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SEASON PREVIEW 2023
26
The Beast of the East can be overwhelming. But local expert Polly Mikula knows it inside and out. Here, she shares her tips for everything from parking to dining.
32
A family of skiers gave a renouned architect free rein to design their new mountain home. The result was award-winning.
40
Here’s how Mikaela Shiffrin redefined what greatness — as an athlete and as a person — really means in 2023.
Four years ago he was a snow reporter at Mount Snow. This past year, Mike Dawson (a.k.a. Dawsy) traveled the world capturing Mikaela Shiffin’s record-setting season.
7 | FIRST TRACKS | Bring On the Night
There’s a new member of Vermont’s growing after-hours ski scene.
12 | SKI AREA NEWS | News Briefs
Eclipse parties, rock climbing walls, new lifts, new snowmaking — here’s what has been going on while you were on summer break.
17 | SKI AREA NEWS | GondolaGate
What could it take to connect Smuggler’s Notch Resort with Stowe?
17 | APRES | Cocktails To Go, In a Can
New laws mean Vermont’s craft distillers are canning their cocktails.
24 | ARTS | The Art of Inline Skating
Jean Cherouny doesn’t need brushes to paint. She uses Rollerblades.
53 | RETRO VT | The 2023 Hall of Fame Inductees
Meet this year’s 7 honorees; people who have changed snowsports.
58 | GEAR | The New Tech in Boots
There’s some cool new technology coming to alpine ski boots. Plus, three new socks we love.
62 | GREEN MOUNTAIN CALENDAR
64 | CHAIRLIFT Q/A | The Pro’s Coach
Jeff Lackie, a coach on Team Shiffrin for 7 years, comes to Vermont.
COVER: Mikaela Shi rin on her way to placing 5th in the Kvit ell, Norway World Cup downhill in March, 2023. Photo by DAWSY THIS PAGE: Mike Dawson, a.k.a. DAWSY, got this night shot while working as a snow reporter at Mount Snow in 2018.
We tend to get excited about big ski area projects: new base lodges, fast detachable quads, new terrain. So it was no wonder that even the faintest rumor of a connector lift going in between Smuggler’s Notch Resort and Stowe’s Spruce Peak would set the Internet on fire last summer. But that could be a long way off, as we report in this issue. The projects that actually happened this fall at ski areas around the state may be more critical to skiing’s future. We’re seeing an investment in...hold your breath... beginner terrain at Stratton (and tubing and rock climbing), night skiing at Middlebury Snowbowl, race training runs at Sugarbush.
All of these projects are evolutionary, if not revolutionary. They are designed to attract and train a new generation of skiers and riders. They are also immediate steps to build a future for snowsports by making them more accessible.
To become the next Mikaela Shiffrin you don’t need the steepest, gnarliest terrain. She became the G.O.A.T. simply by practicing on hills such as Burke. You need time on snow, as her former coach Jeff Lackie notes in our Chairlift Q/A on p. 64. As the ski season kicks off, count your hours on snow. And get as many in, on as many hills, as you can. —Lisa Lynn, Editor
p. 40
Mike Dawson went from being a snow reporter and photographer at Mount Snow to following Mikaela Shiffrin around three continents during her record-setting year, one he documents here in photos.
p. 8
Angelo Lynn has passes to every ski area in Vermont. But he can frequently be found skiing his home hill, the Middlebury Snowbowl. The publisher of this magazine, he writes here about night skiing.
p. 26
Polly Mikula got to know Killington inside and out after she took over the local paper, The Mountain Times, 12 years ago. In this issue she shares her pro tips for how to get the most out of a weekend at the Beast of the East and its surrounding towns.
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It’s 7:15 on a January night in East Corinth, a tiny town in northern Vermont, best known as the place where the movie Beetlejuice was filmed (and where a sequel is being filmed too). Tonight, it seems as if the entire town is at Northeast Slopes, a place with 12 runs, 35 skiable acres and an elevation of 1,150 feet. Fire pits are burning, and neighbors are chatting as skiers and riders lap the open slopes under the lights. Carhartt outnumbers Patagonia here 100 to 1 and everyone wears thick Kinco gloves to grip the rope tow.
Not far from Burlington, on a Thursday night, it’s a very different scene at Bolton Valley Resort. While families take advantage of a chance to head up after school, some of the best ski racers in the state are also there snaking through gates set up for the weekly Corporate Cup Challenge races.
In southern Vermont, just a mile from Exit 2 on I-91, locals and weekenders are paying $5 to get a night ticket to ski at Brattleboro Ski Hill. Teenage riders are building a DIY terrain park, freeski competitors and parents with kids on leashes share the slopes.
Night skiing is alive and well in Vermont and this season the Middlebury Snowbowl will join in, lighting their slopes.
The ski area has been busy this fall putting in a new fixed-grip quad (replacing the old Sheehan double chair)—the only new lift in the state. Telephone poles with Dark Sky-compliant LED lights were installed on three trails off the Sheehan: Kelton, Cameron and Lang.
Lights also went in at the newly-expanded Discovery Zone, a beginner area served by the Magic Carpet. Night skiing is set to debut this season on Wednesdays through Fridays, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
This season, there’s a new entry in Vermont’s fiercely fun and growing night skiing scene.
“The idea was to increase skier and rider visits without having to increase the size of our parking lot, or lodge, or other facilities that are already full on busy days,” said Mike Hussey, who has been general manager at the Snowbowl for 6 years and managed the Rikert Nordic Center before that. “But this was also an idea that we hoped will rejuvenate the ski culture and recreate that ski town persona that Middlebury had in the 1960s and 1970s. Back then, it had state champion high school ski teams and a ski club that was one of the strongest in the state.”
That culture—and steep runs such as the Allen—produced such skiing greats as Doug Lewis, who in 1985 became the first American downhiller to medal in a World Championships. It began to vanish when the high school stopped letting kids out early enough in the afternoon to practice. The ski team soon fizzled while hockey programs gained favor.
Hussey thinks night skiing may change that. “We have a strong ski club program for young skiers, but once they get to high school there is no team sport. We’re hoping this will help revive the ski program in area schools and that will, in turn, encourage more families to get involved in the sport and all we offer at the Snowbowl.”
Hussey also said night skiing should attract a new subset of mid-week skiers who weren’t previously able to take off from work or school. “We anticipate that night skiing will be an amazing asset for the community,” Hussey said. He noted that while only a handful of Vermont ski areas offer night skiing, for almost 80% of the ski areas in New York and other southern New England states night skiing makes up the bulk of their business.
Hussey said the Snowbowl team would be looking at other industry leaders who are doing night skiing well. Hussey cited Bolton Valley as a leader that has “a great bar and food scene, as well as successful night-skiing programs.”
He summed it up: “So, there are a lot of ski areas we can learn from. And we expect a sizable uptick in revenue from being open these three days.” —Angelo Lynnings and après ski scene is something we have to build on, so that’s also a big
Where can you do some laps once the sun sets? Bolton Valley runs a rope,-tow, two double chairs, and a quad. Eight trails feature night skiing top to bottom, Tuesday through Saturday from 4-10 pm. Tickets are $25. Cochran’s Ski Area gets lit up for their famous Friday Night Lights sessions o the T-bar. The ski area also hosts family-style dinners and a meal and a lift ticket that have historically started at $15, or $5 if you just ski. Middlebury Snowbowl will debut night skiing Wednesdays through Fridays, 4 to 9 pm., $29 per adult A number of community-owned areas also light up their slopes: Brattleboro Ski Hill has a $5 lift ticket and is open Friday and Saturday nights until 9 pm. Hard’Ack Recreation Area in St. Albans turns on the lights from 3 to 6 pm on weekends. The Lyndon Outing Club has night skiing Friday and Saturdays until 9 pm and, on special evenings, as does Northeast Slopes in East Corinth. Ascutney Outdoors has o ered Thursday night races in past years. Note that many of the community areas are dependent on natural snow conditions.
On Saturday, October 14, Vermont will experience a partial solar eclipse. But if you’re planning winter ski trips, you might want to order some viewing glasses (essential so you don’t harm your eyes) and prepare for Monday, April 8, 2024. That’s when for the first time in 101 years Vermont will be witness to a total solar eclipse.
Northern Vermont’s ski areas may be the best places in the country to watch: the northern tier of the state will see the most coverage of the sun. The eclipse will start at approximately 2:13 pm in Manchester as the moon moves across the sun. Areas from Middlebury north should see total obscurity from about 3:27 to 3:30, creating a night-like darkness that may last for as long as 3 minutes, 30 seconds. But by 4:38, it will be over
Already, eclipse-viewing packages, such as those o ered by Vermont-based Sugar Tours (which combines maple sugaring visits with eclipse viewing) have sold out.
Jay Peak Resort, which will have perhaps the best viewing of any U.S. ski area, has planned special lodging packages that start at $365 for two. Pink Talking Fish will play Pink Floyd’s entire Dark Side of the Moon album from 2:30 to 3:15 in the Tramside base area. There will also be a tram ride to the summit ($40 per person, limited to 120) at 2 pm.
Want to know more? Vermont geologist Peter Shea has produced a small, 12-page viewing guide to the eclipse that comes with safety tips and viewing glasses. It includes the history of Vermont’s eclipses and a viewing schedule by location. Vermont’s Total Solar Eclipse is available from bookstores or Windridge Publishing for $12.95.
Burke Mountain Academy, the ski racing academy that launched the careers of Mikaela Shi rin and many others, received new support this year. Following the tragic murder of BMA alum Moriah Wilson ’14 in May 2022, the Wilson family has created a $100,000 endowment for the school’s programs, the Moriah Wilson ‘14 Legacy Fund. The fund will help cover racing and training expenses for students, with a focus on those from the Northeast Kingdom. At the time of her death, Moriah was the world’s leading pro cyclist on the women’s gravel racing circuit. She had also been a top junior ski racer before a knee injury sidelined her and she took up cycling. Her brother, Matt,and father, Eric, went to Burke, where her father also coached and taught.
Karen, Matt and Eric Wilson (shown left to right here, with Moriah) said in a joint statement: “We hope this fund will help foster the kind of community that Moriah believed in — one that lifts each other up, celebrates each other’s achievements, and helps one another overcome challenges. We trust that this fund reflects Moriah’s desire to give back and support the needs of aspiring athletes who want to be part of the BMA community and experience life as a Burkie.”
If there’s any question where the sport of snowboarding was born, stop by 2242 Main Street in Londonderry and you will now see an historic marker. On October 3, a who’s who of snowboarding gathered at the site where Jake Burton Carpenter launched Burton Snowboards first factory. On hand for the dedication were five-time Olympian Kelly Clark, who grew up riding at Mount Snow, Olympic Bronze Medalist and Stratton Mountain School coach Ross Powers, Lyle Blaisdell, an innovator in creating half-pipes. Donna Carpenter who helped grow the company with Jake and two of Burton’s first employees, Mimi and Mark Wright were on hand. So too was Hubert Schriebl, the Stratton-based photographer who has covered snowsports in the East more extensively than anyone.
See our full collection at: ferrojewelers.com/collections/vermont-inspired
Here are some of the other things that have been going on at ski areas this past summer and fall.
Bolton Valley Resort has looked for ways to keep the whole family entertained, including having an indoor skate park in the Adventure Center. But this fall, skateboarders raised a ruckus as the skatepark was torn out to make way for pickleball, a sport that’s been skyrocketing in popularity, and tennis courts, spaces that CEO Lindsay DesLauriers noted can be more easily used for events. To her credit, DesLauriers put the project on hold until she had a chance to hear more from the skateboard community.
The resort, which was built and launched by Ralph DesLauriers, and is currently run by three of his four children (Lindsay, Adam and Evan), also welcomed a new operations manager this summer. He’s a kick-ass skier you may have seen in Warren Miller films. Eric DesLauriers (below, far right), along with his brothers Rob and Adam, has appeared in more than 20 ski films. They were part of the North Face Alpine ExtremeTeam.
The town of Ludlow and Okemo Mountain Resort, which were hit with historic flooding in July, have been recovering. During the flood, Okemo opened its doors and restaurant to serve those impacted at no cost. All of the resort’s lodges, lifts and restaurants plan to be fully operational this season. However, a number businesses in town are only gradually rebuilding. Popular eateries such as Mr. Darcy’s and Sam’s Steakhouse were still closed this fall whereas locals’ favorite Homestyle Hotel had reopened.
Raise a glass of Sip of Sunshine to Jay Peak. The resort, which was acquired by Pacific Group Resorts, Inc. in November 2022, is embarking on the largest stand-alone carbon reduction project in Vermont’s history, reducing its carbon output by 2,500 tons a year once the project is complete. To do so, the resort is putting in a three-megawatt electric boiler that will meet all the heat that the conference center, Pump House Indoor Waterpark and various hotels and restaurants use. The project is being done with support and grants from Medley Thermal, Vermont Electric Co-Op, Efficiency Vermont, Vermont Gas Systems, and the states of Vermont and Massachusetts. Still, it wasn’t cheap. “Jay Peak was fortunate to have been purchased by a company whose forward-thinking approaches to energy consumption and management allowed us to integrate this project,” said Jay Peak president and general manager, Steve Wright. “While it will have cost and energy savings for seasons to come, the price tag was real and both PGRI, and our partners, should be commended for stepping up and doing the right thing.”
