T H E 2 0 1 7–2 0 1 8 M A G A Z I N E & R E S O R T G U I D E
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TA B L E O F CO N T E N T S 08 // UNDER THE MILKY WAY: LIFE ON THE SLOPES WITH THE MOUNT SNOW SNOWMAKING CREW What happens on the mountain when the sun sets and the snow flies. 18 // WEST LAKE TO THE RESCUE With 120 million gallons of water at the ready, West Lake is making Mount Snow snowier than ever. 22 // ALL HAIL THE KINGS: MEET THE TEAM THAT MADE CARINTHIA PARKS #1 IN THE EAST Portraits of the pros who make Carinthia Parks a must-ride destination. 32 // THE OTHER WALT A trip down memory lane with the founder of Carinthia Ski Area. 39 // THE FUTURE OF CARINTHIA Get your first look at the new Carinthia Base Lodge, coming soon. 43 // THAT’S “PROFESSOR SNOWFLAKE” TO YOU Meet the Vermonter whose obsession with snow changed how we see the fluffy white stuff. 50 // THE GUEST GUIDE Everything you need to know to enjoy Mount Snow to its fullest. 62 // TRAIL MAP 64 // BASE AREA RESORT MAP 1
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Life on the Slopes with the Mount Snow Snowmaking Crew
By Mike Hannigan
MountSnow.com
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P
icture yourself at Mount Snow. It’s 3:30, maybe 4:00 in the afternoon. Your legs are somewhere between bliss and jelly, the daylight’s starting to get flat and fade, and the idea of a cold adult beverage is starting to seem wise. As you pop off your skis or board and start to shuffle off toward Cuzzins or Station Tap Room, you might not even notice another group of people who are just getting into the swing of their workday. In fact, they’d prefer that you not notice them at all. If they’re doing their job right, the only thing you’ll notice will be the quality of the snow on Mount Snow’s trails the next day.
Mount Snow’s snowmaking crew
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ascends the mountain each night, like some sort of inverse iron miners, darkness and hard work ahead of them. But instead of pulling dark ore out of the earth like the miners did here more than 100 years ago, these guys are spreading white fluff all over the ground for Mount Snow’s guests to enjoy. This winter, and every winter hence, the story of Mount Snow is snow. West Lake, Mount Snow’s new snowmaking reservoir, is set to come on line just in time for this winter, and with it, the goal of 100 percent snowmaking coverage across the mountain can become a reality. But as important as the infrastructure improvements are to the resort’s
long-term health, the most important asset is still the men and women who strap on their headlamps and harnesses and go out into the night, just as you’re wrapping up your ski day. Mount Snow’s snowmaking team is one of the most talented in the business. (Forgive us if we’re biased.) So we wanted to find out what makes them tick, what the job really entails, and just how cold it is when you spend the night outside on the mountain in the middle of a Vermont winter. The art and science of snowmaking has been around since the late 1940s and has a direct tie to Mount Snow’s own foundation. The first widely
recognized successful snowmaking operation happened at Mohawk Mountain in Connecticut, with none other than Walt Schoenknecht, Mount Snow’s founder, at the helm. Before he discovered Mount Pisgah and turned it into Mount Snow, Walt owned Mohawk and was trying to find a solution to some lean snow years. “It was during that time that he started thinking there has to be a way around this,” recalled Walt’s daughter Carol Luger, who still owns and runs Mohawk Mountain, recalling the low-snow winters. “That this just can’t be, because his bottom line all the time was that everybody should be playing in the snow and having fun and they should be skiing. It’s still the bottom line here. We don’t sell snow. We don’t sell hamburgers. We sell fun, and that is still Dad’s legacy.” The primitive technology took time to iron out, and fortunately for people near Mount Snow, they were spared being the guinea pigs for Walt’s experiments. Folks near Mohawk, however, were not so lucky. “Dad’s favorite story involved the first night they made snow with these machines. They were actually making snow; they were working. Everything was just fine and everybody was happy. It was all great until Dad realized—we’re talking 2:00, 3:00 in the morning—that every light in the valley was on; all the houses were lit up, because all the dogs were barking uncontrollably. Apparently, what they had done is set off an ultrasonic noise that people couldn’t hear, but the dogs could. He upset all the neighborhood dogs. So, they tinkered with [the system] and got it working and that’s what we worked with here for a couple of years.” Things have come a long way since those early days. Aside from Snow Lake serving as Mount Snow’s primary snowmaking reservoir until last year, the system Walt eventually deployed is long gone. Today,
the resort features one of the most modern, efficient snowmaking systems around. What happens when you’re at the helm of a system like that? “When the resort closes at 4:00, the guests go to après ski and have a cocktail. That’s when the magic happens, I guess you could say,” says Kevin Harrington, Mount Snow’s mountain manager. “You have snowmakers working throughout the day, but 4:00 is when you can really pound. Of course the temperature is changing at that time. Usually it’s getting colder as the nights approach. Then the big push for snowmakers is 4:00 to 7:00, because you’re setting up the night crew. That’s when you’re doing a trail swap, you’re charging a new line, you’re getting the 7:00 to 7:00 night crew ready to plug and play.” Snowmakers break down their task into “moves,” a potentially time-consuming process of shutting down the snowmaking on one trail, draining the lines, then going to a new trail, charging the line, and getting the guns fired up. “Our goal is to set up the night crew so they’re not doing big, huge moves,” Harrington explains. “Once a snow gun is up and running, it’s just kind of a visual check. You’re making sure you’re not making snow on a spot you don’t want to, you’re not covering the gun, covering the hose, covering trees. Starting them up and shutting them down is where the bulk of the physical part of the job happens.” Around 7:00, the night crew gathers and starts getting geared up. Crew members strap on a vest that weighs around 20 pounds, as well as a host of gear including crescent wrenches, a radio, pliers, maybe a torch, and what’s referred to in the trade as a “beater stick,” something that can be used as a shovel and a multi-use tool. “You’re usually carrying quite a bit of stuff, especially
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when you’re on your feet, and you don’t have a snowmobile that you can store stuff on,” says Harrington. Early in the season, the crew is on foot a fair amount, particularly before all the trails get a coating of snow on them to make snowmobile use viable. And on the steeper terrain—something like the North Face—trails are worked on foot all winter. Once crew members are geared up, the job of constantly watching the weather (especially the temperature) and the need to fine-tune the snow they’re making sets in. Snowmakers are performing a never-ending juggling act, weighing the current and future weather, water levels, power consumption, and more, trying to find the right cocktail of conditions in which to make snow, as well as the right time to do it. The type of snow they’re producing changes too, depending on the terrain and the calendar. Early in the season, particularly when workers are covering a trail for the first time and trying to build a solid base, calls for a heavier, wetter snow. They’re trying to make the biggest, wettest particle possible, so Mother Nature can help the snow cure and freeze solid. As the season goes along, they might be making a lighter snow. Or if they’re working on terrain features over at Carinthia, they’re making a heavier snow all the time, to help
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build the shape of the jumps, features, and halfpipes. “There’s more planning going into it than a lot of people think,” says Harrington. “There’s a huge strategy to it, because there’s so much involved from a financial standpoint. You can make really poor decisions and it can cost you a ton of money. We call it ‘smart snow.’ We don’t want a 10-foot pile of snow in a spot that only needs five. At the end of the year you don’t want your entire mountain covered in snow. You more or less want the last flakes to melt as the last skier is coming down the mountain. When that happens, you know that you’ve adequately allocated your resources, you’ve made great decisions, and you made the right amount of snow for the season.” Mount Snow’s investment in fan guns a few years back continues to help the crew’s efforts. Not only are the fan guns more energy efficient, but they also produce a better quality of snow. As Director of Mountain Operations Dave Moulton explains, “Because it’s up on a tower and it has a very strong fan that blows the water particles, we can loft it up higher. A lot of snowmakers refer to a thing called ‘hang time.’ The longer this water molecule is in the air and freezing up before it gets to the ground, the better the quality. The hang time on a fan gun is quite high. There’s not any guesswork in it.
