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JOB: GMX-GMX-M16426 Rev DOCUMENT NAME: 2H70281_GMX_a1.1_kd.indd DESCRIPTION: Mt. Snow Ad BLEED: 8.875" x 11.25" TRIM: 7.75" x 10.5" SAFETY: 7" x 10" GUTTER: None PUBLICATION: Mt. Snow Magazine ART DIRECTOR: Peter Herbst 8-3248 COPYWRITER: David Brenner 8-3640 ACCT. MGR.: Christine Hanlon 8-4156 ART PRODUCER: Deena Fayette 8-3368 PRINT PROD.: Rick Krieger 8-3514 PROJ. MNGR.: Frank Tommasini 8-4673 This advertisement prepared by Young & Rubicam, N.Y.

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DOCUMENT PATH: TMG:Volumes:TMG:Clients:YR:Green Mountain:Jobs:2012:2H:2H70281_GMX-GMX-M16426:Mechanicals:2H70281_GMX_a1.1_kd.indd FONT FAMILY: Helvetica (Medium, Bold Condensed), Triplex (Bold, Light), TriplexSerif (ExtrabLin), Block Berthold (Regular) LINK NAME: 0K63407_GMX_d1_gg.tif, GMC_Tagline_2options_R_yr.eps INK NAME: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black REDEFINING vermSTYLEont

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4403 MAIN STREE T (CORNER OF BRIDGE STREET & RT. 100) | WAITSFIELD, VT WWW.4ORT YBRIDGEBOUTIQUE.COM Take a 2-hour Private Clinic with a Sugarbush Ski & Ride coach, and sharpen your confidence in the gates, on the groomers, or in the backcountry. Group lessons and First Timer lessons also available. Call Today.

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SUGARBUSH 2 MAGAZINE 13

eugene krylov

13 Steeps, Glades, and Gliders 24 Many believe that Sugarbush has the most varied, well-rounded terrain in the East—here’s the story behind the mountain and its iconic trails. macys sandy By Peter Oliver 24 Backstage at Sugarbush Snowmakers and groomers work all night so you can ski all day. A look at the operation behind each day at the mountain. By Candice White 30 The Yin and Yang of the Ski & Ride School 30 At Sugarbush, cutting-edge teaching practices are skillfully paired with a philosophy of fun on the slopes. Plus: Ten tips from Sugarbush’s pros. By Lisa Densmore

2012 3 2013 SUGARBUSH MAGAZINE

B rian M ohr/ E mberPhoto EDITOR Candice White

Managing Editor Katie Bacon 8 production Editor Amy Stackhouse

Art director Audrey Huffman

Photo editor Mary Simmons

6 Inside Lines advertising director One on one with Win Smith, owner and president of . Kyler Turnbull

8 Summertime factchecker A guide to four local hikes with some of the best views of the John Bleh Valley and beyond. 10 Arts & Culture contributors From soaring arias to open-air brews, a look at some festivals Patrick Brown worth planning your trip around. Lisa Densmore Chris Enman 20 Mountain Weddings Carolyn Fox The confluence of casual-chic accommodations, outdoor Peter Oliver adventure, and mountain air has made Sugarbush home to some of the Northeast’s most stunning weddings. 10 For advertising information, 34 Lodging please contact: A one-of-a-kind luxury inn, a full-service ski-in, ski-out hotel, Sugarbush Resort a cozy family get-away—the Mad River Valley offers a variety 1840 Sugarbush Access Road of vacation accommodations. Warren, VT 05674 38 Dining 800.53.SUGAR The local family dining scene is welcoming and fun— 44 sugarbush.com and the food is delicious, too.

40 Sugarbush Close-Up macys sandy ON THE COVER: A truly unique Valley with multiple mountains to WINTER: choose from, lodging options galore, and terrain John Egan in the powder on Ripcord. that serves the first-timer, the park rider, and the Photographer: Eugene Krylov adventure seeker. SUMMER: 44 Events Calendar Hiking in the Breadloaf Triathlons, marathons, brew festivals, owl shows, and Wilderness area, south of Sugarbush. kids’ pizza parties—creative events around the Valley. Photographer: Brian Mohr/EmberPhoto

SUGARBUSH 4 MAGAZINE Get to the most popular destinations in the Mad River Valley for FREE.* MAD BUS RoUteS: Valley Floor Valley Evening Service Snowcap Commuter Mountain Condos Harwood Freerider Access Road NEW SErvicE! Mad River Glen * All routes are free, except for Snowcap Commuter

Call 802-223-7287 or visit gmtaride.org for more info. sandy macys sandy

I first visited the Mad River Valley while I was in college in 1969. I returned in 1984 and our family has been skiing regularly at Sugarbush ever since. Thirty-five years after my first visit, I moved to the Valley, following a career with Merrill Lynch. After all that time, I am happy with what has remained the same and what has changed. Sugarbush still has untouched, classic skiing to enjoy, but now there is also the fantastic complement of comfortable accommodations and great amenities. Much of what we strive to do at Sugarbush is in celebration of our past, protecting the environment and culture that we inherited while also building a future that continues to provide a memorable and meaningful experience for everyone, both on the mountain and in the Valley.

Win Smith and his wife, Lili Ruane, Bridging the gaps between old and new, past and future, is something we enjoying the spring conditions on all do throughout our lives. We are continuously making new acquaintances and Spring Fling. introducing them to old friends. Another way we build on our personal past is by bringing new friends to places that we love, letting them know more about who we are. And you never know when an old acquaintance might show up—as did my childhood friend Lili, who is now my wife, a passionate skier, and a fellow “new” Vermonter. (We were married on the mountain in August of 2011.) In the Mad River Valley, nineteenth-century farms are still being worked and continue to provide fresh produce to the community. Historic buildings have been reincarnated as modern family homes, well-equipped offices, multigenerational ski houses, and country inns. Where else can you find a working streamside sawmill, an international nonprofit, a family farm, and a movie theater all within a mile and a half of each other? While Sugarbush in its Mascara Mountain days was known only as a with fabulous terrain, today it has become an equally exciting year-round destination, with fun recreational activities in all seasons. By maintaining the best of our history while mindfully upgrading into a world-class resort, Sugarbush has defined its identity as an authentic Vermont destination. Our newest endeavor will literally build bridges to our past. Rice Brook Residences, designed in the Vermont vernacular style, will geographically and symbolically tie together historic Sugarbush Village and Village, creating a vibrant community at the base of Sugarbush that mirrors the character of the Valley. Soon, people will be able to walk on a path linking the two villages, with Rice Brook in between—a great example of old and new coming together. This new construction is part of a larger project that will be built in stages and include up to ninety new spaces, both residential and commercial, completing our base-area development. Lili and I look forward to sharing our vision of the past, present, and future of Sugarbush with you and welcoming you to the Valley any time of the year. It is our vision to both preserve the past as well as plan for and secure the long- term success of Sugarbush. resort sugarbush

Cheers,

Win Smith President, Sugarbush Resort Rice Brook Residences will create a connection between Sugarbush Village (above, circa 1960s) and Lincoln Peak Village.

SUGARBUSH 6 MAGAZINE With a variety of ownership options available–from spacious studios to five-bedroom luxury homes, you’ll find the perfect mountainside home for you and your family. Plus, our world-class amenities and attentive service cater to your every need, so you can focus on enjoying the one-of-a-kind beauty and inspiring surroundings of Sugarbush.

VISIT SUGARBUSHLIVING.COM TODAY FOR MORE INFORMATION AND A Clay Brook CURRENT LISTING OF AVAILABLE HOMES. AT SUGARBUSH OR CALL 800.806.1070

Sugarbush Living // Trim Size 8.5” x 11.125” // CMYK // Do not print this line SUMMERTIME Hiking the Greens Vermont’s 270-mile winds its way down through the from to Massachusetts. Check out these local hikes

burnt rock . B rian M ohr /E mber P hoto for some of the best views along the way. By CHRIS ENMAN

Sunset Rock [LINCOLN] Allyn’s Lodge [SUGARBUSH] This short hike—it’s 2.2 miles round-trip— Named in memory of Allyn Schechter, starts at 2,410 feet from the top of Lincoln a female skier who perished in a plane Gap Road and heads south on the Long crash, the lodge on Sugarbush’s Gadd Trail into the area. Peak is always open and provides The trail begins with moderately steep respite to those in need of shelter. It’s switchbacks through beech and maple also a great picnic spot for a family hike trees, then rounds off among conifers thanks to its proximity to the Super before declining slightly to Sunset WHITE TRAIL. CANDICE LONG Bravo . The path to Allyn’s Rock, an overhang with commanding Lodge varies—ride the chairlift up and views west toward . hike down, hike up mountain roads and Remember to bring: A picnic, a warm ride the lift down, or hike both ways. layer, and a headlamp. Watch the sunset At the top of the lift you’ll find the mid- over the Adirondacks, and then descend mountain lodge with its large deck, a under the moonlight. network of downhill mountain bike trails, and the option to continue up Lincoln Peak to the Long Trail. Remember Burnt Rock Mountain [FAYSTON] Gap to Gap [LINCOLN/FAYSTON] to bring: Your discs and a map. Named for its bare summit, Burnt Rock The 11.6 miles along the Long Trail Sugarbush’s Peak Disc Golf Course Mountain is located in Camel’s Hump between Road and Route plays downhill from Allyn’s Lodge, and State Forest along the Long Trail, but 17 () stretch across hiking trail and disc golf maps are can be accessed via a steep 5.2-mile two of Vermont’s 4,000-foot peaks. available in the Gate House Lodge. round-trip hike from Big Basin Road From Lincoln Gap the trail ascends in Fayston. The trail starts alongside north to , passes by Hedgehog Brook, climbing through Sugarbush on Lincoln and hardwoods until it meets the Long Trail Castlerock Peaks, traverses above and the exposed rock of Burnt Rock the fabled backcountry skiing in the Mountain. Turn right and follow the Slide Brook Wilderness, summits Long Trail’s white blazes to the summit, Sugarbush’s Mt. Ellen, and then drops at 3,168 feet. Look north for a head-on to Mad River Glen’s single chair on view of the cliff bands of Camel’s Hump, General before ending west across Lake Champlain to the at Route 17. Make it an overnighter Adirondacks, or east across the Mad at the Battell or Theron Dean Shelter River Valley to the Worcester Mountains. or keep it a day trek. This difficult Remember to bring: Your friends. The hike can be done in either direction, rock star Grace Potter sings about Burnt and requires a car drop or a ride. Rock in her song “Crazy Parade”: “I’m Remember to bring: Lots of water, up on top of a big burnt rock, with some sun block, and a camera. The ridgeline people I call friends. We’re half a mile to hike offers expansive views and heaven. And back again.” exposure to the elements. MELANIE ROBINSON

SUGARBUSH 8 MAGAZINE Play one of Mother Nature’s Flight plan figured out? A Robemasterpieces.Rt tReNt JoNes, sR. desigN.