By the time you read this, Burke Mountain Resort may have a new owner. In June, Michael Goldberg, the receiver who has been charged with managing the sale of the resort following its embroilment in the EB-5 scandal, announced there had been an o er for the resort and it was expected to sell at auction by the end of the year. Locals are putting the odds in favor of a sale to a long-time supporter of Burke Mountain Academy.Jay Peak
Stratton Mountain Resort invested $6.9 million in improvements this season, including adding RFID gates at all the main base areas, Sunrise and Snowbowl Express lifts and reimagining the beginners’ area. Three new covered surface lifts (similar to a Magic Carpet) will be added for a total of five, creating a progression area in the Learning Zone. New snowboard parks will range from an extra small progression park on Tyrolienne, to the medium/large park on East Byrnes Side, complete with a halfpipe. Big Ben will take on a new look as the mountain’s designated boardercross trail. The Coca Cola Tube Park will also get a covered surface lift and a snack shack. There’s also a new climbing gym, CLIMB • Stratton Rocks and Boulders, going in at the base area.
Sugarbush Resort made a number of capital improvements. The Sugar Lodge, now called The Lodge at Lincoln Peak, saw a $1 million makeover, refurbishing its 22 rooms and two suites and bringing back another slopeside eatery, The Black Sheep Bar. The Mount Ellen Inverness Trail (often used for race training) got a major snowmaking upgrade with 40 new HKD KLiK tower guns and 20,000 feet of new pipe laid out. The resort also purchased three new snowcats from Prinoth and Pisten-Bully, including a winch cat that can groom steeper terrain. It set out to improve the traverse from the Valley House Quad over to Heaven’s Gate by giving Reverse Traverse a more downslope trajectory. The ski area also introduced two new pass o erings: a Last Chair pass good for afternoons (1 pm to 4 pm) only at $399 (no blackouts) and a $99 TBD ticket, which gets you an any-time day ticket and a second ticket good either Feb. 13 (Fat Tuesday) or for one ski day in April or May 2024.
There’s a new boss in town at Stowe Mountain Resort Shannon Buhler comes to Stowe from Vail Resort’s Northstar-at-Tahoe where she was Director of Mountain Operations. Buhler has more than 20 years’ experience at various ski areas in the West and Midwest. On her community relations “to do” list at Stowe may be to find a way to quell the local outcry over the elimination of a season parking pass. In 2022, the ski area introduced paid parking for the first time, charging $30 a day to park Fridays, Saturdays, and Sunday, at the Mount Mansfield base area parking lot. Parking was free during the week, as well as at the Toll House lift and for cars carrying four or more. Last season there were also a limited number of season passes that sold for $450 a pop and they sold out in a matter of minutes. This season, the same parking fees apply but season passes are no longer offered.
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Last June, the town of Cambridge sold 72 acres that it had acquired in a 1986 tax sale for $50,000. At the time, few people outside the town selectboard knew of the land sale to Smuggler’s Notch Resort or paid it any mind.
The land, part of a land-locked area called Thunder Basin, sits high on the western flanks of Mt. Mansfield, an area that could not be developed. Heavily wooded, it has been a haven in the winter for backcountry skiers and, in the summer, a nesting ground for the Bicknell’s thrush, the small brown bird that migrates from the Caribbean to the
Northern Forest’s high-elevation terrain with its dense evergreens.
But it is precisely because those 72 acres are nesting habitat for the vulnerable Bicknell’s thrush that the lot became a key trading card in a land-swap proposed by Smuggler’s Notch Resort that could connect it to Vail Resorts’ Stowe Mountain Resort.
According to records released by the state and first reported by Morrisville’s The News & Citizen, the swap would include the 72-acre Thunder Basin parcel. It would also include three parcels offered by Stowe Mountain Resort, for a total of 164 acres.
When news broke about a potential connector lift between Stowe and Smuggler’s Notch, everyone seemed to have a strong opinion. Here’s what would have to happen to make a connector lift a reality. By Lisa LynnThe view across Sterling Pond, with Mount Mansfield to the west, in the background. The proposed new gondola or lift would cross the area just west of Sterling Pond might entail a rerouting of The Long Trail and establishing a connector trail between Stowe’s Spruce Peak and Smuggler’s Notch Resort’s trail system.
Those would be placed under conservation with the state as part of an Act 250 (Vermont’s land development law) mitigation that could allow for a 2,600-foot-long, 9-tower transfer lift to be built. That proposed lift would allow 26 gondola cars to carry 1,200 skiers an hour from the Sensation lift at the top of Stowe’s Spruce Peak to Smuggler’s Notch’s Sterling Mountain, effectively connecting the two resorts.
By comparison, Stowe’s Over Easy gondola travels 1,483 feet between Mt. Mansfield’s base and Spruce Peak. Nearly two miles long, the Slide Brook Express that connects Sugarbush’s Mt. Ellen with Lincoln Peak is the world’s longest detachable quad.
In siting the lift, Smuggs promised it would work to reduce the impacts of the proposed lift on the high alpine wetlands and the Bicknell’s thrush habitat. However, it might entail a rerouting of the Long Trail.
It wouldn’t be the first time the two resorts have been connected. Two decades ago, Stowe skiers could take a slow fixed-grip chairlift (affectionately nicknamed “the Big Pig”) up Spruce Peak and ski down the backside to Smuggler’s Notch. There, lift operators at Smuggs would honor one lift ride back up. Skiers would cross the frozen pond at the top of the Sterling lift and then ski back to Stowe. The connector trail was known as Snuffy’s.
That was before the Big Pig was replaced by the new high-speed Sensation quad, before hotels, condos and a skating rink were developed at Spruce Peak and before Stowe Mountain Resort was sold to Vail Resorts.
When Vail Resorts bought Stowe in 2017, there was much speculation that Smuggs would be next on the Colorado behemoth’s shopping list. Smuggler’s Notch Resort owner Bill Stritzler vehemently decried the rumors he was selling as “fake news.”
Yet, that same year he began reaching out to the state about the possibility of a connector lift and hired Arrowwood Environmental to begin a two-year feasibility study of the terrain.
In 2017, after doing a projected 30-year study, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service also announced it would not be listing the Bicknell’s thrush as federally Threatened or Endangered, though its populations remain vulnerable.
After The News & Citizen broke the story in June, Stritzler, now 85, again denied that there was any grand plan to sell Smuggler’s Notch to Stowe. “There’s no plan there, nothing more than has been previously reported,” Stritzler said at a meeting of the Vermont Ski Areas Association. “I can say to you that there’s absolutely no wink or written understanding between the two businesses as to what the relationship will be in the future,” he also told The News & Citizen.
Yet it is hard to see why Smuggler’s Notch, which has not upgraded any of its fixed-grip lifts in decades, would consider investing in a transfer lift that could double downhill traffic on Sterling Mountain, and increase Smuggler’s existing lift lines, unless there was a larger plan in place to sell.
Stritzler has famously defended Smuggs’ slow lifts as a way to preserve the downhill experience. In a 2021 interview with The Storm Skiing Journal podcast, Stritzler said: “We decided 30 years ago two things: The first is that we are focused on having a great ride down the mountain. We are one of the lowest-dense mountains because our uphill capacity is what it is with our double chairs. What that means is that when you are coming down the mountain it’s not crowded. The other decision we made—and we’re going to stick to—is we are only going to change out a lift when our service levels are impacted.”
It is also hard to see why Vail Resorts, which is assiduously risk-averse, would allow its Epic Pass holders access to ski lifts that are not under its ownership and control. Vail Resorts presently owns all 36 of the U.S.
The proposed land swap would include the parcels outlined in red in the graphic above. The dark line just west of Sterling Pond shows the proposed lift and the dotted line, the Long Trail. Below, a view of the trails on Smuggler’s Madonna and Sterling Mountains from above Morse Mountain. COURTESY PHOTOS
If you’ve ever dreamed of seeing a connector lift say between Killington and Pico, Mount Snow and Haystack or even (wild fantasizing here) between Cochran’s and Bolton Valley (perhaps not entirely a fantasy, given that Ralph DesLaurier’s original plan for the resort included a lift that would take people from the valley up to the mountain’s base), don’t give up hope. Should the Stowe-Smuggs connector lift ever come to pass it would join a growing group of North American lifts that were built to connect two ski areas.
The Slidebrook Express: Sugarbush’s Mount Ellen and Lincoln Peak
In 1995, what still holds the record as the longest and fastest chairlift in the world, went in between Sugarbush’s Mount Ellen base area (formerly the Glen Ellen ski area) and the resort’s Lincoln Peak. Spanning nearly two miles and 11,012 feet, the chairlift only has a vertical rise of 400 feet. The detachable quad can move 800 people in an hour now to the resort village at Lincoln Peak from Mt. Ellen. However, in 2021 and 2022 the lift did not run, returning only in the spring of 2023. Sugarbush was purchased by Alterra Mountain Company in 2020.
Over-Easy Gondola: Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak
While Spruce Peak was never really a separate ski area, for years you had to drive, take a bus, or hoof it across Route 108 if you wanted to go from Mount Mansfield’s steeps to Spruce Peak’s gentler slopes, both part of Stowe Mountain Resort. That was before former AIG’s Mount Mansfield Ski Company began developing the immense village at Spruce Peak with its hotels, vast base lodge and village—and little public parking. In 2006-7,
the Over Easy Gondola (shown above) went in, giving people (max capacity is 10 per car) a way to cross the Mount Mansfield parking lot and Route 108. It’s a short ride – just 1,483 feet – and is free. The reported cost to build was $5.5 million. In 2017 Stowe Mountain Resort was purchased by Vail Resorts.
Peak to Peak Gondola: Whistler and Blackcomb
In 2007-8 the Peak-to-Peak Gondola went in, connecting British Columbia’s Whistler and Blackcomb resorts with an 11-minute ride. The gondola holds records for the longest free span between towers (just over 2 miles) and for the highest point above ground (1,430 feet). The lift can move 2,050 people (each way) in an hour. Total cost was over $51 million. In 2016, Whistler/ Blackcomb was purchased by Vail Resorts.
ski areas that are on the Epic Pass. It is only in foreign countries such as Canada, Australia and Switzerland where insurance requirements and liability laws are typically less stringent than in the U.S., that partner resorts take the Epic Pass.
Still, it is not surprising that Vail Resorts worked to identify land it could contribute for the proposed swap. There would be many benefits to a Stowe/Smuggs relationship.
Smuggs is just two hours from Montreal and an hour from Burlington. Smuggs is known for its children’s and family programs and its Fun Zone 2.0. It has space for expanded parking, something that has plagued Stowe,
and it could theoretically ease some of the traffic that currently snarls Route 108, Stowe’s Mountain Road.
The Smuggs base has extensive condos and other housing, some of which might see the bump in property values that Stowe real estate has seen since the Vail Resorts purchase. The town of Cambridge and adjacent towns of Jericho, Jeffersonville and Johnson might also reap the economic benefits that Vail Resorts has brought by increasing skier visits through its Epic Pass.
Combined, Stowe Mountain and Smuggler’s Notch Resorts would have 17 lifts and 194 trails. and nearly 800 skiable acres —just over half of Killington’s 1,509 acres.
WHAT
So what is next? In soliciting feedback, Smugglers’ Notch Resort wrote on its website: Should we move forward, we will be rooted in the guiding principles of cooperation and collaboration to ensure this is a win for guests, the environment and the community. This concept is in its preliminary stages, and any actions will be subject to government approvals.
The gondola’s route, as outlined, would cross state forest land and could result in a rerouting of The Long Trail. It would be built on what is currently a designated “natural area” of high alpine terrain.
However, by statute “natural areas” can be designated, changed or removed by the Commissioner of the Dept. of Forests, Parks & Recreation (currently Danielle Fitzko) with approval of the governor – at present, Gov. Scott.
But that can only be following a public notice period and hearing. “Natural areas are not permanent,” notes Amy Sheldon, the representative from Addison County who chairs the House Committee on Environment and Energy as well as the Commission on Act 250. “But that doesn’t mean they aren’t important or shouldn’t be preserved.”
For the lift to go in, the state forest’s long-range management plan (LRMP) would have to be altered (also subject to public hearings) and an Act 250 permit would need to be cleared and issued, all processes that can take several years.
If approved, the proposed lift could take at least two years to build as construction can only take place during a limited window, bracketed by when the ground freezes and nesting and fledgling season of the Bicknell’s thrush, which occurs between June 1 and August 15.
So what would happen if the proposed gondola doesn’t go through? That was a question this magazine posed to Stritzler. who has noted that the long-term economic viability of Smuggler’s Notch may depend on this lift. Stritzler shrugged. Are there other connecting options? Would Snuffy’s, the off-the-map connector trail, ever be resurrected? “That’s always a possibility,” he answered with a smile. X
The après-ski scene may heat up this winter now that a new law allows Vermont’s craft distillers to create and sell ready-to-drink cocktails in bottles and cans. By Lisa Lynn
If you follow the cross-country ski trails from Craftsbury Outdoor Center toward Greensboro you may come to the Barr Hill Natural Preserve. It’s a 256-acre parcel that The Nature Conservancy, which has owned it since 1972, calls “one of the prettiest picnic spots in Vermont.”
In Crossing to Safety, Pulitzer Prizewinning author Wallace Stegner wrote of Barr Hill “…this is where I go when I need to pace something out, to knead an idea or predicament like dough. Others might head for steep mountain trails, but I love this rutted one-lane track rising above the pretty village.” In the summer, bees buzz
the branches of maples, cedar and birch and, collect nectar from the wild clover and asters that grow in the clearings. Come winter, skiers glide across the frozen land.
