By Phil Caracci
There are so many great trips but the Super Bowl Weekend Trip is quickly becoming a “must do” event. Even if you don’t care a bit about football, that game has a huge impact on this trip.

Here’s how:
A. We watch the game in the lodge on Sunday night which means this “weekend trip” returns on Monday.
B. The extra day is a non-holiday Monday which means fewer people are skiing.
C. On Sunday, many people leave around noon to go to their Super Bowl parties and therefore, fewer people are skiing.
D. The extra day follows all the Super Bowl parties which means fewer people are able to get up and ski! 🍺🍷🍸
E. It’s 3 days on the slopes vs 2. Who wouldn’t want that?
F. The extra “middle” day allows us to ski Stowe as an option.
G. You can enter the Super Bowl Box and win real cash! Enough to cover a third of a single-day lift ticket at Stowe!! 😁
H. The extra day gives our guests more time to get to know the members and really feel connected to this club.

It’s no wonder with all of these things going for it that the trip was completely SOLD OUT weeks in advance. I registered 2 months in advance and suggest you do that next year.

Lots of positives listed above but there was one little negative. It was cold. How cold? Too cold!

On Saturday we woke up to temperatures below 0°F. That was at the lodge. On the mountain it was colder… with wind. The “real feel” was probably around -35°F!

As we like to say… “put on every bit of clothing you have”… and go out and enjoy the day. This brutally cold day did limit the number of crazies on the chairlifts at Sugarbush while every bit of indoor space was packed to capacity. Hot Chocolate was the preferred Drink of the Day!

Sunday at Stowe was even colder but thankfully the wind was less of a factor making it more manageable. I added an extra layer to my upper body and glove liners which allowed me to handle this high dose of winter quite well. Stowe has long been a favorite of mine and I’m sad that the industry has made us choose between EPIC and IKON. Our lodge is nearest an IKON mountain so the choice is obvious. But Stowe is epic in any sense of that word.

The Big Game on Sunday dominated the evening but there was still time to celebrate 3 birthdays, one of them mine. I must say, we have some great voices in the club. The Happy Birthday song never sounded this good!

Our bonus day at Killington was actually above 0° and felt relatively balmy. The gorgeous sunshine from start to finish really made it feel so much better. As predicted, no lift lines at all on a Monday. It was sweet.

We don’t all ski/ride together basically because the skill level varies from beginner to expert. Some like bumps. Some like the trees. Some like a waiter-served lunch with a linen tablecloth. For the record, I’m not in any of those groups!

That said, I heard of a few stories that sounded intriguing. One group which included a first-time guest entered the Slide Brook Wilderness at Sugarbush which is essentially an off-piste tree-skiing run that drops you out on a road where a shuttle bus can be flagged down to return you to base. She loved it and the entire group did it a second time!

Then there was another guest that likes to pile up his daily stats skiing to the very last minute. Unfortunately the lift operators weren’t of the same mindset and shut down the lift he needed earlier than scheduled and he was stranded at Killington far from our bus, Luckily another stranded skier called his wife who picked them both up and he got a ride back delaying our departure by just a few minutes.

The bus ride home was loud! Everybody was so excited about this trip. Painkillers and Maple Margaritas got us home with smiles that still haven’t faded. Oh, if you’re wondering who won the game, I’d say we did 😊

By Adam Sanderson
What a weekend! Our January trip brought 32 members and 15 guests up to Vermont for three incredible days on the slopes, and it’s safe to say this one will be remembered for a while.

The adventure kicked off Friday night on the bus, where the energy was electric. New faces mixed with familiar ones as everyone swapped stories of their best (and worst) ski adventures, shared snacks and drinks, and got the weekend started right. By the time we pulled into the lodge, friendships were already forming — though everyone was ready to grab some sleep before hitting the mountain.

Saturday morning, Matt the chef worked his magic with a breakfast spread that had something for everyone: pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, oatmeal, fresh fruit, muffins, and plenty of coffee to fuel the day ahead. There had been some worry about conditions — a few members who’d skied the previous weekend reported things were pretty icy. But Mother Nature came through for us. Temps had dropped, fresh snow was falling, and when we got to Sugarbush, conditions were excellent. Fresh powder, minimal ice, and temps hovering around 20 degrees. Skiers and snowboarders of all levels had a blast, from mellow green runs to challenging black diamonds.

