Ski Bus Trip Jan 9th 2026

By Phil Caracci

I often volunteer to write this blog after a Miramar Ski Club trip. I start by staring at a blank screen and say “how can I write something that sounds any different from my prior posts?”.

It isn’t easy because there’s a definite pattern to our weekend bus trips: ride the bus to VT; sleep in the lodge; breakfasting the lodge; ski Sugarbush; aprés ski at the mountain; more aprés ski at the lodge; dinner; after dinner party; sleep; Sunday breakfast; ski Killington; ride home.

Yes it’s a pattern but believe me it’s never the same. Take this from me because this is my 29th year in the club. No two trips are ever the same. Like fingerprints…. Or snowflakes (a more apt analogy for skiing).

So as I search for the unique aspects of this weekend I offer the following:

We had a first-time Trip Leader (TL). Cesar has been in the club several years and has stepped up to a leadership role in a few areas. This was his first trip as a TL for a winter trip. Let me restate the obvious. We are a SKI CLUB. Without Trip Leaders there are no trips and hence no club. So it’s a huge deal when a member puts up their hand and says “I’ll do it”. NOTE: When I say “ski” I really mean “play in the snow” which includes snowboard, Nordic ski, snowshoe, snow angels, etc…

Are you wondering if his first stint as TL was an easy one? Not really! The guests significantly outnumbered the members making it that much more challenging. Members know the drum beat that sets the pace. Wake up call, go down for breakfast, get on the bus, etc… It’s not rocket science but it does take getting used to. Even with the lack of members to coach the guests, it ran smoothly. Nice job Cesar!

The makeup or the trippers is always different. As mentioned above, there were many guests: 20 in total. 18 were first-timers with Miramar. It was somewhat unusual that half the group registered with another person. A father with his daughter, another father with his son, friends from grad school, married couples etc. Trippers who register solo tend to talk to more people (yes, I generalize). Compared to other trips this bus was relatively quiet and I attribute that to group’s makeup. Not saying that’s good or bad; just an observation I made.

Another observation was the number of snowboards on the bus. For years we had “Liz the snowboarder” because on many trips she was the Lone Rider. But on this trip she had company! Five others riding boards. That’s still a small proportion but more than it’s been.

It’s always good to see Matt, our awesome chef. I wished him a happy two-year anniversary with the Club. He’s been amazing! I happen to be sitting at a table with mostly guests for breakfast on our first morning. The surprised looks on their faces said it all. Perhaps they were expecting coffee, a muffin and a banana when we say “breakfast is included”. For the record, Matt had served us French toast, scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes and bacon in addition to the buffet table featuring yogurt, oatmeal, muffins, fresh fruit, and cold cereal. Don’t try to eat all the offerings!

Now let’s talk a little bit about snow. The end of 2025 featured perhaps the best early season skiing that Vermont has seen in decades. It seemed to snow every day or every other day and remain below freezing so nothing melted. Yeah, some people complained that it was cold during those weeks, but they had amazing snow. We on the other hand had very comfortable temperatures. So comfortable, that the Friday night precipitation came in a form other than the much-desired snowflake. The start of the day at Sugarbush was shall we say “firm”. That’s what we call snow that doesn’t move. 😊 But, things softened up a bit on Lincoln Peak in the afternoon. An afternoon visit to Mt Ellen (Sugarbush’s other peak) provided lovely views across Lake Champlain to the Adirondack Mountains in NY State and zero waits for a lift.

This was my first ski day of the season and of course not the conditions I would’ve hoped for but all in all it was a fine day. I was skiing with my buddy John and a guest Perry, who was here on his second winter trip with us. Later on in the trip, Perry told me that he really wished he had discovered Miramar years ago. He really enjoyed the club experience.

At the end of the day at the base of the mountain, we gathered, listening to a singer belting out classic rock tunes while drinking some local craft beers and talking about our day. This by itself is fun!

One of our guests had an unfortunate fall and visited the clinic. Afterwards he was in great spirits at the bar telling everyone how cheap his x-ray was! The clinic at Sugarbush is staffed with volunteers so you only pay for “parts”.

When the party continued back at the lodge we saw that the old bar (since 1962) was shifted about 10 or 12 inches to provide additional space for the bartenders. As a result, they tended bar better than ever!

Another round of frozen precipitation on Saturday night resulted in ice coated chairlifts and a slow start at Killington. The same group from the prior day, now joined by Renata (returning after missing last season) and Aamir (day tripping from his home in NH), faced the challenge figuring out how to navigate The Beast riding only fixed-grip lifts. Hey, we did it!

I often dream of soft snow and blue skies, but I’ll ski whatever I get and still be happy. Miramar makes that easy. Thanks to TL Cesar, Staff Maureen, Chef Mathew, Dishwasher Maddy, Driver Mike and all the members and guests on the trip that made it a fine weekend. I’ll be back in a couple of weeks for more of this.