on the of Fame weekend. significant influence on the eastern U.S. ski as one of its several holdings. traditional style of Vermont farmhouses, industry. barns, and schoolhouses. 64 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE 2019/20 65 SUGARBUSH CLOSE–UP JA

sugarbush.com 800.53.SUGAR a taste of sugarbush WINTER FOOD & BEVERAGE OPTIONS AROUND THE MOUNTAIN

RUMBLE’S KITCHEN CASTLEROCK PUB THE WÜNDERBAR WALT’S AT THE GLEN HOUSE Enjoy fresh, American cuisine Classic Vermont-influenced pub A legend reborn, Sugarbush’s A refurbished Glen House at Mt. in an approachable and fun menu with outstanding craft original après hangout, featuring Ellen with a small bar and menu atmosphere. Serving breakfast, beverages. Features live music retro beers, sandwiches, hearty that includes gourmet grilled SUGARBUSH THE MOUNTAINS lunch and dinner. on weekends. soups and fresh salads in the cheese sandwiches, grain bowls, After years of skiing at the mountain with his than $9 million has been spent on new lifts. The With expansive terrain covering 2,600 feet of original Valley House Lodge. home-made soups, and burritos. family, Win Smith and a small group of investors resort replaced the original Valley House lift vertical, Sugarbush brings some of the flavor of purchased Sugarbush in September of 2001. They in 2015, and the original Village and Sunshine western skiing to the East, and boasts one of the have since embarked on reshaping the Sugarbush Double lifts in 2017—all with fixed-grip quads. largest uphill capacities in the northeast region. The experience to reflect the authentic nature of the The Village and Sunshine lift replacements resort offers 111 trails for beginners, intermediates, Mad River Valley while honoring the resort’s provide a more seamless experience for and experts, spread across two mountains— rich history dating back to 1958. Incorporating beginners at both mountains. To improve guest Lincoln Peak and Mt. Ellen—and 4,000 acres, with traditional Vermont architecture into the village, service, the resort upgraded its ticket-checking a chairlift and a shuttle bus that connect the two. hosting community events, and highlighting local technology to RFID gates in 2017. Lincoln Peak Village offers many lodging and dining agriculture in the resort’s culinary offerings are Linking Sugarbush’s rich history, the unique- options, and also serves as home base for the Ski & just some of the ways Sugarbush delivers a rich ness of the Mad River Valley, and the modernity Ride School and Rentals and Repair. Lincoln Peak experience for its guests. of new amenities, Sugarbush is committed offers extensive beginner terrain and lifts, and a In 2006, Sugarbush completed construction to offering the best in customer service, four First Timer program that may reward participants of Clay Brook Hotel & Residences and Gate seasons of outdoor recreation, and an unrivaled with a free season pass and a pair of Elan skis or House Lodge. Four years later, two more and quintessential Vermont experience. a Rome snowboard (supplies are limited). The skier-services buildings—the Schoolhouse and legendary terrain of Castlerock Peak, with its the Farmhouse—were added to Lincoln Peak JA narrow, steep, and winding trails, offers seasoned Village. Rice Brook Residences—fifteen new experts a challenge and an old-time New England homes in three buildings—were completed ski experience. Snowcat adventures? Get up early in 2013, connecting Lincoln Peak Village for First Tracks on the Lincoln Limo, take the family and historic Sugarbush Village. And in 2016, on a Sunset Groomer Ride, book the limo for remote construction was completed on Gadd Brook Fireside Dining at Allyn’s Lodge, or plan Private Slopeside—sixteen private homes named after Spring Skiing at Mt. Ellen. the resort’s founding family. Connected by the Slide Brook Express to Each year, Win Smith and his entire resort Lincoln Peak, Mt. Ellen is the third-highest peak team work hard to make good on the Sugarbush in Vermont (serviced by the highest chairlift in the promise: Be Better Here. Since 2001, Smith’s state). Mt. Ellen has steeps, wide-open cruisers, team has invested more than $74 million in and some great intermediate terrain. Mt. Ellen mountain improvements. Snowmaking upgrades is an understated experience, with a rustic base at both mountains, in the form of new, energy- lodge that’s home to the convivial Green Mountain efficient compressors and snow guns, account Lounge, and with Walt’s at the Glen House, a mid- for almost $7 million of that investment. More mountain lodge turned hotspot thanks to gourmet

