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"Earth's Root Chakra"
Rising 10,000 feet above the landscape, Mt. Shasta lies in solitary, captivating grandeur, visible from over 100 miles away. Seen while one drives north on I-5, the robust massif—the Cascade Range’s most voluminous stratovolcano—stretches toward the sky, its 14,179-foot summit rising to the east of its satellite cone, Shastina. Orb-like clouds—their whisked, cylindrical appearance beautiful and unnatural—brush its summit so often they’ve been reported as UFOs. Just 40 miles south of the Oregon border, Shasta is one of the southernmost Cascades. Known for more than just its physical beauty, it stands out as an impalpable entity—an energy, a sacredness—that has inspired myths of hidden civilizations, religious movements, a designation as Earth’s Root Chakra and even a nonprofit recognized by a President’s Council.
“When I first caught sight of [Mount Shasta] over the braided folds of the Sacramento Valley I was fifty miles away and afoot, alone and weary. Yet all my blood turned to wine, and I have not been weary since,” John Muir wrote of the mountain on the horizon.
Muir, of course, was not the first to feel the mountain’s power. Thousands of years before he set foot in California, the Shasta, Atsugewi, Achuwami, Wintu and Modoc tribes residing near Shasta incorporated the distinct peak into their cosmologies, though documentation is inconsistent. One Wintu legend traces their people’s origins to a sacred spring on the mountain. A Modoc story says, “at last, the water went down…then the animal people came down from the top of Mt. Shasta and made new homes for themselves. They scattered everywhere and became the ancestors of all the animal people.”
But these are not Shasta’s only legends.
In 1886, Frederick Spencer Oliver, a young man who grew up near Mt. Shasta, wrote the book A Dweller on Two Planets. Oliver claimed the spirit Phylos the Thibetan channeled the stories of a hidden city inside the mountain through him. In 1925, an author known simply as Selvius continued Oliver’s work, publishing an article about the Lemurians in The Rosicrucians Mystic Triangle. Selvius described the city of Telos hidden in Mt. Shasta and its inhabitants: 7-foot-tall, supernatural beings dressed in all white who descended from the lost continent of Lemuria.
Decades later, in the early 1930s, mining engineer Guy Ballard was hiking on Shasta when he met the Count of St. Germain, who gave Ballard a cup of “pure energy” and told him about the Ascended Masters. “I had planned such a hike…to spend some time deep in the heart of the mountain, when the following experience entered my life…. [St. Germain] stood there before me—a magnificent God-like figure—in a white jeweled robe, a Light and Love sparkling in his eyes that revealed and proved the Dominion and Majesty that are his,” Ballard wrote.
St. Germain, a medieval French “wonderman,” was highly regarded for his skill in alchemy and claimed by some to have discovered the elixir of life. His mystical character lived on after his death, earning him recognition as an Ascended Master (one of the spiritually enlightened beings who have transcended their corporeal self and return to share wisdom with humanity). After the meeting, Ballard published the book Original Unveiled Mysteries under the pseudonym Ray Godfre King and started the I AM movement with his wife, Edna.
Almost 50 years later, in 1978, recent Princeton University graduate Andrew Oser journeyed to Shasta. In the peak’s presence, he found himself at peace, connected to who he was and left feeling re-energized. He returned to the mountain for the next 28 years for an annual reconnection and recharge. On his website, he relayed an experience he had on one such trip while camping at what he calls “one of his favorite vortex spots,” where he had a vision of founding a nonprofit to empower children through sports. He moved to Washington, D.C., and started the Joy of Sports Foundation—an organization which the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports recognized for its work with at-risk children. Eventually, Oser moved permanently to Shasta. He now runs Mount Shasta Retreats and works as a spiritual guide, helping people find peace and connection on the mountain they can incorporate back into their lives.
Ashalyn, a former Mormon turned clairvoyant, shares a similar path to Oser. She came to Shasta for a camping trip while living in Oakland, California. Like Oser, she left feeling so rejuvenated that she returned each summer to recharge. In 1988, she moved to Mt. Shasta and just over a decade later opened Shasta Vortex Adventures. “A lot of people are guided to the mountain by their own spirit guides, their psychic healers, their health practitioners…and then they show up in Mt. Shasta at my door,” she says. “People worldwide are coming here to feel the energy of the mountain and connect with the spiritual energy.”
As much as people try to ascribe Shasta’s allure to a concrete phenomenon, the essence of its power lies in its intangibility—in the conviction of the feeling experienced in the presence of the mountain. As for what gives Shasta its power, everyone believes something different— some don’t qualify it at all. “It’s just the way God made it,” Oser says. “The mountain doesn’t care what you believe; it’s a place you can connect to whatever you believe in.”
“When I first caught sight of [Mount Shasta] over the braided folds of the Sacramento Valley I was fifty miles away and afoot, alone and weary. Yet all my blood turned to wine, and I have not been weary since,” John Muir wrote of the mountain on the horizon.
