Mother Nature delivers in time for the holidays
A foot of snow has fallen in The Valley and on the mountains since December 16 and while Sugarbush is open, Mad River Glen is incredibly optimistic about when it will open.
Sugarbush has Lincoln Peak open and is opening Mount Ellen on December 22. The resort will be opening more terrain for skiing and riding by Christmas. With Mount Ellen open, more than 30 trails are expected to be open between Lincoln Peak and Mountain Ellen.
Sugarbush’s snowmaking crews are making snow at every available opportunity, as are the snowmakers at Mad River Glen where snow is made on the Practice Slope.
Eric Friedman, Mad River Glen spokesperson, said that temperatures for snowmaking had been challenging this week and the resort had not been able to get the Practice Slope open yet.
“Hopefully we can get open for the holidays, but it’s not going to happen for this weekend,” Friedman said.
“But it’s snowing now and we’ve received about a foot of snow in the last 72 hours. It’s really the kind of snow we’re looking for. It’s got some teeth. It’s dense and it is encapsulating the mountain,” he added.
At Sugarbush, lifts are scheduled to run 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day throughout the holiday weeks. Upper mountain lifts that are open load the last chair at 3:45 p.m. Currently, base depths are between 10 and 30 inches.
Holiday week celebrations at Sugarbush start Saturday, December 22, and go through New Year’s Day. For the latest on-mountain conditions and events, visit sugarbush.com.
Holiday week at Sugarbush Resort features events for the whole family
Sugarbush Resort announces a full calendar of events for the upcoming holiday vacation weeks.
The schedule begins before Christmas and runs through the annual New Year’s Eve celebration. All are open to the public and many of the events are free to attend.
Events include live après-ski music, a torchlight parade and fireworks on New Year’s Eve, a pig roast featuring live music from the Starline Rhythm Boys and a Birds of Prey presentation by the Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences. For the active minded there are guided snowshoe hikes, a USASA rail jam as well as yuletide yoga and holiday spin at Sugarbush Health and Racquet Club.
“Many of our guests come to Sugarbush to carry on their holiday traditions,” said Win Smith, president of Sugarbush Resort. “The excitement around our events, family traditions and the skiing and riding make this a very special time of year at Sugarbush.”
Families can enjoy a snowman building contest, kids’ pizza and movie nights, sunset groomer rides, holiday cookie decorating and a dog sled demonstration. The ever-popular opportunity to ‘strut your mutt’ at the Sugarbush Dog Parade is at 3 p.m. on December 31. The holiday celebration caps off with the annual New Year’s Eve soiree featuring dinner and dancing at Timbers Restaurant starting at 9 p.m.
Other events include photography exhibits, art showings, wine tastings, and a cooking demonstration by Sugarbush executive chef Gerry Nooney. A full calendar of events including times and pricing can be found at sugarbush.com.
{loadnavigation}