66 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE 2019/20 67 JA JA Clay Brook sugarbush.com 800.53.SUGAR AT SUGARBUSH CLAY BROOK HOTEL & RESIDENCES Modern luxury meets slopeside convenience with studio to five-bedroom suites, concierge JA 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 Sugarbush Health & Recreation Center and Valley-wide shuttle service included.

grilled-cheese sandwich selections and Lawson’s SUMMER Finest Liquids’ Sip of Sunshine beer. Mt. Ellen is Many locals will claim that the Mad River Valley also where you’ll find the Riemergasse Terrain Park, is more beautiful in summer than at any other designed with rails, tables, and jumps for all levels, time of year. Sugarbush hosts an eighteen-hole and home to a series of events and competitions. Robert Trent Jones Sr.–designed golf course, The Green Mountain Valley School, a private ski and summer mountain activities that include lift- academy with Olympian and U.S. Ski Team alumni, served mountain biking, a bungee trampoline, trains here. (GMVS is a U.S. Ski Team Development disc golf courses at the base and the peak, and Site.) Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports bases their a zip line. Weddings in the area take place on programs here, as well. scenic mountaintops, in classic barns, and on LODGING Whether at Mt. Ellen or Lincoln Peak, skiing in picturesque terraces. Summer camps for kids From slopeside luxury to quaint country living, the the trees is often the best way to find great snow. offer mountain biking instruction, hiking, golf, and Sugarbush Vacation Team can assist in finding Twenty-eight wooded areas provide beginner to swimming. The internationally acclaimed New accommodations to suit a variety of needs and advanced tree skiing. The 2,000-acre Slide Brook England Tennis Holidays offers multi-day tennis budgets (for reservations, call 800-53-SUGAR or Basin, tucked in between Lincoln Peak and Mt. camps and instruction at the Sugarbush Health & visit sugarbush.com). The slopeside Clay Brook Ellen, is an adventurer’s paradise. To best explore Recreation Center. Hotel & Residences offers sixty-one suites, Sugarbush’s legendary terrain, book a private The Mad River, which gives the Valley its ranging from king rooms to five-bedroom suites, lesson with one of the resort’s many award-winning name, offers recreational opportunities from and features ski-in/ski-out access, full valet instructors, including Ski & Snowboard Hall of kayaking and canoeing to tubing and swimming- service, a year-round outdoor heated pool, a Famer John Egan. hole hopping. Cross-country mountain biking fitness center, and Rumble’s Kitchen restaurant. Both guided and self-guided snowshoeing and hiking trails are abundant for all levels. And Down the road is the forty-two-room Sugarbush adventures are available throughout the winter, and outdoor dining on the mountain and along the Inn, open all winter and for private groups in the vary in length and difficulty. Sugarbush also offers river is a summer pleasure, particularly when summer. The inn—with nooks for reading and an uphill travel pass to those guests who choose coupled with an art or music festival. a parlor with an adjoining fireplace room—has to skin up the mountain before or after the lifts are the cozy charm of a Vermont country cottage.

in operation. (See our Winter Trail Use policy, at JA Sugarbush also offers a mix of resort-managed sugarbush.com/resort-policies, for details.) condominiums surrounding Lincoln Peak. All Sugarbush isn’t the only draw in the Mad River Sugarbush lodging comes with complimentary Valley. Mad River Glen, just a few miles to the north of access to the Sugarbush Health & Recreation Sugarbush, boasts classic and challenging eastern Center, which offers indoor and outdoor pools, hot terrain. The Valley is also home to two tubs, steam rooms, the Adventure Zone for kids centers, Blueberry Lake and Ole’s Cross Country (winter only), rock climbing, tennis, and massage. Center, as well as the Catamount Trail. In Waitsfield, (For additional lodging recommendations, please the Skatium Ice Rink provides an old-school outdoor call the Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce skating experience. at 802-496-3409.)

