Mad River Glen celebrates its annual Green and Gold this weekend on October 1 and 2 while Sugarbush hosts its Community Day on October 8 and hosts a Fresh Hops Fest on October 9.
Mad River Glen will be offering foliage chairlift rides on the Single chair on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Foliage lift rides are good for a round trip from base to summit and back down. General Starks Pub will be open for lunch and dinner on Saturday and for lunch and a chicken BBQ on Sunday.
The General Store and ticket office will be open both days as well.
Mad River Glen will hold a volunteer mountain workday on October 1 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Other volunteer mountain work days take place October 8 and 15. Work on those days involves maintenance of MRG’s tree skiing and regeneration zones in the mountain forest. This involves cutting lines as well as setting aside areas for new trees to grow. Everything is done with hand tools. Work days are organized and led by Lars Bruns in consultation with ski area management.
VOLUNTEER WORK DAYS
Volunteer mountain work days will once again utilize pre-registration and limit the total group size. Space is extremely limited, don’t wait, register:
Events will be confirmed by 6 p.m. the day prior via the contact email provided. A wait list will be maintained with open slots filled by 6 p.m. the day prior. Those who work a full day receive a free day pass voucher for each day worked.
Any minors that register must be at least 12 years of age, accompanied by their legal guardian/parent throughout the day, no dogs are allowed.
Members of the White Plains Ski Club plan to hike Stark Mountain at 9 a.m. Those participating in the ski club’s hike will undertake a challenging 6-mile loop to the top of the Double, then along the Long Trail to the top of the Single chair where they can hike down or ride down.
VINS and the Stark Mountain Foundation will offer a presentation on the Magnificent Moose on Saturday, October 1, at 2 p.m. on the third floor of the Basebox.
The Mad River Glen homeowners meeting takes place from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 1 in that same space. The Mad River Glen co-op shareholders’ town meeting follows in that same space from 5 to 6 p.m.
ALLEN CLARK HILL CLIMB
On Sunday, October 2, the annual Allen Clark Memorial Hill Climb gets underway at 9 a.m. It is a race that rises 1,600 vertical feet in 6.2 miles, from the intersection of Routes 100 and 17 to the top of Appalachian Gap. The event is named in honor of longtime Mad River Valley resident, Allen Clark. An avid cyclist who took up biking late in life, he rode 2,500-3,000 miles annually in Vermont. Clark especially loved the challenge of the Appalachian Gap. This event is a tribute to his life and a fundraiser for Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports.
Awards will be held on the third floor of the Basebox (or on the deck if the weather is nice) at approximately 11:30 to noon. Register for the race: www.achillclimb.org/registration/
SUGARBUSH COMMUNITY DAY
The festivities at Sugarbush get underway on Saturday morning, October 8 scenic lift rides, disc golf, and other mountain activities, festive fall treats, mini golf, rubber ducky drop, and more.
Here is the Saturday schedule.
10 a.m. to-5 p.m., Mountain activities, scenic lift rides, disc golf, downhill mountain biking, courtyard games and activities.
10 a.m., Sugarbush fall classic – Trilogy Disc Golf tournament.
10 a.m. to noon, Community Partners tabling in Lincoln Peak Courtyard.
10 a.m. to noon, Coffee, tea, apples, donuts, cheese in the Lincoln Peak courtyard.
10:30 to 11 a.m., state of the resort presentation by John Hammond, Lincoln Peak Courtyard.
11 a.m., Free pumpkin carving while supplies last on the Farmhouse Patio.
11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Free mini-golf Lincoln Peak Courtyard, go to guest services in the Gate House Lodge for clubs, balls, and scorecards.
Noon to 4 p.m., Tie-dye-T-shirts on the grass at the base of the Gate House Quad. T-shirts available at the Guest Services Desk in the Gate House Lodge.
Noon to 2 p.m., Free face painting in the Lincoln Peak courtyard.
11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Music in the Lincoln Peak Courtyard with Ho Down.
11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Rubber ducky drop Super Bravo Express quad, lift ticket purchase required. Duckies available at the guest services desk in the Gate House Lodge. Win a T-shirt by dropping a ducky and make it in the kiddie pool, while supplies last.
FRESH HOPS FESTIVAL
On Sunday, October 9, from noon to 4 p.m., Sugarbush hosts its second annual Fresh Hops Festival featuring 10 of Vermont's most innovative breweries offering flavors of fresh hopped beer. This is the only fresh hops beer festival east of the Mississippi. Live music will be provided by The Vermont Bluegrass Pioneers. Only 300 tickets will be available. Guests will receive a pour card for 12-5 ounce pours and a commemorative Fresh Hops Festival 2022 logoed glass. Non-drinkers and designated drivers are welcome to join, and do not need a ticket.
Fresh hop beer is only brewed during the early autumn harvesting season due to a very short shelf life, usually less than 24-36 hours. Beers brewed with fresh hops tend to have a distinctively "green" flavor profile, without the classic bitterness that hoppy beers like IPA's often have.
Most beer on the market, and likely the beer that's in your fridge, is produced using hops that are dried just hours after harvesting, keeping the harvested hops fresh for up to three years. These dried hops impart a different flavor profile into the finished beer, as well as a varied alcohol content, than beer brewed using fresh-picked hops.
Confirmed brewers include Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Waitsfield; Green Empire Brewing, Colchester; Black Flannel Brewery, Essex Junction; Outer Limits, Proctorsville; Weird Window Brewing, South Burlington; Dirt Church Brewing Co., East Haven; Ten Bends Beer, Hyde Park; Zero Gravity, Burlington; Foley Brothers Brewing; Brandon; Fiddlehead Brewing Company, Shelburne; Eden Specialty Cider, Newport; Wicked Bines Farm, Berlin; and Champlain Valley Hops, Starksboro.
Contact Sugarbush by email at
