Thanks to our shred-brethren at Burton Snowboards and Cabot Creamery, Ride Vermont is stoked to announce our Cabot Hunter’s Plaid “Custom” Board Contest.
Here’s how it’s going down. Anybody can win this extremely limited, only-a-handful-ever-made Custom snowboard. All you need is a little creativity and a few minutes to pen a poem.
•Poem must include the words VERMONT, BURTON, CABOT, and SPRING.
•Poem can be any length (keep it under 350 words, though, Shakespeare. we ain’t got all day.)
•Poem must be submitted in the comments section below this post to be eligible.
•Poem must be awesome — this is for a plaid Burton Custom snowboard, after all.
Submissions will be reviewed by our professional panel of Seriously Sharp cheese eating, majored-in-English-at-an-accredited-liberal-arts-university-but-spent-all-four-years-in-the-Stowe-backcountry education having, goggle tan aloe applying judges. Our Alaskan Malamute, Zena, is in charge of quality control.
Poems will judged on creativity, entertainment value and rhyminess. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, April 9. The winner will be announced the next day.
Here’s a video featuring the Cabot board that could be yours. Your buddies are gonna be hecka jealous.
With my third cup of coffee almost drained and the sun high in the cloudless sky, I decided it was time to hit the road. It was Vermont Maple Open House Weekend, and I was ready to sample the freshest syrup available.
I directed my GPS to Sugarbush Farm in Woodstock, Vermont. I drove north up Rte. 100, past Stratton and Killington and cows. Lots of cows. The only snow left in the valleys clung to north-facing hills in small patches, hanging on for dear life like ice cubes in an ignored gin and tonic. It was a gorgeous day — cold for this time of year but brilliantly sunny.
As we neared Sugarbush Farm, it was easy to spot the maple trees. They were the ones with galvanized buckets hanging from their sides. There were hundreds of buckets glinting in the sunshine.
After hanging out with Betsy, the 2nd-generation owner of the farm, and purchasing some Grade B Light Fancy, it was time to continue north to Smuggler’s Notch. I had never been to Smugg’s and I was eager to see what it was all about.
Shred-Friendly
When I think of Smugg’s, I immediately think “family-friendly.” Most people think likewise, I’m sure. Without knowledge of the Smugg’s layout, it’s easy to equate family-friendly with lots of green circle trails and not much glades or black diamonds. So not the case.
Smugg’s has some seriously challenging terrain on the Madonna and Sterling peaks. Most of the trails from the peak of Smugg’s are double-black diamonds. Rock drops and skinny, winding trails are easily accessed, and there are dozens of spots to duck into the woods in search of powder stashes. I hear there’s even a triple black diamond, although I couldn’t get to it this late in the season.
Family-friendly might also conjure a lack-of-nightlife image. Once again, so not the case. I ducked into The Brewski bar, located within walking distance of the base area, Friday night and found a live bluegrass band playing to a locals-type crowd playing pool and partaking in general fun-times. The bartender (blond guy, very friendly) treated me like an old college roommate, letting me sample new beers on tap and filling me in on the best late-season trail picks.
Kids food? Not at 158 Main in Jeffersonville, about 15 minutes from the base area. The extensive, more-than-reasonably-priced menu featured everything from marinated skirt steak to cobb salad to crab-crusted tilapia. (note: they have a kids menu, too.)
Yup, Smugg’s is full of surprises. True, it is family-friendly and generally accepted as THE resort for a family vacation. But when you find yourself recounting your run down the triple black diamond for the the bartender at Brewski, you’ll find definition for a new phrase: “shred-friendly”.
-Luke
P.S. Smugg’s is hosting a parking lot tailgate party this Saturday, April 3, from 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm. It’s supposed to be, like 75 degrees this weekend so bring your tee-shirt and lucky burger flipper. Then, from 6 – 10:00 pm, move to the Meeting House for the 15th Annual Brewfest with regional beers and wines, music, munchies and prizes. Details here.
Gotta love spring riding in Vermont. The days are longer, the lift lines are shorter, the weather is sweet, lift tickets get cheaper, and the snow takes on a food-like consistency (corn, mashed potatoes, sugar) that is perfect for learning new tricks in the park, or simply learning to snowboard, period.
There is an unbelievable amount of events at Vermont resorts this weekend, including live music, pond skimming and cardboard races. Know what else? It’s Maple Open House Weekend. Sugarmakers across the state open their sugar shacks to visitors, with tours and an array of maple products for sale. If you’ve never met a real live sugar maker, now’s your chance. Maybe they’ll even sign your chest. For a listing of open sugarhouses all around the state visit vermontmaple.org.
Ride Vermont-approved events:
-Vermont Specialty Food Tasting at Smuggler’s Notch. Cabot Cheese, maple products, Westminster Crackers, Green Mountain Coffee and tons more. Don’t be shy when visiting the sample stand – eat and be merry from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Gazebo in the Resort Village.