That evening, the fun continued back at the lodge with a full open bar, a roaring fireplace, and delicious appetizers. Sunday brought more of the same great conditions. Some folks headed to Mad River Glen, others explored Mt. Ellen, and reports came back glowing from every direction. The Slide Brook chairlift was even running — and if you know, you know: that chair only spins when conditions are really good.

Sunday night was another fantastic evening courtesy of Matt’s cooking, more time around the bar, and plenty of games and conversation. On Monday, we wrapped up the trip at Killington, where the tree skiing was outstanding and deep snow made for an unforgettable final day. It was a bit colder, but nothing that slowed anyone down.

The bus ride home was full of the kind of tired, happy energy that only comes after a great trip. New friendships were cemented, stories were retold, and — in a move that may have just changed Miramar history — margaritas replaced the usual Bloody Marys for bus drinks. The reception was overwhelmingly positive, and we’re hoping this becomes the new standard.

All in all, an amazing long weekend with great snow, great people, and plenty of memories made. Here’s to many more trips ahead!

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.

By Karen McFarlane

On the bright and sunny (OK, it was after dark) evening of January 2, 2026, the first Miramar bus trip of 2026 took off from the streets of New York with 27 hearty ski souls aboard and Al, our wonderful driver, at the helm. (We had lost a few erstwhile ski attendees due to the flu…) We were super excited to make this one of the first slightly post New Year’s trips in recent memory. Normally the conditions are not optimal for this weekend, but this year, conditions were looking pretty darn good! In fact, they were so good, that a bunch of hangers-on from prior trips were still ensconced in the lodge, refusing to leave!

Saturday was a terrific day at Sugarbush! Temps were a balmy $&@ (fill in whatever temp under freezing is comfortable for you), winds at !$& mph (fill in whatever speed is not quite high enough to blow you over) and a continuous stream of the white stuff they call… what is it again… oh yes, SNOW!!

This writer was very nervous and tentative at first, wondering if my old bones and muscles would make it and, half-way through my first run, I decided it was time to quit skiing forever, but after a few more minutes, I realized my ski legs were back on track and I felt terrific-the snow felt like a carpet of talcum powder – just lovely and perfect!! I was with a constantly changing group of Miramar ski partners and we continued to mix and match through and after lunch! By 3:00, a constantly growing group of us commandeered a table or two at Rumbles. Our apres-ski meeting made merry until bus loading time.

It must be noted that our weekend was led by a powerful and terrific duo – Gail and Till. Both had signed up as guests, but due to unforeseen circumstances, Gail first moved up to Staff and, apparently a few hours before the trip, got promoted to Trip Leader. Till also progressed up the ladder to Staff. It is noted that Kirsty, the originally planned Trip Leader, had done a great job of organizing the trip, which was made very difficult by the constantly changing cast of characters who stayed through from prior trips, changing daily from on-bus to off-bus to maybe driving to maybe leaving early, etc. – you get the point. Unfortunately, Kirsty had a last minute problem which prevented her from coming on the trip.

We had our usual lovely cocktail hour, with very tasty hors-d’oeuvres made by our wonderful chef, Matt. We had a guest appearance at the cocktail hour and dinner by our past president, Bill and his lovely wife, Roberta. For those of you who don’t know, Bill and Roberta are the only Miramartians who own a house near the Miramar Lodge which they bought from an actual Von Trapp family member!! (Maria still comes by nightly and sings lullabies to put them to sleep…!)

Following a lovely salmon dinner, again by our wonderful chef Matt (and assisted by the able Maddie), the usual shenanigans of drinking, dancing, shmoozing and hanging by the fireplace took place in our luxurious lounge/bar downstairs.

On Sunday, we did a rinse and repeat, this time at Killington! The weather again was pretty cold, windy and foggy, with snow showers – but the conditions were terrific!! This time, we ended the day listening to music upstairs at the Snowshed bar and then proceeded to trundle our way back to the bus for our trip back home. With happy hour on the bus, together with a delightful repast from Panera, served at 60 mph, our wonderful weekend soon came to an end.