Muir, of course, was not the first to feel the mountain’s power. Thousands of years before he set foot in California, the Shasta, Atsugewi, Achuwami, Wintu and Modoc tribes residing near Shasta incorporated the distinct peak into their cosmologies, though documentation is inconsistent. One Wintu legend traces their people’s origins to a sacred spring on the mountain. A Modoc story says, “at last, the water went down…then the animal people came down from the top of Mt. Shasta and made new homes for themselves. They scattered everywhere and became the ancestors of all the animal people.”
But these are not Shasta’s only legends.
In 1886, Frederick Spencer Oliver, a young man who grew up near Mt. Shasta, wrote the book A Dweller on Two Planets. Oliver claimed the spirit Phylos the Thibetan channeled the stories of a hidden city inside the mountain through him. In 1925, an author known simply as Selvius continued Oliver’s work, publishing an article about the Lemurians in The Rosicrucians Mystic Triangle. Selvius described the city of Telos hidden in Mt. Shasta and its inhabitants: 7-foot-tall, supernatural beings dressed in all white who descended from the lost continent of Lemuria.
Decades later, in the early 1930s, mining engineer Guy Ballard was hiking on Shasta when he met the Count of St. Germain, who gave Ballard a cup of “pure energy” and told him about the Ascended Masters. “I had planned such a hike…to spend some time deep in the heart of the mountain, when the following experience entered my life…. [St. Germain] stood there before me—a magnificent God-like figure—in a white jeweled robe, a Light and Love sparkling in his eyes that revealed and proved the Dominion and Majesty that are his,” Ballard wrote.
St. Germain, a medieval French “wonderman,” was highly regarded for his skill in alchemy and claimed by some to have discovered the elixir of life. His mystical character lived on after his death, earning him recognition as an Ascended Master (one of the spiritually enlightened beings who have transcended their corporeal self and return to share wisdom with humanity). After the meeting, Ballard published the book Original Unveiled Mysteries under the pseudonym Ray Godfre King and started the I AM movement with his wife, Edna.
Almost 50 years later, in 1978, recent Princeton University graduate Andrew Oser journeyed to Shasta. In the peak’s presence, he found himself at peace, connected to who he was and left feeling re-energized. He returned to the mountain for the next 28 years for an annual reconnection and recharge. On his website, he relayed an experience he had on one such trip while camping at what he calls “one of his favorite vortex spots,” where he had a vision of founding a nonprofit to empower children through sports. He moved to Washington, D.C., and started the Joy of Sports Foundation—an organization which the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports recognized for its work with at-risk children. Eventually, Oser moved permanently to Shasta. He now runs Mount Shasta Retreats and works as a spiritual guide, helping people find peace and connection on the mountain they can incorporate back into their lives.
Ashalyn, a former Mormon turned clairvoyant, shares a similar path to Oser. She came to Shasta for a camping trip while living in Oakland, California. Like Oser, she left feeling so rejuvenated that she returned each summer to recharge. In 1988, she moved to Mt. Shasta and just over a decade later opened Shasta Vortex Adventures. “A lot of people are guided to the mountain by their own spirit guides, their psychic healers, their health practitioners…and then they show up in Mt. Shasta at my door,” she says. “People worldwide are coming here to feel the energy of the mountain and connect with the spiritual energy.”
As much as people try to ascribe Shasta’s allure to a concrete phenomenon, the essence of its power lies in its intangibility—in the conviction of the feeling experienced in the presence of the mountain. As for what gives Shasta its power, everyone believes something different— some don’t qualify it at all. “It’s just the way God made it,” Oser says. “The mountain doesn’t care what you believe; it’s a place you can connect to whatever you believe in.”

"The Pregame"
One can measure a successful tour in many ways. Whether it’s skiing a new line, finding fresh stashes or coming home safely, it all starts with a strong plan.
For internationally certified guide and founder of Adventure Spirit Kel Rossiter, planning starts with people: “You can’t plan an objective until you know who your team is,” he says. Consider skill set, touring background, level of fitness, interests, risk tolerance and priorities. Additionally, knowing how partners prepare themselves (i.e. were they out at the bars until 2 a.m. or are they showing up rested and well-nourished) is valuable to know, too...
For internationally certified guide and founder of Adventure Spirit Kel Rossiter, planning starts with people: “You can’t plan an objective until you know who your team is,” he says. Consider skill set, touring background, level of fitness, interests, risk tolerance and priorities. Additionally, knowing how partners prepare themselves (i.e. were they out at the bars until 2 a.m. or are they showing up rested and well-nourished) is valuable to know, too...

"Gathering Together"
Nestled among Vancouver Island’s jagged peaks and bushy terrain, overlooking alpine lakes and rugged ridgelines, sits Hišimy’awi (Hi-shim-ya-wit), a hut with a fresh green roof and gray siding. Small, simple and sustainable, the only hints at its greater significance are three cedar posts framing the front side.
Light in color and well-textured with knots where branches were severed, the posts contrast the hut’s metal exterior. A gift from the hereditary auukwiat (Tla-o-qui-aht) chief to demonstrate his support for the hut, they mark the collaboration between First Nations and the Alpine Club of Canada Vancouver Island (ACCVI) that set this project apart from other Canadian huts...