68 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE 2019/20 69 TRANSPORTATION MOUNTAIN STATISTICS MOUNTAIN OPERATION HOURS The Burlington International Airport is just fifty minutes from Sugarbush, with direct flights arriving from New WINTER: mid-Nov.–Apr. York City, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, and seasonal direct flights from Toronto. SUMMIT Weekdays: 8 AM–4 PM at Mt. Ellen; Morrisville-Stowe State Airport is just under an hour away and offers direct flights from White Plains, New York. 4,083FT / 1,245M Amtrak runs trains from major eastern cities into Rutland (one hour south of Sugarbush) and Waterbury (thirty 9 AM–4 PM at Lincoln Peak minutes north). And once you’ve arrived, Green Mountain Transit offers free public transportation services in the Weekends/Holidays: 8 AM–4 PM winter season within the Mad River Valley region. SPRING: Apr.–May DISTANCE FROM: VERTICAL DROP Call for spring-adjusted hours. 2,600FT / 793M 581 SKIABLE ACRES Burlington: 46 miles Boston: 180 miles New York City: 300 miles Montreal: 139 miles (224 KM) SUMMER: mid-June–Labor Day AVERAGE ANNUAL 16 LIFTS 53MI / 85KM OF TRAILS Sun.–Thu.: 10 AM–4 PM FIRST-TIME VISITORS SNOWFALL 10 QUADS (5 HIGH SPEED) 250IN / 635CM 2 TRIPLES / 1 DOUBLE / 3 SURFACE 111 TRAILS Fri., Sat., & holidays: 10 AM–6 PM Find information on where to go for lift tickets, rentals/demos, Ski & Ride School, and dining options at BASE AREA www.sugarbush.com/discover/first-time-guide/. 1,483FT / 452M 70% SNOWMAKING 2 TERRAIN PARKS 28 WOODED AREAS FALL: early Sept.–Columbus Day 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.

LEGEND

EASIER DIFFICULT MORE DIFFICULT MOST DIFFICULT WOODED AREA FREESTYLE TERRAIN SLOW-SKIING AREA FLAT OUT SNOWMAKING EVENTS 2019/20 PARTING SHOT