It’s near here that beekeeper Todd Hardie has kept bees, collecting and selling their honey. It’s near here too that Ryan Christiansen, a lifelong Vermonter, branched out from working in his parents’ hardware store to start a small distillery using a copper still warmed over a fire. The two teamed up in 2011 to start Caledonia Spirits. They would use Hardie’s raw honey – kept raw to preserve its terroir – to finish off the distilled juniper to make a very, very
good, small-batch gin that sells for nearly $40 a bottle.
Flash forward 12 years and Barr Hill Gin has captured top awards at international spirits competitions from New York to Hong Kong, making it one of the world’s most lauded gins. By 2019, operations had outgrown the original space in Greensboro and Caledonia Spirits, which produces Barr Hill Gin, moved to a state-of-theart distillery in Montpelier. There, giant stills gleam like a proud cook’s display of polished copper pots. They are named Phyllis, Ramona, Irene and Sheri – for the distillers’ grandmothers.
Some of what they produce goes into new oak barrels to age, becoming the darker, earthier Barr Hill Reserve Tom Cat gin. All the gins (and a Barr Hill vodka now as well) are eventually put into in hefty glass bottles and sealed with bee’s wax… except the gin that is saved for cans.
Wait, cans?
Yes, during the Covid pandemic, Vermont loosened its liquor laws to allow for “cocktails to go.” In 2022, the legislature passed a law making “ready-to-drink” cocktails legal for the first time. That opened up a new market for canned cocktails and set Vermont’s distillers thinking: could they deliver a RTD (ready-to-drink) cocktail in a can or small bottle that was as good as what you might get at a bar?
Caledonia Spirits was the first in Vermont to deliver a canned gin and tonic. Christiansen himself was skeptical at first that a cocktail could be mixed correctly, canned and still stand up to the standards he had set. “Real tonic is hard to find, but when made well, it’s as good as the gin,” he said. So, Barr Hill set out to make its own tonic, using cinchona tree bark, lemongrass, fresh citrus, and Barr Hill honey. It mixed the two and the canned Barr Hill Gin & Tonic was born. The company paired with the Mad River Valley’s Sean and Karen Lawson (founders of Lawson’s Finest Liquids) to have their distribution company, The Beer Guy, deliver the cans cold to liquor stores around the state. The canned cocktails, which come in 4-packs of 12 oz. cans and have a 9.3% ABV, went on sale in April for $19.99.
The 2022 law limits the alcohol content of the ready-to-drink (RTD) canned cocktails to below 16% alcohol by volume (ABV) and 24 oz. in size. It also expands distribution and sales of the canned cocktails to all of Vermont’s 1,200 licensed independent markets and stores, rather than just the 76 Department of Liquor and Lottery (DLL) agency stores.
Other craft distillers have gone the canned cocktail route as well. “These have the chance to become like Vermont’s craft beer industry,” said Rep. Matt Birong, D-Vergennes, who helped pass the legislation. According to an April 2023 report by Future Market Insights, the U.S. market for ready-to-drink canned
cocktails was projected to go from $18.822 billion in 2023 to $33.247 billion by 2033.
As with the craft beer market, Vermont’s terroirfocused distillers are highlighting the quality of their still relatively small-batch products.
In a barn in Windsor, Vermont not far from the small ski area at Mount Ascutney, Silo Distillery has been distilling “barn to bottle” gins, whiskeys and vodkas for 13 years. The distillery was started by eighth generation Vermonter Peter Stillson and Anne Marie Delaney, of Barnard.
“All of our ingredients are sourced at local Vermont farms; the grains from Grembowizc farm in North Clarendon. The maple used in the whiskey comes from Randolph, Vt. and the lavender (used in the lavender vodka) comes from a farm in Derby, near the Canadian border,” says Stillson. Silo started creating ready-todrink cocktails such as their Lavender Cosmo in small glass flasks five years ago.
However, when the liquor laws changed, the distillers realized there was a new opportunity. “Suddenly instead of just selling in 72 liquor stores, we could sell in a thousand markets,” says Stillson. Silo’s canned cocktails all meet the ABV alcohol percentage limits. In addition to the flasks of Maple Manhattan and Maple Whiskey Sour, a Lavender Cosmo was introduced in January 2023 with a 10% ABV. A canned Vodka Paloma is also just coming to market and Tillson expects a third RTD will be available by the end of the year. “We’re still really small – just 8 people – and still source everything locally so that limits how much we can produce, but we see this as a growing market,” he says.
Chris Kesler opened Black Flannel Brewery & Distillery after his home-brewed beers began winning state-wide contests. He teamed up with distiller Dave Mosher (a former general manager of Dartmouth Skiway
and operations manager at Sugarbush) to launch a brewery/distillery and an award-winning restaurant in Essex Junction, Vt. in 2020.
As Covid hit, Kesler, who is the vice-president of Distilled Spirits Council of Vermont helped champion the new RTD legislation. Black Flannel came out with their first canned cocktails on July 1, 2022. “We’ve since tweaked them some and rebranded,” he says. “We wanted a truly unique cocktail, something you might not
mix at home.” Of the four 6% ABV canned cocktails they now produce, Shrubbly, which pairs maple-blueberry shrub created by Shrubbly of Hinesburg with Black Flannel’s White Lace Vodka and other local ingredients is the most creative example.
In the shadows of the ski area of the same name, Smuggler’s Notch Distillery was founded by the father/son team of Ron and Jeremy Elliott in 2006. By 2010 their vodka won a gold medal from the Beverage Tasting Institute – the highest honor. While the wheat and sweet corn that are fermented to make the drink come from away, 60 percent of vodka is Vermont water and Smuggler’s Notch can thank the snowmelt and a particulate filter for its terroir.
The brand recently launched its first two canned cocktails as well, a vodka soda made with maple, lime and ginger and another made with Morrocan rose and grapefruit. The low alcohol content — 5% ABV — makes these refreshing and lighter beverages, more like a hard seltzer or spritzer.
Other Vermont distillers have been testing the waters ready-to-
Smuggler’s Notch Distillery (top) uses Vermont maple syrup in its Maple, Ginger, Lime Vodka Soda. Black Flannel, (left) is crafting unique cocktails using local ingredients and its own Crow’s Nest Rum, London Calling Gin and White Lace Vodka.
COURTESY PHOTOS
that surrounds you
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Some artists use brushes. For Jean Cherouny, a former ski racer and ski academy coach at the Green Mountain Valley School in Waitsfield, the tools she uses to create much of her artwork she straps on her feet: Inline skates.
Cherouny grew up in Connecticut, learning to ski race at tiny Ski Sundown, a hill with 625 feet of vertical drop. A ballet dancer and skateboarder, from early on Cherouny focused on her skiing technique. “I would always listen to my coaches and they’d say ‘if you want to get better you need to do this, this and this’ and I’d think, Cool. Let me do that. I was constantly refining the turn. Even as a 12-year-old I was really into observing people and honing my skiing. I was fascinated by movement.”
Cherouny did well enough as a ski racer that she was accepted at Burke Mountain Academy and began racing FIS events in Europe. After graduating, she joined the University of Vermont’s Div. 1 ski team and studied for a B.S. in Art Education. She went on to get her master’s in fine arts from Johnson State College, now a part of Vermont State University.
“As a ski racer, I had trained quite a bit with Rollerblades, mostly in training camps out west. I was into going down big hills and once I got comfortable with it and could go fast, it was a lot like skiing. On skates, you could really emulate big GS turns.”
Cherouny was studying the work of Robert Rauschenberg and other Abstract Expressionists and experimental artists when, as she says, “I began to put two and two together.
“I thought: I have this really athletic background and I’m not afraid to do anything. I’ve trained my legs so much they feel like arms for me and the muscle memory I developed from skiing fascinated me. So I started thinking about what it would be like to stick to a form of art that my body created, something that was unique and that no one else was doing.”
Cherouny was mainly doing portraits and landscapes when her professors challenged
For former ski racer and racing coach Jean Cherouny, what was once a training tool became her paintbrush. Lisa Lynnstudents to create 20 works. She was also in the process of rehabbing her knee from an injury. One rainy day in 2010, Cherouny stretched out some sheets of paper in her garage, put on her Rollerblades, stepped in some paint, and started to skate. She would wash out the wheels on her skates and then try another color, creating circles and textures as she moved.
She cast aside her more conventional work and instead submitted 20 of her skated pieces to her professors and explained how she did them. She’d found her medium. She later went back and did works on canvas with oils.
Her inline skates became her brush. “Rollerblades are so cool because I can use the same pair over and over again. Sometimes I have to take off the wheels but often I can just wipe them with a rag. It depends on how much paint has piled up..”
Cherouny came from a family of printers and had worked for the local newspaper, The Addison Independent near her home in Ripton, Vt. “The technique that I began to use was actually very much like print making. I probably print the paint on more than brush it,” she says.
Yet her technique also combines aspects of painting. Cherouny often leaps, twirls, and seems to literally dance on wheels as she creates her work – often with amazing precision that many would find hard to emulate with a brush. “The speed of the wheel is fascinating to me as a tool. It can be likened to the speed of a brush when someone’s painting quickly, as in Impressionism where they’re trying to capture the light before the sun sets. I’m very much aware of art history. I think about it a lot and I try to build on it.”
Cherouny cites artists such as Jackson Pollack, John Mitchell, and Rebecca Purdum as her influences. She now often layers her painting with different textures, holding
off from being too attached to her first pass. “Almost like an archaeologist would excavate layers, I build them. I think: Ok, this painting is going to build from bright yellow, or bright red or green or blue. And I can see the end result in my mind. I sort of jump into it like I’m jumping into a ravine.” Rather than Abstract Expressionism, she calls her work “Active Expressionism.”
Cherouny’s canvases can be as big as 8 feet by 5 feet and she’ll work on commission or with curators. She has shown in Burlington and Aruba, where she now spends part of the year when not at the home in Williston, Vt. she shares with her husband, Hal Costion. Her daughters from her previous marriage, Anneke and Abi Jewett (a former U.S. Ski Team member) live in Ripton, Vt.
Cherouny has always been interested in showing her work in public spaces – be it at the Burlington Art Hop or at a skate park. During the pandemic, Cherouny wanted to find ways to express herself on mediums other than canvas. She ordered white Tyvek hazmat suits and began painting on them, and then had models parade her suits down Church Street in Burlington. “It was at a time during Covid when people were just starting to go out so the suits became a way of reaching people with my art.”
Her suits have also been displayed in Brattleboro and even in Prague, in the Czech Republic. Her work has also been part of juried shows from New York to the Netherlands, Prague to the Philippines. Cherouny also braids strips of her Rollerbade-painted canvas into earrings and other jewelry. Her work is on display (and for sale) on her website, jeancherounyfineartist.com
Now 56, Cherouny sees another side benefit to how she works: “I’m really having a lot of fun – painting on skates reminds me of a great training run or something, and of course it has its benefits. My joints and my body really benefit from this balance. I think balance is a really important part of growing older.”
As Cherouny, writes, “I use my body as a guide. A life of competitive sport has brought me closer to the way I paint. The truth of what is revealed on the canvas produces abstract art that has emotion and color applied with speed.” X
Cherouny used her skates to create her 2021 work, Yellow Circle. She made the work, a 31 x 21 inch piece, using acrylic and watercolors on cold press printing paper in 2021.
Taking it to the streets: Cherouny, shown here at a skate park in Atlanta, Ga., likes to show and demonstrate her work in public spaces.
What’s the best way to get around The Beast of the East? A local expert weighs in everything from parking to après, from favorite runs to who’s the best skier on the mountain. By Polly Mikula
the course at the Heroic Stifel FIS Women’s World Cup on Thanksgiving weekend. By April, when the big bumps soften, top amateur mogul skiers face off at Killington’s Bear Mountain Challenge.
With seven mountains (Snowshed Peak, Ramshead Peak, Snowdown Mountain, Killington Peak, Skye Peak, Bear Mountain and Sunrise Mountain and the largest vertical drop in New England at 3,050 feet, Killington lives up to its name as the Beast of the East.
But its size also can be overwhelming. In the first of our “Insider’s Guide” series we asked Polly Mikula, 40, editor of the Killington-based newspaper, The Mountain Times and a former winner of the local ski bum races (and, full disclosure, a relative of the owners of this magazine) to share what she loves best about the ski area and the town.
Twelve years ago, I moved here with Jason, my boyfriend at the time (now husband) from Colorado. Vail was prohibitively expensive and there were few full-time professional jobs. Denver was increasingly crowded and expensive, and we were looking for new job opportunities. We came home for a wedding at the Mountain Top Inn and Resort in Chittenden and learned that The Mountain Times, our weekly local newspaper, was for sale. I had experience in publishing so the prospect of living and working within two miles of the largest ski area in the East sold me on Killington.
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First to open, last to close, Killington’s ski season usually starts sometime in October and these past few years, has stretched into June. That’s thanks in part to a massive arsenal of snowmaking. In November, the snowmakers pile up to 20 feet of snow on Superstar so Mikaela Shiffrin and the world’s best can flash down
I can ski, bike, run, hike, sled all out my back door and, if I choose to drive, I can be on a chairlift or at a trailhead in less than 7 minutes. Additionally, we can walk to over a dozen restaurants and bars from our house off the Killington Road. The population is only 1,400, so we remain a close-knit community. Oh, one more thing… the elementary school is amazing —
Polly Mikula came to Killington from Denver for a job and a lifestyle change. She stayed for powder days like these.it consistently ranks among the top in the state and offers free full-time pre-K for two years, which became important after our daughter was born. We ski with friends and then aprés together, something which is taken very seriously in Killington.