Light in color and well-textured with knots where branches were severed, the posts contrast the hut’s metal exterior. A gift from the hereditary auukwiat (Tla-o-qui-aht) chief to demonstrate his support for the hut, they mark the collaboration between First Nations and the Alpine Club of Canada Vancouver Island (ACCVI) that set this project apart from other Canadian huts...

"Ski Bum Dreams"
I grew up on the lore of the Air Bears, my dad's infamous group of college friends turned ski squad. Throughout my childhood they gathered for ski tirps in some of the world's most iconic terrain—from the French Alps to British Columbia's Rocky Mountains—but it all started with one winter in Wyoming.
Before having a wife and kids, pre-AIARE and mountain town housing shortages, my dad and his friends packed up an old, white Ford pickup and headed west. Their destination was Jackson Hole; their dream was powder skiing. They were young and glorious, thick-haired, strong-legged and fearless, standing at the edge of life's commencement...
Before having a wife and kids, pre-AIARE and mountain town housing shortages, my dad and his friends packed up an old, white Ford pickup and headed west. Their destination was Jackson Hole; their dream was powder skiing. They were young and glorious, thick-haired, strong-legged and fearless, standing at the edge of life's commencement...

"Ecological impacts the center of this year’s backcountry forum"
Published in The Valley Reporter, Dec. 19, 2021
On Friday, December 10, Sugarbush hosted the third annual Mad River Valley Earn-Your-Turns Roundtable. Focusing on the ecological impacts of increased backcountry skiing in Vermont, the forum featured presentations by three panelists: Kathryn Wrigley, Bob Zaino and Caitlin Littlefield, with respective expertise in forest recreation, ecology and conservation science. The panelists were moderated by Catamount Trail Association executive director Matt Williams and were followed by a Q&A session with attendees.
The presentations and following questions centered on two realities: the recognizable increase in the number of backcountry skiers recreating in Vermont and the growing importance of environmental protection with climate change underway.
According to Williams, there is clear evidence that backcountry use in Vermont is higher now than ever before with trailhead monitoring revealing double and triple the use of previous years. As the executive director of the Catamount Trail Association, an organization which aims to expand land and equity access to backcountry skiing, “We love seeing more people in the woods,” he said, “but we also know that creates an impact.”
Herein lies the crux of the issue the forum focused on.
Home to an estimated 24,000 to 43,5000 species according to the state’s Fish and Wildlife Department, Vermont’s ecosystems support biodiverse plant and animal populations. Additionally, studies have shown that with climate change underway, species have begun and will continue to migrate north, following the weather to which they are accustomed. The Green Mountain ridgeline, houses an important natural corridor – a contiguous landscape with low human presence – ideal for facilitating animal migration. As a result, the state is likely to see an influx in plant and animal migrants and transient visitors in the coming years.
For both local and migrating populations, the preservation of these natural corridors is crucial for their survival. However, anytime human presence in the backcountry grows, there is a higher chance these spaces will be damaged and disrupted. Examples of this include vegetation destruction from cutting, trampling, and brushing against fauna and disruption of animal migration patterns and feeding behaviors.
In winter especially, where snowpack is already noticeably weaker due to global warming, these human impacts are exacerbated as people seek the same climate refugia – places naturally protected against climate change – that snow-adapted animals such as lynx and snowshoe hare are increasingly dependent on.
This reality makes it important, now more than ever, to address these spaces of convergence between human recreators and the animals they disrupt.
So, how does Vermont do that?
According MRV Earn-Your-Turns Roundtable panelists and moderator: create sanctioned backcountry ski zones.
While perhaps contradictory to the allure of the “explore anywhere” aspect of backcountry skiing, sanctioned backcountry ski zones represent an important strategy to limit human disruption in natural spaces, participants noted. Recognizing that an inevitable amount of disturbance occurs when skiers are out in the backcountry at all hours of the day, these ski zones would establish deliberately planned and designated areas for recreation with pre-approved vegetation removal and designated climbing and descent options.
For other frequented, pre-existing places, however, simple measures could be implemented such as time restrictions on trailhead use to allow windows for unimpeded animal movement or designated skin-tracks to service marked descents aimed at protecting vegetation habitats that skiers frequently, though inadvertently disturb.
A testament to efforts aimed at preserving and protecting natural spaces and their inhabitants, these management possibilities are increasingly important to protect shifting ecosystems in a warming climate, participants learned.
At the end of the day “the decision to not manage, is a management decision itself,” said Matt Williams, and through the creation of more managed spaces, the hope is to balance out scattered backcountry use with more concentrated sanctioned ski zones – all with the intention of protecting forest structure and biodiversity.
A recording of this forum can be found online at mrvtv.com.
Close is a UVM student participating in the Community News Service which pairs student writers with Vermont community newspapers.
