Snow Business

With a serious layer of snow on the ground and more anticipated, the Winter Olympics in full swing and the Presidents Day vacation week all aligned together, it’s time for some serious outdoor adventure.  

Last weekend, after the big snow, I decided to make my first foray to Vermont’s Mad River Glen ski resort, famous for the motto: “Ski It If You Can.”

Mad River Glen, located in Fayston, Vt., is the most unique ski resort in the East, and is currently celebrating its 65th year of operation. Tradition looms large at Mad River Glen, and surprisingly, it keeps a very firm commitment to tradition that seems to belie logic.

First of all, snowboarding is prohibited. Mad River Glen is a “skiers only” resort.

Snowmaking, the pride of most of our eastern resorts, is considered an anathema at Mad River Glen. The folks at Mad River pride themselves on the purity of natural snow.

The Inuits have a staggering amount of words for differing qualities of snow and ice, and the snow enthusiasts at Mad River Glen want nothing to do with snow guns, hoses, pipes and the artificially produced compost of snowmaking equipment. If there is a dearth of natural snow, the folks at Mad River are content to pursue other activities and wait for Mother Nature to dress the mountain in winter white. The Glen prides itself in the fact that they are a “hose-free zone.”

Mad River has made a commitment to “Keep skiing a sport and not an industry.“

In 1995, Mad River Glen passed from the private ownership of the pipe-smoking, cantankerous Betsy Pratt into a shareholder cooperative dedicated to protect the unique character of the mountain for present and future generations.

In essence, there are close to 2,000 owners of the mountain, and future owners can purchase a share of this unique organization with a $1,750 investment. Members of the co-op meet on a regular basis in a town meeting format to democratically determining the future of the operation.  

Illustrating their obsessive adherence to mountain tradition, when the time came to replace the main lift to the 2,000-foot summit of Mad River, instead of replacing the single chair with a a modern high-speed quad, they spent $1.8 million to re-establish their single chair lift, just the way it was when first installed in 1948. The single chair is an antique enigma of profound historical indulgence that has become the iconic instrument of Mad River’s fame.  

Despite the fact that I am both a snowboarder and a skier, and the kind of person that loves to chatter and gossip with friends and neighbors on the long ride to the top of the mountain, I have become a huge fan of Mad River Glen.  

Although there are 45 established trails of varied levels of expertise, there are also a series of narrow goat paths that snake through the upper reaches of the mountain that I am too timid to even think about attempting. So in answer to the motto: Ski It IF You Can,” I reluctantly admit, I can’t.

While I was having lunch in the lodge, I met the Willis family. They are a family of four with two very young boys. They used to ski at a nearby resort, but have now become Mad River enthusiasts, which they credit to the polite and friendly atmosphere that they feel pervades Mad River.  

There is an inimitable and contagious spirit pervading this mountain, as was exemplified by a chance mountain-top meeting with Lou, a member of the of the Ski Patrol. Lou, as a young woman, first skied Mad River Glen in 1949. This year marks her 45th year as an active member of the ski patrol as she celebrates her 85th birthday. Amazing.

Lodging

There are no hotels and condos at Mad River Glen, however there are many lodging options at a series of Vermont inns that dot the surrounds. There are charming historic inns that celebrate informal Vermont comfort and hospitality, and more frugal choices for those on a tight budget. I personally spent the night in a room that was half the size of a college room on a twin bed, with the bath down the hall.  

However, The Mad River Barn Inn and Restaurant is just a short distance from the mountain that you can actually ski to it by meandering through the woods. It has been creatively and meticulously renovated by a very clever young couple that escaped Michigan and the high-tech world to become amicable and contented innkeepers. The inn has been inventively transformed from the funky remnants of the Vermont past into hospitable, modern convenience.

The upstairs pub is smartly designed and is an airy playroom of puzzles, games, comfortable couches and a congenial and relaxed atmosphere. Pub dinners are served seven days a week from 5 to 9 p.m., with a prime rib buffet every Saturday night during ski season. Breakfasts are included with your room stay and they are hearty affairs served by New England College dropouts.  

The Mad River Barn has a very affordable option for single skiers. Bunkroom accommodations are only $49 and include the full breakfast. It’s important to make your reservations early. Mad River Glen and the Sugarbush Resort are just a few short miles apart, and on weekends and vacation times, the inns and lodges are sometimes booked to capacity.