Golf Membership*: $5000 Gold Pass: $2450 Shoulder Plus Pass: $999 Prices increase after March 20, 2013. * Offers pass discounts, priority tee times, and a schedule of member socials and activities.

For more information and to purchase a pass call 802.583.6725 or visit sugarbush.com.

Kingsbury ConstruCtion Co., inC. Direct flights to major cities. Working with Sugarbush to make their visions become a reality. Let us help you build your dream too! Connections to the world.

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BTV-134-12 Sugarbush Mag Print Ad; 4c; 2.2917˝ × 10˝; lw 2012 9 2013 Best of the Fests From soaring arias to open-air brews, the Mad River Valley is full

green mountain o p era f estival o f green mountain courtesy of celebrations worth planning your trip around. By Carolyn Fox

Green Mountain Opera Festival Vermont Festival of the Arts Sugarbush Brew-Grass Festival June 1 to June 23, 2013 August 1 to September 2, 2013 June 15, 2013 greenmountainoperafestival.com vermontartfest.com sugarbush.com Widely considered one of New England’s Hands down the state’s most diverse Nothing screams “summer” like a cold preeminent opera producers, the celebration, the Vermont Festival of the beer dripping condensation down your Green Mountain Opera Festival always Arts introduces festivalgoers from near arm. Accordingly, Sugarbush Resort gives audiences something to sing and far to the Green Mountain State’s serves up the annual Brew-Grass about. Culminating in two full-blown, flourishing creative community. On any Festival, neatly timed around the summer costumed productions featuring given day of its impressive five-week solstice. Hundreds of beer enthusiasts professional opera singers of national program, visitors can take in the annual raise a glass to the best in microbrews, and international renown—as well exhibition of amateur and professional bluegrass music, and barbecued eats, as gifted members of Vermont’s own photography on display at Waitsfield’s all gathered under the beating sun at artistic family—the nearly monthlong picturesque Round Barn Farm. The Art Lincoln Peak. What’s on tap? Last year’s lineup is a rare treat for true music in the Garden Tour shuttles plein-air kegs came from more lovers. Open rehearsals, opera lectures, enthusiasts around the Valley, where than twenty regional and master classes dispense behind- local artists set up canvases to capture craft brewers, including the-scenes insight on the masterworks, the area’s most beautiful blooms; Carlyn the Alchemist, Long and the ever-popular Broadway picnic Hass, Joyce Kahn, Dotty Kyle, and Candy Trail, Magic Hat, and never fails to bring down the house with Barr have painted in the past. For folks Woodchuck Hard Cider. pitch-perfect show tunes and arias in a more interested in the art of eating, A Admission includes grassy meadow. Select festival singers Taste of the Valley showcases the edible samples and a souvenir and accompanists also serenade diners masterpieces of area restaurateurs. glass. Cheers! at an elegant opera brunch, most Favorite participants have included recently hosted by Sugarbush Resort’s Lareau Farm’s American Flatbread— SIPtember Fest Timbers Restaurant. Festival repertoire which arrives with its copper traveling September 28, 2013 BROWN PATRICK has included everything from Puccini’s oven in tow—and Warren’s Chez Henri siptemberfest.com tragic Madame Butterfly to Donizetti’s Restaurant & Bistrot. There’s no better A foliage-season visit to Vermont wouldn’t opera buffa Don Pasquale. way to savor what Vermont has to offer. be complete without a spectacularly scenic lift ride to the summit of General Stark Mountain on Mad River Glen’s historic single chair. And if there’s a cold one waiting for you at the bottom of the slope, all the better. SIPtember Fest specializes in gathering Vermont hops all in one place, including the small-batch brews that won’t be found at just any bar, such as those from Bristol’s Bobcat Café & Brewery or Warren’s Lawson’s Finest Liquids. Buy a ticket to sample the suds— sandy macys sandy or go for the family-friendly live music, local fare, and kids’ games.

SUGARBUSH 10 MAGAZINE The Official Spirit of Ski Vermont! 888vodka.com

2012 11 2013

The story behind , Sugarbush s varied terrain

The Church. Brian Mohr/EmberPhoto

hris Davenport was luxuriating in a flood of afternoon sun outside the Gate House Cat Lincoln Peak. Arguably the country’s preeminent ski mountaineer, known for conquering perilous and remote descents from Antarctica to the , Davenport had just spent a warm March day exploring the jumble of varied terrain that is Sugarbush. He had started at Mt. Ellen on the steep right side of Upper FIS and through the day had gradually migrated off-trail to the tight, technical slivers of snow that descend like capillaries through the trees from the informally named Church, an off-trail area between Paradise and Castlerock Run. now sipping on an après-ski brew, he was reclining in a peaceful eddy of pure contentment. The experience, he said, had been “total By Peter Oliver adventure skiing,” and while it had not quite been pioneering some

2012 13 2013 SUGARBUSH RESORT SUGARBUSH

Sugarbush legend .

SUGARBUSH RESORT Stein Eriksen with friends snaking down the mountain contours of Lincoln Peak. scare-you-silly couloir on an uncharted peak, it had been a unique Ironically, however, the Stein era was also a time that saw pleasure. The variations in pitches and fall lines, the precise the ushering in of one of the funkiest trail networks in America, turning required, the enhanced sense of speed when skiing in the with little regard for fall-line orthodoxy. According to Stein, tight quarters of the Vermont woods—even a globe-circling ski one of his hand-chosen assistants, an Italian instructor, liked mountaineer could find something extravagantly satisfying in that. to spend his off-hours rummaging around for skiable lines far “Total adventure skiing” comes in many forms, and over to skier’s left of the gondola, which in those days ran above the course of more than a half century of existence, Sugarbush Organgrinder to the top of Lincoln Peak. Poking around for adventure has been repeatedly reimagined and reinvented. Many strips of skiable snow in this steep and unusually rumpled and of the greatest skiers in history, Davenport included, have come to rocky terrain wasn’t necessarily Stein’s idea of a good time, but Sugarbush to add their stamp of identity on a terrain package that his assistant loved it. Those explorations were part of the early many consider the most complete and well rounded in the East. evolution of Castlerock skiing. Prominent among them is Stein Eriksen. The Norwegian Castlerock Run, Lift Line, Rumble, Middle Earth—they gold medalist at the 1952 became, by the mid-1960s, Olympics and icon of Steepness alone doesn’t define the nuances of renowned nationally as classical skiing elegance emblematic of technical came to Sugarbush as adventure woven into Sugarbush’s varied terrain. Eastern skiing. Narrow, the ski school director in bumpy, precipitously the early 1960s, just a few years after Damon and Sara Gadd, steep in places, twisting, tilted off-camber, spilling over knuckles along with Jack Murphy, had started the ski area. Eriksen was of rock, canted on varying exposures—in short, just crazily impressed by what he saw, but he was also a bit flummoxed by helter-skelter—these were trails that from their inception were the mountain’s quirky character. “There weren’t many runs in simultaneously enthralling and maddening to expert skiers. And the fall line,” he remembers of a layout that featured narrow they remain so—trails so consistent in their inconsistency that it is runs rolling and snaking down the contours of the mountain’s possible to make a whole descent without ever executing the same complex topography. turn style or shape twice. Eriksen offhandedly mentioned this peculiarity to a stranger No one knows Castlerock’s eccentricities better than he met on a gondola ride shortly after arriving at Sugarbush, only Sugarbush’s own John Egan, a progenitor of the extreme-skiing to discover that he was speaking to—and possibly offending—one movement of the 1980s. Egan first came to the Mad River Valley of his new bosses, Murphy. But Murphy appreciated Stein’s input, in 1976 to work in a local lodge, and he had heard a lot about the and the cutting of Stein’s Run would be the eventual outcome of singular experience of doing battle with the terrain enigmas that that initial encounter. Wide, straight, steep, and unerringly true to Castlerock presented. He remembers his first run down Rumble the fall line, Stein’s quickly became recognized as one of the great vividly: “There was three feet of heavy snow, and the trail just mogul trails in North America. dropped out from under you. On a run like Rumble, there are

SUGARBUSH 14 MAGAZINE o GRAPH Y CURRAN PHOT

obstacles in your way, even on the best powder day. Right there, I made it one of my goals to master that area.” Egan made Lift Line—virtual backcountry skiing right beneath the lift—a personal training ground for what would become a successful career as a ski-movie star. When he was john atkinson invited by a Warren Miller film crew to make his first trip to at the beginning of the 1980s—to Verbier, — he felt uniquely prepared for the daunting big-mountain complexities he would take on. “I wasn’t afraid,” he says. “I’d encountered it all at Castlerock. You need at least 300 different turns in your repertoire.”

ut, of course, steep and technically demanding terrain is not all there is to Sugarbush. Great cruising runs Blike Elbow at Mt. Ellen or the Snowball–Spring Fling combo at Lincoln Peak complement the gnarlier stuff like Castlerock and Top: Catching some air and great views off the top Upper FIS quite nicely, providing the steep stuff with gentler, of Heaven’s Gate chair on intermediate companionship. Lincoln Peak. And “gentle” needn’t be a code word for “blah.” While these trails are essentially about navigation at a smooth and leisurely Middle: Sugarbush’s Chief pace, they have also played host to skiers pushing the envelope Recreational Officer John of speed and its attendant technical exigencies—skiing that Egan coaches the Adven- might scare the daylights out of the intermediates the trails were ture Blazers on how to keep designed for. big smiles on their faces Start with Elbow, long a favorite training run for prospective while finding the best lines through the trees in Slide ski-racing greats at nearby Green Mountain Valley School. Elbow’s Brook. stepped-down changes in pitch have for years challenged racers- in-training to recalibrate and readjust their balance and turn Bottom: Waiting for the shape while trying to maintain fluidity and race speed. Running shuttle bus at the bottom of y s gates on Elbow was at least partly responsible for honing the Slide Brook Basin. y mac skills of such future Olympians as A.J. Kitt and . sand

2012 15 2013

amato drew

Local snowboarder and PARKS team rider Ralph Kusharek ventures out of the terrain park to find some new snow in the woods.