On Friday, December 10, Sugarbush hosted the third annual Mad River Valley Earn-Your-Turns Roundtable. Focusing on the ecological impacts of increased backcountry skiing in Vermont, the forum featured presentations by three panelists: Kathryn Wrigley, Bob Zaino and Caitlin Littlefield, with respective expertise in forest recreation, ecology and conservation science. The panelists were moderated by Catamount Trail Association executive director Matt Williams and were followed by a Q&A session with attendees.
The presentations and following questions centered on two realities: the recognizable increase in the number of backcountry skiers recreating in Vermont and the growing importance of environmental protection with climate change underway.
According to Williams, there is clear evidence that backcountry use in Vermont is higher now than ever before with trailhead monitoring revealing double and triple the use of previous years. As the executive director of the Catamount Trail Association, an organization which aims to expand land and equity access to backcountry skiing, “We love seeing more people in the woods,” he said, “but we also know that creates an impact.”
Herein lies the crux of the issue the forum focused on.
Home to an estimated 24,000 to 43,5000 species according to the state’s Fish and Wildlife Department, Vermont’s ecosystems support biodiverse plant and animal populations. Additionally, studies have shown that with climate change underway, species have begun and will continue to migrate north, following the weather to which they are accustomed. The Green Mountain ridgeline, houses an important natural corridor – a contiguous landscape with low human presence – ideal for facilitating animal migration. As a result, the state is likely to see an influx in plant and animal migrants and transient visitors in the coming years.
For both local and migrating populations, the preservation of these natural corridors is crucial for their survival. However, anytime human presence in the backcountry grows, there is a higher chance these spaces will be damaged and disrupted. Examples of this include vegetation destruction from cutting, trampling, and brushing against fauna and disruption of animal migration patterns and feeding behaviors.
In winter especially, where snowpack is already noticeably weaker due to global warming, these human impacts are exacerbated as people seek the same climate refugia – places naturally protected against climate change – that snow-adapted animals such as lynx and snowshoe hare are increasingly dependent on.
This reality makes it important, now more than ever, to address these spaces of convergence between human recreators and the animals they disrupt.
So, how does Vermont do that?
According MRV Earn-Your-Turns Roundtable panelists and moderator: create sanctioned backcountry ski zones.
While perhaps contradictory to the allure of the “explore anywhere” aspect of backcountry skiing, sanctioned backcountry ski zones represent an important strategy to limit human disruption in natural spaces, participants noted. Recognizing that an inevitable amount of disturbance occurs when skiers are out in the backcountry at all hours of the day, these ski zones would establish deliberately planned and designated areas for recreation with pre-approved vegetation removal and designated climbing and descent options.
For other frequented, pre-existing places, however, simple measures could be implemented such as time restrictions on trailhead use to allow windows for unimpeded animal movement or designated skin-tracks to service marked descents aimed at protecting vegetation habitats that skiers frequently, though inadvertently disturb.
A testament to efforts aimed at preserving and protecting natural spaces and their inhabitants, these management possibilities are increasingly important to protect shifting ecosystems in a warming climate, participants learned.
At the end of the day “the decision to not manage, is a management decision itself,” said Matt Williams, and through the creation of more managed spaces, the hope is to balance out scattered backcountry use with more concentrated sanctioned ski zones – all with the intention of protecting forest structure and biodiversity.
A recording of this forum can be found online at mrvtv.com.
Close is a UVM student participating in the Community News Service which pairs student writers with Vermont community newspapers.

"Vermont Adaptive facility at Mount Ellen to open December 20"
Published in The Valley Reporter, Nov. 21, 2021
Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports’ (VASS) new Mount Ellen facility will open with Mount Ellen, December 20 with a press opening slated for December 17.
After three years of planning and construction, this second permanent home of Vermont’s largest adaptive sports program – a 4,000-square-foot addition to Mount Ellen’s base lodge – is in its final stages.
Built in the 1960s, a decade before any disability specific legislation was passed, Mount Ellen’s lodge, like many buildings of its time, had long lacked accessibility.
This has greatly changed with the construction of VASS’s new facility.
Previously having committed 400 square feet of makeshift space on the main floor of the lodge for VASS operations, the lodge provided access to just one straight-in entry point enabling wheelchair access, one handicap accessible bathroom and very limited space to accommodate additional needs of participants.
With the completion of this addition, VASS will now operate in an accessible space 10 times as large. This will include gear storage, locker and changing rooms on the bottom floor, offices, programing space and ski-in/ski-out access on the main level, and sensory, service dog and Veteran Ventures rooms, a Cabot-sponsored kitchen, multipurpose space and access to an expansive deck on the third floor – all three levels will have accessible restrooms.
As of Saturday, November 6, interior and exterior painting remained along with appliance installation, including that of an elevator which will service each level.
This project has occurred alongside improvements to the Mount Ellen base lodge itself. The two are growing together, marking the creation of a new, accessible and integrated space.
“Integration was a goal we wanted to keep moving forward,” said Felicia Fowler the northern coordinator for VASS,VA “it’s an important part because many people come with friends and family, and they don’t necessarily want to rely on the [VASS] program all the time.”
