by Stephen Templeton | Feb 11, 2023 | Trip Report
By Phil Caracci from Jan 22, 2023
My first bus trip of the season is always exciting because it’s the return to an activity that I’ve enjoyed for the last quarter century.
When people hear I’m taking a 6-hour bus ride to ski VT they think I’m crazy. But they don’t realize this bus ride is not a mere commute. It’s a time to enjoy a party with some friends you haven’t seen in a while (some since the pandemic), a chance to meet and welcome the first-timers with Miramar. It’s also dinner time, a time to catch up on email/text/social media and if done right there’s a nap in there too.
The Friday night ride lived up to my expectations! I saw Wendy on the bus for the first time in years! David and Jim joined veteran Trip Leader Amy as the organizers for this weekend. I met guests Nancy and Clina both doing their first trip with us. Other friends like Thirsty Kirsty, Kas, Azra were there as well. It was a marvelous reunion!
This is the 3rd weekend of January and typically by now I’ve been on 2 or more bus trips. Why the late start? Well winter had a late start in the East. There was some nice snow in December but right as the clock struck 2023 the rain and meltdown began. I actually skied in VT that first week of January and there was grass sticking up through a thin layer of snow. The ski resorts work so hard to be open by Thanksgiving but that head start was washed away so we were starting over.
Don’t get me wrong. There was enough snow by now for skiing and snowboarding. In fact there was enough snow for racing! Yes, every year Miramar, under the direction of our Race Chair Chip, reserves the NASTAR course for our exclusive use where we battle head-to-head running the gates against the clock to take home the Gold. In my case I settled for the Bronze. But please understand I’m in the category called “Why Are You Racing?” LOL
I won’t bore you with every detail of our Saturday night. In summary I gave a tour of Waitsfield including the famous Beer Cave, we enjoyed a Happy Hour in the lounge with food and open bar followed by a 5-course dinner served in our dining room by our cook. The evening concluded with more drinks around the fireplace and a few people shaking it on the dance floor.
I can’t overlook this. One activity on Saturday night was writing out birthday cards to a VERY longtime member who turned 99 that week! Harry isn’t skiing anymore but he still gets a Gold Medal.
Sundays are usually spent at Killington and this was no exception. But they did direct our bus to park in a different base area. They have a bunch to choose from. So our day started and ended at the Skyship base. It is one of the lower elevation bases and the last ride of the day is a long winding Green trail or an easy Blue that goes more direct but you had to jump a stream mid way down!
Overall it was a fine day skiing “The Beast” as Killington in called. It was a gray sky wintery looking day. More snow is on the way.
On the way back I couldn’t help but sit there looking our the window and smiling. I also couldn’t resist the urge to sign up for the following weekend’s trip because these are just great weekends now as they have been since my first time in 1997
by Stephen Templeton | Jan 24, 2023 | Trip Report
By Chris Wright from Jan 13, 2023
MLK Weekend: The 2023 Season Begins
My traditional first ski trip of the season started this MLK weekend. The first “run” is walking down the bus aisle and seeing who’s who. Something old (members), something new (Huntley graduates), something borrowed (guests), something blue (bright new gear). Each Miramar trip starts with a bus seat intro to your skiing comrades-in-arms for the next three days. We eat, play and chore together 24/7. By the end, everybody gets to meet everybody. A truly special experience.
The biggest concern was ski conditions. There had been ominous reports of “no snow”. But we are east coast skiers and can brave any and all conditions. Turns out the reports were false! After the first run on the first day, I knew we are AOK. Sugarbush had plenty to offer, unless you wanted Castle Rock and death-defying plunges, but even the A-team skiers had a blast. The snow was a bit mushy and it was a bit foggy, but we were all happily exhausted on the ride back to the lodge.
On Saturday, the Sugarbush sun came out, we got cheeked burned, and the snow had been expertly groomed. A fabulous ski day for all! Happy hour at the lodge was extra-happy, dinner was gay (from bright red cheeks) and we even danced at the lounge party after dinner.
Monday was a little less sunny, but the snow at Killington was good, and we had another excellent day. I found my fav area at Bear Mountain and skied the blues and greens with my son till we dropped.
Snow is expected this week and the upcoming weekend should be even better. It was great to see the old, the new, the borrowed and that nobody was blue. I’ll be on the Jan. 27 trip. See everybody soon.
P.S. The renovated and refurbished rooms are top rate.
by Stephen Templeton | Oct 22, 2022 | Trip Report
By Richard Baker from Oct 10, 2022
For the Columbus Day Weekend trip to the Miramar Lodge in Waitsfield, we had a wonderful time led by trip leader Lauren Franck, seconded by Maureen Cavanaugh. In addition to Lauren and Maureen, twelve members joined the weekend along with six guests, an admirable turnout.
