Jeffersonville, VT – Smugglers’ Notch has been racking up numerous awards over the past decade for their family programs: Better Homes and Gardens, Family Circle, Travel & Leisure, Parents, FamilyFun, Mountain Sports & Living and others have all recognized the resort’s prowess in this regard. Even SKI Magazine‘s October 1999 issue named Smugglers’ Notch Resort … Continue reading Smugglers’ Notch: The Family’s Wild Cousin
Mansonville (QC), Canada – In 1960, Canadian construction magnate Fred Korman had a vision to develop a ski resort on Owl’s Head, a shark tooth-shaped monadnock on the shores of Lac Memphremagog in Québec, a few short miles north of the Vermont border. He purchased and developed the land, and by 1965 two chairlifts carried … Continue reading Owl’s Head: An Intermediate Alternative
January 16, 1997. It was a beautiful day at Smugglers Notch. There was a clear blue, sunny sky and the temperature was about 20 degrees. I had shed several layers, finally finding comfort in long underwear, windpants, hat, goggles, gloves and a windbreaker. In the previous week, it had dumped powder galore. In the woods, … Continue reading Mind Games: An Unplanned Night in the Vermont Woods
Charlemont, MA – Exiting Interstate 91 at exit 26 in Greenfield, Massachusetts, Route 2 (a.k.a. the Mohawk Trail) climbs steeply out of the Pioneer Valley, then down to the Deerfield River. The road follows the river through several sleepy hamlets before arriving at one more: Charlemont, Massachusetts, the home to Berkshire East. I shared the … Continue reading The Beast
Lac Beauport (QC), Canada – The big eastern snow drought of December, 1998 weighed heavily on my mind as I packed my ski gear. I prepared for my annual pilgrimage from Florida to visit the in-laws in Québec City, and I fretted about what I would encounter once I arrived. My concerns deepened as I … Continue reading Le Relais