When all is said and done, you can’t go wrong when a first time guest notes that they like the fact that Miramar is “old school and precious!!”

By Evelyn Konrad
The two-day Miramar ski trip which started on Friday, 26 December, was both an unusual one, for being relatively early considering Vermont conditions, and more than worthwhile writing about. Right from the start, this bus trip was a noteworthy event: we were fully complete, without stragglers, and ready to roll at 5:45 p.m. It was the beginning of a weekend noteworthy for its incredibly cooperative, joyful and enthusiastic guests, of whom there were more than there were members.

It was the Friday of the Big Snowstorm, and all of us old-timers were thrilled that wonderful Al from the Hampton Jitney was our driver. There’s absolutely no safer, nor more helpful and “team-spirited” driver in the world. And boy, was his skill needed: We left before 6 pm and we got to our lodge at Waitsfield at 2:30 a.m.!!! Usual cookies and cider and usual merciless 7:30 am wake-up.

But it was worth it: I thought the conditions at Sugarbush were as good as they get, with fast snow, and oddly enough, morning moguls on the generally smooth side of Hotshot trail.

That’s the end of the good news: I skied so badly, despite the good conditions, that I began considering “an early retirement” at about to be 97 years old. On Sunday the lucky bus people went to Killington, which I usually do not like as much as I love Sugarbush, although I have free lift tickets in both (and that’s an incentive). I took the public bus from Bridge Street up to Sugarbush, was warmly welcomed by the shuttle drivers who have long known “the Old Lady on the Mountain,” or “The Old Lady from that crazy Miramar Club,” and he was visibly relieved that I was still alive and well. Not so for my skiing. Conditions were again optimal, which for me means no wind, but my skiing was appalling, shameful, characterized by desperate snowplows, irregular and unpredictable turns in panic, and snowplow stops. Sorry, but truth must out.

On Monday, as predicted by my friends at the Ski School, was awful weather, I mean plain, pouring rain. Irena, Sergey and I did not even bother to go to the lodge, but went straight to the Sugarbush Rec. Building, with the pool, gym, hot tub and other consolations for the usual one day of bad weather around Christmas. Had such a good time with Irena and her boyfriend, and she and I discovered a ping-pong table, a game she loves and I adored but had not played for some 55 or 60 years: our longest exercise in the beginning was crouching down to pick up balls we had failed to return. But, let me modestly admit that I felt I could get my game back, and if there’s another lousy day during my upcoming ski weeks, I hope to hell that Irene is there and we can get some ping-pong games going, learning to stand far away from the table to return smashing low shots from the opponent.

This report would simply not be complete if I failed to tell about the absolutely wonderful BIRTHDAY PARTY which the terrific gang who stayed at the lodge threw for me, complete with delicious birthday pie, and tactfully, SEVEN CANDLES, not 97!!! No cake big enough for my birthday. Unfortunately, these friends also plastered the pictures and news of my birthday, so that strangers coming to the lodge or meeting me on the lift immediately greeted me with “Happy Birthday, Evelyn,” showing that the publicity-rabid crowd at the lodge had forever ruined my chances of yet another romance. Oh well!

Now for my good news: After four days of such deplorably bad skiing that I was weighing two alternatives: throwing away my ski equipment in perpetuity, or becoming a “Western skier.” Then it happened. Mirabile dictu: On Sunday, our last day and on the Killington day before heading back, I suddenly did it: an all-in-one run down a trail, no stop, no showplow, not yet my inimitably good form, but FULLY IN CONTROL! And so happy that, upon return to the Big City, I immediately signed up for the 23 January 2-dayer, through the 1 February 2-dayer!

Sorry, guys, you’re not rid of me yet!!!

By Phil Caracci

Two weekends in a row??? Yes!! For me it was back to back Miramar weekends. It hit 80 degrees in NYC but northern VT had a winter storm warning and it delivered. I believe Sugarbush saw close to 10 inches of new snow while a bit south of us, Killington had mostly rain. We got lucky!!