The weather on Saturday in Waitsfield was very sunny with an occasional breeze. Twelve members and guests went with group leader Richard Carey to St. Albans, north of Burlington about 45 minutes for a bike ride on the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail. Richard and several other riders rented electric bikes, which helped them to complete the 22 mile round trip. Not needing an electric bike was Cesar Aguilar, a new member of Miramar, who regularly rides 70 miles with the New York Cycle Club. Other participants on the ride completed lesser distances and many of us met for fresh brewed beer at 14th Star Brewery in St. Albans. Other weekend participants visited the well known Granite Quarries near Barre, Vermont for a hike with wonderful views of fall’s foliage. As usual we had a delicious dinner prepared by Caroline and Nate.
On Sunday, the weather was cooler, but a group of hearty souls hiked up to the Mad River Glen. Most of the group made it to the top and were able to take the single chair down despite the cool wind in the low 40s. The views of the foliage from the single chair were spectacular. Lunch was at the Mad River Glen base lodge. Later in the day, a group went to Swanson’s Inn Bed and Breakfast for tea, coffee and freshly baked pie offers, ranging from pumpkin to apple to cheesecake. Finally a delicious dinner back at the Lodge, followed by a very interesting book talk and reading by Waitsfield native Lee Hall Dufresne, a former US World Cup ski team racer and nationally ranked tennis player. Afterwards, many of us played a spirited game of LRC won by Yvonne Caracci that helped subsidize her very successful trip to the Stowe Foliage & Fine Arts Festival earlier that day!
Monday morning was cool again, but a group went for a hike at Wu Ledges while others went apple picking. Most of the group departed soon after lunch. All in all, a great weekend!
by Miramar | Sep 23, 2022 | Trip Report
By Miramar from Sept 5, 2022
I lumbered up the Miramar porch with my backpack on, a duffel bag in one hand and my tea set in the other. Before I could set my bag down to plunk in our secret entry code, the door swung open and Bill and Robin greeted me. “We’re kayaking in 10 minutes!” they said.
“I’ll be ready in 5! By the way, my name’s Rick . . .”
With that, our Labor Day weekend was off and running (er — paddling)! Bill, Robin, and I were joined by Regina, Ruth, and Lauren for an easy afternoon exploring Blueberry Lake. Regina and I paired up to explore the inlets along the bank. We stopped whenever a particularly interesting plant or bird caught her naturalist’s eye. Our top find was a Kingfisher bird — a first for me!
The next day was filled with adventures. Robin directed me to the Appalachian Gap Trailhead at the top of Rt. 17. After wandering along it for a while I was surprised to pop out on top of Mad River Glen! From there I kept on going up and up until I found the charming and storied Stark’s Nest at the summit.
Like many fine things these days, our fun was cut short by that wily virus. However, like Helen is fond to remind us, “This is Miramar!!” As we went our separate ways I was touched by the affection members showed to each other. If anything is going to get us through the rest of this pandemic, I think it is just that. The affection we have for this special place and the generations it has touched won’t fix everything, but without it nothing’s worth fixing.
by Miramar | Feb 3, 2020 | Liftlines
The weekend bus trip January 24th to 26th was full of new faces: 18 of the 41 attendees were guests, and there were few long-time members along. But attendees’ passion for skiing and commitment to both community and fun were as strong as ever.
Conditions on Saturday at Sugarbush were not great: lots of ice, fog, flat light, and long lift lines. Nevertheless, everyone seemed to have an excellent time, particularly our guests who do not ski often.
Several guests took advantage of the Huntley Program to pay for beginner lessons. Melissa Nettles did a two day women’s clinic at Sugarbush. Phil Caracci took the shuttle over to Mt. Ellen, where there were no lift lines but snow conditions were equally bad. Regina Schuster skied her first-ever black diamond, with the support of Virginia Hunt and Becky Renaud.
I had a leisurely lunch at Rumble’s with the two Ceciles: Cecile Grima (G3) and Cecile van Manen (G1). G3 Cecile has come on the same trip in January for three years in a row and always brings a big group of enthusiastic friends. They headed back out to ski after lunch, but I stayed at the bar. An icy rain started around 2 PM, causing people to steadily join me at Rumbles.
While at Rumbles, we learned bad news: Ruth Yashpan broke her leg. She had a small fall on an easy run, but that type of fall can be the most dangerous. Kay Pham (G1) saw Ruth fall and stayed with her in the Sugarbush urgent care for a chunk of the afternoon. Trip Leader Gail Tuzman accompanied Ruth to the hospital and left Virginia (Gail’s staff) in charge of the trip for the evening.
Virginia reveled in her brief stint in power and at dinner gave the most entertaining emcee performance I’ve seen at Miramar. After dinner, G3 Cecile brought out all the ingredients and sticks to make s’mores, so people gathered around the fireplace to chat and eat. Brad Boehm and Modou Cham (G1) made excellent dirty martinis and other cocktails. No one danced. It was a low key, lovely evening full of laughter, though Ruth was on everyone’s minds.
The snow conditions and lines were much better the next day at Killington – it even snowed a bit! A big crowd of us gathered at Long Trail Pub at the end of the day and enjoyed a bite and a drink before boarding the bus. We left at 4 PM, in anticipation of weather than never came, and were back at the Masonic lodge by 10 PM.