“Snowmaking snow is not like a snowflake made by Mother Nature. Nature has 30,000 feet of hang time. By the time that water molecule gets to the ground, it is truly the picturesque snowflake. What we’re getting with snowmaking is going to be more of a ball. How do snowmakers know what they’re producing? Through the highly scientific process of standing under a gun, putting their arm out, and seeing what’s falling on them. Moulton explains: “Basically, they stand underneath where the snow is falling. They allow the snow to fall on their black coat sleeve. They might gather that up, squeeze it in their hand, see if it’s sticking together. Is it too sticky? Is it wet? What’s it doing? Typically, it’s bouncing off, and they go, ‘Oh, OK. That’s good snow.’” Then they can move on to the next gun, make sure the snow is good, ensure that none of the nozzles are freezing up, and deal with anything else that might be a concern. Who does this job? And what are the ideal traits of a good snowmaker? Some of the crew just like the peace and quiet of being outside when most others would rather be sitting in front of a fire. Some are snow addicts, compulsive about creating the white stuff. Some
love working with a system that has such power to it. And some just like being part of the team—laboring alongside other hardworking folks, pulling together. Clearly, weather plays a huge role in these people’s work lives. The perfect conditions for snowmaking include a light or nonexistent wind and temperatures right around the 15-degree mark. Of course, they can make snow at colder temps, but 15 degrees is the ideal, according to Randy Barrows, Mount Snow’s snowmaking manager. If there’s anyone who should know what makes a great snowmaker, it’s Barrows. He’s been making snow for 36 years. Over that time, he’s probably worked with a thousand or so fellow snowmakers. Some of them don’t even finish their first shift as they realize they’re just not cut out for the job. Others find their calling, and stay with it for years.
Is it too sticky? Is it too wet? The all-important sleeve check helps snowmakers know they’re producing the goods.
Barrows says what’s important in snowmakers is “being physically able, being physically fit, and having a good head on their shoulders, being able to think. Because if you’re not physically fit to do the job, you end up getting injured a lot. That’s what I tell people about myself, since I’m getting up there in age. If I don’t keep myself fit, you know, it’s time for me to find another job.” “It’s not a job that everybody wants to do,” concurs Moulton. “It really takes a specific type of person. A lot of people think they want to be a snowmaker, and they wash out pretty quickly. It’s hard work. I think as the years go on, it’s harder and harder to find people who want to do it. Then you find somebody who’s just passionate about it.” He adds, “Typically, it’s either a skier or a snowboarder or somebody who does the sport who really likes snow. I think there’s some satisfaction because you can see your results so quickly. As you’re working through the day, you’re watching the snow pile up. You’re like, ‘Oh, wow, I made a lot of snow there.’ It feels good. They get a lot of satisfaction from having a great trail.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 15
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Snowmaking is not only hard work, and cold work, it can also be dangerous work. “I would say it’s a dangerous job,” says Moulton. “I think it has probably one of the higher hazard levels around. You’re dealing with high-pressure water and high-pressure air. The hoses are hard. If you pop a hose under pressure and you don’t do it right, you can end up getting hurt.” Falling on the mountain presents real risks too, especially on steep, icy terrain that has yet to get covered with snow, or that needs to recover from inclement weather. Workers can start slipping uncontrollably and end up sliding into the woods at a high rate of speed, with potentially catastrophic results. Sadly, a couple of snowmakers around the country have lost their lives in the past few years. It’s definitely something the Mount Snow crew is aware of, according to Moulton. “Understanding your footing and how risky a certain trail is and the best way to go around it—or just saying, ‘Nope, I can’t go down this trail’—is really important.” And then there are the temperatures. “For the most part, people think, ‘Oh, snowmakers get cold.’ Well, they don’t get cold, because they’re so busy hiking in and out of snowmaking hydrants or hiking down a trail that they typically sweat,” says Moulton. When crew members head inside for a break, they’re not trying to get warm. In fact, they wind up taking off almost all their gear just to keep everything dry. They’ll strip down to base layers, put their gear on drying racks, and get ready for the next round. After 15 minutes or so, it’s time to suit back up and head out for the next run. “I would love to put a Fitbit on a snowmaker,” says Moulton. “People think that 10,000 steps is a huge feat for the day. These guys must be putting in 20,000 or 30,000 steps a night, if not more. It’d be interesting to see what they really do.”
But it’s not all danger and sweat. A big reason these people enjoy the job is the time spent outside. Lots of snowmakers love working the night shift—and hate working the day shift—because they have the mountain almost all to themselves. Moulton puts it this way: “You stop and gaze at the Milky Way, and the visibility is just unbelievable. You might see the Northern Lights. The sunrises and sunsets are fantastic. You feel like you can reach out and touch the sky, definitely. “People ask me what I love about it, and it’s just being outside. So many people, in winter, hunker down and kind of get to the point where they look like they’re depressed. You know, like the winter blues. I don’t get that. I cannot wait to go outside.” Despite trying to remain invisible to guests and let their snow do the talking, snowmakers do
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occasionally interact with guests. And when they do, the reactions are almost universally positive. “When you’re out there making snow, you are constantly receiving kudos from our guests who are bowing down and praising you. You get that all day long,” says Moulton. “The crew can get instant gratification, a dopamine high right away.” But as much as a bow or a thumbs-up might lift the spirits, anonymity is still the snowmakers’ goal.
“At the end of the year you...more or less want the last flakes to melt as the last skier is coming down the mountain.”
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“All throughout the night there’s 16 hours’ worth of grooming going on, from 4:00 in the afternoon to 8:00 in the morning,” says Harrington. “Then you also have, again, 16 hours’ worth of snowmaking to set yourself up for the next day. And when the lifts start up in the morning, the customer has no idea that any of this went on. They strap on their skis, they go out and have a wonderful day. Again, we sweep in, sweep out, and you don’t notice we’re there, but we leave you with this awesome product that you get to play with all day.”
