Ski Bus Trip Mar 10, 2023

By Phil Caracci from Mar 12, 2023

“I’m going to ski in Steamboat Springs, CO for a week with Miramar! When I get back I’ll probably skip one VT weekend and sign up for the following bus trip”.

That’s what I thought and that’s what I usually do. However, this time I knew I had to get to Vermont NOW. I would not skip this weekend!

In my idle minutes last week in Colorado I was monitoring what was happening in Vermont. What was happening? SNOW!!! A few FEET of snow! The best skiing of the season was waiting for me.

The trip started off great. The Hampton Jitney sent us an Ambassador bus. We’re traveling in First Class with lots of leg-room, fold-down tray tables and a kitchen in the back. Cool!

The ride up was the usual good time. I was meeting new people and I was drinking good wine. I was being offered tasty chocolate treats, cookies, etc.. I was sharing my cheese and crackers with the folks around me. The storm was rolling in, but we were ahead of it and our drive was on dry roads with no traffic. Perfect.

Early Saturday was not particularly sunny. I was skiing with Elizabeth and Linda, a brand-new member, and a brand-new guest. But by late morning, the sun was breaking through the cloud cover and it was turning into an amazing ski day. I decided to pick up the speed a bit and I switched ski groups joining my buddies Chris and John for the rest of the day. The snow was soft. The temperature was mild and the sun was shining. I couldn’t believe there weren’t big crowds. It seems a lot of people don’t realize March and April can be the best ski months of the season!

My Irish brothers and I decided to ride the 2-mile chairlift to Mt Ellen after lunch because the sunshine was just outstanding and I wanted to take in the breathtaking views from that peak looking all the way to the Adirondacks in NY State. Lincoln Peak was not crowded but Mt Ellen was completely empty and we were skiing all over the mountain having a ball. So much so that we missed the connection back to the main base and missed the Miramar bus back to the lodge. No problem, there is craft beer on tap and a town shuttle as a backup!

And speaking of that shuttle…. We needed it the next morning as our bus had a slight problem and we returned to Sugarbush and this time went directly over to Mt Ellen for another day of great sunshine skiing with Bonnie and John. It was again a glorious sunshiny day.

The clock change last night was giving us even more daylight today. After a long outdoor lunch including Lawson’s Sip of Sunshine to emphasize the point, I returned to the top of the mountain and savored a nonstop run of the 2400 foot vertical drop just in time to catch the bus home.

Oh yeah!!!