8 Year-Old Vermont Snowboarder Rides 151 Days in 2025-26 Season Harley Ruffle has already recorded six straight 100-day seasons at just eight years old. It’s a feat that many skiers and riders never accomplish, and something he plans on doing every season. This season, Ruffle was shredding the slopes and hitting the terrain park for a whopping 151 days. He started snowboarding when he was two years old, immediately fell […] Industry News Gregg Frantz | May 27, 2026 0 Comments
Green Up Vermont: Join the Record-Setting Tradition of Stewardship on May 2 Snow-covered mountains offer a months-long playground, but the blanket of white also hides the human impact of ski and snowboard season. When the snow recedes in March and April, the costs of high alpine play come into view: snack wrappers, broken gear, beer cans beneath chairlifts, and a season’s worth of plastic waste. From shifting climate patterns to the trash […] Jacqui Davis | April 25, 2026 0 Comments
Smugglers’ Notch and Burke Mountain Just Announced a Game-Changing Partnership for Vermont Skiers In the ever-changing ski world, where mega passes have taken over and remaining independent as a resort is increasingly challenging, Smugglers Notch and Burke Mountain in Vermont have united to stay afloat. The investment group, Bear Den Partners, purchased Burke in 2025 and, as of February 2026, is running Smugglers Notch in collaboration with the long-running family owners. Related: The […] Industry News Zach Suffish | March 27, 2026 0 Comments
Vermont Legislation To Give Liftys Warmup Breaks Is Running Out Of Time After tirelessly bumping chairs during a long, record-setting season marked by deep snow totals and at times arctic temperatures, Vermont is trying to return the favor and help its liftys out. Current regulations only require one lift attendant or operator to be present at each loading and unloading area, to slow or stop the lift if something happens, and to […] Industry News Zach Armstrong | March 13, 2026 0 Comments
America’s First Lift-Served Ski Hill Hits the Market in Vermont for $2.4 Million One of the most historically significant properties in American skiing is now for sale. Gilbert’s Hill in Woodstock, Vermont, recognized as the birthplace of lift-served skiing in the United States, has hit the market for $2,395,000, according to a recent report by Dwell. Related: Former Mount Storm Ski Area in New York Lists For Sale at $2.95 Million Located at […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | February 11, 2026 0 Comments
Mount Snow, VT, Report: Vermont Isn’t Afraid of the Cold Report from January 30-31, 2026 Mount Snow, Vermont, is flying under the radar for many skiers and snowboarders, and it should not. Like many of Vermont’s best ski areas, Mount Snow offers classic New England terrain—steep, narrow trails, a strong local atmosphere, and reliably cold winters. It was classic New England weather in late January when I visited the mountain, with […] Conditions Report Gregg Frantz | February 1, 2026 0 Comments
Stratton Mountain—Southern Vermont’s Highest Peak—Releases Long Term Development Plan Located on Southern Vermont’s highest peak, Stratton Mountain Resort recently updated its master plan and invested 15 million dollars for the upcoming 2025-26 season. This Alterra-owned resort is one of two in the Northeast where skiers and riders can enjoy unlimited access with the full Ikon pass. Less than 50 miles away, nearby Killington has been in the headlines for […] Industry News Luke W. Smith | December 3, 2025 2 Comments
[PHOTOS] Vermont’s Jay Peak Smashes 25-Year-Old Record Hitting 103 Inches of Snowfall Already this Season Jay Peak, Vermont, is having one of its best starts to a ski season in over 25 years. It already had 99 inches of snow on Tuesday in November, while some ski resorts out West had not even opened for the 2025-26 season. Jay Peak went over 100 inches on Thanksgiving. The total snowfall Jay Peak has received so far […] Industry News Gregg Frantz | November 29, 2025 2 Comments
Stowe and Okemo Resorts to Open With Record Early-Season Snowpack as Vermont Surges Ahead of the West While the western United States waits for winter to arrive, Vermont is stealing the spotlight. Stowe Mountain Resort announced it will open for the 2025-26 season on Friday, November 21, backed by what the resort is calling a record deep snowpack for this time of year—a rarity in November and a stark contrast to the lean early-season conditions out West. […] Industry News SnowBrains | November 18, 2025 1 Comment
Vermont Resorts Stowe, Okemo, and Mount Snow Countdown to Winter as They Target November 22 Opening Day The countdown is on, in less than a month, Vermont’s iconic ski resorts–Stowe Mountain Resort, Okemo Mountain, and Mount Snow–will kick off the 2025-26 ski season with Saturday, November 22 as the target opening day. Whether chasing powder, carving corduroy, or here for the après atmosphere, this triple opening marks the start of the ski season across the Green Mountains. […] Industry News Gregg Frantz | October 28, 2025 0 Comments