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TO T H E R ESC U E By Mike Hannigan
The snowmaking crew at Mount Snow has gotten a big new toy this year, and it’s going to change everything. West Lake, Mount Snow’s new snowmaking reservoir, is making its debut, and it’s bringing 120 million gallons of snowmaking potential with it. When you stop to consider that Mount Snow was already really good at making snow with a much smaller source of water (Snow Lake), tied to a very efficient snowmaking system, you can imagine the impact of a water source that’s eight times as great. “Snow Lake is 15 million gallons. West Lake is 120 million gallons,” explains Brendan Ryan, Peak Resorts’ vice president of special projects and the man leading the West Lake project. “We have been at a major disadvantage for a long time relative to the acreage that we made snow on. Plus, we basically could not expand our snowmaking onto additional trails, especially some of the favorite trails for our passholders and guests, until we resolved our water source.” Before construction, West Lake didn’t exist. Last year, in the first phase of construction, crews transformed a sloped area by constructing an earthen dam and excavating the MountSnow.com
center so it could hold water. This summer, the crews bridged the three-mile gap between the resort and the lake, laying 24-inch pipe along the way. For Mount Snow’s general manager, Kelly Pawlak, West Lake’s completion ends a search for water that would make a dowser proud. “I can tell you that all of the management teams who ever worked here—if you were GM here, you always searched for water,” she says. “And there have been six or seven different places that we’ve spent a lot of time researching. There have been many people really trying to find the right water source. And in the end, it’s West Lake.” When you talk to Ryan, you can tell he gets giddy when he starts doing the math on the new capacity and the impact it’ll have for guests, especially when it comes to getting more terrain open early in the season. “Before, we could put 3,500 gallons a minute over the summit,” he says. “Now we’re going to be able to put between 8,000 and 8,500 gallons a minute, with 30 percent more pressure over the summit. Looking at the last 10 years, in 60 percent of those years we were 75 percent open by January 1. In every scenario I ran [with the new
system], we’re 100 percent open with our existing terrain by Christmas. And, in the other 40 percent of those years, we’re 100 percent open on December 1, and 75 percent open for Thanksgiving. That’s what people are going to see.
Mother Nature can throw at us—provide a fantastic product that’s as ‘weatherproof’ as you can make it.” He adds, “It’s going to be the most powerful snowmaking system per acre in the Northeast.”
“Certainly, there’s going to be the bad year, the 2011–12, the 2015–16, where the weather just doesn’t cooperate and your hands are somewhat tied, but in average years when you do have windows of cold, it’s going to be super exciting.”
Kelly Pawlak knows that while this may be super exciting to her and Ryan, the average guest just cares about having a great day skiing.
Sadly, nobody can prevent a rainstorm. But resorts that value their guests can work hard to recover from bad weather spells as quickly as possible. “Instead of being able to run 250 fans in a ‘resurface,’” explains Ryan, “we’re now talking about resurfacing with 500 guns in 24 hours. So it rains on a Thursday, it gets cold on a Friday, by the time your family is skiing on Saturday, the conditions are fantastic again. People aren’t going to see that instantly, but I think a lot of what our clientele is going to appreciate over the next several years is that they can book vacations with confidence because we have an infrastructure that’s going to—outside of the most challenging conditions
“I would love to say, ‘Everybody’s going to notice it and they’re going to love it and they’ll only want to ski Mount Snow!’” she admits. “But at the end of the day, 50 percent of the clientele who are out there just expect it to be great snow. They have no concept of what the temperature needs to be for us to make snow, and rightly so. They just want the snow to be there. They don’t need to know the science; they’re on vacation. But the other 50 percent are totally tuned in. They’re going to be jazzed, they’re going to be stoked,” she says. Pawlak continues, “It’s just like that brand that you become dependent on. It never fails you. That’s what Mount Snow’s going to do, long term. We’re going to become that mountain that makes you say, ‘Every time I go there, man, they always have a lot of trails open.’” 19
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the Kings
Meet the team that made Carinthia Parks #1 in the East. Photos by
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W
hen you spend time in Carinthia Parks, it’s easy to get distracted by the scale and creativity of all the features. But behind the rails, jumps, boxes, and halfpipe is a team of local builders and terrain park groomers who are some of the best around. Here, they put down their shovels and rakes to take a well-earned turn in the spotlight.
Photo: Ty Redes
Rory Bruder Park Freestyle Fabricator / C-Team Athlete MountSnow.com
Adam Tease Park Ranger II
Elia Hamilton Director of Freestyle Terrain at Peak Resorts
Jeremy Ellenberg Park Ranger II / C-Team Athlete
Jake Gaudet Park Ranger II 25
Shane Doyle Park Ranger II
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Devin Bernard Videographer
Ben McGinnis Freestyle Terrain Manager
Kevin Slater Groomer
Bill Swab Groomer 27
Levi Gunzberg Park Ranger II
John Scolforo Groomer
Zack Boyd Grooming Supervisor (Winter): Heavy Equipment Operator (Summer)
Chris DeJohn Park Ranger
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Shaun Murphy Park Ranger II / C-Team Athlete 29
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TH E OTH ER
WALT By Randy Capitani
MountSnow.com
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hen snowboarders and freeskiers hit the hill at Carinthia for one last run this past Memorial Day Weekend during Mount Snow’s annual Peace Pipe Rail Jam, few likely knew much about the man who founded Carinthia Ski Area. Tied to that man is a lengthy history that leads up to Carinthia’s recent fame as one of the best terrain parks in the United States and the world.
Carinthia Ski Area first opened in 1961, founded by an Austrian immigrant who had worked for a time as a ski instructor at Mount Snow, but who always had a dream of running his own ski area. “Friends of mine had invited me to live in the U.S.,” said Carinthia founder Walter Stugger. “My job was at Mount Snow, teaching skiing. Then I looked for land and found some right next to Mount Snow.” Stugger hailed from the Austrian region of Kärnten, which in English is translated as Carinthia. So it was only natural that the ski area would be named after his homeland. Stugger and his wife Diana have spent the past three decades living in the mountains of southern Vermont. In April 2017, they returned to Carinthia for an update on what the place has evolved into over the years. It was Walter Stugger’s first time coming back to the ski area he built from the ground up since they sold the resort to Mount Snow in 1986. The visit was prompted by a March Town Meeting Day conversation between Walter Stugger and Mount Snow attorney Tom Montemagni. Montemagni said this discussion led him to realize how much the founder, now in his 90s, still remembered about Carinthia—and also to realize that Stugger didn’t know the extent to which Carinthia had morphed into a mecca for freeskiers and riders. They flock to Carinthia from around the world to be challenged by the jumps, hits, rails, halfpipe, and other features offered in the freestyle terrain parks.
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Stugger building the trails of Carinthia with a bulldozer.
At the April visit, Diana Stugger took a tour through the base lodge. Walter waited until a tracked fourby-four ATV rolled up to take them on a tour of Carinthia’s trails. The couple answered some questions about how the ski area came to be, what it was like in the early days, and what has happened in the past 30 years. Ski area ownership consolidation has been in the news lately, with a couple of notable resorts changing hands. Thirty-one years ago, another merger deal had skiers buzzing in the Deerfield Valley. It was in April 1986 that Mount Snow purchased Carinthia Ski Area. The deal expanded Mount Snow by onethird, and gave the Stuggers’ labor of love a real viability at a time when other small areas in the region were forced to close because of changing demographics and industry dynamics. Lack of snowmaking capabilities and difficulty raising capital to keep small areas running were the major factors hampering these operators. Hogback Mountain, Dutch Hill, Burrington Hill, and Snow Valley are names many might remember
as local ski areas of similar size, but only Carinthia was able to survive, mainly due to being next to Mount Snow. “The hardest thing about running a ski area was [having] no snow,” said Walter Stugger. “We were really struggling to get the money to keep it running,” added Diana Stugger. She also described what it was like to get the initial loan from Vermont National Bank in Wilmington to buy the land that became Carinthia. “Walter went to the bank for two weeks straight. He offered to teach skiing or tennis to the bank manager for life. Finally, Mr. Pearson said, ‘Give him the money.’” Walter Stugger is now 95, and amazingly spry for his age. He eagerly climbed into the ATV for the tour of the slopes. He also can vividly recall much about what it took to build Carinthia when work began in 1960. “I built the trails with a bulldozer,” he said. “I ran
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“The trails were designed to be skied with only four inches of snow.�
MountSnow.com
Walter and Diana Stugger in one of Carinthia’s six bubble lifts.
