The drive north on Vermont's Route 100 to the base of Sugarbush is one of the most exquisite stretches of road in New England -- a mix of rolling hills, farmland so fertile you feel like jumping out of the car and digging your hands in the soil, and anonymous towns with their ubiquitous white steeple. Then you reach the small village of Warren and shortly thereafter, Waitsfield, the twin communities Sugarbush hovers above. You drive through their respective covered bridges to find one-road towns where nothing seems to change. And that's the way locals prefer it.
This is especially true of their beloved ski areas, Sugarbush and Mad River. Mad River still has a chairlift for single skiers and both mountains feature the New England skiing of yore, a time when trails were cut by hand so they weren't much wider than a hiking path. On the best trails, you'll be surrounded by the woods as you whiz by a rolling tapestry of maple, oak, birch, spruce, pine and balsam. Paradise, Castlerock and the backcountry runs in between braid through the forest like a crazed snake. Here, you're forever in search of the elusive fall line as you skim across windblown slopes, get dumped into a basin of waist-deep snow, and somehow squirt into a glade around the next turn.
Not surprisingly, Sugarbush and Mad River Glen lure the most advanced skiers in the East. It wasn't until Sugarbush opened the Slide Brook Express in the late 90s, a majestic 10-minute gondola ride connecting Lincoln Peak to the Mount Ellen Area, that Sugarbush began to attract more families. Mount Ellen features ideal beginner terrain and good intermediate cruisers that never feel crowded. The biggest change, however, came in December 2006, when the $60 million Clay Brook Residences and Gate House Lodge made its debut at the base of Lincoln Peak. Sugarbush had finally shaken off its retro appeal and allowed a new generation of skiers to savor ski in/ski out comforts on the slopes.
Sugarbush, VT Family Vacations
Sugarbush, VT Family Vacations
Families will love:
- Slopeside lodging at Clay Brook Residences and Gate House Lodge at the base of Lincoln Peak
- Mount Ellen, featuring ideal beginner terrain and good intermediate cruisers
- The majestic 10-minute gondola ride connecting Lincoln Peak to the Mount Ellen Area
Written by Stephen Jermanok
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