~ Blythe Austin
by Miramar | Jan 15, 2020 | Liftlines
We had an unexpectedly small, but no less awesome, group for our trip this weekend. A week ago, when the forecast called for snow all weekend, we had 43 people sign up. But then the forecast turned to rain and people dropped out like flies, particularly on Wednesday after the bus cancellation deadline had passed. By the time the bus pulled out Friday evening, we had 19 people on board (plus Chip Martin, who drove to the lodge & skied at Stowe), including two G1s and one G3.
Nevertheless, we had good luck all weekend, starting with light traffic. The bus left Manhattan 15 minutes late, but reached the NJ folks at 7, stopped at New Baltimore at 8:45 and, after two wrong turns by our first-time driver, arrived at the lodge at 12:45.
On Saturday we headed to Sugarbush. The forecasted rain held off, but the temperature was in the 50’s. There were high winds up top, so Heaven’s Gate and Castle Rock were closed and Super Bravo closed mid-morning. Nevertheless, there were some good runs open on Gate House and Valley House. Stein’s in particular was nicely bumped. Some members did Nastar races. Ann Cooper won bronze and silver, and Karen McFarlane won two bronzes; they received commemorative pins.
Rafael Mellace and Virginia Hunt chose not to ski and spent the day exercising, swimming, and hot tubbing at the Sugarbush Health & Recreation Center.
Because the rain was forecasted to start mid-afternoon, trip leader Richard Carey decided to have the bus leave Sugarbush at 2:30. This was a good call. By 2 PM the runs were total slush and a downpour started at 2:45. After getting back to the lodge, David Wallenstein, Phil Caracci, John Cummings, and guest Motoko Naya walked over to Lawson’s for a drink.
Several people chose to stay at Sugarbush after 2:30: Vera Smirnov, Mike Pausche, and guest David Acott opted to keep skiing/boarding; Rafael, Virginia, Larry Dunlay, and I opted to prolong our après ski at Rumbles. At the end of the day we all cheerfully piled into the Mad Bus together to get home.
After dinner, Caroline brought out a cake slice with a candle and we all sang happy birthday to Evelyn Konrad, who just turned 91 and is still skiing!
Later, Phil won Left, Right, Center – a well-deserved first win after many years of skillful playing.
Richard faced a tough weather call on Sunday morning. It had stayed warm and rained all night. He decided to change our destination from Killington to Sugarbush, with stops at both bases, so that people who didn’t want to ski could stay at the lodge or go to the Sugarbush gym, and pushed back our departure time until 9 AM in hopes that the rain would stop.
It rained HARD on our way to Sugarbush – so hard that many changed their minds and decided not to ski. But, as the two Davids, Motoko, Rafael, and I tentatively disembarked at Mt. Ellen, the rain stopped and didn’t return. We headed up to Summit Quad where, miraculously, the snow was excellent – soft with plenty of coverage. Even FIS wasn’t icy! At lunchtime it began to snow and coated the runs in a few inches of powder. And yet, there were fewer than ten other people skiing on Summit Quad. It was like we had our own private ski mountain the whole day.
Siobhan Bolger and Evelyn skied briefly at Lincoln Peak and then joined Virginia at the Castle Rock Pub. Everyone else had lunch in Waitsfield and boarded the bus at the lodge at 2:30. After two quick pickups at Mt. Ellen and Lincoln Peak, we had an uneventful drive back to NYC.
This trip was the first time we had a WhatsApp texting group for all attendees. It built camaraderie and made communication much easier. Richard used it to announce bus pickup times; we used it to tell Richard and each other our location and plans. Ten people (half the trip attendees) shared photos to the group. I imagine that soon we’ll all look back and not be able to remember what it was like not to have a trip WhatsApp group. This was also the second trip where we’ve done member and guest reviews electronically, via a link sent out by email, rather than on paper forms. The days of scribbling in the dark on a moving bus and, for the Executive Committee, struggling to decipher people’s handwriting are behind us.
All in all, it was a fantastic and fun weekend. A good reminder never to plan life around forecasts, because forecasts are often wrong!
~ Blythe Austin
by Miramar | Jun 25, 2019 | Liftlines
As you can see here Chip Martin took “lift lines” a little too literally, but he was finally roped down none the worse for wear and got a free lunch out of the deal. Read all about it and so much more in the Winter-Spring 2019 Liftlines.
Liftlines WinterSpring 2019, final medium
by Miramar | Jul 16, 2018 | Liftlines
The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
by Miramar | Jan 9, 2018 | Liftlines
The following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.
by Miramar | Aug 15, 2017 | Deals
Wow, flash your up-to-date Miramar member card with a MNYSC sticker, and Mount Snow will show you love all winter long with prices as low as $39 per day. Can’t touch that!
Metro_NY_Ski_Council_Awareness_Days_17-18
Two-Day Bus Trip to Vermont - Jan 31 to Feb 02, 2025
Three-Day Bus Trip to Vermont - Superbowl Weekend
Three-Day Bus Trip to Vermont - Presidents Weekend
Evening Ice Skating at Bryant Park
Two-Day Bus Trip to Vermont - Feb 21-23, 2025
Two-Day Bus Trip to Vermont - Feb 28 to Mar 02, 2025
Big Trip to Snowmass/Aspen, Colorado 2025