it myself. It didn’t really take that long, only a couple of summers.” Stugger described how he made the trails as smooth as possible so it wouldn’t take much snow to make them skiable and allow the area to open, which in turn allowed the cash to flow. “The trails were designed to be skied with only four inches of snow. We made the dirt smooth, then put hay on the trails, then raked it all down. If it was a smooth slope, you could ski on it. The hay made it nice and smooth.” The Stuggers met at Carinthia and eventually married. They took on the task of developing Carinthia together, with Walter working outside winter and summer, and Diana managing the business side, cooking in the base lodge, and hiring much of the staff. Carinthia grew in stages. First the bottom part of the area was developed. But it took the better part of a decade, from 1969 to 1978, and a legal battle with Mount Snow for the owners to receive permits from the U.S. Forest Service to develop the upper part of the area. And even with permits finally in place, downturns in the economy in the late 1970s and poor snow years in the early 1980s made the expansion difficult and costly, according to the Stuggers. “It was so expensive,” said Diana Stugger, “and 1984 was another bad season. We couldn’t carry on a larger operation.”
So negotiations were started with S-K-I Ltd., then the owners of Mount Snow. By April 1986, the deal was done, and Carinthia had been absorbed into Mount Snow. The T-bar was replaced with a double chair, a high-speed quad was constructed in the 1990s to replace the infamous Riblet double chair, trails were renamed, and snowmaking was added. Today, the base lodge the Stuggers and their staff built by hand is about to be replaced by a new, modernized facility. Construction has begun on the new building; when it’s completed, the current lodge will be torn down. It’s all part of the evolution of the ski area, and the industry as a whole. “Mount Snow made it a very big ski area,” said Diana Stugger. When asked what he thought about the area now, and what he thought about the large jumps on the trails he built as a labor of love all those years ago, Walter Stugger was quick to reply. “It’s all right. Kids do those today. When I was young, I would have done those jumps. I would do anything.” One of those things included following his dream of building a ski area, one that lives on today. Adapted from the article “Three Decades Later, Couple Recalls Life at Carinthia,” which originally ran in the Deerfield Valley News.
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Luxury Ski On/Off Townhome Community at Mount Snow
New Townhomes with incredible views of Mount Snow
Located in the Grand Summit Resort Hotel Start your home search at mountsnow.com/realty or call 802.464.4114
The Future of Carinthia
For years, Carinthia Parks has been a bucket-list destination for fans of freestyle skiing and riding. While that reputation was earned from the jumps and features up on the hill, the big news at Carinthia this year is happening at the base: The new Carinthia Base Lodge is under construction and is slated to open in time for the start of the 2018–19 ski season. We caught up with Mount Snow general manager Kelly Pawlak for an update.
Mount Snow Magazine: Tell us what’s going on over at Carinthia. Kelly Pawlak: Eventually the entire base area is going to be redeveloped, with the hope—dream—of making things more user-friendly. We are trying to build our resort and the facilities in a way that will still be legitimate in 100 years. So we’re putting a lot of thought into what we’re building, and building to the right scale and size. MSM: Why Carinthia as opposed to the Main Base Area? KP: We’re starting with Carinthia because there’s nothing wrong with baby steps. We really haven’t built a large building since 1997, and starting there made a lot of sense because we could keep the old Carinthia Base Lodge intact while we built the new one. When you get to the Main Base Lodge and you have to get rid of the old one before you build the new one, and you’re living out of tents, that’s a lot to understand and lay out. So we thought, we’re going to start with Carinthia and get our feet wet. MSM: Was there a design philosophy the team was working from? KP: In the beginning, we drove around to a lot of Vermont towns. Classic towns—think Grafton, think Townshend, with the classic Vermont greens. We’re trying to keep that look and feel, but of course the scale at which we’re building is much larger than some of these town greens with a library or a church. This base lodge is 42,000 square feet. Obviously it’s not going to even look like
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a Vermont barn; it’s large. The pump house we’re building simultaneously at the base of Carinthia does look like a classic Vermont barn. We’re calling it the most beautiful pump house in the country. So we’re trying to make people feel comfortable and feel that they’re still in Vermont and not some contrived place. We’re trying to make sure that the buildings are genuine and we use materials that you would find in Vermont, whether that’s barn board or stone or brick. MSM: Now that it’s really happening, what are you excited about? KP: What I’m really excited about is the openness. I think that’s going to be a nice feeling for our guests. Whenever you can open things up and create space, especially in areas where people have to congregate like a ticket queue or a rental shop, it just takes the stress level down. Getting the family started for their day of skiing can be stressful, so we’re hoping that
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the way we outfit it and the way this lodge has been designed, it’s going to lower that stress and make it really easy for our guests. Everything from family bathrooms to family changing rooms, to lots of benches and cubbies, and lots of food options, which makes everybody happier. And large patios for those beautiful days so everybody gets a spot to lounge in the sun. MSM: What kind of services will be in the new lodge? KP: You’ll be able to do full rentals. There’s a free bag check. There’s first aid. There’s a retail shop. There’s a convenience store, because eventually we plan to have residential buildings there, and when we do you will be able to go over and get some things and bring them back to your unit and have après-ski munchies, or maybe cook something. There’s a fantastic dining hall; you're going to smell the fresh brewed coffee from the coffee bar. And then upstairs there’s a restaurant
An artist’s rendering of the new Carinthia Base Lodge planned to be open for the 2018-19 ski season.
with more seating areas. There’s a separate bar that will transition from great coffees and a nice little spot to meet with friends in the morning to great brews, meaning craft beer and wine, in the afternoon. MSM: Right now, most people go to the Main Base Area when they arrive. Is the goal to get them to go to Carinthia instead? KP: We don’t aim to have everybody park here or there, because you can easily ski to any area at Mount Snow, which is one of its advantages. We want people to experience all four mountain faces. That’s the goal: to get people to ski around, explore more than the main face, and discover everything Mount Snow has to offer. MSM: What’s next? KP: What we would like to do next is to build some residential units at Carinthia. That’s the next plan.
MSM: How does this new lodge fit into the Mount Snow brand and experience? KP: I’m excited because I think it just shows folks one more example of our commitment to making their experience top-notch. You know, it started when Peak Resorts bought us in 2007 and we added 250 fan guns. And then we replaced our snowmaking infrastructure with low-e [energyefficient equipment]. We added the bubble chair, which people are just in love with. And now we’ve built West Lake so we’ll have the water to expand to 100 percent snowmaking in the years to come. But it’s not just that. Aside from the great product on the hill, we understand when you come off the hill it has to be just as inviting. It has to be just as comfortable. It has to meet your needs and wishes. And Carinthia’s going to give people a glimpse of what’s on the way for the future of Mount Snow.
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You deserve a night out at Dover Forge. Enjoy fireside seating with craft cocktails and seasonally inspired casual dining — delicious and affordable dishes prepared with fresh local ingredients. ReseRvations: 802-464-7117
183 Route 100, West Dover, Vermont • DoverForge.com
Available for Weddings, Receptions, Private Parties, On or Off-site Catering (We bring the Smoker to you!)