The finalization of the Mount Ellen VASS facility marks the completion of phase two of three – the first being at Pico and third on the Burlington waterfront – of the permanent establishment of VASS locations across the state.
After experiencing COVID delays, the success of this project speaks to the patience, collaboration, and adaptability of VASS and Sugarbush over the last three years, Fowler said.
“It’s been an ongoing process” said Fowler, “but it’s given us more time to you know, dial everything in.”
A $2.5 million project, VASS is still looking to raise the final $250,000 to meet its fundraising goal. Construction will continue just the same with ski season right around the corner.
Close is a UVM student participating in the Community News Service which pairs student writers with Vermont community newspapers.
Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports’ (VASS) new Mount Ellen facility will open with Mount Ellen, December 20 with a press opening slated for December 17.
After three years of planning and construction, this second permanent home of Vermont’s largest adaptive sports program – a 4,000-square-foot addition to Mount Ellen’s base lodge – is in its final stages.
Built in the 1960s, a decade before any disability specific legislation was passed, Mount Ellen’s lodge, like many buildings of its time, had long lacked accessibility.
This has greatly changed with the construction of VASS’s new facility.
Previously having committed 400 square feet of makeshift space on the main floor of the lodge for VASS operations, the lodge provided access to just one straight-in entry point enabling wheelchair access, one handicap accessible bathroom and very limited space to accommodate additional needs of participants.
With the completion of this addition, VASS will now operate in an accessible space 10 times as large. This will include gear storage, locker and changing rooms on the bottom floor, offices, programing space and ski-in/ski-out access on the main level, and sensory, service dog and Veteran Ventures rooms, a Cabot-sponsored kitchen, multipurpose space and access to an expansive deck on the third floor – all three levels will have accessible restrooms.
As of Saturday, November 6, interior and exterior painting remained along with appliance installation, including that of an elevator which will service each level.
This project has occurred alongside improvements to the Mount Ellen base lodge itself. The two are growing together, marking the creation of a new, accessible and integrated space.
“Integration was a goal we wanted to keep moving forward,” said Felicia Fowler the northern coordinator for VASS,VA “it’s an important part because many people come with friends and family, and they don’t necessarily want to rely on the [VASS] program all the time.”
The finalization of the Mount Ellen VASS facility marks the completion of phase two of three – the first being at Pico and third on the Burlington waterfront – of the permanent establishment of VASS locations across the state.
After experiencing COVID delays, the success of this project speaks to the patience, collaboration, and adaptability of VASS and Sugarbush over the last three years, Fowler said.
“It’s been an ongoing process” said Fowler, “but it’s given us more time to you know, dial everything in.”
A $2.5 million project, VASS is still looking to raise the final $250,000 to meet its fundraising goal. Construction will continue just the same with ski season right around the corner.
Close is a UVM student participating in the Community News Service which pairs student writers with Vermont community newspapers.

"As snow falls in The Valley, The Big Kicker returns to welcome in ski season"
Published in The Valley Reporter, Nov. 19, 2021
Twelve years ago, Eric Friedman, then marketing director for Mad River Glen, visited Crested Butte, Colorado – his purpose: to present on cooperative mountain ownership to their ski community with hopes of inspiring another resort to follow Mad River Glen’s example.
Crested Butte ended up choosing corporate ownership, but Friedman’s trip was not in vain. Upon returning to The Valley, Friedman himself was inspired to bring a ski season kickoff party to the Mad River Valley, like the one he had experienced 2,000 miles away in Colorado.
And so, the Big Kicker was born.
Over a decade later and after a year of postponement due to the pandemic, the Big Kicker will return for its 11th year running this Saturday, November 20, at Lincoln Peak.
First held in 2010 at the Big Picture – hence the name Big Kicker – it was originally planned to coincide with the annual ski and skate sale, “a kind of traditional kick off to ski season” remembered Friedman – the intention being to provide the local community a space to gather and get excited about the onset of winter before the tourists arrived – in the gray fall weeks of stick season. Friedman is now the director of the Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce.
“The original intent was obviously kind of a stoke machine to drive excitement for the winter season,” said Sugarbush marketing and communications director John Bleh, “and to do it, you know, not just for the mountain but also for the community,” he continued.
Since its founding, the event has been held at the Big Picture, Lareau Farm and Mount Ellen, each year featuring live music from a chosen band, local beer sponsored by Waitsfield’s own Lawson’s Liquids and a rail jam put on by Sugarbush Parks. It has also incorporated a philanthropic component with booths featuring the Ryan Hawks and High Fives Foundations, as well as VT Adaptive in more recent years.
This year, the same can be expected – although the rail jam will be weather dependent – the only planned change, is that in line with Sugarbush’s COVID-19 policy: masks are required indoors, when not seated.
As with years past, the entirety of the event, aside from the bar and raffle tickets, will be covered by in-house funding – it has been, and continues to be an event aimed at fostering community stoke for the upcoming season.