Snowball and Spring Fling can also Calculating Jester’s hairpins correctly, claim a direct connection to ski-racing accurately judging the apex of each turn history. In 1997, the King of the Mountain and the angles of entry and exit, can be a downhill series—featuring such Olympic mental exercise comparable to charting gold medalists as ’s , the variables in a quadratic equation. Hit Switzerland’s , and the the line just right, and a crisp, parabolic ’s —came to arc through each bend is the reward. Miss Sugarbush. Snowball and Spring Fling, that the line, and speed-killing skids are the classic cruising run, became recast as a penalty. The line-finding conundrum is the high-speed downhill course. same for all Jester skiers, experts and less On a bluebird day in early February, experienced skiers alike. more than 2,000 race fans surrounded the finish area to watch the legends of the sport do their high-speed thing. At times “Sometimes, I have to stop, exceeding seventy mph and launching off pause for a big breath, a man-made jump at the bottom—soaring right over a sponsor’s SUV in the process— look around, and say, the racers got from the start, at the Valley ‘Wow, this is a magical place.’ ” House chair summit, to the finish in less – Owner Win Smith on Slide Brook than fifty-five seconds. (Please—do not try this on your next Sugarbush visit …) A year later, while racing in the same event, Nothing, however, characterizes former Olympian Doug Lewis, a Mad River adventure at present-day Sugarbush more Valley resident, careened into a frightening, definitively than foraging off-trail for tasty, BringBring youryour skisskis andand boardsboards intointo windmilling crash about halfway down untracked lines. “The secret stashes Spring Fling, luckily surviving unscathed. change all the time, depending on the sun, TheThe FarmhouseFarmhouse Kind of cool, really, that such intermediate the snow, the wind, and the weather,” says TuneTune ShopShop runs have been able to put some of the Egan. “But there is always something out greatest racers in history to a stern test. there in the trees.” And nowhere is that forfor aa grind,grind, sharpensharpen andand waxwax toto getget thethe Put another way, steepness alone truer than in the 2,000-acre expanse of mostmost outout ofof youryour equipment.equipment. doesn’t define the nuances of adventure Slide Brook that forms a giant bowl beneath woven into Sugarbush’s varied terrain. the long ridge connecting Castlerock Peak 10 Tune Punch card: $299 Consider Upper Jester, the gentle run and Mt. Ellen. Full Tunes: $48 descending from the Lincoln Peak summit. While technically in-bounds, this is Includes edge, belt, minor base repair, While barely railroad grade in pitch, it wild country; in fact, Sugarbush is required stonegrind finish, wax, & buff makes up for lack of steepness with the by the state of Vermont to take several Quick edge & Wax: $33 route-finding puzzle presented by its measures to mitigate impacts on what is zigzagging course back and forth across the known to be active bear habitat. No cut sugarbush.comsugarbush.com 802.583.6504802.583.6504 fall line (apologies to Stein). trails, no or grooming, no

SUGARBUSH 16 MAGAZINE development, no nothing, really—just 2,000 acres of true wilderness, all accessible from the top of the North Lynx lift. Better yet, Slide Brook can be off-trail skiing for everyman, with what Egan calls “entry-level tree skiing” for those just testing the off- trail waters, while still offering the kind of gnarly lines that expert explorers lust after. “I can’t believe this exists in the East,” says Sugarbush President Win Smith. “You get in there and realize you’ve got total solitude,” Smith says. “Sometimes, I have to stop, pause for a big breath, look around, and say, ‘Wow, this is a magical place.’” A magical place. While extremists like Davenport and Egan and the world’s greatest ski racers can find in Sugarbush a mountain able to produce an electrifying adrenaline buzz, ultimately skiing here is mainly and soulfully about being here. It is about being in-country—in the woods, in the snow, in the mountains, in the land of the black bear, in nature’s backyard. Whether you’re pursuing hairball off-trail challenges, executing cleanly carved turns Stop in and check out the new Chams and our other premier brands. with a Stein-like elegance, or seeking a Sales/Demos/Rentals/Dynastar Test Center/Pro ski and snowboard tuning profoundly personal connection with the serenity of the woodsy outback, Sugarbush 802-583-2511 | 48 Sugarbush Access Rd | Warren, VT 05674 | VermontNorth.com skiing is Eastern skiing in its most complete and gratifying form.

Peter Oliver is the author of six books about skiing, cycling, and the outdoors. His articles have appeared in Ski, Skiing, Powder, and Outside, among other publications. He lives exactly seven minutes from the base of Lincoln Peak.

first tracks on paradise. sandy macys theater café full bar soda fountain

2012 17 2013 FrOm tOInaugural Balls

Wedding Bells photo © Stina Booth

Lincoln Peak Village is the perfect setting for your mountain wedding, corporate retreat or meeting. On-site lodging, multiple function spaces, a full range of dining options, mountain activities and guide services available, as well as dedicated planners to customize your event. 2011 site of Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin’s Inaugural gala. For more information, contact [email protected] or [email protected].

wines

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Located in the lower level of Clay Brook Hotel and Residences, you’ll find a variety of items to make your vacation a little more unique. 802.583.SHOP

SUGARBUSH 18 MAGAZINE Natural Antler Shed Artistry

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Age Management Facials Skincare Products & Waxing Joanie Kavanaugh Licensed Esthetician

BRING THE OUTDOORS IN. Hand crafted in the Mad River Valley, VT. For more information and Retail Locations: Fuller House 802-496-2582 Historic www.madriverantler.com 4477 Main Street www.complexionsvt.com Waitsfi eld, Vermont 802.496.9290

2012 19 2013 Mountain Weddings Sugarbush has hosted some of the Northeast’s most unique weddings. Here’s a look at a few of our favorites … g r aph er s a rrie Fi sh er P h oto B

Rebecca & Eric Win & Lili

Daria bishop photographers 2012 21 2013 Rebecca & Eric

barrie fisher photographers

Becky & Tay

justin marantz SUGARBUSH 22 MAGAZINE Kerry & Tyler

822 weddings

Local Photographers two House Photo Justin Marantz www.twohousephoto.smugmug.com www.justinmarantz.com

822 Weddings Kathleen Landwehrle www.822weddings.com Photography www.llphoto.com Barrie Fisher Photographers www.barriefisherphotographersblog.com Meg Hamilton www.rodeoandco.com Chris Riley www.rileyphotographic.com Michael Riddell www.mikeriddellphotography.com Daria Bishop Photographers www.dariabishop.com Sandy Macys sandymacysphotography.com Dennis & Ellen Curran www.curranphotography.com Spencer Leonard www.spencerleonard.com Doug Todd www.dtpwedding.com Stina Booth www.stinabooth.com Eve Event Photography www.eveevent.com

stina booth 2012 23 2013 By Candice White Snowmakers and groomers work all night so you can ski all day. A look at the mountain operations that go into each day at Sugarbush.

An hour before the lifts open, John Hammond nods a greeting to Skip Andrews, a scruffy fifteen-year veteran lift attendant at the Super Bravo Express Quad, and boards the four- person chair for his solo ride up Gadd Peak. Hammond unloads, curves his skis left, and aims down Valley House Traverse, quickly passing underneath the Valley House double chair, on to Snowball, and then easing onto Spring Fling—taking in a bird’s-eye view of the Lincoln Peak base area. Along the way, Hammond surveys the terrain for fallen trees and inspects snow that has been made or groomed the night before. By 10 a.m., Hammond and the

Photos by sandy macys ski patrol staff he oversees have checked every trail on the mountain. In 1991, John Hammond was a marketing intern at Sugarbush, making phone calls to colleges to convince them to book a ski outing to the mountain. Today, he serves as vice president of mountain operations and recreation services, overseeing almost everything having to do with the on-mountain skiing and riding experience. He rules over a diverse crew of snowmakers, groomers, ski patrollers, ski instructors, lift operators, and lift mechanics from a nondescript building at the base area of Lincoln Peak, sandwiched between the resort’s 1950s-era Valley House Lodge and the modern Super Bravo Quad. Mountain operations headquarters is reminiscent of a clubhouse for athletes, and has that same familial disorder. Several medium-sized offices surround a large open room filled with cabinets, desks, and computers; the walls are neatly hung temperatures affected the efficiency of the snow production. with racks of the latest Volkl skis, retro ski posters, and oversized Temperature and humidity are the two most critical factors Marker jackets. Several empty pizza boxes lie abandoned on Snowcats grooming through the night and catching the sunrise. a table. You pass through this entry room to the building’s epicenter—a narrow passageway barely fitting a long wooden dictate whether or not snowmaking will occur. “To be most conference table, several phones, and a file cabinet, with maps efficient, we make snow at twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit or detailing all 111 trails at Sugarbush. This is the location of “snow lower,” says Hammond. “If pressed, we will push it as high plan”—Hammond’s standing 1 p.m. meeting that determines as twenty-eight degrees, but that is not ideal.” The lower the daily operations for the mountain, where the discussion covers humidity, the higher temperatures can be for making snow. snowmaking and grooming plans, snow conditions, on-mountain In late fall, as the mountain prepares for the season, Hammond events, terrain park building, and the occasional crisis. A third and Wing fixate on the weather forecast to begin snow production. and final room out back houses “dispatch,” the communication Typically, that date falls in early November, which allows the center that monitors all radio communication across both mountain to open the week before Thanksgiving and stay open for mountains. Dispatch is also the unofficial on-mountain doggy a season that usually lasts around 160 days. During the last two daycare, currently home to an English Foxhound, a Mastiff, a falls, however, temperatures have been warmer than expected, Cocker Spaniel, two Bernese Mountain Dogs, and three newly pushing the start of snowmaking closer to mid-November. adopted puppies belonging to the head of ski patrol, the head of Once the cold does arrive, Wing and his crew begin to blanket lift operations, and Hammond himself. the mountain in sections, starting at the higher elevations. “We’ll Before heading to the mountain, Hammond begins his weekday start at Heaven’s Gate first, hitting Jester, Organgrinder, and mornings as a short-order cook for his two daughters, ages five Downspout. Then we’ll make our way to Lower Jester and Lower and seven. Soft-boiled eggs and homemade waffles with maple Downspout. Our goal in early season is to get open top to bottom syrup are two standards in the home he shares with wife, Heather, as soon as possible,” Hammond explains. a Burlington-based employment lawyer, and their new Labrador This translates to Wing’s team of snowmakers laying retriever puppy, Rosey. approximately two to three feet of man-made snow on a designated By the time he walks his daughters to the school bus, trail to provide the initial layer that allows a trail to open. Hammond Hammond already has a sense of the mountain. He’s checked rattles off a series of formulas to give a sense of how much water Intellicast and Accuweather for the forecast and called in to and power are required to open one section of trail: “To lay down Lincoln Peak’s CB1—the mountain’s main artery for snowmaking, two feet of snow on Lower Organgrinder, which is a nine-acre trail, which houses a pump station and three compressors responsible at, say twenty degrees Fahrenheit… requires about twenty-seven for converting approximately 187 million gallons of water from the hours of snowmaking by forty snow guns, using a total of about Mad River and the Mt. Ellen pond into 1,000 acres of man-made 119,000 kilowatts of energy. This adds up to 3.25 million gallons of snow each season (at a one-foot depth). Come spring, that snow water pumping at a rate of 2,000 gallons per minute.” melts and runs downhill back where it came from. CB1 is manned At six feet tall and a good 250 pounds, Hammond doesn’t have twenty-four hours a day during the snowmaking season, and the appearance of a nerdy numbers guy, but in fact he’s constantly Hammond calls there each morning at 6 a.m. to get a report from running the formulas in his head to keep an eye on how much the night supervisor on snowmaking and grooming progress from energy the mountain expends on snowmaking. Snowmaking is a the previous night. combination of air and water. Energy used to produce compressed Often, Hammond’s call reaches Mike Wing, the mountain’s air and pump water for snowmaking is the mountain’s single snow surfaces manager since 2006. Wing has been in the industry largest annual expense after payroll. for close to thirty years, working up through the ranks from The majority of the water for snowmaking comes from a pond his first resort job as a nighttime snowmaker at $3.75 an hour. fed by the Mad River and located just behind the Kingsbury Farm Wing’s longevity in the field, and his vast experience with New on Route 100 in Warren. (A second, smaller stream-fed pond England weather patterns, make him something of an expert in next to the Inverness lift, as well as two other mountain brooks, snowmaking production. Hammond and Wing discuss issues such supply Mt. Ellen.) Less than two months before snowmaking was as which trails received new man-made snow the previous night, to begin in the fall of 2011, Tropical Storm Irene caused more whether temperatures registered as forecasted, and how those than $700,000 worth of damage to the pond. The very next day,