TI M B E R CR EEK
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CROSS COUNTRY SKI AREA
thoughtfully groomed cross-country ski and snowshoe trail system ski & snowshoe rentals instructional packages
Route 100 North Entrance Mount Snow 802.464.0999 www.timbercreekxc.com
That’s “Professor Snowflake” to You By Hilary DelRoss
Almost a century ago,
a humble Vermont farmer unlocked the wonders at the core of the very thing that inspires winter enthusiasts the most. To say he was eccentric is an understatement, but he’s in good company with those of us who spend each winter chasing storms. Skiers and snowboarders the world over share this man’s fierce passion and steadfast appreciation for snow—solely for the joy it brings. Snowflake
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Bentley was a pioneer in the subject of snowflakes, and he dedicated his entire life to documenting and sharing their intrinsic beauty with the world, despite skepticism from critics. Known as “The Snowflake Man,” Wilson Alwyn Bentley lived his entire life in Jericho, Vermont. In the shadow of Bolton Mountain, he was born on the family farm during the winter of 1865, and he died there in 1931 from a case of pneumonia he picked up after walking home in a snowstorm. During the 66 years in between, his obsession with snow inspired him to develop a method to showcase its delicate construction in a way that had never been done before.
loops, lines, dots, and other figures in endless variety MountSnow.com
His ingenuity and determination started at a young age during a time when electricity was not yet available. In the downtime between farm chores, kids had to find a way to entertain themselves during long, snowy winters. With encouragement from his mother, a former schoolteacher and appreciator of fine art, the boy’s wonder about the world blossomed and he took to reading the encyclopedia to learn more about it. His pristine surroundings provided much inspiration and, at the age of 14, he spent his first meager earnings on a telescope so he could peer into the vast universe around him. The following year, he received a used microscope for his birthday and turned his sights to the microcosms that fell from the sky. Bentley became infatuated with water in all its forms, perhaps from spending summer days fishing or swimming in the nearby Mill Brook. He looked at dew on grass, droplets clinging to spider webs, and frost on windowpanes, but he was most fascinated with the configurations of “loops, lines, dots, and other figures in endless variety” he discovered at the center of snowflakes, he noted in an article. He observed that no two snowflakes are alike on the inside, regardless of their six-sided outlines, and became intent on showing others the fragile little miracles that floated down all around them. His brother, along with others in the neighborhood who didn’t understand his fixation, mockingly called him “Professor Bentley,” a name that stuck throughout much of his career. But he paid them no mind. He thought it a shame that snowflakes vanished so easily, and he set out to document them for all to see. Luckily for him, Vermont’s long winters offered an endless supply of specimens to gaze at through his lens. Most farm families saw winter as a hardship, but to him it was the season for “one of Vermont’s most important crops.” Previously, the study of snow crystals had been documented with handdrawn sketches, which were hastily prepared due to the delicate nature of frozen water molecules, omitting their intricate details. The teenaged
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Bentley was obsessed with capturing their dynamic internal structures, which he could see clearly under the microscope—but regardless of how fast he drew the frozen crystals, he could not capture his desired level of detail before they melted, vanished forever. The process was laborious and inefficient; he had to hold his breath while looking through the microscope so as not to breathe in their direction, and if the temperature in the woodshed (his workspace) was not cold enough, he would have only five minutes to draw before his specimens melted. Drawing snowflakes frustrated Bentley to the point that he began considering other options. In the early 1880s, a style of photography emerged that made the relatively new technology much easier to work with than previous iterations. Called photomicrography, this type of photography could capture images quickly and completely, eliminating the time constraints Bentley was fighting against. He paired an old camera given to him by a family friend with his microscope and tried as best he could to combine them. Photomicrography, capturing tiny subjects through photography, seemed like a promising medium for reproducing the intricate details of snow crystals. However, Bentley would need to upgrade his equipment if he was going to continue this pursuit. His mother advocated for his cause with his father, who didn’t really understand why their son wanted to “fuss with snowflakes,” as described in the biography The Snowflake Man. Finally, the elder Bentley reluctantly funded the $100 (roughly $2,500 today) purchase of a new bellows-style camera and a basic compound microscope, which his son used for the duration of his career. With Yankee ingenuity, Bentley cobbled the two instruments together and fashioned a new worktable in the unheated woodshed attached to the back of his house. This space became his studio and laboratory. He built a custom knob so he could focus images in just a few seconds before the crystals degraded. To
collect his samples, Bentley would bring a board, painted black for contrast, outside in a snowstorm and wait for the perfect flakes to fall on it. When a worthy snowflake landed, he would whisk it into the woodshed and, with a steady hand, delicately transfer it onto the microscope stand with a splinter of wood. It took him a while to figure out just how much natural light and exposure time was needed to get the outcome he wanted, but four years later, in 1885, it finally happened. At 19 years old, he took his first successful photomicrograph of snow crystals and immediately knew his dreams were coming true. Bentley had captured a perfectly detailed snowflake. He spent his remaining 46 years finetuning his unique technique to share the splendid and clandestine inner structure of snowflakes, their universal hexagonal shape, and the infinite number of lovely designs, with the world. To fulfill his dream of generating widespread appreciation for these minuscule works of art, Bentley developed a strict protocol intended to prevent crystals from melting and to improve efficiency so he could capture as many beauties as possible during each storm: focusing had to be quick and accurate, illumination required just the right amount of uncondensed natural light, the camera bellows were closed off to keep out unwelcome light, he couldn’t breathe near the loaded glass slides or handle them without gloves on, and all the work needed to take place in a cold room with only one window admitting light. Once he amassed 400 images, Bentley made his first sale, to the Harvard Mineralogical Museum. In the 13 years it took to do so, he had tried to submit articles about his work, but they were rejected owing to his unsophisticated style of writing. He showed his work to a professor at the University of Vermont, who agreed to author an article using Bentley’s data. Their submission was published in Popular Science Monthly in 1889, and quickly gained interest from readers, encouraging Bentley to make regular
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take up a hobby and follow it through
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contributions to regional publications throughout the rest of his career. His articles were written as a summary of the winter season, documenting frequency and duration of storms, temperature, barometer readings, structure of flakes, and size and shape of crystals; he even categorized them by the type of storms they came from. Bentley found that widespread blizzards produced more complete, symmetrical crystals, and localized storms produced more granular, imperfect crystals. The crystals informed him about what kinds of storms were overhead (there were no weather apps available back then), and he became a self-taught expert in local meteorology. Eventually, even the U.S. Weather Bureau took notice as he started selling his images to universities and other institutions at five cents apiece. Since Bentley didn’t charge enough to cover his costs—he was never in it for the money—he continued to make a meager living through farming until he became so widely known that demand for his images and data came in from around the world, leaving him little time to do anything other than fulfill orders. In the 48 years he spent photographing snowflakes, Bentley generated 5,381 images and published over 60 articles about snow crystals, all without a formal education. In 1920, he was among the first elected into the Fellows of the American Meteorological Society (only 60 of 600 members received this honor), and he also received the first research grant
awarded by the society. A decade later, and just one month before his death, a book of his works was finally published, titled Snow Crystals. With nothing more than an amateur’s appreciation for snow’s artistic and scientific value, Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley made it his life’s work to share nature’s frozen grandeur with the world. He was truly self-taught, but he approached his study with a sense of exploration and an ethos of admiration. Bentley hoped that his work would spark an interest in others to explore snowflakes in a similar fashion, but he did such a good job at documenting his collection that scientists as well as the general public looked to him as the
expert in the field, and no one has competed with his efforts in over a century. It seemed his old nickname, though only honorary, was finally appropriate— Professor. Though Bentley’s journey to success was a bumpy one, it was satisfying. He believed “there is no surer road to fairyland than that which leads to the observation of snow forms.” His philosophy on life was to “take up a hobby and follow it through,” and as skiers and snowboarders, we can certainly understand how his dedication to this winter hobby brought him so much joy: “a blizzard becomes a source of keenest enjoyment and satisfaction, as it brings to him, from the dark, surging
ocean of clouds, forms that thrill his eager soul with pleasure.” While thinking about the strides made by this unique character, and the ingenuity, patience, and enthusiasm he maintained while pursuing his dreams, think about how his ride parallels our own trajectory on snow: first fumbling on foreign equipment, mastering technique, adding our own little flair, chasing the perfect conditions, and finding a crew who can support and share our passion. In the spirit of “Snowflake” Bentley, let’s go outside and boldly embrace the next snowstorm. All images courtesy of the Wilson Bentley Digital Archives of the Jericho Historical Society. www.snowflakebentley.com
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The
GUEST GUIDE Have a question or just want to find something off the beaten path? We’re here for you. Call 800-245-SNOW and we’ll help you plan the perfect Mount Snow getaway.