“It’s all paid for by the resorts,” said Bleh. “It’s really just a way to sort of celebrate the kickoff of the year.”
“We don’t see ourselves as competitors” said Bleh, “we think we’re kind of complement products and service different groups a lot of the time, so we love being able to partner with [each other].”
“Working with Sugarbush to do [the Big Kicker], it’s just a great way to highlight the teamwork between the two mountains” echoed Mad River Glen general manager Matt Lillard, “we all very much see ourselves as a big team in promoting The Valley and getting people skiing.”
“I was always looking to collaborate with Sugarbush” said Friedman of his goal in creating the Big Kicker; and “[a preseason party] was a really good way to bring the ski communities together.”
But beyond this, Friedman expressed his belief that this event also serves as a tribute to the tightknit and unique ski community of the Mad River Valley, and the single, but remarkable ridgeline – boasting three mountains, two resorts, and endless terrain – upon which it has been built.
Lincoln Peak, Mount Ellen, and Mad River Glen are “strung along the spine of the Green Mountains like a string of pearls” Friedman commented,
“I think that the Mad River Valley is unique in that it has three ski areas, or two, depending on how you look at it,” said Friedman, “no other resort area in New England has that, and we think the Big Kicker is a great way to celebrate.”
Today, November 18, Sugarbush plans reveal whether Saturday will mark its opening day or not.
Close is a UVM student participating in the Community News Service which pairs student writers with Vermont community newspapers.
Twelve years ago, Eric Friedman, then marketing director for Mad River Glen, visited Crested Butte, Colorado – his purpose: to present on cooperative mountain ownership to their ski community with hopes of inspiring another resort to follow Mad River Glen’s example.
Crested Butte ended up choosing corporate ownership, but Friedman’s trip was not in vain. Upon returning to The Valley, Friedman himself was inspired to bring a ski season kickoff party to the Mad River Valley, like the one he had experienced 2,000 miles away in Colorado.
And so, the Big Kicker was born.
Over a decade later and after a year of postponement due to the pandemic, the Big Kicker will return for its 11th year running this Saturday, November 20, at Lincoln Peak.
First held in 2010 at the Big Picture – hence the name Big Kicker – it was originally planned to coincide with the annual ski and skate sale, “a kind of traditional kick off to ski season” remembered Friedman – the intention being to provide the local community a space to gather and get excited about the onset of winter before the tourists arrived – in the gray fall weeks of stick season. Friedman is now the director of the Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce.
“The original intent was obviously kind of a stoke machine to drive excitement for the winter season,” said Sugarbush marketing and communications director John Bleh, “and to do it, you know, not just for the mountain but also for the community,” he continued.
Since its founding, the event has been held at the Big Picture, Lareau Farm and Mount Ellen, each year featuring live music from a chosen band, local beer sponsored by Waitsfield’s own Lawson’s Liquids and a rail jam put on by Sugarbush Parks. It has also incorporated a philanthropic component with booths featuring the Ryan Hawks and High Fives Foundations, as well as VT Adaptive in more recent years.
This year, the same can be expected – although the rail jam will be weather dependent – the only planned change, is that in line with Sugarbush’s COVID-19 policy: masks are required indoors, when not seated.
As with years past, the entirety of the event, aside from the bar and raffle tickets, will be covered by in-house funding – it has been, and continues to be an event aimed at fostering community stoke for the upcoming season.
“It’s all paid for by the resorts,” said Bleh. “It’s really just a way to sort of celebrate the kickoff of the year.”
“We don’t see ourselves as competitors” said Bleh, “we think we’re kind of complement products and service different groups a lot of the time, so we love being able to partner with [each other].”
“Working with Sugarbush to do [the Big Kicker], it’s just a great way to highlight the teamwork between the two mountains” echoed Mad River Glen general manager Matt Lillard, “we all very much see ourselves as a big team in promoting The Valley and getting people skiing.”
“I was always looking to collaborate with Sugarbush” said Friedman of his goal in creating the Big Kicker; and “[a preseason party] was a really good way to bring the ski communities together.”
But beyond this, Friedman expressed his belief that this event also serves as a tribute to the tightknit and unique ski community of the Mad River Valley, and the single, but remarkable ridgeline – boasting three mountains, two resorts, and endless terrain – upon which it has been built.
Lincoln Peak, Mount Ellen, and Mad River Glen are “strung along the spine of the Green Mountains like a string of pearls” Friedman commented,
“I think that the Mad River Valley is unique in that it has three ski areas, or two, depending on how you look at it,” said Friedman, “no other resort area in New England has that, and we think the Big Kicker is a great way to celebrate.”
Today, November 18, Sugarbush plans reveal whether Saturday will mark its opening day or not.
Close is a UVM student participating in the Community News Service which pairs student writers with Vermont community newspapers.

"Foliage season draws visitors from near and far to The Valley for long weekend"
Published in The Valley Reporter, Oct. 16, 2021
Newcomers and annual visitors alike flocked to the Mad River Valley this weekend to experience this year’s foliage.