2012 25 2013 because of the water content and density of natural snow, a natural snow trail requires more of a base than a man-made trail to withstand the continuous tilling and compacting of a groomer. This is why trails like Moonshine and Lixi’s Twist are groomed less frequently than a run like Spring Fling—their depths rely solely on Mother Nature. With a pained look on his face, Wing recalls the condition of Lincoln Peak’s Pushover a few years back, a trail that receives a lot of snowmaking: “We were in a rush to get it open for the Christmas holiday, and we were grooming right behind the snowmaking.” He adds regretfully, “It was hard as a rock most of the season.” When the temperatures don’t cooperate, Wing may find himself in a position where he is up against the wall on a trail. A situation like this literally keeps him up at night. Vice President of Mountain Operations and Recreation Services John Hammond at work. By mid-morning, Hammond and his ski patrol staff have visually checked every trail and made any changes to the Hammond called in Wing to begin the reconstruction necessary to day’s operating plan regarding trail openings or closings. His lift repair the pond and get it operable by the mountain’s November 1 maintenance crew prepares for the midday inspections, which snowmaking target. By Halloween the pond was fully rebuilt, and require a walk-through of each lift terminal for visual analyses refilled with 25 million gallons of new water. In the reconstruction of gear boxes and temperature gauges. Scott Crowell, a former process, over 80,000 cubic feet of sediment—in the form of air defense missile system technologist in the Army, manages gravel and soil—was removed from the pond, most of which was the lift maintenance team, which deploys seven staff across both channeled to local farmers and contractors. mountains on any given day. Crowell and his crew work to be When the mountain is making snow at full capacity, it is invisible to the guest. “If guests don’t know we’re there, we’re operating 120 snow guns, including forty new low-energy Snowlogic doing our job,” he says. fan guns purchased in partnership with the Green Mountain His crew thrives on using their hands, working outdoors, and Valley School. The efficiency of snow-gun technology has changed maintaining expertise on machines like Super Bravo and the dramatically in recent years. The amount of energy required to run Valley House double chair. They have all completed a three-year one snow gun twenty years ago can now run sixty guns. apprenticeship with the Vermont Tramway Authority, the same Despite the technological changes, snowmaking remains organization that runs annual inspections of every in the one of the most grueling jobs in the industry. Wing’s crew— state. Much of the lift maintenance and routine repairs occur in approximately forty strong at the height of the season—is out the summer, the crew’s busiest time. By the opening of the winter in the dead of night, in the coldest of temperatures, moving season, Crowell has all sixteen public lifts upgraded, inspected, guns and lines, starting them up and breaking them down, and and ready to transport Sugarbush guests safely up the mountain. repairing damaged hoses. Shutdowns of lifts during the season occur for a handful of “You don’t worry so much about getting cold as about exposing reasons, including a customer misload, a communication line skin,” acknowledges Wing. “It’s a very physical job.” warning (signaling that one of the nine lines running between Because of the nature of the work, there is less continuity the base and top terminal has detected a problem), or an anti- in snowmaking than in other areas. The supervisory staff has collision fall on a detachable chair (where the computer senses remained consistent over the years, but the worker bees tend the grip is not moving correctly through the terminal). Most often, to come and go. However, snowmaking experience allows for a Crowell’s experienced team can identify a problem quickly and greater understanding of mountain operations as a whole. So it is find a solution. However, as lifts become more sophisticated, a training ground for other, perhaps more coveted on-mountain so do the devices that monitor them. Eighty percent of the time, jobs, like grooming. lifts shut down because of a false indication from the sensors monitoring the ropes and assemblies. And then there is the Most skiers and riders enjoy making turns on a freshly nemesis of the lift maintenance team—the wind. Wind-hold groomed trail, and many are willing to set the alarm on a vacation days are incredibly stressful for Crowell and his team, whose day for the opportunity to be the first on new “corduroy.” But entire concern is guest safety. On those days, Crowell’s team is few understand the science behind grooming, or the correlation monitoring every lift, watching from the tops to see what direction between newly made snow and grooming. Wing uses the analogy the wind is traveling and how it is affecting each lift. They watch of freshly laid eggs to explain the fragility of newly made snow. “If to make sure that the wind isn’t strong enough to swing the you run the groomer over the new snow too soon, you crush the chairs into a tower, which could cause a haul rope to jump eggs,” he says. the wheel. There are certain locations Crowell keys in on—for Wing likes to let new man-made snow cure twenty-four to instance, tower ten on the Heaven’s Gate chair. Other parts of the forty-eight hours before grooming. That pause allows the high mountain, like Castlerock and Inverness, are almost “safe zones,” moisture content of the snow to seep out, so the snow becomes rarely impacted by the wind. light, airy, and fluffy. Fresh natural snow can be groomed Crowell errs on the side of safety, always. And it pays off. There immediately after falling, provided there is enough of it. However, has not been a lift derailment at Sugarbush during his six-year

SUGARBUSH 26 MAGAZINE tenure. As for lift performance overall, the industry goal is for a machine to achieve 1 percent or less total downtime in a season. Crowell’s team, in conjunction with the lift operators, has achieved that goal for the last three seasons.

At 1 p.m., Hammond takes a seat at the head of the long wooden conference table and calls snow plan to order. To his right sits Win Smith, Sugarbush’s president and majority owner, whose presence is consistent with the number of days he skies at the mountain each season. (Last year, Smith logged ninety-eight.) Hammond quickly goes around the room, taking input from team members before efficiently laying out the snowmaking and grooming plan for the evening. Attendees— often representatives from ski school, race, guest services, or events—discuss logistics of fireworks displays, Allyn’s Lodge dinners, or on-mountain races. Other team members may point out problem areas on the mountain—thin spots, icy areas—or Hammond may solicit input on a particular trail. There is little time for small talk, though Hammond occasionally cracks a joke or acknowledges one of the wagging tails under the table. Within twenty minutes, the plan for the next twenty-four hours at the mountain has been determined. Shutdown of the mountain begins as early as 3:15 p.m. at upper-mountain lifts. Colin Cascadden leads a ski patrol force that We can help you stay forever. deploys across both mountains, sweeping The dedicated professionals at Graves Realty can find what’s right every open trail to ensure that skiers and for you, whether it’s a condominium, single family home or parcel riders have ended their day safely. Between of land. Own a part of Sugarbush in the heart of Vermont. morning trail check and afternoon sweep, Cascadden’s team monitors the mountain, Search the MLS online at gravesrealty.net, visit us on the corner making sure guests are following the skier of the Sugarbush Access Road and RT. 100, call 800.252.1505 responsibility code and providing assistance or email [email protected]. as necessary. Guests who require more than just a safe transport down the mountain may be delivered to the Fletcher Allen Orthopedic Clinic, located just beneath Timbers Restaurant in Clay Brook. This clinic, run by the University of Vermont, has been operating at Sugarbush for more than thirty years and is home to one of the most extensive snow-sport injury studies in the world. As patrol wraps up their final sweeps, the first wave of groomers begins rolling in. If the thought of a solitary eight-hour drive on a snow-covered, carless highway in the moonlight sounds appealing, then you are beginning to understand the lure of grooming. Add to that a mountain sunrise,

2012 27 2013 of freshly fallen snow look good. There is, however, an expertise required for making a mountain without natural snow look appealing. In the 2011–12 season, twelve fewer feet of snow fell than the year before, seriously testing the mountain operations team, and the grooming team in particular. Yet numerous guests shared their surprise at how good their ski experience was despite the lack of snowfall. Much of this can be credited to Wing and his groomers. At key periods during the season, Wing’s team was literally ripping up and rebuilding trails. Engaging the blades on the Pisten Bully Elite Fleet—a cadre of top-of-the-line groomers and winches—the team would go in and cut up the snow from the edges of the trail, push the cut snow back into the trail’s middle section, and then groom the The Pisten Bully Elite Fleet provides a nighttime light show. new piles of snow back out onto the trail. It was a labor-intensive and difficult task that paid off. followed by early-morning first tracks on the product of your toil, As the lifts come to a halt and the sun falls behind the mountains, and now you’re really getting the idea. This may explain why there Hammond and Wing make their way to the lift maintenance garage is virtually no turnover in Sugarbush’s grooming department. just beside tower three of Super Bravo, and meet up with the “It’s serenity,” says Mike Wing. “Out at night, all by yourself, grooming team to review the details of the evening’s plan. On a peak with just the lights of the snowcat.” day, the mountain may have accommodated 7,500 or 8,000 skiers, These are guys who take pleasure in the clean, straight lines and trails will be showing their wear. But over the next sixteen they lay in the snow. And they are employed for their painstaking hours, the snowmakers and groomers will deploy to various parts perfectionism. of the mountain, shooting new coats of snow on some trails, layers “I’m looking for seamless grooming,” Wing says. “I want them of corduroy stripes on many others. And with a bit of luck, Mother to take the extra pass, take their time … If you can’t make a trail Nature will join the mix, to add a few inches of fluffy powder to the perfect with the technology that is out there today, you don’t mountain that even the best of teams can only hope to emulate. belong in a snowcat.” Candice White worked for over ten years in magazine publishing in the The talent of the groomers may not be quite as apparent in Boston area before moving to Vermont with her two children. She spent the good snow years as in the tough ones. Beyond patience and five years freelancing as a writer and editor before joining Sugarbush’s precision, there is no hidden recipe necessary for making a foot management team as vice president of marketing in 2008. KIDS ZONE