FOR DAILY VACATION IDEAS, FOLLOW US @mountsnow
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L I F T T I C KE TS BUY ONLINE + SAVE The earlier you buy, the more you save on lift tickets. For the best savings, visit mountsnow.com/tickets.
SUNDAY SLEEPER + FAMILY 4-PACK $39 for one lift ticket or $99 for a family of four when you buy online in advance. Valid non-holiday Sundays from noon to 4:00 p.m. Blackouts 12/31/2017, 1/14/2018, 2/18/2018. Limited quantities available. Not for resale.
FOUNDERS DAY—12/12/2017 Lift tickets starting at $12 online in advance. Valid 12/12/2017 only. Limited quantities available. Not for resale. Price increases as inventory sells out.
YOUTH DAY—1/7/2018 Lift tickets starting at $17 for youth ages 17 and under. Valid 1/7/2018 only. Limited quantities available. Not for resale. Price increases as inventory sells out.
COLLEGE WEEK $29 THURSDAY—1/11/2018 Lift tickets starting at $29 with college ID at the ticket window. Valid 1/11/2018 only. Purchase at ticket window only. Valid college ID required. Not for resale.
VALENTINE’S DAY—2/14/2018 Two lift tickets for $59. Valid 2/14/2018 only. Available online only. Limited quantities available. Not for resale. Must purchase at least 24 hours in advance.
SHAMROCK FEST—3/16/2018 Lift tickets starting at $17 online in advance. Valid 3/16/2018 only. Limited quantities available. Not for resale. Price increases as inventory sells out.
IT’S BETTER TOGETHER Group rates available on lift tickets, lodging, dining, and activities for groups of 15 people or more. Call 800-451-4443.
GUEST GUIDE | 51 | LIF T TICKETS
S P EC I A L L I F T T I C K E T O F F E R S
TRIP PL ANNING BOOK EARLY + SAVE Call 800-245-SNOW • Visit mountsnow.com/save
B O O K W I T H CO N F I D E N C E
GUEST GUIDE | 52 | TRIP PL ANNING
SNOW GUARANTEE Try out the skiing for an hour. If you don’t like it, we’ll give you a lift ticket to return at a later date, good for one year.
HOLD FOR 7 Take some time to think it over. Deposit $30 to hold your room for seven days.
VAC AT I O N PAC K AG E S * PASSHOLDER LODGING 20% Off for Peak Passholders Valid year-round. Must have a 2017–18 Peak Pass.
SPA AND STAY Lodging and spa treatment for two. Available 11/15/2017–4/30/2018. $79 SKI & STAY Includes lodging at Snow Lake Lodge, lift ticket, and continental breakfast. Valid early season and late season midweek based on availability.
KIDS DISCOVERY DAYS Kids ski and learn free. Available 1/1/2018–1/5/2018, 1/7/2018–1/12/2018, 2/25/2018–3/2/2018, 3/11/2018–3/16/2018 COLLEGE WEEK SKI AND STAY Includes discounts on lift and lodging Available 1/7/2018–1/12/2018 REGGAEFEST WEEKEND PACKAGE Includes lift, lodging, and concert entry. Available 3/23/2018–3/26/2018 WINTER BREWERS PACKAGE Includes lift, lodging, and festival entry. Available 3/30/2018–4/1/2018 *Rates subject to change. Some restrictions apply. Based on availability.
EASY CANCELLATIONS Get a refund (minus any deposits) on lodging if you cancel eight or more days before your arrival.
LO D G I N G O P T I O N S AUSTRIAN HAUS LODGE West Dover, VT Located on a hill overlooking scenic Route 100 North, this comfortable lodge has an indoor heated pool, sauna, game room, and color cable TV in all rooms. Relax in the BYOB Lounge with Wi-Fi access and a fireplace. Only three miles south of Mount Snow.
BIG BEARS LODGE West Dover, VT A family-friendly lodge located just 1,500 feet from the mountain with 24 large bedrooms all with en suite bathrooms, three guest lounges, game room, hot tub, and heated outdoor pool (summer only). Cooked-to-order breakfast included. COLONIAL MOTEL & SPA Brattleboro, VT Family-owned motel with a convenient yet quiet location on seven acres in a peaceful setting away from the highway. 65 comfortable rooms, delicious dining, an indoor pool, and a spa that will melt your worries away. You’ll only need to leave the hotel to explore the stunning views Vermont has to offer. COMFORT INN AND SUITES Brattleboro, VT Escape the always-changing Vermont weather relaxing poolside at the Comfort Inn and Suites. The newest hotel in Brattleboro, Vermont, conveniently located off I-91, with a full-service bar and restaurant directly on property. This 56-room hotel, renowned for cleanliness and outstanding customer service, is awaiting your arrival! DEERFIELD VALLEY INN West Dover, VT Enjoy antique-filled guestrooms, wood-burning fireplaces, private bathrooms, TVs, DVDs, and Wi-Fi. Start your day with a full country breakfast and relax by the fire with light afternoon refreshments. Close to all winter activities, with free shuttle service to Mount Snow.
G U E S T G U I D E | 5 3 | LO D G I N G O P T I O N S
BAKED APPLES AT SHEARER HILL FARM Wilmington, VT Your country home away from home. Wake to the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and homemade muffins. Enjoy the quiet setting of this small working farm located on a pristine country road five miles from the center of Wilmington. Large rooms with private baths. You’ll be served a delicious Vermont breakfast.
