During ski season, my weekday morning routine goes as follows: wake up, get out of bed, check the Sugarbush, Vermont, snow report, read it to my Dad, and then get ready for the school day. Oddly, my 6:30 a.m. alarm feels earlier than the 4:15 a.m. race-day wake-up. During winter, my motto is: ski first, school later. Schoolwork will always exist, but skiing won’t. Even though I can’t skip school, in my heart, skiing always comes first. However, school attendance is unfortunately mandatory, and I must attend. Every Monday, I start counting down to the next drive up to Sugarbush. Skiing is my freedom.
My love for skiing began at two years old when my Dad first taught me at Blue Hills in Milton, Massachusetts. That day, my dad created a ski monster, and that monster comes alive every time I’m on the slopes.Â
From that first day on snow, my passion for skiing has grown exponentially and, while I’ve skied in some pretty cool places around the U.S. and overseas, I am incredibly fortunate to call Sugarbush in Warren, Vermont, my second home. The memories I’ve made at Sugarbush over the past two seasons are unforgettable. Whether it’s skiing deep powder after a storm, landing my first 360, or spring skiing in shorts and a t-shirt, I am forever grateful for my Dad passing on his love of the sport to me, and Sugarbush for giving me an amazing mountain to make memories on.Â
In seventh grade, I met my best friend, Sam, and his dad, Jim, who were equally passionate skiers and very familiar with Sugarbush. They showed me every part of the mountain, and from then on, it’s been my own little world. I consistently ski 40+ days per season, many days reaching 30,000+ vertical feet, much of that with Sam. Sam and I have already made countless memories together at Sugarbush. From conquering ‘The Church’ together, to finding untracked powder in middle-of-nowhere areas, to lapping Slide Brook, these have been some of my favorite memories at Sugarbush.Â
We have created our own ‘trails’ together and made challenges for ourselves, such as skiing all eight double-black runs at Sugarbush in one day.Â
Sugarbush is an elite mountain made up of two mountains, Lincoln Peak and Mount Ellen. Lincoln Peak sits at 3,975 feet and Mount Ellen at 4,083 feet. Sugarbush boasts 2,000 total skiable acres, 16 lifts, 111 trails, and 2,600 vertical feet. Unique features include vast wooded areas and steep tree skiing, which are often open when other resorts would have closed the same trail. These trails are where the most fun is had. Finding side hits, slushing the snow into trees, and bombing down tight, lines are some of my favorite memories that you can’t find anywhere else in New England, except Sugarbush.
Slide Brook, between the two mountains, has some of the best side-country skiing in New England, with the best-stashed snow in open trees. After a powder storm, my favorite trail is Paradise Woods, with infinitely different lines and powder stashes for weeks.
This past season was a significant leap for me as I discovered ‘The Church.’ I first learned about this run on the chairlift from locals, then I set out to do it; it was a thrill. The Church is arguably one of the hardest runs on the East Coast. It begins with a short traverse and a 15-minute hike from the Heaven’s Gate chairlift. Then comes a 10-15 foot cliff drop, a tight chute, and another 5-foot drop before returning to inbounds terrain. I lapped South Beach, another expert backcountry trail in Slide Brook. But most importantly, that winter I made everlasting memories, and I was able to show my friends the love of the sport, too.
Sugarbush’s unique sense of community is special. Regardless of the weather, everyone smiles. The staff are helpful and kind, typically sipping their hot chocolate. There is no shortage of events, with live music in the Lincoln courtyard and Mt. Ellen Lodge.
Its hard not to love Sugarbush—for its sheer size, challenging runs, and sense of community. But if you don’t, that’s fine—she can stay empty.