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2012 29 2013 in and Y Y a e n At Sugarbush, cutting-edge g h teaching practices are skillfully T paired with a philosophy of fun on the slopes. sand y mac y s mar y S immons

o l f o t o h h e Sc S e ki & Rid By Lisa Densmore > Lisa Densmore teaching the Women’s Discovery Camp. y s y mac sand y s y mac

was helping finalize the daily schedule for one of sand Sugarbush’s Women’s Discovery Camps when an email John Egan teaches how to caught me by surprise: “John Egan is available as a find your comfort zone on skis. > guestI coach.” A man coaching a women’s ski clinic? It rumbled the foundation of what supposedly made women’s ski clinics successful: women teaching women. In theory, by removing Russia, , Romania,” Egan says. “It was a constant the coed social dynamic, women relax, are less self-conscious, learning experience, very intense, very rich educationally, even and are more willing to challenge themselves. Within the though it was not through PSIA [Professional Ski Instructors of nurturing sisterhood of other gals of similar ability, a shy cat America]. In films, I had to learn to ski all conditions and make it could become a tigress, able to purr with precision on the blue look good.” squares and bound down the baddest bumps. Egan not only made it look good to everyday skiers watching I was skeptical at first about adding a guy to the mix, but John the latest Warren Miller release, he also impressed the skiing was an old friend and a pied piper of snow sports, so I designed elite. “A few years ago, I got to ski with Franz Klammer at Beaver a schedule in which he spent a half day with each group. The Creek,” says Egan, recalling the legendary 1976 Olympic gold women loved it! medalist in downhill. “I was thrilled to follow him skiing really You have to have an open mind when it comes to the fast. He stopped at the top of a mogul run, but I kept on going Sugarbush Ski & Ride School. It’s like no other ski school in full speed into the bumps. Klammer said I was crazy, which the country, melding an adventurous “can do” attitude with a was funny coming from the original kamikaze.” It was a telling variety of teaching methods that speak to anyone who wants to moment for Egan about just how far he had come in his skiing, glide downhill more adeptly. It caters to everyone, regardless of which he credits in large part to Sugarbush. age, ability, and learning style. Egan, whose official title at the mountain is chief recreational officer, sets the tone. “I’m the Vice President of Fun,” says Egan. “My job is to bring a sense of Egan grew up skiing at Blue Hills adventure and fun to everyone at the mountain.” near Boston, Massachusetts, in a family of seven kids (he’s the Egan points to the Women’s Discovery Camp as an example third oldest). Each winter, his parents took the family to Mt. of his teaching philosophy. “I asked the women, ‘Why are you Cranmore, in , on a ski trip. Later, in junior high here?’” explains Egan. “They said, ‘To get better so we can have school, he rode the Blizzard Ski Club bus to Mt. Sunapee on more fun.’ Then I said, ‘Why don’t we have fun, and I bet you’ll Saturdays. After high school, he moved to Sugarbush. ski better.’ It’s all about how comfortable I can make the guest.” “In 1976, I sailed with a guy named Lou Anderson whose By “comfortable,” Egan means finding one’s comfort zone on company did the accounting for Sugarbush,” remembers Egan. the slopes—which may sound odd coming from a guy who spent “He said, ‘If you really want to learn to ski, go to Vermont. much of his adult life on some of the most extreme snow-laden That’s where the real skiers are.’ My first experience keeps me pistes around the world, making dramatic descents for movie here today. It’s such a family here. Everyone really opened their cameras. Egan says that phase of his life laid the groundwork arms to me.” for his approach to teaching Sugarbush guests today, not in When Egan arrived in the Mad River Valley, Sigi Grottendorfer terms of the risk taking but of the breadth of skills he acquired. headed the ski school, and his staff represented a mixture of “My rat pack was world-class skiers from Germany, Austria, teaching philosophies. Some of the instructors were certified

2012 31 2013 s

y Top 10 Tips from Sugarbush’s Pros

mac y 1 Look, reach, go downhill. It’s downhill skiing. If you sand look down the hill and reach down the hill with your pole plant, you’ll stay more centered and balanced and thus move down the hill more naturally. (John Egan)

Sugarbush veteran 2 Get videoed. Watching yourself increases your self- instructor M.A. Raymond. > awareness. Better yet, have your video analyzed by a ski or snowboard teacher. Video reveals what you’re doing well and what you need to work on. (John Egan)

3 Think about what part of your board you ride in each by PSIA—the national organization through which thousands of part of the turn. Think about your hip being over your ski instructors have received standardized training—some were front foot to start a turn, then slowly shift your hips Austrian ski racers, and all were schooled in the Centered Skiing toward your back foot as you finish the turn. This will Program. help you keep pressure on the board’s edge in each Longtime Sugarbush ski instructor and native Vermonter Mary phase of the turn. (Aaron Guilfoyle) Ann “M.A.” Raymond is a disciple of the Centered Skiing Program. “I had just come back from Taos and wanted to teach under Sigi 4 Let the mountain give you its energy. If it’s flat, the Grottendorfer,” says Raymond, who joined the Sugarbush Ski mountain doesn’t give you much, but that’s okay School in 1979. “It was known as one of the best ski schools in the because you don’t need it. On the steeps, it gives you country. Sigi’s progressions were way beyond what PSIA was doing lots. Use it. (M.A. Raymond) at the time.” 5 Practice on a variety of terrain and in different conditions. In the East, the snow might be solid one “I think of a mogul as a scoop of moment and heavy mashed potatoes the next. If you practice in all of it, you’ll ski with the same grace all vanilla ice cream. We’re the syrup the way down. (M.A. Raymond) flowing over the top and sides.” 6 Stretch your hips. Most people use their full body to steer their skis. If you stretch your hips beforehand, – M.A. Raymond your legs will rotate in the hip socket on the hill, separating your legs from your upper body. You’ll Centered Skiing uses common analogies to improve one’s skill make more efficient, quicker turns. (Dave Gould/Mac and confidence on the hill. “It’s a mental approach,” explains Jackson) Raymond, who has been named among the Top 100 Ski Instructors by Ski, Skiing, and Vermont Sports magazines. “For example, in the 7 Smile, breathe, have fun. You may be concentrating or bumps, I think of a mogul as a scoop of vanilla ice cream. We’re feeling anxious, but if you put a smile on your face and the syrup flowing over the top and sides. The language in your exhale, you’ll relax and ski better. (Dave Gould) mind determines how you ski.” Raymond loves teaching skiing, and her passion for her chosen 8 Ski on the sides of your socks. It puts pressure on the profession is contagious. “I always wanted to be an instructor,” sides of your boots, which allows you to move from she says. “And I’m still one. I get the most pleasure when people edge to edge. The technology of the ski works for you, get it, when they’re happy. At Sugarbush, we want to help people and you’ll carve more. (Mac Jackson) create a new magic on the hill.” Keep your shins attached to the tongues of your Part of the magic is matching the skier with the right ski 9 boots. If you press against the fronts of your ski boots, instructor. Last winter, Dave Gould, a twelve-year veteran ski especially the corners of the tongues, 100 percent and telemark teacher, clicked with a five-year-old boy. “One day, of the time, you’ll feel in balance and move forward he said he wanted to be a ski instructor like me,” says Gould. through the turn with your equipment. (Mac Jackson) “Instructors can really have an effect on someone’s life.” Gould sees Sugarbush’s programs as unique—because of the way 10 Keep your hands level with your belly button. Most they combine the structure of PSIA with the John Egan philosophy. skiers tend to drop their hands, which automatically “Skiing is all about movement and balance,” says Gould. “John shifts weight into the backseat. If you keep your hands has more of a Zen philosophy. When you combine his personal level with your belly button and a little wider than your experiences with PSIA, it’s a huge wealth of knowledge. We learn to hips—as if you’re holding a tray of hot cocoa—you’ll watch skiers in many different ways. It gives us an edge.” feel in better balance, with poles perfectly poised for Instructors at Sugarbush have a large inventory of teaching each pole plant. (Lisa Densmore) tools and terrain at their disposal, which is one reason why

SUGARBUSH 32 MAGAZINE families flock to the mountain. Take as an example Tom and Lynne Naughton of Hanover, New Hampshire, who bought a condo at the mountain and enrolled their daughters, Katie and Lia, in the mountain’s Blazers program. “I don’t know who has more fun, the kids or the instructors,” says Lynne Naughton, who spends every weekend from December to April with her family at Sugarbush. “Our girls can’t wait for the weekends. They might ski NASTAR in the morning, then go backcountry on the Long Trail from Heaven’s Gate to Castlerock in the afternoon. After skiing, they’re bursting at the seams to talk about what they did that day. We’re all in bed by 9 p.m. with smiles on our faces. Coming to Sugarbush was the best decision in twenty years for our family.” Naughton credits John Egan for setting the tone at the E ugene K r y lov mountain for weekenders like her family. “We didn’t want a racetrack for our kids. We wanted a lifetime sport that we could do together. We love the vibe. We found grounded, genuine people who embrace skiing as a lifestyle and culture, not just a sport.” And that’s exactly as Egan likes it; Sugarbush is a mountain where the line between fun and learning is blurred in a good way. >

John Egan instructing “Sugarbush is a great place if you’re eager to ski better,” says s y in the woods. Egan. “The mountain has always been cutting edge about its

teaching philosophies. I’m just continuing that tradition.”

mac y sand > Micro Blazers on the hill. A former member of the U.S. Ski Team, Lisa Densmore will return to Sugarbush to host the 2013 Women’s Discovery Camps at Sugarbush, with John Egan. You can find her at www.DensmoreDesigns.com.