G U E S T G U I D E | 5 4 | LO D G I N G O P T I O N S
DOVER WATCH CONDOS West Dover, VT Two-bedroom townhouse with two-and-a-half baths, sleeps six (one queen, two twins, one queen sofa bed in living room), complete kitchen, dishwasher, washer/dryer, sauna, and fireplace. Wi-Fi available. DirecTV. Two miles to Mount Snow Resort and a half-mile to the Mount Snow Golf Course. GRAND SUMMIT RESORT HOTEL West Dover, VT The only ski-in/ski-out property at Mount Snow. A “green” hotel in the Green Mountains, offering hotel rooms, studios and multi-room suites with kitchenettes, all with LCD TVs and free Wi-Fi. Full-service hotel including a year-round outdoor pool and hot tubs, a full gym, spa, restaurant, and pub. The ski and snowboard check is slopeside, so all you need to do is step outside your door and you’re on your way to the summit. GRAY GHOST INN West Dover, VT A warm, comfortable family-operated bed-and-breakfast, less than one mile to Mount Snow. Twenty-six rooms and a three-bedroom suite, all with private baths. Family friendly, outdoor hot tub, game room, BYOB bar, spacious lounge with fireplace, and Wi-Fi. MOOver! bus stops outside the inn and takes you directly to Mount Snow. INN AT QUAIL RUN Wilmington, VT The Inn at Quail Run, just five miles to Mount Snow, is nestled on 12 acres with beautiful views. The Inn has 10 bedrooms, with private baths, a fireplace in the living room, Wi-Fi, game room with pool table, fitness room, sauna, hot tub, and heated outdoor summer pool. Or, choose to rent the entire inn with large kitchen or the four-bedroom guest house, with living room, dining room, and kitchen. KITZHOF INN West Dover, VT Bed-and-breakfast inn, a quarter mile from Mount Snow. All rooms with cable TV and private bathroom. Cooked breakfast, hot tub, outdoor pool (summer only), fire pit, Wi-Fi, TV lounge, BYOB bar, ice machine, refrigerator, and microwave. Families, couples, and individuals welcome. LODGE AT MOUNT SNOW West Dover, VT A great value in the base area, the Lodge offers a full-service bar and restaurant, free Wi-Fi, and economical, spacious rooms with refrigerators, microwaves, hair dryers, and cable TV. Rates include an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet. Groups welcome. Catering is available. The Lodge is located on the free MOOver! shuttle route.
MOUNT SNOW CONDOMINIUMS West Dover, VT The Mount Snow Condominium rental pool is one of the largest in the area. Most condos are within view of the Main Base Area and offer amenities such as hot tubs, saunas, indoor pools, and workout facilities. Ski-in/ski-out units are available and many condo units are serviced by the free MOOver! shuttle service to the lifts. Use of the Grand Summit Hotel pool, hot tubs, and gym included with most rentals.
OLD RED MILL INN & RESTAURANT Wilmington, VT Affordable lodging in Historic Wilmington Village (on the same road as Mount Snow) with shops and restaurants around the corner. Accommodations for one and two persons, as well as family rooms. The MOOver! free shuttle to the mountain stops at the Inn. VAST, snowmobile, and cross-country trails are a short drive. PUTNEY INN Putney, VT A charming Vermont country inn, the Putney Inn is located in the Southern Vermont Village of Putney, just past Brattleboro, Vermont, on I-91. The Putney Inn is a unique blend of an historic country inn and a graciously appointed motel that welcomes all members of the family and provides pet-friendly accommodations. SNOW LAKE LODGE West Dover, VT Mount Snow’s economy lodge, located in the base area, features magnificent views of Mount Snow, MOOver! shuttle bus service to the lifts, and walking distance to the Snow Barn. Snow Lake Lodge is the perfect place for the budget-minded family, couple, or group of singles. Amenities include indoor and outdoor hot tubs and a sauna. TRIPLE TREE LODGING West Dover, VT Great location, 1 1/4 miles north of Mount Snow on Route 100. Triple Tree offers recently updated two-bedroom townhouse units and two-bedroom one-level units, or choose from three private homes each with an outdoor hot tub. All units/houses have equipped kitchens, living rooms with gas fireplaces, and full baths. Groups of 4-14 guests can be accommodated.
G U E S T G U I D E | 5 5 | LO D G I N G O P T I O N S
MOUNTAINEER INN West Dover, VT Walk to the lifts... or take the MOOver! ‌door to slopes. Enjoy this traditional ski lodge, featuring hearty breakfasts, candlelight dinners, a 14-person outdoor hot tub, fireplaced BYOB bar, pool table, free Wi-Fi, sauna, large-screen TV, weekly welcome reception. All private bathrooms, 42-inch HDTVs, kids stay free midweek/non-holidays. Groups and clubs welcome.
W I N T E R AC T I V I T I E S WHEN YOU NEED A BREAK FROM SKIING AND RIDING, BUT STILL NEED MORE SNOW IN YOUR LIFE.
G U ES T G U I D E | 5 6 | W I N T E R AC T I V I T I ES
TUBING Eight lanes of thrills with no skills required. Fun for all ages. Located at the Main Base Area. 802-464-1100, x4060 SNOWMOBILING Get your sled on with a guided tour in the Green Mountain National Forest. Snowmobile Vermont offers one- and two-hour tours departing from the base area of Mount Snow. www.mountsnowsnowmobiletours.com
CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING Get outside, stay fit, and enjoy the Green Mountains. Timber Creek Cross Country Ski Center in Dover has trails for all abilities, as well as equipment rentals, lessons, packages, and season passes. www.timbercreekxc.com
SNOWSHOEING Venture out onto the mountain or take a tour of the trails in the valley. Trail passes and snowshoe rentals are available at Mount Snow Sports at the Grand Summit Resort Hotel. Guided tours and massage packages are also available from Naturespa. Mount Snow Sports: 802-464-6640 Naturespa: 802-464-6606
S KI & S N OW B OA R D SCHOOL PRIVATE LESSONS ONE-HOUR LESSON:...................................... $130 TWO-HOUR LESSON:....................................$240 FULL-DAY LESSON:.......................................$600
LEARN TO SKI OR RIDE FIRST-TIMERS:..................................................... $99 Includes learning area lift ticket, group lesson, boot and ski fitting, and rental. BEGINNERS:....................................................... $106 Includes learning area lift ticket, group lesson, and rental. INTERMEDIATES:.............................................. $150 Includes full mountain lift ticket, group lesson, and rental.