I love the new K-1 Lodge’s upstairs bar. The three-story floor-to-ceiling windows face the slopes so you can watch the last skiers coming down the hill. Lots of other options are just down Killington Road, the access road. If we are not at K-1, it’s a toss-up between Lookout Bar & Grille or McGrath’s Irish Pub— both are legendary staples with historic décor and classic pub menus. Recently the new owners of Rivershed have made this a great place for live music. The Southern-infused menu offers a nice change from the more standard fare, too.
Oh, this is a hard one as there are so many variations that would make for a perfect day! Here’s just one: First, I’d head to Liquid Art for a maple latte — a perfect mixture of caffeine and sugar to get the morning off to a great start. Then I’d head to the Superstar Quad, where the FIS World Cup is held each year in November. There are usually parking spots near the quad (I
like slopeside so I can ski back to the car). I’d avoid the temptation to ski Superstar and instead head over to Vertigo Headwall — an often-forgotten (or avoided) headwall that is best skied early when it has most coverage. A few quick turns and you’ll be at the base of the headwall (I mentioned it was steep!) then I’d duck into The Stairs, a truly magical area of woods, skier’s left, that holds snow very well.
This leads to the Needles’ Eye express quad, where
With the second-highest peak in Vermont (4,241 ft.), a verrtical drop of 3,050 feet and over 1,500 acres of skiing on seven mountains, Killington lives up to its nickname: Beast of the East. Below, the new K-1 lodge. COURTESY PHOTOS
Clockwise from top: With Vermont’s second-highest peak rising to 4,241 ft. Killington’s summit catches the clouds, obscuring the Peak Lodge. In the 2022/23 season, the resort debuted a new K-1, the largest base lodge in the East, K-1, with swanky fireside seating and a popular third-floor bar. Bump bashing is a spring ritual on Bear Mountain where amateurs compete for glory. Tubing is a less competive sport. COURTESY PHOTOS
Snowboard parks and freeride features are located all over the mountain, making Killington a popular stop on the Red Bull Slide-In Tour for local pros such as Zeb Powell. Below, Rick Reddington and Heather Lynne play at their natural amphitheater at Wild Fern in Stockbridge.
you can almost always ski right onto the chair, no lines. I’d repeat this run at least four times as there is so much terrain in those woods and every run I choose a line, then see another I just have to try next time! Some days, I’d also get sucked into a run on Stitch Line (right under the chair), which is fun, too, and I’ll inevitably hear a few whoops and holler from the chair above. In my perfect day scenario, I’d be super strong and never get tired, but inserting some reality here, I’d throw in a cruiser on the aptly named Cruise Control trail to give my legs a break.
Once my stomach starts growling, I like to meet friends at the Ledgewood Yurt for lunch. I don’t know why but this glamped up yurt tucked into the woods off the Northbrook trail is rarely crowded. Given the lines at the cafeteria-style options in the big lodges, you’d think there’d be a line out the door. Still, I’d get there early, just in case it has been discovered that day. I’d start with the Maplebrook Burrata, Affilla Cress & Quinoa salad and a hot apple cider (which comes in a glass mug with a cinnamon stick), then probably go with my favorite; the Pear & Prosciutto Flatbread but might choose to branch out and try the Elk Tips.
After lunch, I often head over to Bear Mountain to burn off lunch on Outer Limits, the longest steepest bump run in the East. Am I a glutton for pain? Maybe. But I love this run! I take my time, scoping out perfect lines and catching my breath so as not to waste a turn being lazy. One run here is usually enough, so I’ll head back over to the west on the Skye Peak Express Quad then over
to the Superstar trail (you miss the Superstar headwall this way, but that’s a good thing because it’s often windblown and icy).
From here I’d ride the K-1 gondola to the peak (elevation 4,241) and hike to the very top of the second highest mountain in Vermont and enjoy the view. (It’s a five-minute walk in ski boots from the top of the lift.)
To finish out the day, I’d head down Cascade (a wideopen double-black diamond under the gondola) to the Canyon Quad where I’d hit up the Big Dipper woods.
(Note: this itinerary focused only on the eastern half of the mountain, I didn’t not even get to Snowdon or Ramshead Peaks, both of which are also great!)
Then I’d head into the new (and beautifully modern) K-1 base lodge for aprés where I’d meet friends, listen to live music and enjoy the setting sun from the three-story floor-to-ceiling windows that look out to the slopes.
At just under four miles, Solitude, an easy blue that runs from Killington Peak to Bear Mountain, is the longest trail in the East. Great Eastern, a green, is just behind it at 3.5 miles long and ends all the way down at the base of Skyeship on Route 4.
Oh man, there’s everything! Woodward Mountain Park is a series of parks set up around the mountain with a huge variety of features for everyone from groms (young kids) to riders like Zeb Powell who come here nearly every spring for the Red Bull Slide In Tour. The Stash, which was developed with Burton, has a series of more than 65 organic features like log rails and even a log cabin. Dream Maker has bigger jumps and a modified half pipe. Both of those are off Bear Mountain. But on the Ramshead side of the resort, you get these mellow, fun play areas like the Family Cross Adventure Zone with mellow banked turns and Lil’ Stash which younger kids (and adults like me) love. Each year there’s something new so it pays to explore the pop-up parks.
The Vale lots between Ramshead and K-1 offer the quickest ski-on, ski-off option. But make sure your pass is activated and/or you have your wallet, however, because you have to ski down to the lift.
On busy days, heading directly to the Bear Mountain base area or parking at the bottom of the Skyeship Gondola (on Route 4 with the Skye Bridge) means
a better chance at closer parking. Avoid Snowshed, Ramshead and K-1 including the Superstar off-road spots (in that order) on the busiest days.
Killington is a huge mountain and skiers and riders can spread out. However, “can” spread out doesn’t mean the crowds actually do. Many still swarm to the K-1 gondola so if you want to avoid lines, avoid K-1. The Snowdon Ski Pack Express is a great alternative (to the west/ right looking up the mountain). And it’s a bubble chair, meaning you’re protected from wind and snow. On your way there you’ll pass the Snowdon Triple, which is not an express lift, but almost never has a line and gets you to the same place as the Six Pack.
The other place to avoid is the Skye Peak Express Quad at Bear Mountain. This is usually only a bottle neck at the end of the day, as it’s the only way back to the main base area (other than the bus).
Another way to escape lift lines is to head to Pico Mountain. It’s a true locals mountain with terrific terrain, old-school lodges and a lot of character. Also, all trails lead back to one base area.
Liquid Art Coffee House also serves great, locallysourced gourmet dinners and fine cocktails. For a magical meal, you can also make a dinner reservation at the Ledgewood Yurt (only on Fridays and Saturdays), which includes a snowcat-drawn
sleigh ride up to the yurt and a sit-down, threecourse dinner. If you can get a reservation (and are willing to drive) head to the Back Room, in back of the General Store in Pittsfield. Chef Kevin Lasko, who has been a chef at some of New York City’s top restaurants, serves intimate weekend dinners there starting in December.
There are so many – and the Wobbly Barn and the Pickle Barrel have great acts from all over nearly every weekend. But as far as local musicians? I particularly like Rick Reddington. He plays classic rock and country as well original songs from his latest album, The Circus. He plays at various establishments during the winter, but he’s best at his home venue, the Green Rocks Natural Amphitheater next to the Wild Fern in Stockbridge, where he plays with Tuff Luv most Saturday nights. It’s a really funky, outdoor space but very cool.
Tubing at the lift-served tubing park at the Killington Golf Course Clubhouse, across from the Grand Hotel, is so much fun for all ages. You tube down multi-lane groomed tracks under the lights!
Try skinning up the mountain at sunset or dawn. It’s just beautiful to be on the mountain at those hours and you usually have the runs to yourself. Killington has a 24/7 sanctioned skinning policy with multiple designated routes. You can rent gear to give it a try at Base Camp Outfitters, Killington Sports and First Stop Ski Shop.
We have Olympians such as mogul skier Hannah Soar whom you might see on Bear Mountain, and Killington Mountain School turns out some of the best skiers in the country. But there are three scorecards (of sorts) that locals here pay attention to: The Killington Ski Bum League hosts weekly races for the locals and the champions are the best local racers. Then there’s the Killington Resort leaderboard: Champions are those with the most vertical feet skied and winners are announced monthly. Last, the 100 Day Club is for those who log 100 or more days a season. There are some locals who have skied 100 days for 10 years, putting them in the extra exclusive 1,000 Day Club. That’s a good goal to have. X
A family of skiers gave noted a rchitect Peter Guzy free rein to design nearly every aspect of their new home. The result is award-winning
By Lisa Lynn | Photos by Paul Warchol
“Peter always said ‘a good architect has to be able to design a great stairway.’”
There is something about grand architectural spaces such as museums or cathedrals with their soaring ceilings and polished stone surfaces that makes you whisper in hushed deference as you walk in. The Breezeway house, anchoring a meadow in the north central Green Mountains, has this effect.
“You can kick off your shoes in the entry alcove,” says the owner, Sara, as she greets us at the door. It is a nod to Vermont tradition to do so. But beyond that small alcove where a few coats hang and a well-populated chicken coop near the driveway, there is nothing traditional about this home.
We step into the central breezeway that earned the home its name. Floors here are a cool polished limestone, a French classic, Magna Jaune, that’s been used for centuries. Massive 10-foot-tall glass walls slide open on both sides of the hall, creating a walk-through, east-to-west breezeway. Framed by the windows is a vista of rolling hills and far-off mountain
Award, was one of his last designs.
To create it, Guzy essentially moved in with his clients, who had become friends, for days at a time. The architect drove up from Connecticut to spend time living with Sara and Joe, the owners, their three children and four dogs. Their former house sat at one end of the 20-acre property in the northern Green Mountains where the couple had been living.
During his visits, Guzy was able to see how the family used their living spaces, how sunlight played across the meadow and how views framed the land they owned. He cooked meals with them, and talked about his passion for jazz and their shared aesthetics.
At the time, the family was living in what they had thought would be just a vacation home. In 2004, they had come north from their home in Florida to spend a Labor Day weekend at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe. Hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico closed down their home airports so they ended up staying extra days and looking at real estate in the region.
peaks, some etched by ski trails. All of the major spaces in the home have giant windows that face east, south, and west, letting natural light spill in.
On one side of the breezeway, a stairway seems to hover just inches off the wall, its landing floating above the floor. Sara sees me marveling at it. “Peter always said a good architect has to be able to design a great stairway,” she says with a smile.
By “Peter,” she means the late Peter Guzy, the architect known for his work with some of the country’s most noted hospitality brands. Guzy designed restaurants such as Dan Barber’s award-winning Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Westchester, N.Y., the Bromberg brothers’ Blue Ribbon restaurants which opened around the country, and the spa at Vermont’s tony The Woodstock Inn. The Breezeway House, which received an Honorable Mention in the international Architecture MasterPrize and was a finalist for the international The Plan
“We ended up buying a classic ski house,” Sara says. Soon, the children were enrolled in ski programs. Then in 2012, when both she and her husband were able to work from Vermont, they decided it would become their full-time home. “We just fell in love with the community here,” Sara says. The land they owned was just what they wanted. But as the ski house morphed into a full-time home, the couple decided that rather than try to update it, they would build anew. “The idea
of a remodel and moving out a family of five and four dogs and chickens was daunting, so we decided to live in our old house while we built a new place on the property,” says Sara. At the time, the children were 13, 14 and 17.
Thecouple met Peter Guzy in 2001 when they bought an apartment in Manhattan that he had designed. “We had just bought that apartment and when the building inspector came, he could not figure out how the kitchen sink—which was sunk into a central island table— drained,” Sara recalls. They reached out to Guzy, who had created the island table. He explained he had hidden the plumbing in the hollow metal legs. That conversation led to a dinner invitation and that hatched into a friendship.
“We loved everything about that apartment so when it came time to build the new house here in Vermont, Peter was the one we went to,” Sara explains.
After spending many days on-site living with the family, Guzy decided to relocate the house site. The former home (later demolished) stood near the road, at the top of a steep driveway.
Guzy designed the new driveway to meander around a pond and a stand of stately pines before arriving at the new home site, flanked by a chicken house and fenced-in garden with raised beds.
“We had chickens at the old house and Peter had all these plans for the new chicken house and how he wanted that to look too,” Sara says with a laugh. “We gave him free rein to design the home, the landscape, the furniture, in short everything here. But ultimately, we had to say ‘Stop, it’s just a chicken coop!’”
Still, the chickens managed to exert their influence.
From the breezeway, the atrium above the stairs soars three
The kitchen features a worktable designed by Guzy (opposite page) and cabinets made by Stark Mountain Woodworking of New Haven, Vt. The egg shapes are playful touches that appear at the top of the central atrium, near the second-floor sitting area and stove (le ) and on the concrete wall on the lowest level (below).
floors. Look way up at the top yes there it is, an egg shape, an oval that lets light pour in from the third floor windows to down to the first floor..
Walking through the home, other oval shapes begin to appear in ceilings and walls. Upstairs, behind the door handles it looks as if someone pressed a giant egg into the walls before their waxed Venetian plaster hardened. Like every egg shape in the Breezeway house, those ovals serve a purpose; they prevent the door handles from banging into the plaster behind them.
While it is easy to gasp at the ways the building stands on the site, or how the windows frame the mountain views, it’s these tiny little details that help define Guzy’s genius.
And it’s not a conventional genius. To the east of the breezeway, a great room has floors of smoked oak, with planks stained in various shades and laid in what looks
like a mismatched pattern. “Though it looks completely asymmetrical, Peter had an exact plan of how he wanted each board placed,” Sara says. “It was fun and I got to help install the floor,” she adds. With a border of limestone tile, it has the effect of a carpet.