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2012 33 2013 LODGING

Homes Away Fr om

the pitcher Inn From a historic inn carefully rebuilt in an abundantly creative way to a full-service Home ski-in, ski-out hotel that pays architectural homage to Vermont’s iconic dairy barns, lodging opportunities in the Mad River Valley are anything but ordinary. BY Patrick Brown

Clay Brook at Sugarbush (LINCOLN Innkeeper’s Tip: “The best place to the Green Mountains. The room’s style PEAK VILLAGE) watch the New Year’s Eve torchlight evokes a convivial camping experience, After a long day on the slopes, leave parade and fireworks is from the but with the luxuries of a wet bar, a your skis at the ski check, kick off your heated outdoor pool and hot tub at Clay leather chaise, and a bathroom with boots at the boot valet (where they’ll be Brook.”—Jim Westhelle, vice president a black slate steam shower and deep dried and warmed for you by morning), of lodging, Sugarbush Resort Jacuzzi. 802.496.6350, pitcherinn.com and stroll to your room in a pair of Innkeeper’s Tip: “Spend some time slippers. From slopeside kings to grand on Vermont’s back roads. A sense of five-bedroom suites with four-poster The Pitcher Inn place is palpable when driving, riding, or beds, gas fireplaces, and sleek kitchens (WARREN) walking roads like the Common Road, with stainless steel appliances and To say the Pitcher Inn—an antidote to Fuller Hill, or Bragg Hill.”—Ari Sadri, granite counters, Clay Brook is built in cookie-cutter hotels—is an imaginative general manager the traditional Vermont vernacular— effort is an understatement. Numerous redefining country chic and placing it architects, historians, designers, and slopeside. Massage therapy studios, artists lent their skills to the inn’s nine The Featherbed Inn underground parking, a general store, a rooms and two suites, each a lesson in (WAITSFIELD) children’s game room, and onsite dining Vermont’s history. Take the Mountain Whimsey the pony and Puck the donkey round out the experience. And it’s all Room as an example, where you’ll sleep are usually the first to greet you as just steps from the lifts. 802.583.6822, in a replicated mountaintop fire tower you drive onto the inn’s property. With sugarbush.com/clay-brook surrounded by a 360-degree mural of five horses, three dogs, three bunnies, and two cats, the Featherbed pairs a bucolic farm experience (the property was once an active dairy farm, and pony rides are available for kids) with the exceptional service of a small inn. And after a day out on the trails or the links, you can sink into the inn’s eponymous featherbeds for an indulgent night’s sleep. 802.496.7151, featherbedinn.com Innkeeper’s Tip: “Set on twenty acres that back up onto the Howe Block of the Camel’s Hump State Forest, our property offers hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing right out the back door.”—Linda Gardner, owner

clay brook at sugarbush curran photography

SUGARBUSH 34 MAGAZINE West Hill House The Sugarbush Inn Bed and Breakfast (WARREN) (WARREN) If you’re looking for an experience On a quiet country lane, yet close to the that harkens back to the way skiing

slopes and the golf course, the West Hill in the Mad River Valley used to be, p hy C urran p hotogra House is a convenient spot for a serene the Sugarbush Inn is for you. Just retreat. Cozy and comfortable, the at-home one mile from the lifts at Lincoln feel is paired with the professional service Peak, the inn is Sugarbush’s original of Susan and Peter MacLaren, who take joy accommodation. Home to a convivial in providing personal concierge service. Sip pub and a wood-paneled library a scotch at the B&B’s guest-only Quaich with a fireplace perfect for cozying single-malt scotch bar, and Peter will share up to après-ski, the inn is a well- his secrets of the Valley with you, such loved throwback perfect for large as where the warmest swimming holes groups or those seeking less costly are and how to find the most picturesque accommodations. 802.583.6100, walking trails. 802.496.7162, westhillbb.com sugarbush.com Innkeeper’s Tip: “A local secret is that one Innkeeper’s Tip: “A free shuttle of the best times to walk along the Long picks up at the inn and drops skiers Trail on the ridge of Green Mountains is in at the base of Lincoln Peak or Mt. late October. With no leaves, the views are Ellen, eliminating the need to park so much better, the air is clear, the weather the car and trudge to the lifts each is cool but usually dry, and you will have morning.”—Jeannie Guardino, the trails largely to yourself. Bring warm manager clothes!”—Peter MacLaren, owner clay brook at sugarbush

“Best One Stop Shopping

West Hill House in Vermont” (802) 496-7162 – Yankee Magazine www.westhillbb.com

“Vermont’s finest Inn – best food – totally indulging.” – Diversion Magazine Built in 1839, this spirited country store The Pitcher Inn has been welcoming combines an eclectic deli and bakery, an One mile from Sugarbush guests since 1850. Originally a simple inn, award winning wine shop, artisanal beer 2 minutes by shuttle bus it now combines Vermont charm with the Great Ski Packages comforts of a Relais & Chateaux property. and plenty of local color. From penny candy 9 unique guest rooms with steam A Conde Nast Top 100 Hotel. to contemporary clothing and gifts...” shower and/or Jacuzzi, really Open 363 1/2 days a year! 275 Main offers elegant dining upstairs, • comfortable beds, gas fireplaces, • Located 1 mile south of the TVs, free phone calls & WiFi while Tracks, on the lower level, Sugarbush Access Road off Route 100. Delicious Breakfasts serves a casual lounge-style menu. Open Wednesday – Monday 3 large common areas with “It’s not just a store; it’s a living, bar, fireplaces, games, breathing Vermont spirit.” 802.496.6350 – Boston Common Magazine HD TV and pool table pitcherinn.com A Select Registry B&B 2012 2013 Shareholder owned 35

Shareolder owned

Mad River Glan shae

Lodging in the Mad River Valley

THE BRIDGES RESORT MAD RIVER INN WAITSFIELD INN CLAY BROOK HOTEL AND The Bridges is ranked among the 1860 country Victorian inn with seven Our traditional Vermont bed and RESIDENCES Top 50 U.S. Tennis Resorts by Tennis guest rooms and a small suite with breakfast was built in 1825. Enjoy Clay Brook’s sixty-one slopeside magazine. Featuring twelve tennis private baths, some with television clean and comfortable rooms, pri- residences range from studios to courts (indoor and outdoor), three and A/C. Relaxed atmosphere. Com- vate baths, expansive great room, five-bedroom suites and deliver a pools, fitness center, hot tub, mas- fortable living room with wood fire- crackling fire, and Wi-Fi. We hope level of service, luxury, and conve- sage and acupuncture, and an onsite place. BYOB lounge with pool table, each and every guest who visits the nience that sets them apart. Each bistro, the Bridges offers year-round TV, stereo, guest refrigerator, and Waitsfield Inn will enjoy its history home is furnished with hardwood fun for the whole family. woodstove. Outdoor hot tub. and timeless elegance. furniture, custom cabinetry, stainless bridgesresort.com / 802.583.2922 madriverinn.com / 802.496.7900 waitsfieldinn.com / 802.496.3979 steel appliances, granite countertops, and Wi-Fi. Clay Brook offers private concierge services, valet and under- ground parking, ski and boot valet, heated outdoor pool, and hot tubs. PITCHER INN sugarbush.com / 800.537.8427 Featured on Condé Nast Traveler’s THE FEATHERBED INN “Gold List” for the past five years, the Pitcher Inn features eleven unique- The Featherbed Inn, located just ly designed and appointed guest south of the town of Waitsfield on rooms, each a reflection of , is one of the Valley’s orig- life and offering the amenities and WEATHER TOP inals. The 1806 farmhouse and cot- services expected of a Relais & Châ- MOUNTAIN INN tages comprise nine rooms, taste- teaux member. Not your typical country inn ... Asian fully decorated with antiques and pitcherinn.com / 802.496.6350 antiques and art, eclectic evening featuring real featherbeds on every dining, and thoughtful amenities to bed. A delicious homemade break- enhance your holiday. Eight tastefully SUGARBUSH INN fast is provided every morning. decorated guest rooms, expansive Classic country charm in an afford- featherbedinn.com / 802.496.7151 great room with fieldstone fireplace, able package. Every stay includes well-equipped game room, hot tub, breakfast and access to the Health & sauna, A/C, and Wi-Fi. Racquet Club. Onsite casual dining weathertopmountaininn.com is available at the Grill Down Under 802.496.4909 (winter only). Conveniently located SUGAR LODGE less than one mile from the lifts and THE GARRISON Sugar Lodge is a classic mountain on the Mad Bus route. sugarbush.com / 800.537.8427 Located in the heart of Vermont’s lodge located less than a half mile Sugarbush and Mad River Valley, the from Sugarbush’s Lincoln Peak. Ho- Garrison offers condos, studios, and tel amenities—including Continental motel rooms. With units both small breakfast, cable TV, beer/wine bar, and large, enjoy our indoor heated free Wi-Fi, and hot tub—combine with pool, tennis, and washer and dryer. the ambiance of a Vermont country All just five minutes to skiing! inn. Rates start at $89 per night. garrisoncondos.com / 802.496.2352 sugarlodge.com / 802.583.3300 WEST HILL HOUSE BED & BREAKFAST Award-winning B&B next to Sugar- bush offering hospitality and great food. Comfortable beds, fireplaces, RESORT CONDOS en suites with jacuzzi and/or steam Choose from an array of one- to shower. Three public rooms with four-bedroom mountainside condos fireplaces, movies, games, and pool located within the Sugarbush Resort table. Enjoy wine, Vermont beers, TUCKER HILL INN area. Each individually owned con- and single-malt scotch from our bar. dominium is managed by the resort Recommended by the Boston Globe, westhillbb.com / 802.496.7162 and features a full kitchen. Many HYDE AWAY INN the Tucker Hill Inn is nestled on units are ski-in/ski-out and have a Classic Vermont ten-room lodge fourteen peaceful acres five minutes fireplace or woodstove and a balcony with onsite restaurant and tavern. from Sugarbush. Deluxe rooms with and/or sundeck. Comfortable accommodations range fireplaces, and family and individual sugarbush.com / 800.537.8427 from large rooms with private bath, rooms. Full breakfast included. Hik- refrigerator, and television to rustic ing/snowshoe trail, pool, and tennis bunk-style rooms with shared baths. courts (seasonal). Rooms from $139 Rates from $85 to $189 per night. to $269 per night. Family friendly. tuckerhill.com / 802.496.3983 hydeawayinn.com / 802.496.2322

SUGARBUSH 36 MAGAZINE Wine Tasting Room At Sugarbush The Perfect Après Ski

Join us for Tasting and receive a complimentary Glass

Located at Sugarbush Lincoln Peak; adjacent to The General Store at Clay Brook

Hours: Fri - Sun 1PM to 6PM

For all things organic and naturally delicious make tracks to Sweet Pea.