24 club members and 12 guests signed up to get in on one of the final weekends of skiing and riding for the season with a forecast that was far from convincing. I called it “the bus of optimists”. My analysis was as follows… I do want to ski this weekend but if there is some rain I’ll do less skiing but still have fun. After all these years I’ve learned that I ALWAYS enjoy the Miramar weekend bus trips. Building new friendships, great meals (prepared by Matt, our chef) and fun parties are all components that factor into a good time. But our snow dance paid off as the storm started just as our chartered bus pulled up to our lodge on Friday night.

You won’t find many groomed trails when a storm rolls in overnight and continues into the ski day. Basically this was a different look than we are accustomed to and it seemed everyone enjoyed the challenge. Even the green trails had moguls by the end of the day! Fun!

Of course fun continues off the slopes too with a great aprés ski party, gourmet dinner, dancing or maybe just chilling with a glass of wine on the couch by the fireplace.

The plan was to ski Killington on Sunday but we were getting reports from friends who were there that we should reconsider. Trip Leader Kim made the call on Saturday night that we’d return to Sugarbush the following day. This turned out to be the only option as Killington lost power from a fallen ice-coated tree and the resort was closed all day. It’s rare that we change up the plan but so glad we did. We got lucky once again! Sugarbush has two base areas. The smaller of the two is Mt Ellen Sunday was the last day of the season for this section so it seemed fitting that our driver Al should drop us off there.

The winter storm was ongoing but today it was what is kindly termed a “wintery mix”. A bit of snow, a bit of rain, maybe some sleet but the big headline was FOG!

Visibility at times was just enough to see the chair in front of you on the lift. You can hide inside or take on another challenge. Our group sort of split with one wise soul hitting the spa instead of the slopes.

Spring skiing is always an adventure. You might get snow, There could be rain. The sun often shines brightly. You rarely need a sweater. More likely you’ll need sunscreen. But above all, always pack a positive attitude….. and maybe a swim suit for the spa, 😁

By Phil Caracci
Spring Fling Trip

I write about our ski weekends often. They follow a well-defined pattern: fun bus ride to VT; amazing breakfast; ski Sugarbush; aprés ski party; world-class dinner; nighttime dance party; another killer breakfast; ski Killington; loud bus ride home with many smiling faces.

As the writer, it’s incumbent upon me to find other aspects of the trip to highlight in order to avoid repetition. I was among the group of 35 skiers and snowboarders that signed up for the Spring Fling Trip.

Let’s talk about Saturday at Sugarbush. It was the first weekend of Spring and this day lived up to expectations. Glorious sunshine from beginning to end. The bluest sky you can imagine!

My typical routine is to ski the mountain from left to right. Start off on Snowball, then Spring Fling, then take the Super Bravo, Downspout Trail to the Heaven’s Gate Chair. We rode up the newest lift spying the conditions on Ripcord (which was great!) and then back up for my favorite summit run – Jester.

What made this special for me was that I was skiing with my friend Chris. He normally skies with other friends that ski more challenging terrain but this day it was just he and I sticking mainly to Blue trails.

Our desire to do some runs off of the North Lynx Chair was thwarted by a temporary mechanical issue so after bombing down the Waterfall Trail, we jumped on the shuttle to Mt Ellen (aka, Sugarbush North), 2 miles away.

This turned out to be winning move as we heard others say the lift lines were getting long back at Lincoln Peak but we had none at all AND the snow was probably better here. It was fantastic in every aspect!

We made a stop for a later lunch hoping there would now be room for us in the tiny Walt’s Cabin (Glen House) midway up the mountain. Indeed there was. We grabbed 2 seats looking out the window and walked over to order lunch from the bartender. I left my reading glasses in my jacket so Chris, reading the menu, told me they had several burgers with a variety of cheese toppings and we both ordered The Goat which featured Vermont Goat Cheese, which I absolutely love. In a few minutes, the server delivered our food to the counter where we were sitting. Chris gently lifted one slice of bread and said alarmingly “they forgot the burger!”. This was met by laughter on both sides of us as we were informed that they only have grilled cheese and soup here! No burgers…. Too funny!