The south wall of the room features built-in bookshelves, an open fireplace and sliding doors that hide the TV. Guzy even designed the dining table, which the builder and general contractor Red House Building created. Red House also crafted the built-in wooden desks and bureaus in the bedrooms upstairs. Wood from trees felled on the property were used for benches in the mudroom.
While choosing the architect was an easy decision, the couple put a lot of time into researching a builder.
“There are lots of great builders in this area but we knew
we wanted someone who would work closely with Peter and wouldn’t want to change his vision,” says Sara. “Chris Quinn and Dunbar Oehmig, the general managers at Red House, were actually really eager to work with him.”
That was one point in their favor, but the couple also interviewed a number of craftsmen and subcontractors. “One thing we heard over and over from contractors was that they loved working for Red House,” she says. “The fact that Red House is local and employee-owned also gave us confidence that the team would really be invested in the project.”
“Invested” may have been an understatement. As Sara tells it, project manager Alex Davis practically lived out of his work trailer during the construction.
“The Red House crew ended up being like family,” says Sara as she spreads out a T-shirt she had made at the end of the
Clockwise from far le : The kitchen, opens onto a patio and outdoor dining area. Above, near le , is the master bedroom with 50-mile views and the adjacent master bath. A Passive-haus envelope and radiant heat make the home energy e icient and a small open-sided wood stove o the kitchen and family room adds warmth. The lowest level has a massive hall and cubbies for stowing sports gear.
project with some of the funny sayings printed on it that the crew and her children would throw back and forth.
Like Guzy, Red House was involved in everything from clearing the site and leveling the field to installing the enormous windows. “We actually had to buy a new machine with giant suction cups to put the windows in,” notes Red House’s Andrew McPhedran who worked on the project.
Sitework was essential to the design. Cutting into the hillside allowed for a lower level that could hide a garage and the “real” mudroom. That way, the main floor would remain clean, open and unencumbered by bookbags or backpacks or the other things that often take up residence in hallways or corners.
The driveway dips down below the meadow level, past terraced concrete retaining walls, to the entrance to a three-car garage. A door off the terraces also leads into the operational level of the home, a large hall lined with cubbies for jackets and boots.
On one side of the hall, there’s even a kennel with crates, a gated interior home for the family’s four Standard Poodles, and even a large washroom for them next door. Off the other side of the hall is a massive pantry worthy of a restaurant, a place Sara jokingly refers to as her “in-house Costco,” complete with additional freezers and fridges. Doors at the far end of the hallway open into a mechanical room so large Joe also installed his gym equipment there.
By dedicating the lowest level to space for the messy necessities of family life in Vermont– hockey and lacrosse sticks, ski boots and helmets, shelves of canned tomatoes and other staples — Guzy was able to create open and uncluttered rooms on the main floor.
A flight of stairs leads up to the breezeway hall, connecting the great room with the kitchen. In the kitchen, as in the couple’s former New York apartment, Guzy designed a standing kitchen island table (though this one has no sink or plumbing.) To one side is a small office and pantry “My workspace,” says Sara. Off the main hall (behind the kitchen banquette) is a guest suite with a small bathroom, living area and bedroom.
The family’s bedrooms are all on the second floor – three children’s rooms feature built-in desks and cabinets that Red House crafted, as well as a rec room and a master suite.
On the second story, a sitting area with a wood stove looks out over the living roof and a small deck. It seems like a great place to curl up with a book and watch the sun rise over the mountains as the roosters crow a welcome to another day and the dogs chase a fox around the pond.
Yes, it’s a non-traditional home. Yet The Breezeway house honors a family’s new traditions. X
Imagine you could have a front row seat to watch Babe Ruth hit a home run, Michael Jordan sink a winning basket or Serena Williams clinch the finals at the U.S. Open.
Watching athletes like these is a glimpse of greatness.
In 2023, Mikaela Shiffrin joined sport’s legends. She stood on the podium at World Cups 22 times (13 of those were wins). She also secured her 88th World Cup career win, besting Ingemar Stenmark’s record. She won the ESPY for best female athlete (in any sport) and was named to the TIME 100, a list of the most influential people of the year – not just in sports.
For those of us who have watched Mikaela (she’s now a one-name celebrity), grow up ski racing at Burke Mountain Academy and competing these past six years at the Killington stop on the FIS World Cup, it’s almost hard to comprehend the scope of this 28-year-old’s achievements.
She’s just a regular kid, the ski racer next door, right? Someone who doesn’t hesitate to give out hundreds of autographs at Killington or to talk to the European press about her menstrual cycle. It is hard to comprehend that she is on a level with Wayne Gretzky or Tom Brady.
Greatness is something that seems to stun her, as well.
But over this past year, it is perhaps Mikaela’s ability to deal with defeat as well as her grace and humility when she’s victorious, that sets her apart, and above, so many other athletes. She is a masterclass in sportsmanship.
And she’s not done. This Thanksgiving weekend the greatest ski racer in history will compete again at the Heroic FIS Killington World Cup, presented by Stifel.
Here’s a look back at Mikaela’s past year and her thoughts on greatness and defeat, as she posted them on social media. It’s also a year seen via the lens of her photographer, Michael Dawson, or Dawsy, who started his career in 2018 as a snow reporter at Mount Snow.
The term ‘greatest of all time’ gets thrown around a lot. But here’s why Mikaela Shiffrin, who started her career at Burke Mountain Academy and returns to Killington this fall, embodies greatness in defeat as well as victory.
Photos by DAWSY
Mikaela started her 2022-23 World Cup season with two strong wins in Levi, Finland. But then at Killington, the second stop on the World Cup, something didn’t click. She finished 13th in the giant slalom. It was her worst finish in a tech (GS or slalom) event since 2019. The next day, the 7-time overall World Cup slalom champion finished fifth in slalom. Yet that didn’t seem to phase her. Here’s what she posted after the races:
I wanted to take some time to give a much deserved THANK YOU to Killington, the mountain ops crew (snowmakers), course crew, volunteers (!!!), POWDR (and especially Jon Cumming, Herwig Demschar, Mike Solimano for their vision and execution), the U.S. Ski Team, and all of the people that set the HERoic Killington Cup presented by Stifel apart from the rest.
Thank you for working tirelessly and pouring your hearts and souls into this event. It is noticed, appreciated, and admired by the ENTIRE world of ski racing. What you pulled off would be a miracle for others, but your team has made miracles a habit.
And the fans…well, what more can I say?! It’s always such an insane, wonderful thing to race at Killington with the crowd, and atmosphere, and vibes… and the East Coast ski racing energy. It’s just unlike anything else that we experience. It’s the biggest crowds that we see and the most enthusiastic ski fans who cheer for everyone, and cheer for the show. It’s quite special to race in front of a crowd like that. I hope that we are able to come back for years to come.
This was quite a special year. Obviously, results-wise, it wasn’t my best year here, but I also felt… I don’t know… closer to home than I have in a LONG time. It’s a little bit hard to explain, but somehow I enjoyed the racing this year better than I have before. Normally, you want ‘enjoying racing’ to line up with actually being able to win. The feeling of having those two things align is a much better situation, of course, than feeling like ‘I really enjoyed it but I didn’t ski that well.’ But, I think there are positives to take away from the races and positives about my skiing. I know the direction I need to work in GS, and I just need a few days to get that repetition. With slalom, I also have a bit of a direction as well.
It’s easy for people to say that I won in Levi and that I’m back and I’m going to win everything now again…it’s not really the case. There are women who are skiing better than I am, and on any given day any one of us has the capability to win. It was so cool to see Anna Swenn Larsson and Wendy Holdener win their first races!! The joy was palpable, and I was so happy for them both to experience that joy. I’m not afraid to do the work to get back to the top step.
That’s a bit of a different position for me to be in than I’ve been in before. I keep thinking, if I never win again…it sort of doesn’t matter. I’m not afraid of it not working. I feel like I can do the work, put in the effort, and fight for the top spot. I don’t know if that makes sense, but it’s my mentality right now. I just want to ski the best turns I can ski, and normally when I have that kind of mindset, good things can happen. It’s been quite a spectacular start for the season.
“Even with all the talk of my success this season and through my career, I’ve seen far more struggle and failure than triumph.”Mikaela’s winning streak didn’t stop a er she broke Stenmark’s record. In Andorra, the last stop of the World Cup, she won the last race of the 2022-23 World Cup season, a GS.
Soon, Mikaela was back on her game and racing in Europe. Between December 18 and January 8 she won six out of the seven races she entered (slalom, GS and even one Super G), moving her closer to Ingemar Stenmark’s career record of 86 World Cup wins. That winning streak continued in January with her placing first in back-to-back GS races in Kronplatz, Italy. Then, in Are, Sweden, she won both the GS and slalom, matching Stenmark’s record and then breaking it.
Despite her success, one of Mikaela’s most eloquent posts this past season on the occasion of Mental Health Action Day — was about overcoming failure. Early on in her career, and even during her first few Killington World Cups, she battled anxiety, often throwing up before races because she was so nervous.
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned so far in my career is that one thing we all can absolutely relate to is struggle. Even with all of the talk of my successes this season and through my career, I’ve seen far more failure and struggle than triumph.
Most days in life don’t go perfectly—far from it. That’s not meant to be scary, it’s meant to be honest. More than anything, it’s something that helps us connect with each other. Not everyone knows what it feels like to stand on top of the podium at an Olympics, or to become a World Champion—but everyone, every single person, knows what it feels like to face challenge, and to be resilient through that challenge.
Everyone has failed, felt fear, anxiety, some level of depression at times, pressure. We will all lose someone we love dearly, and we will all experience grief so extreme it can be crippling. Those challenges are such an ingrained part of life that it’s not worth hiding them, or running away from them. I’ve found it’s far more useful to use our experiences to help us connect with each other, to lift each other up, to understand more about others and, in many cases, learn something about ourselves as well.
To me, that connection goes hand in hand with resilience. On this Mental Health Action Day, I want to encourage everyone to consciously take time to make connection—with others and with themselves. That connection could be anything at all, but it should be something that feels important to you or is helpful to someone around you in an endeavor that feels important to them.
And take a moment to reflect on your own life, and the challenges you have faced. Appreciate yourself for how resilient you have been, and how resilient you remain. Thank yourself for your own mental strength and mental health even during the moments when you didn’t feel strong at all.
Thank those around you for how they may have helped you along the way when you needed a lift. Look for the connection you feel in the hardest moments and embrace that to help you through it. Nobody is truly alone in what they feel, I have to remind myself of that on a daily basis, but it’s really the truth. You’re not alone.
In Kronplatz, Italy on January 24-25, Mikaela won two giant slalom races —her 83rd and 84th World Cup wins— back to back, one by a whopping 0.82 second margin. Still, a er the Champagne was uncorked and the cheering had quieted, Mikaela took a moment on the podium to reflect (top). It was a season she had in her sites since her summer training in Portillo (center) and one that she has built up to over years of overcoming pre-race anxiety. In Are, Sweden, a er tying Stenmark’s record Mikaela again took a moment (bottom).
By the end of the season Mikaela had won the World Championships in GS and finished second in slalom and super G. She won the overall World Cup titles for both slalom and GS and, again, won the overall World Cup globe with an astounding 2,206 points, beating her 2019 record of 2,204. She also earned the ESPY for best athlete in women’s sports and was named to the TIME 100. After the ESPY awards in Los Angeles in July, Mikaela wrote:
“I started thinking about actions, and people, and achievements… then I realized that maybe greatness is not any of those things. Maybe it’s simply a feeling. It’s the shivers you get, up and down your spine, when you experience, or witness something that makes you feel grateful and SO lucky to be alive. Greatness is a moment, it
happens to us, around us, and because of us, all of the time.
Over the past few years, something I’ve learned is that the one thing that we can all relate to above everything else, is that greatness cannot exist without struggle and failure. Not for me, not for anyone in the room last night, or anyone who might have been watching on TV.
As Janet Fitch said, “The Phoenix must burn to emerge.”
People will root for you on your rise, all the way to the top, then they’ll get bored of you being on top. They’ll cheer for someone else, anyone else. They’ll actually cheer for you to fail. And they will tear you down further when you do fail.
You will fail, it’s unavoidable…and it will hurt. It’s supposed to hurt. My greatest failures have been the most defining moments in my career. The pain from them is etched into my memory, and that has guided me to work harder and smarter and keep improving.”
“[Greatness] is...the shivers you get up and down your spine when you witness something that makes you feel so lucky to be alive.”
With the ‘22/’23 World Cup season over, Mikaela had a victory lap that included winning the ESPY for top female athlete, and then having Vermont singer/songwriter Noah Kahan (bottom photo) serenade her at a surprise party. Shi rin also wrote the copy for Kahan’s entry in the TIME 100 Next list.
Mikaela’s boyfriend, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, the No. 2 ranked World Cup male skier got to celebrate with her (top). But soon she was back at Mammoth, Calif., training for this coming season (top and le ).
How
Growing up in Colchester, Ct. the son of a plumber and a chef, Mike Dawson didn’t slide on snow until he was a sophomore in high school. “I skateboarded and played baseball. I never had the money to ski or ride and my folks didn’t do those sports,” he explains. Then some friends invited him to go to Mount Snow for a day.
“That day I strapped in at the top, promptly hit a skier and then took off my board and was ready to go home,” he remembers. “My friends talked me out of quitting, and I rode the rest of the day. I had no idea then what a pivotal moment that would be in my life.”
