Ski Vermont

There is a lot that makes Vermont a great place to ski. Not only are there 11 downhill ski resorts to choose from, but the Green Mountains get a good supply of big, fluffy flakes, offer thousands of acres of skiable terrain and quaint New England villages to boot. There's even a museum dedicated to the history of skiing in the state, the birthplace of the tow rope and snowboarding. In fact, snow sports in Vermont have become so popular that some of the bigger resorts have even made their way into the annual Warren Miller ski film and extravaganza.

HISTORY

Skiing first came to Vermont in the form of crosscountry, in the mid 1800s. It was mostly found along what has come to be known as the Green Mountain Spine, a central strip of Vermont following Route 100. There are countless trails in the state, acres of them, many of which are now maintained by bigger alpine resorts like the Stowe Mountain Resort. But the southern stretch of Vermont is where the best crosscountry trails are found. The snow here is plentiful, and all natural.

Crosscountry skiing as recreation became increasingly popular, and in 1892 officially became a commercial industry capable of turning a profit. It continued this way until the early 1930s, when the more adventurous decided to try their hand at downhill. This drew the attention of neighboring states, whose ski enthusiasts began visiting Vermont more frequently. As a result, a jump was built near Woodstock to add spice to the runs, but there were no lift lines anywhere to be found. The Alpine riders didn't enjoy the hike uphill just to average six runs a day, too much time was lost in the hike, so the town decided to step into the future. The first tow rope in America began active service in January of 1934. At an extravagant cost of $500, the loop rope pulley system made use of a Ford engine to drag eager skiers uphill.

The new way of getting to the powder caused quite a sensation, and in 1935 the Ford automobile engine was replaced with a more efficient electric motor donated by the Woodstock Electric Company. Within two years, eight more tows had been set up in the area. The excitement encouraged ski hills around the country to begin using the rope tow system.

Vermont changed skiing in the United States again when it developed the country's first full-fledged chair lift in 1940. Lines were dramatically shortened across America as these new, faster, higher capacity methods of reaching the top began to sprout up everywhere skiing was popular.

By the 1960s, Mount Ascutney had developed a means of countering the unpredictable weather, and began making its own snow. This proved to be another trend that continues to this day, around North America. It also boosted tourism, and propelled skiing in Vermont into a nearly one billion dollar industry by the 21st century.

Then, in the early 1970s, the latest snow riding revolution took form. Manchester local Jake Burton Carpenter began developing his vision for riding snow. The future Olympic sport grew out of an early 1920s craze, comically referred to as snurfing (snow-surfing), where children rode sideways down mountains on barrel staves. Carpenter began shaping more practical tools for getting down the mountain, and snowboarding was born. The new sport was initially shunned by snow enthusiasts, and did not gain serious popularity with the masses until the late 1970s and early 1980s, when the first competitions were held in Vermont. In many places around the world, snowboarding was still not allowed, but the competitions in Vermont increased national exposure and its popularity grew. The newfound attention led to the development of the snowboard park, intended to mimic natural obstacles encountered in the mountains, built at the Sonnenburg Ski Hill. The park was designed like a mini race course, with many obstacles for snowboarders to ride over and jump off, and became a popular feature. Parks can now be found on many hills, who constantly redesign them to accommodate the ever increasing number, and skill levels of riders. Since then, snowboarding has become a global phenomenon, growing faster than any sport of the 20th century, making its way to official Olympic status in the late 1990s.

THE BIG THREE

	Snowboarding Craze

Vermont skiing is largely dominated by the American Skiing Company. Two of the three largest, and most popular resorts in the state are owned and operated by the ASC, and with the addition of Sugarbush Mountain resort, these three account for approximately one half of all the skiing in the state. They offer the best in downhill, on both natural and mixed (natural and man made) snow, as well as hundreds of miles of skiable crosscountry terrain. They also offer some of the most varied terrain and state of the art facilities.