Bulk Foods and Spices Eco-Friendly Necessities Vitamins, Supplements, Natural Medicines Unique Cooking Oriented Groceries Certified Organic Produce Juice bar, Smoothies Healthy Take Home Meals Sandwiches, Panini, Wraps

Conveniently located in the Village Square Shopping Center Waitsfield, VT (802) 496-7763

2012 37 2013 DINING

style FamilyFrom relaxing before dinner around a roaring outdoor fire to eating dessert in front of the silver screen, kids—and their parents—will find plenty to like about the Valley’s family

BARRIE f isher dining scene. BY Patrick Brown

A Valley institution, American Flatbread made with egg whites. The comfortable map of Valley dining destinations. The in Waitsfield is the homiest restaurant ambiance will make you want to Grill Down Under is a warm and inviting around. After all, people eat in what was linger for another cup of hot coffee. restaurant and bar that features an open once the living room of an old farmhouse. 802.496.7234, easystreetmarket.com kitchen and large booths to accommodate Kids will love the open kitchen as they get big parties. From kids’ favorites like mac to watch their flatbread (don’t call it pizza) Serving as a popular meeting place and cheese to a tasty kale caesar salad, being made before their eyes and baked for community events, Waitsfield’s Big the food is unpretentious yet satisfying. in the handmade clay wood-fired oven Picture Theater & Café combines the Adorned by decorations from Sugarbush’s in the middle of the room. Try the new dinner-and-a-movie concept in one past and evoking a timeless feel, the Grill Vermont sausage flatbread, made with appealing venue. Screening the latest Down Under is the newest old place in the pork raised literally across the street. The Hollywood blockbusters, indie flicks, and Valley to bring the family. 802.583.6111, wait for a table can be long, but sitting by documentaries, the Big Pic, as it’s known sugarbush.com the outdoor fireplace is a good distraction. locally, is a place the whole family will 802.496.8856, americanflatbread.com love. The eclectic menu features food grown on Vermont farms, including the Timbers Restaurant in Lincoln Peak owners’ Small Step Farm. Get to dinner Village is a near-perfect slopeside early enough to catch a movie. Then dining experience. Your eyes are grab some coconut cake or mini maple immediately drawn to the lofty forty-five- donuts to take into the theater with you. foot post-and-beam ceilings, but the It sure beats boxed candy. 802.496.8994, architecture is not the main course. The bigpicturetheater.info BARRIE f isher menu features farm-to-table cuisine, Tucked into historic Sugarbush Village, offering food from local farms and food With its wood-fired pizzas and Italian Pizza Soul competes for the title of best producers as well as the restaurant’s classics such as chicken parmesan, pizza in the Valley. Don’t expect to dine own gardens. Après-ski in Timbers is a keeping the kids happy is easy at the in—with just a few seats, there is barely family affair. Try the yak sausage corn Terra Rossa Ristorante. But Terra enough room to wait for your pie to come dog; reinvented by Timbers’ chefs, this Rossa also offers sophisticated palates out of the oven. With pizzas hand-tossed kids’ classic is something children and reason for excitement. Tender braised by chef-owner Jason Lerner, this is the adults can both agree on. 802.583.6300, veal short ribs served in a marsala place to grab dinner to bring back to a sugarbush.com demi-glace with crispy gnocchi will house or condo full of kids. While you’re satisfy hearty appetites. Or try the grilled there, pick up a Symphony in C for the If there’s not enough snow to get first strip steak with a marinated onion, adults, topped with spinach, garlic, olive chair, take the kids to the Easy Street pepper, mushroom, and tomato kebab. oil, feta, mozzarella, provolone, ricotta, Restaurant in Waitsfield for a relaxing Terra Rossa can be found on the road and parmesan. What makes Jason tick? breakfast. Chocolate chip pancakes leading to Sugarbush. 802.583.7676, He gets to throw airs on his snowboard all stacked high on a plate and topped with terrarossaristorante.com day at Sugarbush and then throw pies all local maple syrup can’t help but get night at his restaurant. He might just have you in vacation mode. Healthy options The revival of a classic this past season it made … but be sure to call first. are available too, like a veggie omelet has put the Sugarbush Inn back on the 802.496.6202, pizzasoul.com

SUGARBUSH 38 MAGAZINE dining in the Mad River Valley

Big Picture Hyde Away Inn Theater & Café and Restaurant Pizza Soul 275 Main at the Pitcher Inn A vibrant café serving breakfast, Comfortable and unpretentious, Serving authentic, hand-tossed, 275 Main at the Pitcher Inn features lunch, and dinner daily. Coffee/ the Hyde Away serves American New York-style, premium pizza with dishes thoughtfully prepared with espresso, full bar, and vintage soda cuisine with flair. The freshest a side of music and whole lotta soul. fresh local ingredients, served in fountain. Homemade desserts, ingredients, affordable prices, and We offer two tables for dining in. an elegant candlelit dining room, bread, and famous maple-glazed friendly atmosphere make this a Please call for takeout and current and supported by an award-winning donuts. First-run and art-house local favorite. Tavern with pool table hours of operation. Delivery offered wine cellar. Dinner served Wednes- theater (drink-in/dine-in theaters), and Vermont microbrews on tap. when available. day through Monday. Reservations live music/events, and a community Children’s menu. Serving from 4 pizzasoul.com / 802.496.6202 suggested. gathering space. p.m. to 10 p.m. pitcherinn.com / 802-496-6350 bigpicturetheater.info hydeawayinn.com / 802.496.2322 802.496.8994 Tracks at the Pitcher Inn Tracks at the Pitcher Inn offers a casual menu featuring fresh, Sweet Pea local ingredients, local beers from A family-owned small-scale sus- Lawson’s Finest Liquids and Hill tainable food store and organic café, Farmstead, and creative cocktails Sweet Pea features the Valley’s only served in the comfort of a cozy, fire- Birds Nest Bistro organic juice bar, salad bar, and lit lounge. Dinner served Wednesday The Birds Nest Bistro features a MINT vegetarian buffet. Our fresh deli to Monday. Reservations suggested. diverse menu consisting of mostly At MINT you’ll find vegetables offers a creative selection of sand- pitcherinn.com / 802.496.6350 local foods. Menu options range prepared in many delicious ways. wiches and panini. Gourmet coffee, from pub fare and cheese plates to Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free tea, and desserts. gourmet burgers, seasonal entrées, dishes, exotic flavors, organic, local, sweetpeanaturalfood.com and eclectic, healthy choices such and international wholesome foods. 802.496.7763 as seaweed salad and homemade Open Wednesday to Sunday, 5 p.m. to guacamole. 8:30 p.m. Please call for reservations. bridgesresort.com / 802.583.2922 mintvermont.com / 802.496.5514

The Store The Kitchen at the Store offers classes for anyone who loves The Warren Store The Grill Down Under to cook—or would like to learn. Delicious coffee, breakfast on the Featuring classic comfort foods at Classes include Moroccan, Choco- deck, mouthwatering pastries, an affordable price, the Grill Down Mutha Stuffers late, Fish and Chicken 101, Pasta, incredible sandwiches. “It’s not Under is a cozy dinner spot suitable Mutha Stuffers is a year-round New and more. View our schedule online, just a store, it’s a living, breathing for family and friends. Flatbread York-style eat-in deli located in and ask about our custom private Vermont Spirit. From local jellies pizzas, lasagna specials, salads, and Sugarbush Village. Open until mid- classes. Learn, Create, Eat. to cheeses made just up the hill, steaks are regular offerings. Quaint night on Friday and Saturday. Ski-in/ vermontstore.com / 802.496.4465 from boutique wines to local buzz bar for après-ski. (Winter only.) ski-out. Serving a full line of Boar’s around the pot-bellied stove, you’ve sugarbush.com / 802.583.6111 Head Provisions. Ask for Dino. got to make a stop at this eclectic muthastuffers.com / 802.583.4477 deli.”–Boston Common Magazine, September 2006. warrenstore.com / 802.496.3864

Timbers Restaurant Sourcing as much high-quality Hogan’s Pub food from Vermont and the Mad With breathtaking views of the East Shore Vineyard River Valley as possible, Timbers mountains and the Valley, Hogan’s TWineastin Tastingg Room Room features items such as dry-aged Pub serves up a variety of salads, Join us for samplesAt and pairings steaks, locally raised meats, and specialty sandwiches, and burgers of some of Vermont’s very best seafood in an atmosphere modeled timbers. stina booth for lunch, and cold brews and cock- wines.Sugarbush Adjacent to the General after a nineteenth-century Vermont tails for après. Try the melted blue StoreThe at ClayPerfect Brook Après Hotel Ski and round dairy barn. Don’t miss the cheese and onion Neil Farm Burger, Residences. Open Friday through Farmhouse Plate with Chef Rich’s from cows raised only a few miles Sunday.Join (Winter us for only.) Tasting country-style pâté, the yak sausage away. (Summer only.) eastshorevineyard.comand receive a corn dog, and the ribeye. sugarbush.com / 802.583.6723 802.583.7467complimentary Glass sugarbush.com / 802.583.6800

Located at Sugarbush Lincoln Peak; adjacent to2012 39 2013 The General Store at Clay Brook

Hours: Fri - Sun 1PM to 6PM Sugarbush eak village. S usan teare lincoln p eak village.

Special. Better. Many believe that this aptly SUGARBUSH describes the Sugarbush and Mad River Valley experience. Even After years of skiing at the mountain, Sugarbush owner and for people who live as close as over the Appalachian Gap or up president Win Smith purchased the resort in September of 2001 by Montpelier, the Mad River Valley carries a certain appeal that with a group of local investors. They have since embarked on is unique in Vermont. Simply referred to as the Valley—as if it reshaping the Sugarbush experience to reflect the nature of were the only one in Vermont—the area boasts all the amenities, the Mad River Valley. The management team includes Adam beauty, serenity, individuality, and bustling energy that anyone Greshin, a longtime Warren resident who has served as the could expect. The heart of the valley—the Mad River—is state representative for County. Incorporating something of an anomaly. One of the few rivers in the area that traditional Vermont architecture into the village, hosting arts flow north—from its origins in Granville Gulf to its confluence performances, and highlighting the local agricultural economy with the —the name evokes an unabashed, in the resort’s culinary offerings are just some of the ways fiercely independent community. Sugarbush delivers a rich experience for its guests. Clearly the Valley is not Vermont as usual. Part of what sets In 2006, Sugarbush completed construction of Clay Brook it apart are the people who choose to call this area home—from Hotel & Residences and the Gate House Lodge. Four years later, an enclave of renowned architects, to third-generation family two more skier-services buildings—the Schoolhouse and the farmers, to an active arts community and recreationalists Farmhouse—were added to Lincoln Peak Village. And plans have of all streaks. All of been drawn up for the second phase of construction at Lincoln them are drawn to Peak Village—the new Rice Brook Residences. These fifteen new this place of endless homes in three buildings will tie together Lincoln Peak Village recreation opportunities and historic Sugarbush Village. They are part of a larger-scale and majestic beauty, project that will include up to ninety new spaces for residential hemmed in by some of and commercial use. Tying together Sugarbush history, the Vermont’s tallest peaks authenticity of the Mad River Valley, and the modernity and style and sliced in half by the of new amenities, Sugarbush is committed to offering the best shimmering waters of in customer service, four seasons of outdoor recreation, and an

the Mad River. macys sandy unrivaled and quintessential Vermont experience.