The free shuttle delivered us back to Lincoln Peak where a dance party was well underway in the plaza. Sugarbush declared this Pride Day and you know the outfits and the energy were something to behold. I felt fortunate to locate an empty seat at a prime table near the DJ with folks I didn’t know. They soon left and I claimed the table for our group (via our WhatsApp chat) resulting in a dozen others who came by to enjoy dancing and drinking beers in the warm afternoon sun. This was a classic spring skiing experience. An awesome day.

Sunday was different. I woke up to see the Real Feel temp was 1° (air temp was 14°). A warm sunny afternoon followed by an overnight deep freeze could only mean one thing…. Ice Ice Baby!

Thus skiing was a bit of a challenge on Sunday and if you didn’t have sharp edges the challenge was even greater. However it was again a day featuring brilliant sunshine which did help soften things up later on.

I told one of our guests that after a few runs on the fast & firm slopes of Killington, that I went in for some Clam Chowder. This inspired him to write the following:

◦ No fresh snow today, just ice on the hills,
◦ So Phil took one run and was done with the chills.
◦ “I can’t ski on this, I need some damn powder—
◦ I guess I’ll stay here with this bowl of clam chowder.”

Thanks Johannes!! LOL

Some more tidbits from the trip:

There was a guest who came with her 14 year old son. He was way better than his mom and was quickly adopted by other expert skiers/riders while mom found others at her level to ski with.This is an additional bonus to skiing with a club. If the person you came with is at a very different level you can each find your tribe.

Aamir, my best friend in the club, wasn’t on the trip but lives about an hour away from Killington. He met up with Chris and I on Sunday. After so many years together on and off the slopes, I regard them as brothers. Skiing with Miramar brings people together.

Near the end of the day I told Aamir & Chris that I as done and heading to the base. An older gentlemen overheard the discussion re the best way to get there and offered helpful advice. By coincidence this man, Jerry, had been a Miramar member back in the 70’s! This club goes way back to 1949 and our members are everywhere!

By Elizabeth Ernish

On March 14—Pi Day—thirty-plus spirited travelers boarded the Hampton Jitney coach bound for Miramar’s Ski Lodge in Waitsfield, VT. Led by group leader Tom F. and staff member David W., the trip was a true family affair! Parents brought their children, including a pair of twin teens and some full-fledged adults (if there is such a thing). Three married couples traveled with built-in bus companions. We even had “work spouses” — two first time guests (G1s) joined Miramar after their planned office ski trip fizzled out. Outgoing solo travelers quickly embraced the Club’s esprit de corps, and we even saw the return of two prodigal Miramartians, Nancy and Margaret. MIA for most of the season, we were thrilled to have them back!

On winter’s last Saturday—but daylight savings’ first—we encountered unseasonably warm weather (nearly 60°F in the U.S. and 15°C everywhere else) and snow with the consistency of a 7-Eleven Slurpee at Sugarbush’s Lincoln Peak. On balmy days like this, it can be tempting to search for snow off the summit lifts (Heaven’s Gate, Lynx, and Castlerock), but it’s important to stay within your limits. Luckily, G2 (second time guest) Amy’s trip down Upper Jester in the ski patrol bucket was more of a joyride than a medical emergency — things can go awry. Ski safely! Unsure of your skill level? Take a lesson or sign up for one of Sugarbush’s legendary women’s sessions.

Après-ski in Sugarbush’s courtyard took on a Daytona Beach spring break vibe, with outdoor drinking and revelry continuing back at the Miramar Lodge. Resident firestarter Alan M. cranked up the firepit in addition to tending (with some slight hiccups) to the lounge’s fireplace. Meanwhile, G1s Mona and her sons relaxed in the Adirondack ski chairs.

As has become standard, Chef Matt threw down some tasty chow, including St. Patrick’s-inspired corned beef & kraut egg rolls. After dinner, the guests’ post-supper testimonials ranged from heartfelt to hilarious. G2 (second time guest) Evangeline brought down the house with her origin story—turns out she found our little club through Reddit’s *NYCbitcheswithtaste*. Who knew? The evening continued in the lounge with dancing, shenanigans, and even a few Cirque du Soleil-like moves.

