Ski season is one week away and winter prep work is happening all over the resort. Additionally, there’ve been some really fun developments taking place behind the scenes this past off-season. Walking us through some of these updates is President Lindsay Deslauriers, it’s Letters from Lindsay Vol. 17!

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And though bittersweet on so many levels, nice to raise some funds for the fine folks at Talent Skatepark‘s non-profit, over the last few weeks and at yesterday’s event. If you’re not familiar, their indoor skatepark is adjacent to Burton headquarters on Burlington’s South End (and hopefully also soon adjacent to Higher Ground‘s new concert venue if the neighbors stop fussing at some point). And on the off chance you’re not familiar with Talent, well, it would be hard to overstate our love and appreciation for who they are and what they do. For me, I first got to know “Hannah from Talent” by legend and reputation as THE Burlington area skate mom. Some of my skater friends would wax poetic on her heroics at length. It stuck with me for years because I’d never heard any of those same friends speak about anyone with so much appreciation and respect for what she meant to their lives and livelihood. Little did I know some years later I’d quickly learn for myself what an incredible force of positivity she is in this community and beyond.

As those of you who attended the Community Forum a few weeks ago heard first hand and as we stated in our final skatepark update a few weeks ago “we hope that the tight-knit skate community will take the energy and spirit that we’ve seen in the last few weeks and rally around our friend Hannah at Talent Skatepark – she is totally committed to keeping indoor skating open and available for our community this winter and for years to come.” We are delighted to rehome the mini skate ramp and much of the lumber from other features to Talent for its next life and hope you will support them. And while you’re at it, maybe keep an eye on the Waterbury Skatepark Project as well… we’ve been delighted to support their fundraising efforts the last couple years (via our relationship with local legend Jake Blauvelt) with 4 events (2 skatepark jams and 2 banked slaloms in winter) totaling over $20,000 toward that ongoing project. And hopefully the 4th Annual Blauvelt’s Banks on March 16-17, 2024 will help us clear $30k raised toward that outdoor skate project before next summer’s skate season gets rolling.

But I digress… good times for good causes are something we know how to do. When you’re a small, independent business in Vermont, working with and for your local communities is par for the course. We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to expand our community a little through the BV Skatepark of 2018-2023. But alas, it’s time to bid adieu to the features. We hope NOT to many of the great humans that came through over the last 5 years. But if so, we get it. We just hope you’ll pay forward any appreciation for what skating means to you to the other wonderful local small businesses, municipal entities, and non-profits that keep the torch burning. They need you. And with your support, the torch will never actually burn out.

And with mixed emotions that may never fade away for me personally, it seems most appropriate to sign off with something from our GM Nathaniel here. And in true skater fashion, I poached it from an internal chat thread without his permission to share publicly and there’s potentially copyright implications, too??? Perrrrrfect… For further context here, in case you haven’t gotten to know Nathaniel, chances are you’ve shared a skate sesh with him at some point, but he’s also our head of finance and VP, a pretty wicked snowboarder, “dude that saved the bowl” 5 years ago, rad dad and well, just a great guy really…

So in the words of Nathaniel and Bob (don’t take ’em all literally, more about the vibe here if you know the song), we sign off with:

So long honey, babe
Where I’m bound, I can’t tell
Goodbye’s too good a word, babe
So I’ll just say, “Fare thee well”
I ain’t a-saying you treated me unkind
You could’ve done better* but I don’t mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time**
But don’t think twice, it’s all right

*For the record, you did great and we did the best we could
**If we could rewrite this line it would probably be something like “Thanks for making the time spent together more precious,” but don’t think that rhymes as well as what Bobo came up with there.

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As we said at the forum, the decision to close the park was not made lightly. The reality is that Bolton Valley is a small business with limited resources. We compete with some world-class resorts nearby and we have to find every opportunity to maintain a sustainable business.