Flash forward a decade and 2023 has been a big year for Mike Dawson, better known to most now as Dawsy. In the last 12 months he’s traveled to 12 countries on three continents. He’s watched World Cup ski races from the VIP area. He went to the TIME 100 gala in Manhattan and the ESPY awards for the nation’s top athletes in Hollywood. In the space of a weekend, he had a box seat at a Taylor Swift concert in Denver and then went to a private surprise party where Noah Kahan performed acoustic numbers for Mikaela and Eileen Shiffrin and members of the women’s U.S. Alpine Ski Team.
Dawsy, now 30, has found himself at parties with Lil Wayne, Michael B. Jordan and Russel Wilson.
But most importantly, he’s found himself in the backseat of a car alone with Mikaela Shiffrin after a World Cup race, fans pushing their faces against the car windows and screaming for autographs as Shiffrin’s driver pulls them away from yet another win.
“That’s when you see the real Mikaela, it’s the time she can relax and have a moment of silence,” he says. Dawsy, her photographer and videographer, is there ready to both take the shots and to respect her privacy – often a tough balancing act, he admits.
So how did a snowboarder from Connecticut who has no formal training with a camera or mentorship in photography, end up traveling around the world with Mikaela Shiffrin and shooting her YouTube series, “Moving Right Along”?
Dawsy himself, isn’t quite sure how he wound up documenting a record-breaking year for the greatest skier in history. “It’s wild. It’s still all pretty unreal and sometimes I can’t even believe it,” he says.
But as he was driving east across Wyoming in August, on his way back home to Connecticut, and talking on speakerphone he tried to explain.
You studied economics at U.Conn. and started your career as an associate financial analyst. How did you get into photography?
It’s funny, my grandfather, who was a nuclear physicist, left me two things: a watch and a camera. The watch to me represented the sort of serious career that I thought I was going to have. Everyone in my family was super stoked when I graduated from college with a degree in economics and got a job at this financial firm. But after a while, it just didn’t feel like a good fit. My boss would put a razor and a bottle of shaving cream on my desk and say, ‘go shave, we have a client meeting in 10 minutes.” We eventually both agreed it wasn’t going to work out. That day – it was 2017 I called my dad and said “I’m moving to California.” I didn’t know what he would say, but he was super supportive and said ‘Go for it.’” So I brought my grandad’s camera – one of the first digital ones – with me and started shooting. I skateboarded a lot and started hanging out with a bunch of dudes – many from the East – who were into surfing and skateboarding too. I just started shooting them for fun.
How did that turn into a paid gig?
When friend who was a photographer o ff ered me $100 to help shoot a wedding, I realized I could make money with a camera. I had absolutely no money, and I mean no money , so I called my dad again and said, ‘I need to liquidate my 401K to buy a better camera.” Once again, he said ‘ Go for it !’ and I took every penny I had – which was about $4,500 and spent way too much on a used Nikon D4. But my first real paid thing came about because I was shooting snowboarding friends of mine who were competing at Superpark 21 in Mammoth in 2017. Some guys from Woodward came up and
o ff ered me a job shooting at Woodward in Tahoe so I did that for a summer. Then a bunch of my friends were coming back to Vermont for the winter. I came back with them and got a job at Mount Snow as a snow reporter for 2018-19.
A snow reporter? What does that entail?
I’d interned at Mount Snow during my winter breaks in accounting but being a snow reporter was the best job there could be. I’d be at the mountain at 4 a.m. and literally unlock the doors, go check the snow stake and start posting what the snowfall was and the snow conditions. Then, around 5:30 as the snowcat drivers and lift operators started to roll in, I’d catch rides up the mountain and just start shooting. It was amazing with the morning light and fresh snow and being the only one out there. I’d be back at the desk around 7 am and start posting the photos and conditions. Then I’d have a couple of hours to go shoot and I’d often head to Carinthia Parks.
A lot of the riders and skiers you were shooting there then – such as X Games snowboard medalist Zeb Powell, and freeski World Cup champion Mac Forehand– were on their way to being pros, did that help?
It was great for everyone. It helped me build my portfolio. It helped them get the shots they needed for sponsors and the like and it helped Mount Snow. Most of all, it gave me a lot of chances to shoot and to build my brand and build these relationships.
How did that parlay into a U.S. Ski Team gig?
I was sitting home one day watching the Dew Tour on TV and thought, “I should be there. I should be shooting this.” I went
down this deep rabbit hole of research online and found out there was this organization called U.S. Ski and Snowboard, and then that I had a Facebook connection to someone in the marketing department there. I reached out to him cold – he was from Connecticut too. At first, I just had freelance gigs shooting the snowboarding team but then I got to shoot some of the alpine training camps and the teams’ Copper Mountain media days. That’s where I met Mikaela but honestly, she was just another alpine ski racer to me at the time.
How did you transition to shooting for Team Shiffrin?
Mikaela used some of my shots and then her PR person, Megan Harrod, asked me to do a shoot for Adidas and that’s when we really connected. It was just a really easy shoot for both Mikaela and me and we connected super well. Her agent, Killian Albrecht, saw how well it went and from then on, they started giving me more work. I got to go to Portillo, Chile with Mikaela for a summer training camp in 2022 – the same one I went to again this past August.
What’s it like to be “on Team Shiffrin?”
It’s amazing to be around a team of people who all have the same purpose and goal and just care for her so much. Mikaela is on snow from 5 am to 9 am, and then she’s in the gym from 10 am to 11 am so I’m on that schedule too. I’m seeing what she’s working on and what the team has her tweaking to make her just a little bit better or a little bit stronger. It’s a very high-performance, high-intensity lifestyle that has a lot riding on it. It’s inspiring to watch.
How did you come to shoot the video series “Moving Right Along?”
I think Mikaela has always seemed ‘untouchable’ and it looked on the outside as if there was a lot of space between her and
her teammates. When you are that high a caliber, you have that pressure to perform— as well as access to private training hills and private coaching. But Mikaela is also the most humble, normal, down-to-earth girl I’ve ever met. I think the goal of the series, especially after all the pressure from the Olympics and her father’s passing, was to just show her as a human being.
Any moments when that really came through?
After winning her 83rd World Cup globe in Kronplatz and matching Ingemar Stenmark’s record, she got into the car with me to leave. She’d just done all these interviews and there were still fans crowding the car. She just exhaled and then burst out laughing. Well, apparently after her win, there was Mikaela literally wearing a crown on the podium and instead of discussing her race, she started talking to the media about her “monthly cycle” and how that made the day harder. Some of the European media just didn’t understand and kept thinking that she was talking about riding her bicycle. So after we got into the car she tells me all this and she’s laughing so hard she had tears coming down her face. It was glorious! Then, of course, all the European media could talk about for weeks was Mikaela’s menstrual cycle.
So you made a video clip about that interview?
Yeah! It’s on her Instagram. We paired it with a video of her riding a stationary bike and Queen’s “Bicycle Race” song. It’s hilarious.
Is it hard traveling with her and shooting these moments live for the series “Moving Right Along” and “Beyond the Slopes?”
I had to teach myself how to shoot video for YouTube but this year was amazing – imagine a chance to document someone becoming the greatest ski racer of all time. She pretty much told us (me and Killian and Megan) what she wanted to say and show, and we would put it together. She’s really involved in the creative and that made it fun. “Beyond the Slopes” is more short, fun takes on life o ff the ski hill and what it’s like for her to go to things like the TIME 100 gala or the Espy’s or the surprise party for Eileen Shi ff rin, [Mikaela’s mother] followed by a Taylor Swift concert. It’s as if everyone has been trying to tell Mikaela’s story and this is a chance for her to tell it in her own way and in her own words.
What’s up for this next season?
We were in Mammoth, California training in August, then Portillo, Chile. Film-wise, we’re changing it up a bit this season to take a different perspective. We’re creating story lines around things like the technology of the skis, or about her wax techs. There’s one about her team and then another about mental awareness in the sport so there will be a variety of episode topics.
What will this season be like for her?
I think she’s literally moving right along. She doesn’t care what you guys or the other media say about her. She knows who she is. The pressure’s off in some ways. Results really don’t seem to matter to her. She just loves to ski.
And what will the season hold for you?
One reason I’m moving back to Connecticut is that it’s easier to get to Europe to shoot. But you can count on me being up in Vermont a lot, starting with the World Cup at Killington. Need anything shot up there? X
honors a Vermonter who is under 35 and has contributed to enriching skiing and/or snowboarding in Vermont and beyond.
Since 2002, the museum has honored skiers and riders – living and deceased— who have changed the sport in significant ways. The following will be inducted at the 2023 Hall of Fame dinner at Killington’s K-1 Lodge on October 14.
For the past four decades, John Egan has been such a recognizable, low-key fixture in the Mad River Valley that it is sometimes easy to forget his worldwide reputation as an extreme skier.
Growing up outside of Boston, Egan quickly honed his skills on the slopes of Sugarbush and other New England mountains before he went on to compete on the US Pro Tour, the Pro Mogul Tour, and it the U.S. Snowboarding Championships.
In the early 1980’s, Egan began captivating audiences with daring descents of treacherous high alpine terrain. Along with his brother Dan Egan, John tackled steep couloirs, jagged cliffs, and deep powder, pushing the boundaries of what was considered possible in the sport in places as far off as Soviet Union and Antarctica.
Each year, any number of Vermonters get inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. Some recent inductees include explorer Jan Reynolds of Stowe, broadcaster Peter Graves of Thetford and extreme skier John Egan of the Mad River Valley.
But what sets the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum Hall of Fame apart is that along with the names many know, it often unearths some behind-the-scenes stars who contributed to snowsports in a major way.
In addition to the annual induction into the Hall of Fame, the museum also awards the Paul Robbins award for journalism and the First Tracks Award, in memory of former board member Ian Graddock,
He and Dan were some of the original members of the North Face Extreme Team (along with the DesLauriers brothers of Bolton Valley and Scot Schmidt) and the “Egan Bruthas” became recognized around the world. Between 1979 and 2020, John Egan appeared in no fewer than 17 Warren Miller films.
Egan’s remarkable skiing earned him numerous accolades. In 2006, Powder rated him one of the top 48 greatest skiers of our time and one of the most influential skiers in the last 35 years. In 1995, the magazine rated him one of the top seven skiers in the world, and in 1999, one of the top fifty skiers on the continent. In 2016, he was inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame.
Egan was affiliated closely with Sugarbush Resort for 44 years, from 1976 to 2020, and served as full-time VP, Chief Recreation Officer
Meet the men and women inducted into the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum’s 2023 Hall of Fame.for 19 of those. There, he helped popularize the Castlerock Extreme competition and led what was for many years an informal cadre of elite skiers, the Bush Pilots.
Today, Egan calls the Mad River Valley home but continues to ski, explore and share his passion for mountains around the world. He serves as a mentor and guide for aspiring skiers, passing on his knowledge and wisdom to the next generation.
Tim and Diane Mueller met and started dating in high school. They later married and began building homes in Southern Vermont before moving to the Virgin Islands to develop a resort on St. Thomas.
In 1982, the young couple glimpsed a master plan for the development of Vermont’s Okemo Mountain Resort. Convinced they could make it even better, they bought 51% of the resort and set out to transform Okemo into a premier winter sports destination. Under their leadership, the resort experienced tremendous growth and became known for its exceptional snowmaking, grooming, top-notch amenities, and warm, welcoming atmosphere.
Diane spearheaded initiatives to enhance guest experiences, including employee training, expanding lodging, and developing an array of on-mountain amenities. Tim played a pivotal role in expanding the resort’s trail network and terrain parks, ensuring a diverse range of options for skiers and riders of all abilities.
Under the Muellers’ leadership, the resort invested more than $100 million. It added more than 70 new trails, one of the most extensive snowmaking systems in the East, three base villages, and a championship 18-hole golf course. Okemo also attracted enough skier visits to put it in the top 20 ski resorts nationally in 1996 and among the top two in Vermont in 2001. The acquisition of two nearby golf courses and the development of Jackson Gore Village and Adventure Center made Okemo a successful year-round resort.
The Mueller’s commitment to environmental sustainability has also been a hallmark of their tenure. They implemented initiatives to minimize the resort’s ecological impact, including energy-efficient snowmaking, recycling programs, and conservation efforts.
The couple and their children, who also became involved in the business, brought those same attributes to the two other resorts they bought: Sunapee Mountain Resort in New Hampshire and Crested Butte Mountain Resort in Colorado.
However, In 2018 the Mueller decided to step away from the ski resort business and sold their three mountain resorts, part of Triple Peak Resorts, to Vail Resorts.
Suzi Rueck started out a ski racer, competing in slalom and GS. But in 1981 she was introduced to the new sport of snowboarding. At the time, snowboarding wasn’t allowed anywhere in Vermont and she would hike up Bromley and Stratton at night. In 1986, Rueck won her first US Open Snowboarding title in slalom and took 2nd in GS. She immediately was signed as a Burton Snowboards team rider and for
Suzanne (Suzi) Rueck - Snowboarder and Founder of Stratton’s Green Mountain Series
many years traveled the world competing.
Rueck was tapped to help write the first educational manual on how to teach snowboarding for Professional Ski Instructors of America. The manual would be used by every resort that was open to snowboarding and provided ski schools with a standardized way of teaching,.
In 1989, just after the manual was published, Rueck helped create a snowboard school at Stratton and a snowboard racing and freestyle program called the Allegro Snowboard Group. Through this program Rueck coached a generation that would go on to be professional snowboarders, including Olympic gold medalist Ross Powers and Olympian Tricia Byrnes.
While coaching she saw the need for events so she founded the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Association which owned and operated the Green Mountain Race Series, Tri State Series, Mid Atlantic Series and Colorado State Series.