Sunday morning, after completing our chores and enjoying a tasty French toast breakfast, we headed to Killington Ski Resort. As the bus meandered south on Route 100, we saw Moss Glen Falls gushing due to the quickly melting snow. 😞 Along the way, we also learned how the Mad River got its name—unlike every other moving waterbody in the Winooski River Basin, the Mad River flows from south to north.

Despite the warm temps, the “Beast of the East” did not disappoint, offering conditions many, many notches above *meh*. A highlight of the day was the Miramar *mishpacha* dining en masse at Peak Lodge, while a select group of foodies indulged in mountain-inspired haute cuisine at the ski-in/ski-out Ledgewood Yurt. After lunch, yours truly led a group of five skiers on the Peak to Creek run—a 3.46-mile trail from Killington Peak to the Skyeship base.

The day wrapped up with everyone piling onto the New York-bound bus at the crack of 4:30 PM, enjoying our traditional bus snacks and cocktails as we traveled south of Rutland, Vermont.

By Phil Caracci

I’ve been a part of Miramar since 1997. Still the anticipation of the trip ahead gripped me as I met the group on West 23rd Street in NYC. I looked around – there were MANY new faces.  I learned this trip included 17 first time guests… G1’s as we call them. That’s a lot!

Saturday followed the traditional schedule… breakfast, skiing at Sugarbush, happy hour, dinner, dancing and chats by the fireplace. As I type this sentence it sounds outstanding without hearing any details. But the details make it even better!

We have a new chef who recently celebrated his one year anniversary with the club. Chef Mathew is amazing, turning out French Toast, eggs, bacon along with yogurt, muffins, fresh fruit and so much more. When you hear that breakfast is included, you don’t necessarily expect this!

Now let’s talk about skiing.  Vermont is experiencing one of it’s best winters in a very long time.  No giant blizzards but instead frequent snowfalls and more importantly no thaws. Freeze/thaw is what produces ice and I think it’s been below freezing for 6 consecutive weeks.  However, Saturday was also a day of total sunshine and no wind from start to end! And if you stuck to the singles line, no waits for the lifts either. If you didn’t enjoy a day like this you are probably in the wrong sport.

When I’m on a trip I always offer what is often called the “Uncle Phil Tour”. After skiing I take first time guests to Bridge Street to see the shops and I tell a few stories along the way. About a dozen trippers signed up for the 20-minute walk with me through the historic covered bridge with some returning with purchases from the Artisan Gallery or the beer cave (awesome craft beer selection in the gas station!)

At 6PM we kicked off the evening’s activities with the Happy Hour featuring some more of the chef’s creations and open bar. It’s a LOUD room!  More than 40 people riding a high from our sunny day on the slopes and meeting people for the first time. As an old-timer in the club, I often go to one corner of the room and just soak in the scene and it warms my heart to see the interaction.  It’s a warm welcoming community.  Nobody is staring at a cell phone!

I doubt I’ve ever ordered cauliflower soup before but I wasn’t surprised at how good it was.  Everything that comes out of our commercial kitchen has been top notch.  The Salmon Florentine was killer!!!

The Miramar  lodge setup is really ideal.  Nobody is going out into the cold night. No driving anywhere.  After dinner you join the party downstairs by the fire or on the dance floor until fatigue tells you it’s time to get some sleep because tomorrow is another day of skiing or riding.

On Day 2 at Killington, I decided to ski with two G1’s which eventually expanded to a group of 6. I enjoy taking photos on the slopes and I found a group on the same wavelength.  One benefit of group trips is that you can probably find a compatible partner regardless of how you choose to attack the mountain; fast, slow, steep, mellow, breaks, no-breaks, bumps, trees, etc….

I was sipping cocktails on the bus ride home, enjoying a tasty meal from Panera Bread and chatting with all my new friends and feeling so happy.  It was an amazing weekend.  This is why the Miramar Ski Club has been part of my adult life for this long and hopefully for many more years to come.

If you have never been on a Miramar trip, what are you waiting for???