SUGARBUSH 40 MAGAZINE sandy macys sandy micheal riddell sandy macys sandy eugene krylov

THE MOUNTAINS There is something for everyone at Sugarbush. Like many of the ski areas west of

the Mississippi, Sugarbush’s Lincoln Peak spreads out in a natural bowl of terrain. macys sandy Runs at Lincoln Peak face north, south, and east and make for spectacular skiing in the sun no matter the time of day. The natural bowl also makes the trail network easy to navigate. Beginners, intermediates, and experts can all start from the same place, find terrain suitable to their tastes, and end up together back where they started. The layout of the lift and trail network quickly disperses crowds on peak traffic days, while mid- mountain lifts serve higher elevation runs that minimize long lift lines in the base area. Lincoln Peak is home to the legendary terrain of Castlerock Peak. Its narrow, steep, and winding trails offer seasoned experts a challenge and an old-time New England ski experience. Powder hungry? Get up early for first tracks on the Lincoln Limo. When it’s snowing, we go to the top in our twelve-passenger snowcat as early as 6 a.m., before the lifts even open. Connected by the Slide Brook Express to Lincoln Peak, Mt. Ellen is the third highest peak in Vermont. With thirty-nine trails, Mt. Ellen has steeps, wide-open cruisers, and some great beginner terrain. The base area at Mt. Ellen is a no-frills experience with mary simmons a classic lodge that’s home to the convivial Green Mountain Lounge, where it’s not uncommon to see three generations of skiers recapping the day’s exploits. Mt. Ellen is where you’ll find the Riemergasse Terrain Park, accessed by the park-dedicated Sunny D lift. With rails, tables, and jumps for all levels, the park is home to local talent and a series of events and competitions. Whether at Mt. Ellen or Lincoln Peak, skiing in the trees is often the best way to find great snow. Twenty marked areas provide beginner to advanced tree skiing. Want more? The 2,000-acre Slide Brook backcountry, tucked in between Lincoln Peak and Mt. Ellen, is an adventurer’s paradise. Guided trips are available with legendary skier John Egan and the staff of the Adventure Learning Center. Sugarbush isn’t the only attraction to the Mad River Valley. Mad River Glen, just a few miles to the north of Sugarbush, boasts some of the most challenging terrain in the East. The Valley is also home to two Nordic skiing centers, Blueberry Lake and Ole’s Cross Country Center.

2012 41 2013 timbers restaurant at night. SANDY MACYS LODGING From slopeside luxury to quaint country living, the Sugarbush Vacation Team will find something to suit your family. The slopeside Clay Brook Hotel and Residences offers sixty-one suites, ranging from studios to five-bedroom penthouses, and features ski-in/ ski-out access, full valet service, a year-round outdoor heated pool, a fitness center, and Timbers Restaurant. Down the road is the forty-two-room Sugarbush Inn, open all winter and for private groups in the summer. The inn–with restaurant, nooks for reading, and a parlor with an adjoining taproom–has the cozy charm of a Vermont country inn with all the services of a resort. Sugarbush also offers a mix of resort-managed condominiums surrounding Lincoln Peak. All Sugarbush lodging comes with complimentary access to the Sugarbush Health and Racquet Club, which offers a pool, hot tubs, steam rooms, the Kids Zone, rock climbing, tennis, and massage. For additional lodging recommendations, please call the Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce at 802-496-3409.

SUGARBUSH 42 MAGAZINE Sugarbush

TRANSPORTATION MOUNTAIN STATISTICS The Burlington International Airport is just fifty minutes from Sugarbush, with direct Skiable acres: 578 flights arriving from New York City, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Miles of trails: 53 and Atlanta, and seasonal direct flights from Toronto. Amtrak runs trains from major Tree-skiing areas: 20 Eastern cities into Rutland (one hour south of Sugarbush) and Waterbury (thirty minutes Summit elevation: 4,083 feet north). And once you’ve arrived, Green Mountain Transit offers free public transportation Base elevation: 1,483 feet services in the winter season within the Mad River Valley region via the Mad Bus. Vertical drop: 2,600 feet Average annual snowfall: 269 inches Distance from: Burlington: 46 miles Terrain parks: 3 Boston: 203 miles New York City: 347 miles LIFTS (16 TOTAL) Montreal: 139 miles (224 KM) 7 quads (5 high speed) 2 triples 4 doubles 3 surface lifts OPERATING HOURS AND CONTACT INFO Weekdays: 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Weekend/holiday: 8 a.m.– 4 p.m. Season: mid-November–April 802-583-6300; 800-53-SUGAR sugarbush.com Warren, Vermont

2012 43 2013 CALENDAR j ohn atkinson macys sandy macys sandy

10/6 Community Day 1/13 Mountain Dew 3/9 Castlerock Extreme 6/15 Sugarbush Brew-Grass Celebrate the height of foliage Vertical Challenge Gear up for the sixteenth year Festival The third annual season in the Mad River Valley with A premier vertical challenge for of this on-mountain Sugarbush brewfest features more than fresh local foods, Win’s annual skiers and riders of all ages, at favorite—the Castlerock Extreme twenty local and regional brewers, resort update, kids’ camps and Lincoln Peak. presents a true challenge as three live bands, and multiple food hikes, pumpkin carving, live music, competitors take on the daunting stations. Last year’s festival sold 1/19–21 Martin Luther scenic lift rides, and a dog-friendly Lift Line run. out, so get your tickets early. family hike. King Jr. Weekend A long weekend of live music, 3/16 Sugaring Time 7/4 Independence Day 11/17 The Big Kicker family activities, and fireworks. Festival This spring tradition Celebration Celebrate the Kick off the winter season at the Film fans will want to check out celebrates the start of the Fourth Mad River Valley–style with Big Kicker! Join Mad River Glen the MountainTop Film Festival sugaring season. Sample maple Warren’s iconoclastic parade and and Sugarbush Resort to celebrate at the Big Picture Theater syrup–inspired foods and specialty festival, a spectacular air show, the upcoming 2012–13 ski and ride in Waitsfield, which features drinks and take part in the the Waitsfield farmer’s market, live season with a party that includes important human-rights films day’s events, including a maple- music, and Sugarbush’s largest a Mad River Glen/Sugarbush from all over the world. doughnut-eating contest, a resort- fireworks show of the year. freestyle team exhibition, an wide scavenger hunt for maple Junior Castlerock all-star lineup of ski movies, live 2/2 nips (with prizes), live music, and 7/7 Mad Marathon music, and beverage specials. Fun Extreme The best rising skiers more. Billed as the “World’s Most for the whole family. and riders in the Northeast (ages Beautiful Marathon,” this fourteen and younger) take on 3/30 Pond Skimming challenging race sends runners by 12/10 A Taste of Timbers Sugarbush’s famous peak in the Springtime at Sugarbush brings farms, along rolling dirt roads, and Sample items from Chef Rich 3rd Annual Junior Castlerock with it a long-standing tradition— inside covered bridges throughout Scarzello’s winter menu. Look Extreme. A qualifier for March’s braving ice-cold water! Throw the Mad River Valley. Run as a for his pork confit, Rhode Island– Castlerock Extreme and a stop on your best costume, tuck, and whole marathon, half, or relay. style wild mushrooms (hold the on the Ski the East Freeride Tour. attempt to cross a 120-foot pond. 8/1–31 Festival of the Arts calamari), and pastry specialties Be sure to register early—the 110 Or stay dry and join the crowd to A monthlong celebration of art in like flourless chocolate cake. registration slots sold out last year. watch from the sidelines. the Mad River Valley, featuring a 12/22–31 Holiday Week 2/3 USSMA Sugarbush– 4/7 Easter Celebration “Taste of the Valley” culinary feast Celebration Celebrate your Mad River Glen Randonee Begin your Easter Sunday with a at Lincoln Peak, the Big Red Barn holiday slope-style. Meet Santa’s Race This endurance race sunrise service at Allyn’s Lodge, Art Show, theatrical performances crew on Christmas Eve, enjoy benefiting the Green Mountain followed by egg hunts and a at the Skinner Barn and the après-ski live music, and send Club begins at Mad River Glen, gourmet brunch at Timbers. Phantom Theater, and much more. the kids to Pizza and Movie Night climbs up and over to Sugarbush’s 5/11 The Mad Triathlon in the Schoolhouse (no parents 8/30–9/2 The Green Mt. Ellen, runs through the Slide Test your individual skills or form allowed!). The 3rd Annual Dog Mountain Stage Race Brook wilderness area, and a team to compete in the four- Parade kicks off the New Year’s The largest Pro-Am road stage finishes at Lincoln Peak. event triathlon, which includes a Eve celebration, followed by race east of the Mississippi, this challenging run, paddle, bike, and the Family-Style Italian Dinner 2/16–24 President’s Week four-day event attracts close to trail run. The Kids’ Triathlon is with Street Performers and a Check out this marathon of 1,000 cyclists, who take on some held the same day. spectacular fireworks display. mountain fun, featuring our annual of the Northeast’s most scenic and Torchlight Parade and Fireworks, challenging terrain. ice sculpting, the Vermont Institute of Natural Science’s live bird show, a wine tasting at Timbers, and much more.

SUGARBUSH 44 MAGAZINE Single skier photo credit: Brian Mohr/EmberPhoto.com Single chair photo credit: John Williams

“Every sport has its Mecca; the stadiums, race tracks or ball parks against which everything else is judged... Skiing has them too... There’s an agelessness to the place. Mad River Glen is an institution...” Powder Magazine

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