In the span of just a few years these series created the grassroots foundation for all amateur snowboard competitions. These events promoted sportsmanship, camaraderie, and pride while offering competitive, fun, and fair events. Rueck created a rule book with Jason Grossi and the methodology for consistency in judging for half pipe events and a parents’ association that gave her the helpers needed.
The Green Mountain Series was known as the most competitive amateur series in the country. It was said, that if one won the Green Mountain Series there was a great chance of winning a US Open or a World Cup title. The competition was fierce.
Many famous riders came out of the Green Mountain Series and are still very much involved in the sport, including Ross Powers, Tricia Byrnes, Jeremy Jones, Danny Kass, Kelly Clark, Russell Winfield, Jeff Greenwood, Seth Wescott, Lindsay Jacobellis, Seth Neary, and Tom Zikas to name a few.
After running these events for approximately 12 years, Rueck helped form the USASA and the USSA Nationals. The Green Mountain Series is now called the Southern Vermont Series and runs events for all ages for riders and skiers in Slopestyle, Boarder and Ski Cross, Halfpipe, Rail Jam, Snowboard Giant Slalom and Slalom.
David Goodman’s ski journalism career began in 1987 when he received an unexpected call from the Appalachian Mountain Club asking him to write the first guidebook about backcountry skiing in New England.
A history major at Harvard, Goodman combined his interest in origin stories with his journalist’s instinct to interview the pioneers of skiing in New England. He unearthed maps of the East’s original ski trails cut in the 1930s by the CCC, sought out the trailblazers, then embarked on a pilgrimage in search of these elusive trails.
He found that many of the trails were being discreetly maintained by local skiers and were beloved powder stashes. He shared his discoveries in his 1989 historical guidebook, Classic Backcountry Skiing, which won awards from the North American Ski Journalists Association and the International Ski History Association. Goodman has updated these guidebooks, now titled Best Backcountry Skiing
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“My only complaint… I wish they’d made this boot sooner!”
“…the mechanical advantage concept works.”
“… comfort the charts.”
“Everything about this boot
The author of Best Backcountry Skiing in the Northeast, David Goodman (above) has been covering the sport for four decades. Tara Geraghty-Moats, an advocate for equal opportunities for women in skiing, has competed at the internation level in cross-country, Nordic combines, ski jumping and now biathlon.
in the Northeast, every decade since.
Goodman’s books helped ignite a revival of interest in backcountry skiing and inspired a community-based ski movement in the Northeast. “Come for the skiing. Stay for the community,” Goodman often says.
Through his writing and reporting, Goodman has taken many others with him on his journeys from Vermont to Africa. He is the author of over a dozen books, including four New York Times bestsellers. He writes for the New York Times about skiing, weaving in issues such as climate change, social justice, and community revitalization.
He has been a contributing editor for this magazine and written for Ski, Powder, and Backcountry magazines., His articles have also appeared in Mother Jones, The Boston Globe and national publications. Since 2013, he has hosted a weekly public affairs podcast and radio program, The Vermont Conversation.
Throughout her multi-faceted career as a competitive skier, Tara Geraghty-Moats of West Fairlee has been an advocate for women in all aspects of the sport, striving to create equal opportunities for female athletes in a traditionally male-dominated discipline. She was an athlete ambassador at the 2020 Olympic Junior Games
and has been profiled by NBC Sports and other media for her advocacy work.
In 2021, at age 28, Geraghty-Moats won the first Women’s Nordic Combined World Championship, an event that she had lobbied to see created. One of the first winter Olympic sports, Nordic Combined (which combines cross-country skiing and ski jumping) remains the only Olympic sport that is closed to women.
In the first Women’s Continental Cup for Nordic Combined held in 2018/19 as a precursor to the World Cup, Geraghty-Moats won 10 of the 11 international competitions.
Geraghty-Moats started competing in freestyle events at Mad River Glen at age 5, racing cross-country at age 8 and ski jumping when she was 9. By age 15, she was a multi-time medalist in the junior Nordic Nationals and was ski jumping well enough to be named to the USSA Visa Development Team. As a teenager, she won the USA Junior Nationals and Swedish Junior Nationals for biathlon.
She then landed a spot on the World Championship Team for ski jumping when she was 21. She missed the PyeongChang Olympics due to a broken arm. In 2019, besides winning the Nordic Combined Continental Cup, Geraghty-Moats became the European Marathon Skiing Champion and was named to the inaugural women’s World Cup Ski Jumping Team.
Geraghty-Moats recently joined the U.S. Biathlon Team and trains with the U.S. National Guard, and she completed basic training in 2023. She currently lives in an off-the-grid cabin in Albany, Vt and trains in Craftsbury. X
Winter months in Vermont brings out the best in all of us with abundant outdoor activities. While you enjoy the Green Mountains, the team at Mans eld Orthopaedics is here for you o ering expert care and a great patient experience.
In addition to renowned surgeons, our team of expert providers include podiatrists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners as well as a caring team of nurses, and medical assistants.
For more than a decade, orthopedic surgeon John Macy, MD has served on the Jay Peak Ski Patrol – a role he truly enjoys.
Our team of specialists include: Nicholas Antell, MD; Brian Aros, MD; Ciara Hollister, DPM; John Macy, MD; Joseph McLaughlin, MD; Kevin McNamara, DPM; Bryan Monier, MD; and Erin Pichiotino, MD.
Don’t let injuries or chronic pain keep you from hitting the slopes or trails. We are here for you!
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This season, there are a lot of new reasons to pay attention to what’s on your feet as brands are introducing entirely new lines and adapting new technology.
It’s been a long time since we’ve been really excited about new lines of ski boots. Over the past few years there have certainly been evolutions, but few revolutions. This coming season, though, there are some significant changes in technology and two leading brands have launched all-new lines. Here’s what’s new.
One big change this season, the BOA dial is showing up on high-end all-mountain ski boots from Fischer, Atomic, K2 and more.
The BOA fit system got its start back in 2001 when Steamboat, Colo., snowboarder Gary Hammerslag (a former medical device engineer) introduced it as a solution to pesky laces on snowboard boots. The system uses a cable that snakes across the boot and a dial system to close the shell of the boot over the foot.
K2’s snowboard boots were one of the first to use the system. Now, over 20 years later, BOA Technology Inc. has partnered with over 300 companies to improve the fit of all kinds of gear. Many are familiar with BOA on their bike shoes, helmets, touring or XC boots, so it’s not entirely new. BOA is a disruptive company that is obsessed with maximizing the fit of your gear, to maximize your performance.
Is this the biggest thing to ever happen to alpine performance ski boots? Well, no, it’s not replacing laces with buckles or leather with plastic (those were some big changes to ski boots). But it is a step forward to what it claims is a more precise and comfortable fit for most skiers.
The BOA dial replaces the two instep buckles normally found on the lower part of a traditional, two-piece boot. The dial gives skiers the ability to close the lower part of
the boot over their foot evenly without hotspots on top of the foot.
So, how is this different from the old two-buckle system? Well, traditional buckles can mostly do the trick, but it takes a skilled hand to adjust and control the pressure from buckle to buckle to find the right fit. Buckles also like to push down. By contrast, the BOA can pull the overlapped plastic around the foot, not just down on the top of the foot. The new BOA systems wrap the entire lower shell around the foot with even pressure that the dial then adjusts as the cords tighten.
While BOA makes getting the tension over your feet right, it doesn’t mitigate getting in the right boot or finding a boot with the correct volume for your foot. Better wrapping might help a boot that is too wide, but it’s no substitute for being in the correct width to start with.
For this season, there is a mix of boots with BOA. While the BOA has yet to appear on World Cup race boots, Fischer is using the BOA system on its high-performance, on-piste RC4 130 models as well as on the Transalp Pro tour models.
The BOA boots from Fischer and Salomon are medium volume boots that can ski the heck out of any part of the mountain, from front side groomers to side country woods.
Atomic has added the BOA to its all-mountain Hawk Ultra XTD line. The new alpine/touring boots, are light, low-volume boots with a great uphill mode for skiers who are riding chairlifts and hiking as well.
K2 offers the most BOA models and has men’s and women’s boots with or without a hike mode, and all a medium volume fit.
So, just like every year, connect with a good bootfitter and see what boots make sense for your feet. If there’s a BOA option that could work, give it a try. You may be surprised just how easy it is to “dial in” a great fit. —Doug
StewartThor Verdonk grew up skiing and racing at Smuggler’s Notch Resort. He was also an early mountain biker and at 14 began building bike frames and bike wrenching at The SkiRack in Burlington before joining the Rossignol Group.
Flash forward: After nearly 30 years with the Rossignol Group, Verdonk is now the global brand manager for Lange – one of the first Americans to run the major European ski brand. And this year, Verdonk and Lange are launching a completely new line of ski boots, the Shadow.
Verdonk’s background as a bike mechanic is telling.
“Traditional skis boots, with two screws in
There are also some big changes in the sock world, including from two Vermont-based brands.
Cold feet? Hot spots in your boots? Sweaty soles? Before you blame your boots, consider what socks you are wearing. A good boot fit should only require a light or midweight sock to keep you warm. “The biggest mistake people make is getting a boot that’s too big and then trying to fill the volume with a thick sock,” says Shaun Racicot, a veteran bootfitter and co-owner of The Boot Pro in Ludlow. But as new brands such as Gordini enter the ski market, everyone is working hard to make socks that have better fit. Here’s for the coming season.
Bridgedale has been designing socks in Ireland, where the rugged climate suited to test for warmth and performance. This season, it launches a new Tech Ski Socks. The new socks use a new technology that combines up erent yarns to carefully balance durability, comfort and moisture-wicking Case in point; the ski sock is 20% merino wool, 51% nylon/polyamide, Endurofil™ / polypropylene, 7% tactel/nylon and 2% LYCRA® / Elastane. The band that elastically secures the heel in place, gill-like knitting above where you push forward on the boot and “shock zones” on the bottom of provide additional cushioning. These socks are stretchy enough that if them cu -to-toe they snap like a rubber band, meaning they won’t sag or They come in men’s and womens and two weights; midweight ($25.95) lightweight ($24.95)
might know of Gordini as the glove company that launched leather and mitts. The independently owned brand (it also makes ski goggles) is headquartered now in Essex Junction, Vt., and this fall came out with its first line of you guessed it… performance socks. The line includes the lightweight Burke Ski Sock ($24.99), Sterling heavyweight ski sock and the Ripton ultralight sock. It’s hard to avoid the pun, but these socks do fit like gloves – thanks in no small part to the Italian knitting technology that Gordini uses – and they don’t bunch up. OrbitKnit ribbing allows the merino wool socks to expand and still hug the calf or arches, without actually stretching the threads. The SoleKnit dual layers allow for moisture wicking on inside of the sock with a durable exterior. Though were not able to test them in cold weather, we found socks incredibly warm.
Tough’s midweight Yeti ($27) (check out the graphics) choice for the colder days on the hill, thanks content (68% merino) and are stretchy enough thanks content that they stay put. The mesh panels on them breathe and stretch as well and the reinforced mean they will live up to the DarnTough lifetime guarantee.
are like a hardtail mountain new Shadow boot is like a full bike,” says Stowe skier and Lange Levins of the Shadow. reason, Levins says, is that the allShadow incorporates what Lange Pivot and Suspension Blade Think of these features as the rear rocker arm that you might find on dual-suspension mountain bike. “One of best features of full suspension is how it keeps the back tire stuck to the trail, allowing you to go down hill easier, as opposed to a hard tail that skips out all the time, on rocks and roots,” says Levins.
In place of the traditional screws, the Shadow’s Suspension flat piece that attaches the upper shell. Located far up the cuff and made with an elastomer, it can help both control and dampen the flex, providing a more linear transfer of power to the body of the ski.
What helps make this all work is that in addition to the typical pivot in the ankle area (which allows the shell to flex forward), there is a second pivot above it that also uses an elastomer, one that can be swapped out to make the boot stiffer or softer. “The result is more of your power goes into the ski, meaning you don’t have to work as hard to get the same performance,” says Levins. Lange claims the ‘assisted performance’ translates to a 26% improvement in rebound.
The liners of the new Shadow (still a four-buckle boot) have also been completely reimagined and are made with materials that have four-way diamondpattern stretch. The fit (it comes in low- and mid-volume) is remarkably comfortable, and still features the Lange snug heel pocket.
The entire boot has a shorter sole length, compared with the same size and volume of its predecessors, weighing in at 200 grams for a 26.5. The boot has GripWalk soles, comes in men’s (flexes range from 100 to 130) and women’s models (flexes go from 85, 95 and 115), 97- to 100-mm lasts and retails for $549 to $849.95.
Another new boot this season comes from Nordica in the form of the Unlimited, a new A/T touring boot to complement its Unlimited A/T skis.
The Unlimited is a serious AT boot that comes with130 and 120 flexes and women’s models with 95 to 115 flexes. Both are available down to a 22.5 size. The upper part of the boot uses three different densities of materials, what Nordica calls “Tri Force
Cuff Construction,” with three layers—the softest being around the shin and progressing to the stiff outer layer that forms the heel and supports the spine of the boot.
While Nordica doesn’t use the BOA system, it does have an innovative buckle-and-cable closure system across the foot. Like the BOA, it uses a cable to compress the shell across the foot evenly but it is controlled by an easily-released buckle. (Full disclosure, we’ve found undoing the BOA dial system isn’t the fastest or easiest on cold days with gloves on.)