For the last five years the skatepark has proven that it is not a viable source of revenue. In fact, the facility loses around $100,000 a year. With the skatepark in place, even if we were to reduce the number of features as several people suggested, the fieldhouse has very little utility to be used for anything else and for around 3/4ths of the year it sits unused. It’s not a sustainable use of that space. We simply cannot continue to support a loss like this.

Our decision centers around the fact that having multi-use courts will provide more approachable activities for our community and guests, with a particular emphasis on our hotel guests.  Our hotel is a pivotal component of our business and the Sports Center is a primary amenity for those guests. Additionally, the open space will give us the flexibility to use that space for groups, conferences, and events.

Our leadership team is united in the belief that this is the best decision for Bolton Valley’s sustainability and future.  Bolton Valley’s core purpose since we opened in 1966 with night lights and school programs is to provide affordable skiing and riding for Vermont’s families.  We have to stay laser focused on that core mission and make sure we are making the best decisions we can as a business to stay viable and to continue to be the best place around for Vermont families to ski and ride. 

We have made the difficult choice to stay the course and start the work of deconstructing the skatepark in the coming weeks. One of the things we focused on during the forum was the future of the features and we are committed to doing everything we can to make sure that as much as possible will remain in the community for you to continue to skate.

One of the most beloved features is the Fuse inspired mini. We are excited to announce it will be brought to Talent so people can skate it this winter. As Hannah said on Tuesday, “Tell me what you love about Bolton Valley and come to Talent and work with me to bring that feel to our park.”

We are still in conversations to figure out where the bowl will end up, but it is our collective mission to see that it gets placed in a loving home sooner than later. We will continue to work with the community to find the best homes for the rest of the features as well.

Looking ahead, we hope that the tight-knit skate community will take the energy and spirit that we’ve seen in the last few weeks and rally around our friend Hannah at Talent Skatepark – she is totally committed to keeping indoor skating open and available for our community this winter and for years to come.

At the forum, we also talked about putting together a final send off for the BV Skatepark and we are excited to host one more Skate Jam on October 21st!  All proceeds from this event and over the next two weeks will be donated to Talent Skatepark’s non-profit with a vision of implementing the desires you come up with together. 

Sunday, October 22 will be the final day of the skatepark at BV, so come on up – get your last lines in and show your support for our communities’ Talent Skatepark!

~ Bolton Valley Resort

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I know that word has spread in advance of our official announcement that we plan to decommission the skate park in the Sports Center at Bolton Valley this fall… and that some people are feeling pretty disappointed about it. 

It’s true.  We have made the decision to remove the skate features and re-finish the old tennis courts back into use for tennis and pickleball. 

When our family first got back to BV in 2017, the old tennis courts and the field house in general were in rough shape.  We knew we wanted to fix the space up and make improvements to the Sports Center in general, but funds were tight and other projects had to take priority over major improvements to the Sports Center.

Cue Talent Skatepark announcing in the spring of 2018 that they were shutting down and offering up their features, including the bowl, for anyone who had space to house it.  Well, our Finance Director at the time (now our General Manager) is a skater and he suggested that we put the bowl down on the old tennis courts.  And, while we weren’t yet certain what the long-term plan for the Sports Center fieldhouse space was, we saw an opportunity to do something in the meantime that would be additive to our resort and local community. And as is so often the case here at Bolton Valley, things sort of organically evolved from there with our staff and a few members of our awesome community adding some other skate features to go along with bowl.  It’s been really fun and we are so grateful to all the folks that came out and skated with us the last few years, including our beloved summer campers.

Okay – but why go back to tennis and pickleball over the skate park?  I can hear you asking, maybe not without some irritation and even outrage.  Well – it’s two reasons really. 

First – which I expect may feel like salt in wound to some, but I want to be transparent – pickleball especially is so popular right now because it’s really approachable and accessible to almost everyone.  It’s an activity with a broad appeal and something that we believe will be an activity that our hotel guests as well as the local community can all enjoy and make use of. 

