SugarBlog

I hope everyone had a fun Thanksgiving weekend with friends and family.  It was certainly great to see so many families enjoying our slopes last weekend too. This weekend will have quite a bit of new terrain available with Super Bravo, Heaven’s Gate, Gate House and the Welcome Mat all turning...

This week at Sugarbush I got first tracks on a powder day for the first time in years. With four inches of snow on Monday morning and more snow on its way this week, the 19-20 season is off to a great start...

Many of you have asked for a link to the Alterra/Sugarbush Public Forum that we held here on 11/20/19. Though you can find the stream on both our Facebook page and MRVTV's YouTube channel, I wanted to make it a little easier for you to find...

My Sugarbush history started in 1958 on a spring trip with my girlfriend. At that time, I was the four-event skier on the Dartmouth ski team and we had wrapped up the season. I had ski patrol credentials and so was skiing as a volunteer patrolman. While skiing under the gondola lift line, I lost an edge and plowed into a tower on the fly. The mishap totally destroyed one ski and I navigated to the bottom on the other one...

Happy Thanksgiving! We have a lot to be thankful for today, including fresh snow, lots of friends and family, spinning lifts and a great mountain to play on. 

As someone who has worked at Sugarbush for a year now, one of my favorite things about the Mad River Valley is that I still continue to learn new things about the mountain, the people that make this the special place that it is, and the hidden terrain gems that are spread across both mountains. The newly created Visitor’s Guide, located on our website, is the perfect way to learn about Sugarbush and discover what both the mountain and the Mad River Valley have in store for your next visit...

Happy Thanksgiving.  A friend of mine has a family tradition of asking everyone at the dinner table to mention something that they are thankful for on this holiday.  I have many things to be thankful for: good health, a wonderful family and some very good friends are at the top of the list...

Hi everyone! I’m Trey and I’m a new snow reporter here at Sugarbush. You can catch me typically snow reporting Sunday-Wednesday, with a little on Saturday sprinkled in as well...

Good day, fellow Sugarbushers. The news of our sale to Alterra yesterday has been reverberating through the community. Win was visibly emotional during the employee presentation and received a heartfelt round of applause from the assembled group for his contributions and commitment to the mountain and the Mad River Valley. 

For me, today is a bit like walking my daughter down the aisle at her wedding.  I have tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat knowing that I am about to give away someone I have raised and loved. Looking down the aisle, however, I am delighted to see someone waiting who will also love, respect, and care for her as I have done. While things will not be the same, I am excited about this next stage of our lives.  And, I am comforted knowing that we are not saying goodbye!

Snow is softly falling this afternoon at all elevations, watching the flakes float is still magical. Snowmaking started yesterday and with even colder temps ahead, we're aiming for a new Gate House-first opening plan.

The Halloween storm thoroughly stripped the remaining foliage from the trees and we are in full peak stick season. The views are long and the underlying terrain is well revealed. Speaking of storms, check the forecast. Winter appears to arrive in force. Is five days out too early to mention a potential 10"? Probably. 

I know we are getting close to another winter season when our team starts to return for employee orientations. This past week our Ambassadors gathered for their annual orientation. It was great to see so many familiar faces and also to welcome new members to the team...

It's official folks: winter truly has begun here in the Mad River Valley. As of Tuesday evening, snowmaking has commenced at both Lincoln Peak and Mt. Ellen...

The first year,  Tiny House Fest Vermont was to be a small event in downtown Brattleboro. Erin Maile O’Keefe, Betsy Hall and I were talking seriously about simplifying our own lives and taking a deep dive into what people were calling “tiny living.” Betsy, perhaps the most practical among us, may have been thinking out loud when she said, “We should have a tiny house festival.” There was instant consensus, so we started making lists and phone calls...

Now that we've passed peak foliage (and what a peak it was!), we get to a period that does not get proper respect. Of the two extra seasons we get in VT, mud and stick, I generally prefer stick. Sure, new spring growth and warmer days are exciting, plus the skiing is generally better in April than October, but crisp blue sky mid-fall days and the potential for snoliage are pretty compelling. 

It's more likely than not that you've already seen a number of resorts posting snow photos, but in case you haven't I'm here to tell you: it snowed last week...

It was wonderful to see so many members of our community visiting Sugarbush over the Columbus Day/Indigenous Day weekend. It was the “perfect storm” with foliage hitting peak on Friday, sunny skies, and comfortable temperatures. I had a special treat because my 94-year-old brother, Bardwell, visited me from Northfield, Minnesota and I was able to spend some quality time with him. His last visit to Sugarbush was eight years ago at the time of my marriage to Lili.

October ushers in the beginning of many changes for people here in the Mad River Valley. From the vibrant colors that appear in the trees (and the leaf peepers that follow) to the final harvests of the year, to shorter days and the first frost of the winter; it is a season of change for everyone. For us at Sugarbush that is obviously true as well. Here in Human Resources, October means a change in focus towards recruiting and the start of job fair season...