The hike mechanism, engaged with the traditional quick-release lever, also allows for a whopping 65 degrees of motion, making a skin up the steepest of slopes a comfortable venture. And if you are walking around on hard rocks or ice at the summit, the sole has the Michelin GripWalk grippiness and DYN inserts, making it compatible with most touring set ups. It’s also completely removable thanks to a couple of screws so when the sole wears down, it’s easily replaced.
The boot is easily customizable using Nordica’s Infrared Technology whereby an infrared heat lamp and a suction cup can mold the boot around pressure points your feet, as well as thermo-moldable liners which come in two options: a Cork-Fit Primaloft Light or the 3D Light Performance Fit TF, which shaves about 200 grams off the 26.5’s 1680 grams. L.L X
15-16 | USARA Adventure Race National Championship, Smuggler’s Notch Resort. The best teams from across the nation come together to compete in a non-stop, 30hour adventure race put on by the Green Mountain Adventure Racing Association. usara.com/2023-championship-details
16-17 | Spartan North American Championship, Killington
Compete in the Ultra 50K, Beast 21K & Sprint 5K. Expect steep slopes, o -trail descents, and massive climbs at this legendary venue. killington.com
22-24 | Vermont Climbing Festival, Cochran’s Ski Area, Richmond
Join CRAG VT at Cochran’s Ski Area and on the cli s of Bolton for a weekend of camping, climbing clinics, competitions, speakers, music & more. cragvt.com
23 | VSECU Point to Point Ride/Run, Montpelier
Ride your bike and raise money for the Vermont Foodbank and help end hunger in Vermont. Rides are 10, 30, 60, and 110 miles, each with fully stocked aid stations, basic first aid, and support and gear drivers. After, gather on the State House lawn for music, local bites, local brews, and fun and games for the whole family thepointtopoint.org
24- 25 | 30th Vermont 50, Mount Ascutney
Come support Vermont Adaptive and join a crowd of over 1,300 mountain bikers and ultra runners for the 30th Annual Vermont 50 race over the trails of West Windsor. All benefits go to Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports. vermontadaptive.org
30 | Killington Brew Fest, Pico Mendon
Come to Pico to enjoy live music, fabulous food, and dozens of the finest craft beers, ciders, and seltzers in the region. killington.com
1 | 2nd Annual Three Peaks Mountain Race, Bolton Valley
Choose between the 10K or 25K race. Scenic vistas will greet you as you move up and down a combination of work roads, cross country trails, raw ski slope climbs and some newly built lift-accessed mountain bike trails. boltonvalley.com
4 | Michael Franti Flood Relief Concert, Stowe
Michael Franti and Friends plays the village green at Spruce Peak in a special concert with 100 percent of the proceeds going to benefit the VT Flood Response & Recovery Fund with The Vermont Community Foundation. sprucepeakarts.org
5- 9 | HarvestFest Weekend, Stratton
Saturday is a brew fest and chili cook-o , Sunday is the farmer’s market and Talking Heads tribute band Start Making Sense plays. Monday is the North Face Race to the Summit. Mountain biking and golf are also open all weekend. Stratton.com
7 | Oktoberfest, Mount Snow
Come for the beer, bratwurst, and oom-pah music that you love. Enjoy a selection of beers from German and domestic breweries as well as authentic German fare. Don’t miss annual games like the keg toss, yodeling contest, and stein holding. The Kids Zone will have games and fun. Mountsnow.com
8 | Fresh Hops Fest, Sugarbush
Ten of Vermont’s most innovative breweries feature the special flavors of fresh-hopped beer, in the only Fresh Hops Beer Festival east of the Mississippi. Sugarbush.com
8 | Fall Into Winter, Ludlow
An afternoon (12:00 to 5 p.m) of live music, hay rides, face painting, axe throwing, craft beer, a ventriloquist, the Okemo BBQ and so much more in the Jackson Gore courtyard. Okemo.com
9 | North Face Race to the Summit | Stratton
Challenge yourself in a 2.18-mile race climbing 2,003 vertical feet up southern Vermont’s highest peak for pride, prize money, awards and views. Stratton.com
13-`14 | Wild and Scenic Film Festival, Jay Peak
Clips & Reels theater screens films exploring wild and scenic topics, plus light food and a ra e that benefits the Upper Missisquoi and Trout Rivers Wild & Scenic Committee, in partnership with South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL). Jaypeak.com
13-14 | Bean & Brew Festival, Jay Peak
Come sample locally roasted co ees coupled with New England’s finest beers, ciders, and more. Plus live music. New this year: Hit up Friday night’s Brew Fest Dinner for a tasty take on the world of food/beer pairing. It’s a 6-course beer pairing meal with a German theme. Jaypeak.com
14 - 15 | Maxxis Eastern States Cup: Downhill Finals, Killington
A racer’s top 8 results will determine the ESC DH Series champion, with these finals giving a 125% series points bonus. killington.com
14 | Vermont Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame, Killington
Come celebrate the 2023 inductees to the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum Hall of Fame at Killington’s K1 lodge. Vtssm.org
15 | Trapp Mountain Marathon, Stowe
A challenging half and full marathon distance trail run at beautiful Trapp Family Lodge. ironwoodadventureworks.com/trapplodgemountainmarathon
19 | 29029 Everesting, Stratton
Summit Stratton 17 times, climbing 29,029 feet, the equivalent of summiting Mount Everest, and take the gondola down. Each hike up is 1.3 miles long and gains 1,750 vertical feet. Or enjoy the base camp village with bands, bonfires, luxury tipi tents, food and drink. Stratton.com
Reduce, reuse and gear up for the year. These annualwaps are where you can find great deals on used (and sometimes new) skis, boards, boots, skates and other gear.
Oct. 6 -8 | Killington Ski Club Monster Swap, Killington
Come to Killington’s Ramshead Base Lodge for deals on new and used ski and snowboard equipment, along with a great selection of street and mountain bikes. Many local shops will be participating and proceeds support the KSC Scholarship Fund. Friday: 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.; Saturday: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Sunday, 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Prices negotiable all day on Sunday. Killington.com
Oct. 6 – 8 | Smugg’s Annual Ski and Board Sale, Colchester
Come find amazing deals on quality equipment and soft goods for the whole family at this ski swap held a St. Michael’s College and benefitting the Smuggler’s Notch Ski Club. Bring your gently used gear to consign on Friday evening and earn cash to shop Saturday and Sunday. smuggs.com
Oct. 15 | Waitsfield Ski + Skate Sale, Mad River Glen
Come to Mad River Glen for the Waitsfield annual consignment sale. Sale is from 9 am to 4 pm, but $10 gets you an early-bird ticket with access to the sale and first dibs at 8:00 am. Benefits Waitsfield Elementary School. waitsfieldschool.org/ ski-and-skate-sale
Nov. 17 – 19 | Okemo Mountain School Ski and Snowboard Swap, Ludlow
Everything you need to get out on the hill this season…. skis, snowboards, boots, bindings, helmets, goggles, outerwear, and more. Proceeds go to benefit the Okemo Mountain School. The OMS Ski Swap will once again take place in the Round House at the Jackson Gore Inn. Okemomountainschool.org
28 | Halloween Monster Mash Bash, Smuggler’s Notch
Head to the Fun Zone 2.0 for pumpkin painting, a donut-eating contest, a scavenger hunt, Glow mini golf, Halloween movies, spooky laser tag and cocoa and marshmallows around a bonfire. Costumes optional. Smuggs.com
28 | Wobbly Barn Halloween Party, Killington
This legendary bar kicks o its season with its annual costume party (costumes required for admission). DJ Stevie B spins and there are prizes for best costume, best couples costumes, and best group costume. Benefits Killington Fire Dept. killington.com
2 | 10th Annual Vermont Backcountry Forum, Rochester
Celebrating 10 years of backcountry skiing with the Ridgeline Outdoor Collective and 40 years of the Catamount Trail Association. Talks, prizes and more. catamounttrail.org
5 | The Middlebury Maple Run, Middlebury
The half marathon course promises scenic rolling hills into the farmlands around Middlebury and Weybridge with spectacular views of the Green Mountains and Middlebury College. Course is a mix of paved and gravel roads with a short stretch on a gravel trail. Run the full 13.1 miles or split it in a 2-person relay. There; also a 3-mile fun run around Middlebury. middleburymaplerun.com
17-18 | Warren Miller’s “All Time” Film, Middlebury & Burlington
Warren Miller Entertainment’s 74th film, ALL TIME, comes to the Town Hall Theater in Middlebury, Nov. 17. , followed by a show at the Flynn in Burlington, Nov.18. The film features new footage with Donny Pelletier as well as historic footage of Glen Plake, Scot Schmidt, and the Egan Brothers along with more recent shots of Michelle Parker, Marcus Caston, Seth Wescott, Madison Ostergren, Mckenna Peterson, Lexi duPont, Simon Hillis, Kaylin Richardson, Wendy Fisher and many more. warrenmiller.com
23 | Gobble Gobble Wobble 5K, Stratton
Trot through the Stratton village and kick o Thanksgiving on the right foot. This family-friendly 5K begins in the Stratton village courtyard, loops around the resort, and concludes back in the village. Sign up as a family, with your running buddy, or hang out and cheer. Stratton.com
24-25 | HERoic Stifel Killington World Cup, Killington
Watch the best female racers in the world compete on Superstar in a giant slalom on Saturday and slalom on Sunday. Plus, a tent village, free concerts by national artists, fireworks, parties and a VIP tent. killington.com
25 | Snowlight in Vermont, Stratton
Snowlight in Vermont reception and village tree lighting. Sponsor a lighted tree ($625$725) and dedicate a plaque in the Stratton Village or in Manchester during the winter 23-24 season. “Snowlight in Vermont” supports critical programs that address hunger, health, basic necessities and education for Vermont children in need. Our schools witness up to 80% of children living at or below the poverty level. Stratton.com
2-3 | Audi FIS Alpine Women’s World Cup, Mont Tremblant, QC
Following the Killington Cup, the world’s top women tech ski racers head to Mont Tremblant, QC for two days of giant slalom races on the women’s Audi World Cup. Tremblant.ca
9 | Brew & Ski Weekend, Smuggler’s Notch Resort
BrewFest showcases a mix of local craft and regional brews as well as classic favorites! Don’t miss samples from Vermont’s own Zero Gravity, Long Trail, Harpoon, 14th Star, Shed, Otter Creek, Fiddlehead, Von Trapp, Switchback, and Burlington Beer Company. More breweries are being added. A DJ spins the tunes, too. smuggs.com
Open Thursday thru Sunday 12 PM - 5 PM FREE
What did you learn from coaching Mikaela?
In skiing, you really have to take advantage of every minute you can spend on snow training. It’s not like a swimmer who always has a pool that’s there to train in. Mikaela has famously spent a ton of time training, even forgoing races to do so, and she was always pretty purposeful and deliberate in her training.
How much time, on average, does an A-Team member of the U.S. Ski Team spend training in gates?
Some of the best former coaches from the U.S. Ski Team, didn’t retire. They just moved to Vermont. Former U.S. Ski & Snowboard Alpine Director and former head coach Jesse Hunt (whom we interviewed in 2022) is now at Burke Mountain Academy. Mike Day, Mikaela Shiffrin’s coach for 65 of her 88 World Cup wins, recently joined the Mount Mansfield Ski Club.
Jeff Lackie spent seven years from 2015/16 to 2022/23 on Team Shiffrin’s coaching staff and most recently as Head Coach of the U.S. Alpine Women’s Speed Team. This season, he joins the Green Mountain Valley School in Waitsfield as their Senior Director of High-Performance Sport. Lackie, a Canadian citizen, grew up skiing in Whistler/Blackcomb and then went to a ski academy in Canada. We recently caught up with him.
I’ve always been intrigued by the outsized contribution academies, particularly in New England, make in the athlete pipeline. GMVS has a 50-year history of offering its student-athletes world-class facilities in a beautiful natural setting. It’s also a great opportunity to work with athletes who are just developing in their ski racing and to have a lot of other racers and other academies to compete with nearby.
As a coach, is there any moment or race you are most proud of?
I’d have to say it was watching Mikaela win in Aspen by 3 full seconds in November, 2015 – that’s a truly huge, unprecedented lead. But it’s also been really fun to watch ski racers like Paula Moltzan get her first World Cup points, which she did the first year I worked with her (2015/16). And it’s great to see her now, ranked seventh in the world in slalom this past season and 11th in giant slalom.
I was surprised when I first did the math: It’s actually only 8 to 11 hours over the course of a year. That’s the cumulative time they spend skiing through gates – and remember, a run through the gates often lasts less than a minute, versus the three or four hours you might spend on the hill. Most athletes spend maybe 150 days on snow on average, so it seems like a highly inefficient sport, but it’s also what makes it exciting. So even if you have unlimited access to training, in relation to other sports you’re often still in the formative period of your development.
What you would tell skiers or ski racers to watch for at the World Cup in Killington?
It’s an incredible opportunity to really see first-hand what goes into racing at the highest level of the sport and to see what the surfaces of the courses actually look like, up close. As for the racers, what you see in World Cup skiers is just so much more consistency than you see at any other level and that’s a byproduct of the training they’ve put in throughout their lives.
What about technique? Anything you tell students to watch for?
Probably the same thing that was true 100 years ago: be really connected to your outside ski so you get the most leverage out of your ski. That also gives you the most balance.
Paula Moltzan made a big leap in her ski racing these past few years. What was the biggest change?
Paula had a tendency to be a little bit upright and a little bit back on her skis. Plenty of coaches tried to improve her position and it did change a bit. But the thing that changed the most with her is she became a stronger athlete. Her position actually forced her to get stronger. She worked really hard at building that strength and when her fitness improved, her ski racing did too. X