Second –  and even more compelling for us as a resort – is that the massive features that make up a skate park just aren’t agile for other uses whereas the open courts allow us to reconfigure the space for a variety of uses to support not just the activities themselves, but provides a big, open space that can be used for events, conferences, and so on. 

And while I know that this explanation won’t be enough to reconcile everyone to the decision, I do want you to know that we are working hard to re-home all of the features we can, including the bowl.   So even though they won’t be at Bolton Valley, they will hopefully remain in our broader community and available for you to continue to enjoy in their new home. 

We’re grateful that we were in the right place at the right time to be able to adopt the bowl and provide a pretty sweet skatepark (so I’ve been told) here at BV for the past five years.  Thanks to everyone who came up and made good use of it!  While we are sad to see it go, we are also ready to embrace our next step for the resort and we hope you will support us as we continue to find our way.

Lindsay

We hope you’ll consider joining us at the BV Skatepark sendoff – also a fundraiser for the nearby Waterbury Skatepark project. We will continue to support efforts to get this nearby skatepark off the ground, as we have the last couple of years. This will be the 4th event we’ve co-hosted here at Bolton Valley supporting the Waterbury Skatepark project (the previous 3 contributing over $20,000 to the cause to date):

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In his new role as Mountain Operations Director, Eric will oversee all aspects of mountain operations at Bolton Valley Resort. This includes managing the ski patrol, lift operations, lift mechanics, grounds, vehicle and property maintenance, snowmaking, grooming, mountain bike trail crew, and mountain safety programs.

Eric spent his formative years through high school and college working in the mountain operations department at Bolton Valley, doing everything from trail maintenance and snowmaking to helping design and lay out the Timberline chairlift and trail system, which were developed in the 1980’s.  Over the years, with his brother Rob, Eric cut some of Bolton Valley’s most beloved glades including Devil’s Playground and Lost Boys.

Eric will be joining the management team to lead Bolton Valley Resort during a time of transformative growth. One of the largest remaining locally owned and independent ski resorts in Vermont, Bolton Valley was built by Eric’s father Ralph DesLauriers in the 1960s and is now run by his sister Lindsay DesLauriers. His brothers Rob, Adam, and Evan are also involved in managing the resort.

“I am super stoked to go full-circle and be part of the Bolton Valley team again,” Eric said. “Everyone works passionately to create a positive and rewarding experience for our guests and coworkers. I am proud to be here and look forward to doing my part to build on the positive momentum at BV.”

Bolton Valley Resort is located in the heart of Vermont’s Green Mountains, just 30 minutes from Burlington and Stowe. The resort offers skiing and riding on 71 trails, along with extensive backcountry skiing and riding opportunities. With over 300 inches of snowfall annually and some of the best terrain in the east, Bolton Valley is a favorite among skiers and riders from across the country. In the summer months, Bolton Valley has established itself as one of the best downhill mountain bike parks in the northeast with a mix of raw, rowdy and ripping technical terrain and new flow trails from world class trail designers and builders Gravity Logic.
—
For press inquiries please contact:
spellegrini@boltonvalley.com | (802) 989-8468

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If you’re unfamiliar with Vermont Adaptive, they are a nationally recognized organization whose mission is to empower folks of all abilities with physical, cognitive, and emotional disabilities from all over the globe here in our home state of Vermont. With the support of its 400 active volunteers and sponsors, VA tackles obstacles in accessibility to the outdoors by providing instruction to sports, recreational opportunities to year-round programs, and specialized equipment (Currently this is the only Adaptive Program in New England to offer multiple Bowhead Adaptive Mountain Bikes to Participants).

This Summer Season marks our first year of hosting Vermont Adaptive’s mountain bike programming at our Bike Park and we’re ecstatic to see how our partnership will open doors for new and seasoned riders. With the addition of our Green Trail – Ebascootcha last year, we are proud to offer more accessible trails for bikers of all abilities. Whether you’re looking to participate or get involved (Volunteers are always needed!), we encourage you to check out Vermont Adaptive’s programming and supporting their missing of making “Sports for EveryBODY”.

