Written by Bryan Rivard
House first, then chimney. That’s usually how it works—unless you’re Middlebury Snow Bowl. Their fireplace was the original gathering place for chilly skiers—so they built a lodge around it.
It’s how the ski area operates: create the thing that’s needed and watch the community grow around it. When area ski teams started to shrink, Middlebury Snow Bowl launched a night skiing program (and opened night skiing for the rest of us). They created a free learner’s area under the lights with a small surface lift so anyone could come practice turns. They’re the place that betters the community and recruits people into it.
But it's a tragedy that it’s not open in the summer, because that sunny deck was a highlight of my pre-season trips around Vermont.