“We’ve been wanting to do a hike in this area for a while and why not do it with all the foliage,” said Aidan Scanlon and Jason Nachamie, a couple from Burlington, Vermont, who were out hiking Lincoln Peak at Sugarbush on Saturday, October 9.
Though Vermonters dotted the landscape, the abundance of out-of-town cars told a different story. Bearing Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York plates, it was clear this weekend invited many from surrounding states to enjoy our natural colors.
“This is my first time being here at all,” said RJ, who travelled up from New Jersey with friends. “I’m enjoying it, there’s a lot of great colors, a lot of great views,” he remarked, impressed by the widespread and vibrant foliage.
Vermont’s Green (turned purplish-red) Mountains attract people from across the Northeast region, many for whom it has become an annual pilgrimage – a tradition that marks fall’s colorful transition from memories of warmer weather to the onset of winter.
The leaves are beautiful,” said Chris of Boston, Massachusetts. “We were up here last year around this time; we try to make it an annual thing.”
Chris, RJ and many more enjoyed Sugarbush Resort’s Community Day last Saturday. The event featured foliage chairlift rides up the Super Bravo Express Quad, live music and a host of food offerings.
“To come up here, have a live band going on, pizza making, there’s fires going; it’s real nice,” said RJ.
While visitors enjoyed the day’s activities, those more familiar with Vermont’s annual foliage reflected on this year’s leaves in comparison to seasons past.
“The leaves are great, better than last year,” said Aidan. “Last year there was that one big storm and all the leaves fell off right away. This year it’s held for three, four weeks,” added Jason.
At Mad River Glen where Single Chair foliage rides were offered and General Stark’s Pub was open, there was a steady stream of people riding the chairlift up and walking down or walking up and riding down, or hiking in on the Long Trail to ride the lift down on both Saturday and Sunday.
MRG’s marketing and events manager, Ry Young, said great weekend weather and near peak foliage brought a lot of leaf peepers to The Valley and reported steady traffic both weekend days as well as an incredible closing weekend for General Stark’s Pub.
Sugarbush spokesperson John Bleh echoed what Young said, noting that there was an incredible turnout last weekend due to peak foliage, good weather and events that attracted crowds.
“Compared to last year, which you might think is an off year but was actually fairly busy as far as lift rides were concerned over this past weekend (it was the only weekend all summer we offered them last year), we saw about four times as many lift rides,” Bleh said.
Close is a UVM student participating in the Community Journalism Project which pairs student writers with. Vermont community newspapers.
Newcomers and annual visitors alike flocked to the Mad River Valley this weekend to experience this year’s foliage.
“We’ve been wanting to do a hike in this area for a while and why not do it with all the foliage,” said Aidan Scanlon and Jason Nachamie, a couple from Burlington, Vermont, who were out hiking Lincoln Peak at Sugarbush on Saturday, October 9.
Though Vermonters dotted the landscape, the abundance of out-of-town cars told a different story. Bearing Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York plates, it was clear this weekend invited many from surrounding states to enjoy our natural colors.
“This is my first time being here at all,” said RJ, who travelled up from New Jersey with friends. “I’m enjoying it, there’s a lot of great colors, a lot of great views,” he remarked, impressed by the widespread and vibrant foliage.
Vermont’s Green (turned purplish-red) Mountains attract people from across the Northeast region, many for whom it has become an annual pilgrimage – a tradition that marks fall’s colorful transition from memories of warmer weather to the onset of winter.
The leaves are beautiful,” said Chris of Boston, Massachusetts. “We were up here last year around this time; we try to make it an annual thing.”
Chris, RJ and many more enjoyed Sugarbush Resort’s Community Day last Saturday. The event featured foliage chairlift rides up the Super Bravo Express Quad, live music and a host of food offerings.
“To come up here, have a live band going on, pizza making, there’s fires going; it’s real nice,” said RJ.
While visitors enjoyed the day’s activities, those more familiar with Vermont’s annual foliage reflected on this year’s leaves in comparison to seasons past.
“The leaves are great, better than last year,” said Aidan. “Last year there was that one big storm and all the leaves fell off right away. This year it’s held for three, four weeks,” added Jason.
At Mad River Glen where Single Chair foliage rides were offered and General Stark’s Pub was open, there was a steady stream of people riding the chairlift up and walking down or walking up and riding down, or hiking in on the Long Trail to ride the lift down on both Saturday and Sunday.
MRG’s marketing and events manager, Ry Young, said great weekend weather and near peak foliage brought a lot of leaf peepers to The Valley and reported steady traffic both weekend days as well as an incredible closing weekend for General Stark’s Pub.
Sugarbush spokesperson John Bleh echoed what Young said, noting that there was an incredible turnout last weekend due to peak foliage, good weather and events that attracted crowds.
“Compared to last year, which you might think is an off year but was actually fairly busy as far as lift rides were concerned over this past weekend (it was the only weekend all summer we offered them last year), we saw about four times as many lift rides,” Bleh said.
Close is a UVM student participating in the Community Journalism Project which pairs student writers with. Vermont community newspapers.