-Snoe.down 2010 at Killington. Jam band fans: pull out your patchwork pants and fire up the Prius – this is a weekend-long winter music and sports festival hosted by the band moe., with performances at Killington Resort and Rutland’s new Spartan Arena. Several bands are scheduled to appear March 26-28.
-Reggaefest 2010 at Mount Snow. With reggae music all weekend, a crowd-pleasing pond skimming contest on Saturday and a raucous cardboard derby on Sunday.
-2nd Annual Joey Jam at Okemo. Fast becoming the most talked-about event of the season, the Joey Jam rail jam competition is back after a wild premiere last year. This year’s winner is taking home a 1989 Chevy Camaro RS. It comes with a new Pioneer CD deck, and some Efx speakers. So awesome. Be there.
-Battle for Burlington at Jay Peak. The 4th Annual Jay Peak Battle for Burlington is a slopestyle jam competition for snowboarders in college. Rep your school in team colors and slay the park in a 2 1/2 hour session.
Hit #2 of Kazuhiro Kokubo's winning run was arguably the loftiest, most styleed, effortless-looking McTwist Chicken Wing ever. It's no wonder this Japanese dude - who wears a mouthguard while riding - took first place.
Louie Vito was keeping it real in a green, logo-less hoodie. His back to back double corks were a crowd pleaser, but not enough to beat Kazu.
The first of Louie's back to back double corks. Fun fact: Louie Vito attended Stratton Mountain School.
KP, this US Open's for you.
You have to wonder if these kids on the lift (especially the lil dude second from right with the jeans and sunglasses on) realized they were sitting next to an Olympic silver medalist (Peetu, far left) and the about-to-be-crowned US Open winner, Kazu (second from left). Either way, priceless image.
Vermont native Hannah Teter seemed relaxed and calm at the top of the pipe.
Kelly Clark is famous for two things: winning, and boosting WAY higher than all the competition. She did both on Saturday, taking her fourth US Open halfpipe title and impressing the crowd with major amplitude.
Not a cloud in the sky. 40 degrees. No wind. I strapped in and stood up and got smacked in the eyeballs by Stratton, Okemo, Killington, Mount Mansfield, Mount Washington and, when I averted my gaze downward, a small bend in the Connecticut River. It was one of the most sweeping views of Vermont I’d ever seen, giving an almost complete view of the spine of the Green Mountains from Massachusetts to Canada.
Staring at these behemoth ski resorts, I almost forgot where I was: at the peak of Ascutney Mountain.
Getting The Basics Right
What, you’ve never heard of Ascutney? Not surprising, considering that it’s a small, privately-owned mountain off the well-trodden Route 100 gangway. While you can easily see the big players from the peak of Ascutney, it’s almost impossible to see Ascutney from the peaks of the big players. I really think the developers planned it that way, though. It’s like all the Vermont resorts organized a big game of hide and seek 50 years ago and Ascutney is the only one still playing.
The top half of Ascutney has some challenging terrain for advanced rider, including this boulder field beneath the quad.
And that’s just fine with this snowboarder. Ascutney, besides having a real fun name to say out loud, has a way of getting all The Basics right. When you’re there, it’s just you, your board and your chosen trail. There’s not much else to think about.
What do I mean by getting “The Basics” right? You know, the simple stuff. Like parking. Parking at the big players sometimes requires strategic planning, shuttle buses, permits, and the willingness to get up extra early to avoid getting stuck in the dreaded “auxiliary lot.” At Ascutney, though, the parking lots is right there in plain view of the base lodge – the farthest spot is still less than 500 steps to the summit quad. Too hung over to walk those 500 steps? You can ride, downhill, to a beginner’s area lift that gets you up to the base area.
Ascutney gets The Basics right by having a burgers/dogs/sausage BBQ at the peak of their tripe lift on a sunny Saturday, PLUS a keg of Otter Creek chilling in a snowbank.
Ascutney gets The Basics right by putting actual picnic tables in their modest terrain park. How fun is it to tailpress a picnic table without fear of getting reprimanded by security? Maaaad fun.
Ascutney gets The Basics right by offering steep, challenging terrain in a classic New England style. Runs start out steep and winding near the summit and gradually open up to moderate pitch with great grooming near the bottom.
Long lift lines? Ascutney don’t play that. Plus, the lifties are cool (upon seeing my camera backpack, one liftie asked, “yeahhh, you got beers in there?” I didn’t have beers in there, but it was thoughtful of him to ask).
All these Basics combine for a stress-free visit that lets you focus on what you came to do: ride a board down a hill sideways with a smile on your face.
Happy Ending
When the day is done, head to the Harpoon brewery in Windsor, about a 15-minute drive from Ascutney.
At the end of my carefree, sunshine-filled day at Ascutney, I remembered that I was only about 10 miles from Windsor, Vermont, home of the Simon Pearce glass factory and the Harpoon brewery. I watched some glassblowers spin some glowing orange globs for a few minutes and then grabbed myself a cask-conditioned, “milky” IPA at the brewery. It tasted great.
And that was it. I’d found the formula to a perfect, stress-free day.
•Poem must include the words VERMONT, BURTON, CABOT, and SPRING.
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