This ski mountain in Waitsfield, Vermont offers all the traditional amenities of a winter resort, plus a lot of eco-friendly activities.
Hate the whoosh of snowboards and the heavy metal beat as you glide down the slopes? Curious to see wildlife only the dawn Ski Patrol ever encounters? Then the unique Mad River Glen in Waitsfield, Vermont, winner of the 2000 National Ski Areas Association Silver Eagle for Environmental Education, should be your next destination.
Under its Naturalist Program Director, Sean Lawson (who holds an M.A. in Forest Ecology), the eco-education schedule has evolved into a four season exploration of this mountain resort. Their Kent Thomas Nature Center is open on the mountain for year-round displays and hands-on activities.
Mad River Glen is America’s only ski cooperative, a resort owned and maintained by 1900 of its frequent skiers since 1995. It is one of only three slopes (the others are Alta and Deer Valley in Utah) to ban snowboarding.
Its 2,037 feet of vertical drops cover 115 acres and are considered the most challenging expert terrain in the East. Its 45 trails are serviced only by a single chairlift, a ca.1948 diesel-powered classic, plus three renovated doubles and a new Handle Tow for novices. In 2005, the Mad River Glen Cooperative began its campaign to preserve the single chairlift, hoping to make it safer and longer lasting without imposing a multiple carrier like more modern chairlifts. By the summer of 2008, they had raised the required $1.65 million and the restoration project is scheduled to be completed by the season of 2010.
To protect its mountain ecosystem, Mad River Glen’s skier-owners have committed to maintaining the forest, managing the wildlife habitat, monitoring the watershed (no artificial snow-making), and minimizing the environmental impact of the ski operations by limiting construction on the mountain.
During the 2008-2009 campaign to offset the carbon footprint of its skiers, Mad River Glen charged an additional $1 per day. Their philosophy is, “If you don’t build it in the first place you won’t have to offset its long-term environmental effects,” notes a spokesperson, and with the help of local foundations, the funds raised are used to buy carbon offsets from Native Energy which are passed on to Vermont farmers.
Family Programs
There are excellent guided Junior Naturalist and Ecology programs over the holidays and winter weekends, or by special arrangement for groups.
Various group ski lessons are available for ages 4-14, including weekend series to train budding racers. Private lessons for ages 3-6 cost only $50 per hour. Children 5-years and under ski free any day when accompanied by an adult and seniors 70+ ski free midweek for 5 days per season and enjoy a Senior Rate the rest of the season.
Intrigued? Coop owners enjoy even more discounts and you can tell your neighbors you “own” a ski resort!
Mad River Glen offers customized family adventures, snowshoe treks, and ecology hikes among other activities during the warmer seasons.
Mad River Glen also gets a ‘Thumbs Up’ for its other family-friendly services and amenities: a pristine network of trails for telemarking and snowshoeing; free kids’ season passes available to those 12 and under with every adult season pass purchase; the Cricket Club, where director Callie McAllister has cared for and trained junior skiers from 6-weeks to 6-years for over 30 years; and its obviously successful commitment to preserving its natural environment for future generations.
Details, Details
The nearest accommodations, found through Mad River (802/496-3551) are in nearby Waitsfield, Warren and Waterbury. Long-stay guests who might seek variety should know that Mad River and neighboring Sugarbush often team up to create inter-changeable lift tickets, so call ahead.
Snow enthusiasts probably remember the mountain’s famous bumper sticker: “Mad River Glen: Ski It If You Can.” It’s one of the few aspects of this place that has kept up with the times, and now reads, “Mad River Glen: Ski Green If You Can.”
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I was the same way. I had my Bat Mitzvah on top of Masadah and was complaining of the heat. I didn't truly recognize what an amazing place I was in. I was fortunate enough to return last summer and had the time of my life. I look forward to seeing your post for when you get to return. I wish you all the best!
one of my all time favorite vacations.
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I am ecstatic that I was able to participate in learning my heritage, history, and my parents past.
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Truly humbling
I hope you enjoy learning about my experiences in Paris, France!