"Three days without mail service in Warren"
Published in The Valley Reporter, Oct. 7, 2021
Some Warren residents were recently without mail delivery for three days due to postal service labor shortages.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) is “stretched to the max,” said Stephen Doherty, the communications specialist for Northeast New England.
This reality was felt by Warren town residents last week and many took to social media and a digital community to voice their concerns about the delay in mail delivery and staffing issues.
One resident shared that, “We have been without mail delivery… I know we have mail to be delivered” while another stated that their “car insurance was (temporarily) canceled due to a long delay in getting our check to the company through the mail” and acknowledged that “some people are experiencing unacceptable delays receiving vital prescription meds.” These are all real consequences of delayed mail service.
In the late 1980s and 1990s there was a big hiring push by the USPS and today, “They’re all hitting retirement age,” said Doherty. This coupled with the consequence of a widespread hiring shortage brought on by the pandemic means there aren’t enough employees to fill those positions.
Instead, local carriers have been tasked with incorporating uncovered delivery routes to their own – an addition which frequently requires overtime work to complete, delays delivery times and strains on an already taxed system.
Over the last several years, the USPS has been faced with significant shifts in demand due to the expansion of online communication and shopping, functions only heightened by a pandemic-altered economy. As a result, the USPS has been forced to make rapid transformations from a first-class focused mail service to one centered around package delivery.
And while the pandemic is subsiding, Doherty said, “people now have gotten comfortable… they’re kind of hooked on [online shopping]” and he doesn’t see that ending anytime soon. This means that significant action will be needed to meet rising demands in an employee-barren market.”
Currently, the USPS is relying on its ability to shuffle employees around regions to fill scheduling gaps in under-staffed towns, but this is not a sustainable solution as most are faced with the staff shortage dilemma themselves.
At the local level, this translates to post offices with demands that are hard to meet and industry shifts staff must accommodate. For the communities that depend on them, these suspensions in mail service mean a pause in the rapid delivery people have become accustomed to – and that can have real consequences when it comes to time-sensitive mail such as checks and bills, especially when such delays are surely not to be the last.
Like many businesses, the postal service is looking to recruit employees and to do so it is running recruitment drives, job fairs and open houses to promote the multitude of positions they are hiring for.
Until these efforts yield new employees, however, users are learning another lesson in patience as the impact of short-staffed businesses continue to be felt.
Doherty offered no suggestions for how people can access their mail if it is not delivered and did not return two calls seeking details on the subject.
Close is a UVM student participating in the Community Journalism Project which pairs student writers with Vermont community newspapers.
Some Warren residents were recently without mail delivery for three days due to postal service labor shortages.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) is “stretched to the max,” said Stephen Doherty, the communications specialist for Northeast New England.
This reality was felt by Warren town residents last week and many took to social media and a digital community to voice their concerns about the delay in mail delivery and staffing issues.
One resident shared that, “We have been without mail delivery… I know we have mail to be delivered” while another stated that their “car insurance was (temporarily) canceled due to a long delay in getting our check to the company through the mail” and acknowledged that “some people are experiencing unacceptable delays receiving vital prescription meds.” These are all real consequences of delayed mail service.
In the late 1980s and 1990s there was a big hiring push by the USPS and today, “They’re all hitting retirement age,” said Doherty. This coupled with the consequence of a widespread hiring shortage brought on by the pandemic means there aren’t enough employees to fill those positions.
Instead, local carriers have been tasked with incorporating uncovered delivery routes to their own – an addition which frequently requires overtime work to complete, delays delivery times and strains on an already taxed system.
Over the last several years, the USPS has been faced with significant shifts in demand due to the expansion of online communication and shopping, functions only heightened by a pandemic-altered economy. As a result, the USPS has been forced to make rapid transformations from a first-class focused mail service to one centered around package delivery.
And while the pandemic is subsiding, Doherty said, “people now have gotten comfortable… they’re kind of hooked on [online shopping]” and he doesn’t see that ending anytime soon. This means that significant action will be needed to meet rising demands in an employee-barren market.”
Currently, the USPS is relying on its ability to shuffle employees around regions to fill scheduling gaps in under-staffed towns, but this is not a sustainable solution as most are faced with the staff shortage dilemma themselves.
At the local level, this translates to post offices with demands that are hard to meet and industry shifts staff must accommodate. For the communities that depend on them, these suspensions in mail service mean a pause in the rapid delivery people have become accustomed to – and that can have real consequences when it comes to time-sensitive mail such as checks and bills, especially when such delays are surely not to be the last.
Like many businesses, the postal service is looking to recruit employees and to do so it is running recruitment drives, job fairs and open houses to promote the multitude of positions they are hiring for.
Until these efforts yield new employees, however, users are learning another lesson in patience as the impact of short-staffed businesses continue to be felt.
Doherty offered no suggestions for how people can access their mail if it is not delivered and did not return two calls seeking details on the subject.
Close is a UVM student participating in the Community Journalism Project which pairs student writers with Vermont community newspapers.
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