You Can Upgrade Your Ski Pass to Priority Lift Access for $2,000 at This Vermont Ski Resort This winter, Sugarbush Resort in Vermont is rolling out an all-new luxury upgrade designed to take mountain access and comfort to the next level. The Sugarbush Reserve Pass gives guests a way to make the most of every day on the slopes with no lines, no waiting, and a private club space to unwind between runs. It is available as […] Industry News Brent Glogau | October 14, 2025 0 Comments
The 25-Year, $3 Billion Killington Expansion Will Run Head On Into Vermont’s Housing Crisis Chris Karr arrived at Killington in 1981 to spend a season as a ski bum; 44 years later, he is still here as the owner of a number of restaurants and a convenience store. Coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, Karr faced serious problems finding staff. This wasn’t a new issue as housing in Vermont had been getting harder to […] Industry News David Michael | October 13, 2025 1 Comment
Vermont’s Northern Ski Resorts Feel the Chill of Declining Canadian Tourism Under Trump Administration In Vermont’s snow-covered Northeast Kingdom, the winter silence is arriving earlier than expected—not from a lack of snow, but from a lack of visitors. Canadian ones, specifically. Since Donald Trump returned to the presidency, ski resorts and border businesses across northern Vermont have reported a sharp and unsettling drop in tourism from their neighbors to the north as a direct […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | June 12, 2025 0 Comments
Vermont Snowboard Manufacturer Halts Snowboard Production Due to Trump’s Tariffs In a heartfelt announcement on Instagram, Vermont-based snowboard brand Goon Gear revealed it will not produce snowboards for the upcoming 2025–26 season. Citing “unpredictable tariffs and rising costs,” the company said the financial risks have simply become too great for a small operation. Despite the setback, Goon Gear emphasized that it’s not closing down—apparel drops and community events like Goonfest […] Julia Schneemann | May 30, 2025 0 Comments
Deep Snowpack Saves 3 Lives After Plane Crashes into Vermont Mountain Three people survived a plane crash near the summit of Vermont’s Mount Equinox early Wednesday after deep snow cushioned the impact, officials with the Manchester Fire Department report. The Piper PA-28, which departed from Martin State Airport in Maryland, crashed around 3:50 a.m. at an elevation of 3,200 feet. Related: Plane Crash Near Loveland Ski Area, CO: A Tragedy Remembered […] SnowBrains | February 27, 2025 0 Comments
Smugglers’ Notch, VT, Report: Light Powder—is This Vermont? Report from Friday, January 10, 2025 We arrived at Smugglers’ Notch (or “Smuggs,” as the locals call it) in the early afternoon. The drive was easy, and we found parking conveniently in the front of Lot Three, just a short walk to the Madonna & Sterling Base Lodge. The resort spans three mountains: Morse, Madonna, and Sterling. We began our […] Conditions Report Brett Ploss | January 13, 2025 0 Comments
Vermont School Teacher Noah Dines Breaks World Record for Most Human-Powered Vertical in 1 Year Although the ski season is still months away in North America, a 30-year-old Boston native has already accomplished an astonishing skiing record. Noah Dines has officially set the new world record for ski-touring the most human-powered vertical feet in one year. With a jaw-dropping 2,506,500 feet already under his belt and nearly four months left in the year, Dines is […] Industry News John Cunningham | September 6, 2024 0 Comments
Vermont is the Only State That Requires to Lower the Restraint Bar On A Chairlift By Law Are you one of those people who ride the lift up the mountain with the restraint bar up or down? Some people will put the bar down every time they ride the lift, while others choose to leave it up. Most of us have heard Ski Patrol and lift attendants tell people who do not put the bar down to […] Industry News Gregg Frantz | August 19, 2024 0 Comments
Floods and Torrential Rains Cause Extensive Damage in Vermont Thunderstorms and torrential rain unleashed another wave of violent floods on Tuesday, July 30, devastating parts of northeastern Vermont. Floods across the Northeast collapsed roads and houses and crushed vehicles. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for an area including Burke, Cabot, Danville, Lyndonville, St. Johnsbury, Walden, and Wheelock on Wednesday evening, July 31. However, the rain […] SnowBrains | July 31, 2024 0 Comments
23/24 Skier Visits in Vermont and New Hampshire Show Successful Season Any discussion of the ski season has to start with the weather and the 800-pound gorilla outside the room. Eastern skiers and riders want it cold for snowmaking while they wait for snow; Western residents need big storms to cover their great expanses of terrain. Early season conditions for the 23-24 season posed challenges for both eastern and western ski […] Industry News David Michael | June 26, 2024 0 Comments
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