S U M M E R AC T I V I T I E S EVENTUALLY THE SNOW MELTS, BUT THE ADVENTURES AT MOUNT SNOW GO ON ALL YEAR LONG. ADAMS FARM Adams Farm is a working seventh-generation farm in Wilmington with seasonal activities and agricultural experiences. Enjoy feeding the farm animals as well as wagon rides, sleigh rides, paintball, and special events. Animals are available for visiting throughout the year. www.adamsfamilyfarm.com
SCENIC LIFT RIDES Catch the views off the Bluebird Express as you ride to the summit. Open selected days from June to October and daily during foliage season. Tickets available at Mount Snow Sports at the Grand Summit Resort Hotel. 802-464-6640 GOLF Designed by Geoffrey Cornish, the Mount Snow Golf Club offers great mountain challenges combined with wide fairways and expansive greens. 802-464-4254 FAMILY CAMP Bring the whole family for a three-day, four-day, or weeklong vacation in the Green Mountains. It’s fully customizable and all inclusive, right down to the meals from our executive chef. www.mountsnow.com/family-camp
HIKING Whether you want to climb Mount Snow, explore Dover’s network of trails, or visit one of six state parks nearby, it’s safe to say that there’s always a hiking trail near you. Plan your own hike, or explore the mountains with one of our knowledgeable guides. Guided treks are available from Naturespa. 802-464-6606 HORSEBACK RIDING Enjoy a guided trail ride on horseback through the woods, pastures, and trails in Wilmington at Adams Family Farm. www.adamsfamilyfarm.com VERMONT STATE PARKS There are six beautiful state parks in Southern Vermont, offering hiking, camping, fishing, and more great ways to get outside and explore the Green Mountains. www.vtstateparks.com
G U ES T G U I D E | 57 | S U M M E R AC T I V I T I ES
MOUNTAIN BIKING From cross-country trails to the steep downhill thrills of the Mount Snow Bike Park, the resort has long been a mecca for mountain bikers. If you want to let gravity do the work, lift access is available via the Canyon Express chair. For all things bike related, stop into Mount Snow Sports at the Grand Summit Resort Hotel. 802-464-6640
BOATING Lake Whitingham (aka Harriman Reservoir) is just down the road. The lake stretches eight miles through the Green Mountains and is perfect for boaters, paddlers, swimmers, and picnickers alike. Boat, jet ski, and paddleboard rentals are available from High Country Marine. www.highcountrymarine.com
G U E S T G U I D E | 5 8 | N AT U R E S PA & W E D D I N G S
N AT U R E S PA Revitalize your spirit at Naturespa, Mount Snow’s full-service natural wellness spa. Indulge your senses with a massage, herbal treatments, guided treks, yoga, body and skin care, and spa retreats. Located in the Grand Summit Resort Hotel. 802-464-6606
WEDDINGS Vermont is made for weddings, and Mount Snow has all your needs covered. We offer full-service food and beverage services; multiple ceremony, cocktail, and reception spaces; and lodging options that can accommodate guest lists of all sizes. To schedule your site visit or for more information, call 800-261-9442 or email weddings@mountsnow.com.
G R E AT FO R KI D S
APRÈS 4 KIDS Drop off your children for kid-friendly après-ski activities, games, and more. Conveniently timed for maximum adult après-ski enjoyment. Offered every Saturday 4:00–7:00 p.m. $20 PER CHILD PER DAY. CHILD CARE Hands-on learning, outdoor activities, and more at our state-licensed childcare center conveniently located in the Main Base Area. Kids ages 6 weeks to 6 years are welcome. Offered daily. $90 PER DAY. 802-464-4152
BOWLING Located on Rt. 100 in Wilmington, just 15 minutes from Mount Snow, North Star Bowl is open daily and features candlepin bowling, food, and family fun. 802-464-5148 MOVIE THEATER Located in West Dover, just a few minutes from Mount Snow, MHCA is a small movie theater featuring nightly showings of feature films. Visit www.memhall.org for show schedule and other information. 802-464-8411 TUBING Located in the Main Base Area, our tubing park offers a great activity the entire family can enjoy. The Mount Snow Tubing Hill is one of the largest in Vermont and features its own covered-bridge magic carpet lift.
G U E S T G U I D E | 5 9 | G R E AT F O R K I D S
LESSONS + CAMPS CUB CAMP (3 YEARS OLD)...........................................................................$85 PER TWO-HOUR SESSION SNOW CAMP + RIDERS (4–6 YEARS)..................................... $94 MIDWEEK HALF DAY / $134 FULL DAY MOUNTAIN CAMP + RIDERS (7–14 YEARS) �����������������������������������������������$84 HALF DAY / $128 FULL DAY
G U E S T G U I D E | 6 0 | W I N T E R 2 0 1 7– 1 8 E V E N T S
W I N T E R 2 0 1 7– 1 8 E V E N TS 11/22....Planned Opening Day—First Chair Ceremony
2/10.........................................Bud Light Mardi Gras
11/24................................Turkey Hangover Hillclimb
2/14.............................................Cloud Nine Nuptials
11/25.....Torchlight Parade & Fireworks with Santa
2/17–25........................ Presidents’ Week Winterfest
12/12........................Founders Day—$12 Lift Tickets*
2/19............................................Grommet Jam Finals
12/16........................................................ Film Festival
2/21.......................... Torchlight Parade & Fireworks
12/16...........................................................Demo Day
3/3................................ Sam Adams 3D Air & Après
12/27................................................ Grommet Jam #1
3/4........................ Jack Jump World Championships
12/31...........................Torchlight Parade + Fireworks
3/9–10................................. Carinthia Freeski Open
1/5–7.................................. BMW xDrive Experience
3/16..................................................... $17 Lift Tickets*
1/7........................... Youth Day - $17 for 17 & Under
3/16–17............................. Bud Light Shamrock Fest
1/8–12................................................... College Week
3/17................................................................. C.O.M.P.
1/11.................................. $29 Tickets with College ID
3/23–25..................................Bud Light Reggaefest
1/12–15................................ BMW xDrive Experience
3/24...................................... Bud Light Sink or Skim
1/14........................... Torchlight Parade & Fireworks
3/25...............................Bud Light Duct Tape Derby
1/15...................................................Grommet Jam #2
3/31.......................................Winter Brewers Festival
1/27–28.........................................USASA Slopestyle
4/1..............................................................Glade-iator
2/3..................................... Vans Hi-Standard Series
4/6–8...........................................Minus Zero Festival
2/3–4................................. Passholder Appreciation
* Tickets must be purchased online in advance. Limited quantities available. Ticket price may change at any time. Event schedule subject to change.
G U E S T S E RV I C E S SEASONAL LOCKERS $325 per season. (12-month period from date of purchase.) Keep your gear close to the slopes all year with a seasonal locker rental. PREFERRED PARKING $325 per season. Reserve your spot in Lot A, located behind the Main Base Lodge and closest to the Bluebird Express (Lift 17) and Main Base Area.
GETTING HERE < BY AIR
ALBANY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (ALB) Albany, NY: 77-mile drive to Mount Snow BRADLEY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (BDL) Hartford, CT: 100-mile drive to Mount Snow LOGAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (BOS) Boston, MA: 137-mile drive to Mount Snow
> BY TRAIN
Train service is available via the Amtrak Vermonter to Brattleboro, Vermont, or the Ethan Allen Express to Rensselaer/Albany, New York.
b BY BUS
Bus service through Brattleboro, Vermont, or Bennington, Vermont, is offered by Vermont Translines and Greyhound.
" BY CAR
FROM THE SOUTH New York City (4.5 hours), Providence (3 hours), Boston (2.5 hours), Hartford (2.25 hours) > From I-95 N, exit onto I-91 N in New Haven > Follow I-91 N to Exit 2 for VT-9 W toward Brattleboro/Bennington > Follow VT-9 W to Wilmington, Vermont > Turn right onto VT-100 N > Follow VT-100 N to the main entrance of Mount Snow
FROM THE WEST Albany (1.5 hours) > Follow I-787 N and NY-7 E to Hoosick > Continue on NY-7 E and VT-9 E through Bennington > Turn left onto VT-100 N > Follow VT-100 N to the main entrance of Mount Snow
GUEST GUIDE | 61 | NIT T Y GRIT T Y
FREE BAG CHECK Free for all guests. Complimentary bag check is located on the main level of the Main Base Lodge. Overnight storage is available for an additional fee.
TRAIL MAP
GUEST GUIDE | 62 | TRAIL M AP
These maps are not an official trail guide and are subject to change.
GUEST GUIDE | 63 | | TRAIL MAP
GUEST GUIDE | 64 | BASE AREA RESORT MAP
B A S E A R E A R E S O RT M A P
GUEST GUIDE | 65 | BASE AREA RESORT MAP
T H E 2 0 1 7â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2 0 1 8 M A G A Z I N E & R E S O R T G U I D E