The Big Kicker Castlerock Extreme Sugarbush Brew-Grass Festival Warren Parade 10/12 Community Day 1/18–20 MLK Jr. Weekend 3/21–22 Island Weekend 7/4 Independence Day Celebrate autumn in Vermont with An action-packed weekend with a Have your mountain and your Celebration pumpkin carving, scenic lift rides and kids’ cooking class, pizza and movie beach, too! Spring fever takes over Start the day with the wacky Warren hikes, harvest-inspired dining, music, night, late-night music, specialty Sugarbush, with reggae music, Parade, followed by mountain kids’ camps, and mountain activities. dining options at Rumble’s Kitchen island food and drink specials, a luau, activities, a classic American BBQ, live 10/13 Oktoberfest and Mad Dash and Castlerock Pub, and a torchlight volleyball, hula-hoop contests, and music, and fireworks at Lincoln Peak. A 5K or 10K run, 5K walk, and kids’ parade and fireworks. fun-in-the-sun beach activities. 7/5 Mad Marathon race, supporting the Mad River Path 1/25–26 & 3/5–6 3/28 Mt. Ellen End-of-Season Party This scenic course sends runners Association (in Waitsfield), followed Women’s Discovery Camp Celebrate another great ski season along beautiful country roads in the by Bavarian-inspired food, drink, An enriching two-and-a-half-day at Mt. Ellen with live music and Mad River Valley, through covered and games. Compete in our stein- learning experience hosted by top- special events. bridges, past farms, and over hoisting and keg-tossing contests to notch coaches. The perfect blend of 4/4 Pond Skimming streams. Participants can run a relay, win prizes. fun, learning, and skiing and riding. Take the plunge across a 100-foot half marathon, or whole marathon. 10/27 Tiny House Fest Vermont Video analysis, group meals, après- pond at the base of Lincoln Peak. RECURRING EVENTS Learn what goes into building a tiny ski parties, and optional ski demos Whether you get wet or just house, and tour a tiny house village. included. spectate, be sure to participate in Tour de Moon Presented by Yestermorrow Design/ 2/15–23 President’s Week this annual rite of spring. Awards A moonlit skin or snowshoe up Build School. tinyhousefestvermont.com A nonstop week of fun, with live music, for best costume, style, and splash. Mt. Ellen. There will be guided and 11/23 The Big Kicker local artisan market, Sugarbush Day-of registration, limited to 110 unguided skinning and snowshoeing Kick off the 2019–20 winter season PARKS, activities for all ages at the participants. to Walt’s at the Glen House, where with Mad River Glen and Sugarbush SHaRC, a torchlight parade, fireworks, 4/4 Sugarbush Wall of Fame you can enjoy gourmet grilled-cheese at Mt. Ellen. This unmatched ski- and a themed dog parade. Ceremony and Celebration sandwiches and beverages from local mountain duo throws a freestyle party 3/1–31 March Madness Join the Sugarbush community in brewers. Walt’s stays open until 8 p.m. with rail jams, ski movies, music, food Celebrate March at Sugarbush! Fun celebration of the second annual 2/8, 2/15, 2/22, 2/29, 3/7, 3/14, 3/21 and drink, and nonprofit partners. events indoors and outdoors for Wall of Fame induction ceremony Kids’ Pizza & Movie Night This event benefits Vermont Adaptive. all ages, including old-timers like (nominations open January 1, 2020). Send the kids off for a night of fun 12/14 SugarBash Sloshwicking. 4/12 Easter Celebration with pizza and a movie while you enjoy Sugarbush’s annual birthday cele- 3/1 High Fives Fat Ski-A-Thon Celebrate Easter Sunday with a an evening on your own. bration with the Funk Collection. Lap the Valley House Quad on your morning service at Allyn’s Lodge, 12/14, 12/29, 1/11, 2/1, 2/29, 3/21 12/16–20 Valley Ski & Ride Week widest planks and give out high fives followed by an Easter egg hunt and Young Chef Class A tradition at Sugarbush for more than all day for a great cause. Raise money brunch at Rumble’s Kitchen. A fun and tasty evening of creativity fifty years. Join us for four consecutive to support the High Fives Foundation 6/13 Sugarbush Brew-Grass through a hands-on culinary days of ski and ride lessons led by and join the after-party in Valley Festival experience. Children will learn basic some of Sugarbush’s finest coaches. House Lodge. Kick off summer with Sugarbush’s kitchen safety, food handling, cooking 3/14–15 Junior Castlerock Extreme tenth annual Brew-Grass Festival, techniques, and how to set a table, 12/20 NASTAR Begins all while preparing and feasting on a Lincoln Peak race series runs Friday, & Castlerock Extreme Weekend featuring craft beers from more than Talented young skiers (ages fourteen twenty Vermont breweries, tasty three-course meal. Saturday, and Sunday 11:00 a.m.– 12/28, 1/18, 2/15, 2/22, 3/7 3:00 p.m. from December through and under) compete in a challenging local eats, and bluegrass bands. and technical run down Castlerock’s Followed by the Brew-Grass Golf Castlerock Pub Late-Night March 22. BARRIE FISHER grueling Lift Line. This is a qualifying Tournament on Sunday, June 14. Music Series 12/21–1/5 Holiday Week race for the following day’s Castlerock 12/31 (The Detonators); 1/11, 2/1, Celebrate the holidays at Sugarbush 6/15–16 Boomer Scramble Extreme, where expert skiers charge Championship 2/29, & 3/21 (The Grift) with activities for all ages, from the cliffs and dips of Sugarbush’s Christmas caroling with special A two-day golf event for ages 65+. Cabin Cat Adventures toughest terrain. Please note that Sign up as a full team or be grouped First Tracks brings you to untouched, guests, Kids’ Pizza & Movie Night, these two events have been combined a magic show, gingerbread house with others. early-morning trails at Lincoln into one weekend. Register early, as Peak on powder days and by private decorating, and a Kids’ Rail Jam to these events sell out. 6/27 Summer Mountain campfires with s’mores and après Activities Opening Day booking; Sunset Groomer Rides live music. Indoor activities at the 3/14 Mt. Ellen SideSurfers Discover all that Sugarbush has to provide an early-evening, hour-long The SHaRC include the Adventure Zone— Banked Slalom offer during the summer months: adventure to the summit of Lincoln bounce house, basketball shootout, John Murphy (grandson of Sugarbush downhill mountain biking, zipline, Peak; Fireside Dining at Allyn’s Lodge SUGAR MAPLE bungee trampoline, cornhole, and founder Jack Murphy) and the PARKS hiking, bungee trampoline, disc golf, offers an elegant multi-course dining ping pong—and an indoor saltwater team host a communal gathering and and more. experience accessed by the cabin cat; is abundant in Sugarbush’s forest, much of which is managed under the resort’s four Forest Management Plans friendly snowboard competition on and Private Spring Skiing at Mt. Ellen pool and hot tub. Ring in the New (governed by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources) and under its Vegetation Management Plan (governed by the Year with a torchlight parade and a custom-built racecourse through is available in April. 12/21–3/31 fireworks, followed by live music from gates and over banked turns, berms, U.S. Forest Service). These plans assist the resort in balancing operations with crucial support of forest health, biodiversity, the Detonators at Castlerock Pub. rollers, and jumps. wildlife habitat, and water quality. A large portion of the resort lies within the National Audubon Society’s Atlantic Flyway Priority Visit sugarbush.com for dates, times, and more information on all events. 72 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE Forest Block, which identifies the most intact forested areas that support the highest richness and abundance of birds in the flyway. the power to change the nature of my vacations

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