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What can I say? Sometimes you speak too soon. There’s just so much snow left and the skiing is just too good…. so…. we’ve made some adjustments to our bonus weekend plans.

And I assure you this is NOT an April Fools

Here’s the revised plan for our bonus weekends:

We will add in another day next Friday and call it a three-day weekend! That’s April 7th, 8th, and 9th … aaaaand…. we will keep Vista spinning too.

Vista will spin all three days and Timberline will join the party on Saturday and Sunday. We will operate from 10am – 5pm all three days to get a little more of the afternoon sunshine.

As of now, our plan is still to operate Timberline and Snowflake (including the park) for the second bonus weekend on the 15th and 16th, but we’ll keep an eye on the forecast and keep you posted on our snow report.

Thank you for being a part of the Bolton Valley magic. I’ll see you on the slopes or for après on one of the decks (where I’ll be working on my goggle tan).

Love,

Lindsay

The post Letters from Lindsay, Vol. 15 appeared first on Bolton Valley.

How did it get to be the end of March already??  I think the passage of time may always be a little uncanny and certainly the end of a season always seems to come as a surprise.  This year is no exception, and as the wind down each year is inevitably somewhat unique, I thought I would reach out to share our thoughts and plans as we prepare to bring another season to a close. 

As we have done for the past several years, we plan to run seven-day-a-week lift operations through the first weekend in April, after which point, we will assess whether we can extend our operations on weekends only to get some BV Bonus Weekends.  This year, thanks in large part to the 3’ storm mother nature sent our way last week, it’s looking like the answer will almost certainly be:  Yes! Yes! Yes!

But first thing’s first – this week and next week through Friday, March 31^st we will run full lift operations – all our hours, day and night.  March 31^st will be our last day of night skiing for the season so come out and get it while you can!  Enjoy the long day and catch a late sunset from the top of Vista!  April 1 and 2^nd – conditions permitting – we will spin all lifts 9am – 4pm. 

Ok – onto the plan for our bonus weekends. 

Depending on conditions we will extend ski operations through either one or two bonus weekends with the potential last day of the ski season for BV being April 16^th this year.  Note that our hours for the bonus weekends will push back a tiny bit to run lifts from 10am – 5pm.  Our thinking on this is…. spring brings its own conditions and dynamics – with firm mornings, softening through the day, we think starting a little later, letting the snow soften up a bit and then giving you a little longer to ski in the afternoons during these longer days will just be better and more fun! 

Now obviously, the weather may not cooperate and we may end up wrapping the season sooner than we’d like, but that’s our goal and, as of now, with the base we have, that’s our plan. 

But there’s more – there’s a twist!  We are going to try something a little different this year and we are going to hold our bonus weekend skiing at Timberline!!

Why – you might ask?  Well, we have a bunch of reasons. 

First – spring skiing at Timberline is the bomb.  It’s sunnier, warmer, and more wide open.  Second, thanks to Blauvelt’s Banks, we made a ton of snow down there for the banked slalom course that we can plow out and harvest to expand the season as long as possible.  Third, the new base lodge is sooo nice now and we love the indoor-outdoor flow of the lodge to lift experience, especially with El Gato cooking and the new bar down there, we think it will be the place to be for après ski in the spring sunshine.  We will also operate the snowflake lift in case you prefer to park in the main base area. 

And – as if those reasons aren’t compelling enough… there is also a logistical / operational function in this plan as well.  Moving to Timberline will allow us to start to turn over the main base area to get ready for summer operations and this year in particular, it will allow us to get started on some planned and necessary infrastructure improvements to the main base lodge ASAP, including most notably a total roof replacement. 