Thank you so much for this information. Multi-generational travel is an area that I am interested in, but it is not easy to navigate various ages, levels of mobility and interests. These tips are super useful!
This was seriously such a life-changing trip for me. I got to see a whole other way that people live life. It really opened my eyes and made me EVEN MORE eager to learn German and to adopt a more frugal lifestyle.
My experience with traveling to a foreign nation, in the form of a blog.
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I recommend this or a similar trip for any future paleontologists. I have since been to the Field Museum in Chicago and the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and am pleased to have visited all the major paleontological museums in North America.
I hope you have fun on your trips, too!
This is my submission to the young travel writer scholarship
My trip to South Africa transformed my life. I grew closer to my best friend, as well as experience a culture very different from my own. As a result, my knowledge of the world has grown.
I quite enjoy I can feel the passion.
I hope you enjoy the lessons i learned over seas in Spain! I know I will take them with me as I move forward in life. Thank you for reading!
-Rebecca Krivitsky
enjoy my story, i pray it will reveal a new cultural avenue while still providing a humorous tale
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Thanks and support
Here is the website documenting my trip: http://madisongoestonewyork.blog.com/
My time in El Salvador changed my life. It is my dream that one day I will be able to return there. I can honestly tell you that my love for the people in El Salvador has remained with me. And I hope the best for that nation.
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My amazing trip
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Thank you for reading my essay.
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Reading this story has been a stroll down memory lane. I stayed at the Diplomat as a little girl in the 1970's, and still remember how impressed I was with it. So glad to hear that the resort has bounced back to its original glory.
I am very glad to know that Disney Cruise Line is taking health so seriously, yet making cleanliness palatable for kids. These suggestions are also great for air travel, another germy breeding ground. Thanks for the info!
My family loves Cancun, and we have had good stays at the Oasis and the Sol Melia and the Sheraton too. Nice to see a new list of recommendations from you. Thanks
This is a really fun outing, but if you can't get out to the countryside, just visit one of those urban tree sellers. A lot of them in the northeast are staffed by college kids from Canada, who take a break, get into a rental trailer and drive it south, then re-sell trees they have bought on consignment to pay for the next semester.
I always ask (nicely) and I always get (with a smile), the extra boughs that they take off to make the trees look even all around. With some ribbon, maybe the wire from a coat hanger and lots of creativity, it's easy to get the kids helping you turn old boughts into beautiful wreaths for around the house.
Love the photos in this article!
Thanks for having this contest; my family loves Snowmass and it would be great to go back there. We took our son when he was about 7 and it was a great learning adventure for all of us. The instructors are terrific and we had fun, but it's not something we could afford to do right now.
Thanks for giving us another chance to go back!
When Jean Carlisle of Menomonie, Wisconsin heard she won a family of four Galapagos Adventure Cruise, she wrote us:
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So glad it's helpful to you with your teens, I've already given the Primland brochure to my own mom and her girlfriend who want to tour the Blue Ridge Parkway and look at the Appalachian handcrafts. This is a great base for lots of exploration. If you go, I know you'll enjoy it!
This sounds like a real find and perfect for my own family. I ma always looking for resorts that will work as destinations with lots to do for my two teens, and Primland sounds excellent. Thanks for spreading the word!
Thanks so much for sharing your dreams about the Galapagos; that's the way we all felt when we learned that the terrific Lindblad team wanted to work on this project. so excited to know that someone's dream will reallyl come true! And a 6th grader is the perfect travel companion.
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so you're sure to be recorded as an entry into the grand prize drawing. Hope to see you on Twitter too @familytravel4um @travelingmoms @takingthekids @LindbladEXP
If there are no comments on our blog, does this mean that our blog has been rejected, or that it has not been reviewed yet? thanks!
As noted, thanks to your enthusiasm, there are several thousand posts to read, so the judges will be done by mid October. Check back after that to see your status!
I tried following the steps above for finding out about the scholarship judging, but I'm still lost. Does it show up at the bottom of your blog? Or is it just off to the side when you have the option of clicking on your blog? Like, is it next to the name of your blog, the date it was published and then the word scholarship with either a yes or no? Thanks!
Crystal – you get an email