Killington-Pico
The Killington-Pico combo resort at Killington is worth a visit for a few reasons. Widely considered Vermont's premier resort, Killington, under direction of the ASC, effectively manages an impressive seven mountain peaks, all interconnected by winding trails and serviced by more than 30 lifts. The season runs longer at “the Beast of the East”, in part because of the most extensive snow making facilities in the world, which amounts to many more days on the slopes. The extra days come in handy when exploring the more than 200 runs. Killington is also home to some famous "beach parties”, when the onset of spring warms the air, softens the snow and jackets open all over the mountain. Given these stats, it is not surprising that almost one quarter of the Vermont Ski industry revenue comes from this resort. Make no mistake, Killington is a world class resort. And then there's Pico, a completely separate mountain which is open to all riders with a valid Killington pass, be it one day or the season. A short drive connects the two, which is also serviced by a small shuttle for those who don't want the drive.

Mount Snow/ Haystack Mountain
Mount Snow is aptly named, in part because the surrounding area seems to be unfazed by the onset of tourism, which leaves the best possible atmosphere for a day on the slopes. This hill is considered more forgiving than some of the other resorts, and is the perfect spot for intermediate riders. This was one of the first modern "full service" ski resorts in the state, and in the 1960s was the largest, most popular resort in all of the United States.

Escaping The Trees

Sugarbush
The Sugarbush Resort, south of Stowe on Route 100, is far less European in feel, but no less popular. The hill competes with the American Skiing Company resorts, so it offers visitors as many perks of "major league" skiing as it can. The seasons at Sugarbush are fairly consistent, with enough snow to draw ski mogul Warren Miller time and again. The heavy use of snow making may be sad news to some, but they do make a lot of it. 18,000 gallons per minute, in fact. That said, Sugarbush does get its share of natural snow as well. The combination of great snow, picturesque setting and first-class facilities make for some of the best runs on the east coast. But it's not limited to lift serviced runs. Sugarbush offers acres of fantastic back country and crosscountry skiing as well.

HONORABLE MENTION

All of the smaller Vermont resorts offer good skiing, good fun and great scenery, but there are a few that deserve mention.

Stowe
A short drive from the Burlington International Airport lies the town of Stowe. Outside Stowe, running north along Highway 100 toward Mount Mansfield, is a nice recreation trail used for crosscountry skiing. The trail crosses the Little River a few times, using arched bridges. Skiing in Stowe evolved out of the popular Winter Carnival, first held in 1921, but can be traced back to crosscountry roots from around 1912. The first mountain trails were cleared during the Depression era, and in 1940 the first chair lift in New England was built on Mount Mansfield, the highest peak in the state. Stowe also offers one of the highest rated ski schools in the country.

Fans of the popular Julie Andrews film The Sound Of Music might know Stowe as the final home of the Von Trapp family, after they fled German occupation of their native Austria. The Von Trapp family opened a guest house outside the town and became active in promoting crosscountry skiing. The Austrian styled Trapp Family Lodge is still in operation as one of the most popular hideaways in the state, as are the more than 250 kilometers (155 miles) of crosscountry trails accessible from the lodge.

Stratton
Snowboarding was invented here by Jake Burton Carpenter, founder of Burton Snowboards, so it is not surprising that Stratton is the snowboarding Mecca in Vermont. The US Open Snowboard Championship is also held here. Stratton offers the highest peaks in all of Southern Vermont, all of which get lots of snow each season.

Mad River Glen
Mad River Glen is a local favorite, but there is no boarding allowed. As unfortunate as that is, the skiers will appreciate the fantastic conditions and challenging terrain. The Glen also sports a true relic of American skiing--the oldest operational single chair ski lift in the country. The snow is plentiful, putting the Glen on par with resorts such as Fernie Alpine Resort in British Columbia, Canada.

	Smuggler's Notch

Bolton Mountain Resort
Bolton Mountain is a great stop on a journey through Vermont. It is right off US Route 2, with the I-89 real close by, and is close to other resorts as well. Bolton is a beautiful, scenic spot offering the best in outdoor adventure that Vermont has to offer, winter or summer (all four seasons, actually), and without the crowds of the larger hills. This is a great spot for family vacations.

GETTING AROUND

All along the Green Mountain Spine, major and minor roads join the various resorts with Route 100, which more or less runs the entire length of the state.

Montpelier, the state capital, sits a short drive north of the center of the Spine, and has a few minor airports for those wishing to fly. From the capital, the I-89 connects with R-100. The nearest airport of commercial value lies in Rutland, on the western edge of the Spine.