We expect the base lodge project to take at least two months and we really want it to be finished by the end of June so we can use the base lodge this summer.  Hopefully you have started to join us for all the fun we’ve been having in the summer – if not – put it on your radar!  BV Summers are off the hook with the Vista lift spinning, our MTB park with trails for all ages and abilities, scenic lift rides, our new outdoor pool, summer camps for kids, our weekly music on the lawn series, creemees…. yeah yeah – you gotta check it out!! 

So, yes, spring bonus weekends this year will be at Timberline – and if we keep running Blauvelt’s down there and stockpiling all that snow for the course, it could be the move every year.  We’re looking at this spring as a kind of pilot – we think it’s going to be awesome and, if it’s as fun as we think, it may just become the new normal at BV to extend the season at Timberline. So come give it a try and let us know your thoughts!

Moving forward – we will keep a tight eye on both skiing conditions and the weather forecast and make the best call we can about our bonus weekends in real time.  Please keep your eye on our snow report for all up to date information with all our spring operations developments as they happen. 

And thank you for making it another great season at Bolton Valley. 

Love,
Lindsay

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Who’s ready?

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Give name, confirm gender identity (we will have 3 categories for this race: Male, Female, Non-Binary, but UltraSignup did not allow for this online, so please simply let us know at bib pickup if you have an amendment to your category)

Camping:
Looks to be a beautiful weekend for camping in the Vermont mountains. Feel free to camp in the lower parking lots and lowest “tennis court parking lot” near the portolet, but please do not camp on the trail surrounding the lower tennis court as the race will pass through there Sunday morning!

F&B Around the Resort:
(Hours subject to change with staffing realities)
Breakfast/Lunch available at Base Café (Main Base Lodge 1st Floor). Order online in advance and pickup HERE
Dinner via James Moore Tavern (2nd floor Main Base Lodge)
Mountain Market sundries, groceries, beer, wine, etc, 11am-6pm
All Resort Outlet Hours

We strongly encourage folks to come up and grab their bibs in advance if time/travel permits (available Fri & Sat in Main Base Lodge 8am to 5pm). And while you’re at it, the forecast looks pretty good…. perhaps consider hopping on a scenic lift ride while you’re here – should be some beautiful foliage to take in and climb the fire tower at the top of Vista Peak for beautiful 360 degree panoramic views of New Hampshire, Vermont and New York’s highest peaks.

Day of Race Registration:
Sports Center (warehouse-y building at bottom of parking lots) in Main Base Area 6-7am

Registration closes today (Friday, 9/30) at noon.
Register HERE while you still can.
There will be no more registrations accepted online or in person after that time.

PLEASE COME PREPARED FOR ALL WEATHER
We are the highest base area elevation ski resort in Vermont. Looks like Sunday morning temps will be in the 40s for spectators most of the day and perhaps near freezing for racers first couple of peak summits.

Spectators:
The race will pass through the base area 4-5 times depending on how you count it. We’re thrilled you’re joining us! Tips for success in showing your support:
– Start at the Sports Center.
– Point 1 – runners pass by the wilderness lift barn on their way up to the second climb.
– Point 2 – The bottom of Bryant Trail before runners begin the XC section.
– Point 3 – In front of the Sports Center before runners enter Picnic Loop.
– Point 4 – While runners exit Picnic Loop and head through the parking lot as they make their way to Timberline. 
– Finish at the Sports Center

Kids Race – On the fly about 1 hour after the race starts! For year one, a combination of staffing shortages and unanticipated needs of the bigger race mean that we’ll be playing this one pretty fast and loose, but we’ll have a good time with it, we have no doubt! We hope to see some of you kiddos that wanna get in a fun run together.

Awards on a rolling basis – 30 minutes after third in each category or so. We’ll go with the flow on this one and do what feels right.

Food provided to runners after the race. Please show bib for meal. For others looking to dine, please visit previously shared F&B outlets above or feel free to bring food for post race so you can all stay together at the post race gathering easily, as we don’t have “normal” food service at the Sports Center location where we’ll be serving the racers their post-race meals.

Thank you,
Anthony Staples, Mark Clement & Bolton Valley

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