Mad River Glen

Mad River Glen is a unique experience. It is kind of an eastern Alta in terms of feel - nothing modern, very local, friendly, no snowboards, no terrain park. It is probably more accurate to say Alta is a western MRG.

 

What Mad River has - terrific terrain - steep and beautiful, absolutely classic trails that wind down the mountains; little bumps, medium bumps, and giant bumps but not like Killington's Outer Limits - these are bumps that no one built other than by skiing and following the trail; a single chair that is unique itself; good prices including some great value days; no snowboarders; very little grooming; very little snowmaking; more terrain for beginners and low intermediates than you might expect

 

What Mad River sometimes has - long lines (see single chair); bare spots (in late and early season these can be much more than spots they can be take your skis off and walk 50 feet area); the highest "whoopie" factor of any ski area I've been too; rocks; streams and waterfalls that, depending on the season and snow depth you ski over, jump over, or try to stop and walk around. It is a great place when there is lots of snow for anyone who can negotiate natural conditions and a tremendous place for having fun once you can manage to get around. I even love it on closing day when there are bands, barbeques, streams across the trails, mud, hikes, ice, slush, and lots of fun.

It seems like there is a Mad River Glen "Ski it if You Can" bumper sticker on most of the trash cans at Jackson Hole.  There's a reason -- Mad River is the eastern cousin of the legendary Teton resort.  

 

Not much here for beginners, but MRG delivers the goods for experts.  You want steeps?  Try Paradise, with mandatory air over a frozen waterfall.  Want extreme terrain?  You're surrounded by it.  Want bumps?  Minimal grooming and almost non-existent snow making mean they are big and plentiful.  Want trees?  There may be no better place to ski 'em (but you'll need to follow an insider to find the entrances to the best stuff).

 

MRG isn't just for the experts though -- some great intermediate terrain on the right side of the mountain. 

 

The only downside is also an upside -- the single chair.  Yes, it limits skier traffic and preserves the throwback vibe.  However, it leads to LONG lines winding around the base area.  That limits the runs you can get on a powder day.  

 

I haven't skied another place with a vibe like Mad River.  It's skier owned and shareholders are committed to preserving the Mad River Glen of the 1950s.  The base area is basic Yankee.  No snowboarders to scrape the freshies.  

 

Net, net on a powder day, there's no place east of Jackson that I'd rather ski.  

It's hard not to like Mad River. The local feel of the place fits right into Vermont culture. Plus, the single chair, lower lift prices and all their gimicky days to lower prices even more (ex: Roll Back the Clock day when prices are the same as the first year Mad River was open (this year it was $3.50 a ticket!!!). There is a reason the slogan is "ski it if you can". The conditions aren't always great because there's no snowmaking and little grooming. That being said, it's located in an area of the Green Mtns that regularly gets dumped oIt's hard not to like Mad River. The local feel of the place fits right into Vermont culture. Plus, the single chair, lower lift prices and all their gimicky days to lower prices even more (ex: Roll Back the Clock day when prices are the same as the first year Mad River was open (this year it was $3.50 a ticket!!!). There are a few different chair lifts, all operate at old fashioned speeds so you need to be patient. This also means there are less crouds skiing at once, so it all works out nicely. There is a reason the slogan is "ski it if you can". The conditions aren't always great because there's no snowmaking and little grooming. That being said, it's located in an area of the Green Mtns that regularly gets dumped on. It may be tougher for beginner skiers, but there are green and blue trails (note - blue trails can be treacherous when conditions are tough). Overall it's a great little mountain!

Mad River Glen is a classic mountain in every sense of the word.  No high-speed quads, no night skiing, and no snowboarders allowed, what is lacks in modern comforts it makes up for in character.

I've been skiing Mad River Glen since I could stand, and it has always been an incredibly friendly, warm mountain.  The terrain is far from easy, but that's why the mountain proudly wears the "Mad River Glen Ski it if You Can" motto.  In fact, just to be safe several of the trails have experienced "marker inflation" over the past 10 years: Eaton's Run used to be a green circle, Perwinkle Bowl and Lower Antalope used to be blue squares, etc.  If you are uncomfortable skiing ice, hay, moss and rocks, this probably isn't your ideal place.  Additionally, if you pick your ski resorts for the "Apres Ski" rating rather than the "Actually Skiing" ratings, you'll want to look elsewhere.

But for those who understand the beauty of Mad River know that all the oddities are exactly what makes it so appealing.  Everything from the Cooperative (the mountain is owned by the very skiers who frequent it), the minimal snow making and grooming, the Single Chair and the no Snowboards policy -- these are what give the mountain its character.  Love it or leave it.

Finally, this is an excerpt from a review on the magazine which describes the mountain quite well:

In December 2007 a lift will open at Mad River Glen in Vermont. It will be the main chair. It will be unique. It will look almost like the lift that preceded it, the only re-engineered single chair in America. Possibly
the world. It will cost $1.5 million. For $1 million, Mad River could have had a completely modern double chair. But that is not what Mad River skiers wanted.

Mad River Glen is legendary for its unique approach to skiing and everything that surrounds it. Among all the corporate super resorts, MRG is an anachronism. When I spoke with the ski school director, he said to me, "This place is as much a museum as it is a ski area. This is what New England skiing was 50 years ago." That's the best description I've ever heard. Narrow, winding trails, a near total lack of snowmaking and grooming, and a base lodge that is little more than a shack with a little kitchen cooking up the basics. But it's just about the best place I've ever skied. The terrain is as challenging as anything you can find anywhere in New England. Because of the (deservedly) intimidating reputation of this mountain, the mountain is almost exclusively populated by experts. That give a sense of camraderie and community that just doesn't exist in other base lodges. You can strike up a conversation with anybody about what's good today, how certain trails are skiing, and whatever else you want to chat about. At the end of my last day there, one of the kitchen workers came up and gave out the pizza they hadn't sold, because she'd rather see somebody enjoy it than throw it in the trash. If you're going to go to Mad River, you had better be sure that you really know what you're doing. If you're good enough for it, there's no place better to find what the heart of skiing really is.