New Uphill Travel Policy

We're caught in a little snow squall this morning, picking up 1" of fluff so far and nothing makes me want to hit the slopes more than new snow falling from the sky. It also makes me yearn for steep & deep effortless pow turns later in the season when our backcountry fills in. Sadly, we're not quite there yet, thanks to Mother Nature's latest cruel joke, but give it a few more weeks. 

Since it's not quite deep or soft enough to trek through our 100km of backcountry terrain, some people might be jonesing to get their uphill winter hike on and test out some new gear on our alpine slopes. We understand, empathize with and appreciate your enthusiasm for skiing with us. That's why, this season, we've outlined a brand new Uphill Travel Policy designed to allow our guests to skin or splitboard uphill both during and outside of operating hours. Please read the guidelines through before attempting to skin or hike uphill, stay only on highlighted routes and obey the restrictions set forth. Happy hiking!

Bolton Valley 2014-15 Uphill Travel Policy

Uphill travel on skis is permitted at Bolton Valley. Skiers are advised to adhere to the following guidelines:

• During hours when lifts are open, uphill skiers must have a lift ticket for the day, season pass, Nordic day ticket for the day, or Nordic season pass. Uphill skiers do so at their own risk.
• During hours when lifts are not open, uphill skiers access Bolton Valley property at their own risk and do not need a ticket or a pass.
• AT ALL TIMES the two routes designated for uphill skiing are:
• Wilderness: Turnpike to Peggy Dow’s
• Timberline: Twice as Nice to Woods Hole to Brandywine
• Access to uphill skiing is limited to theses routes both during and outside of operating hours. 
• No uphill traffic is permitted to the top of Vista.
• Skiers should stay to their left when traveling uphill.
• Please form single file lines when skiing uphill.
• No dogs.
• No snowshoes. Access is limited to skiers and split snowboards only.
• Use headlamp and reflective clothing at night.
• Do not travel alone. Always have at least one other person with you.
• In case of an emergency when lifts are open contact Ski Patrol at 802-434-6892. Please carry a cell phone.
• In case of an emergency when lifts are closed call 911.

WARNING

• Be aware of grooming machines and snow machines and let them pass.
• Yield to all downhill traffic. Downhill traffic has the right of way.
• Do not access trails that you can see are being groomed.
• Please do not access trails where snowmaking is occurring.
• There are no rescue personnel on duty at Bolton Valley Resort after regular operating hours.
• Be prepared for extreme winter conditions and sudden weather changes.
• Use properly maintained equipment.
• There are many inherent dangers to winter mountain sports. Use care and caution at all times.

Access to Bolton Valley Resort premises for recreational use after hours is governed by Vermont law [12 V.S.A. 5791 et seq].

Access Is At Your Own Risk.

Tele Turns, Dance Parties and Torchlight Parades

Welcome back to another weekend! This is one of my favorite times of the season because there's so many events going on every day, everybody is in a great mood (presents, duh) and the skiing and riding is typically pretty fun. This season, we were gifted nearly six feet of snow since Dec. 1 which has us well ahead of our pace a year ago. We suffered through the recent warmup along with all our neighbors, but thanks to our award-winning groomer pilots, everything has been fixed up and you can expect wall-to-wall whiteness on all our open terrain.

Sure, the skiing is great, but that's old news. Like I said, some of the most fun parts of this time of year are the events happening off the snow. From campfires to snowshoe tours to inflatable bouncy madness, check out what's happening in our backyard this weekend, other than soft turns.

Holiday Week Events Schedule:

Saturday, December 27^th

2:00 – 7:00 p.m.                      Indoor Amusement Center: Inflatable Games and Video Games.*

4:00 - 8:00 p.m.                      Bolton After Dark: $19 lift tickets, nightly beer & food specials.

4:30 – 6:30 p.m.                      Camp fire, cookies and hot chocolate. Sit and warm up or just stop by in between runs! Fire will be held slopeside outside BV Sports.

Sunday, December 28^th

2:00 – 7:00 p.m.                      Indoor Amusement Center: Inflatable Games and Video Games.*

2:00 - 5:00 p.m.                      DUX the Balloon Man: Free balloon sculptures for everyone!

3:00 - 4:30 p.m.                      Complimentary snowshoe tour. Meet at the Nordic Center.**

Monday, December 29^th

2:00 – 7:00 p.m.                      Indoor Amusement Center: Inflatable Games and Video Games.*

4:00 – 5:00 p.m.                      Free magic show in Fireside Flatbread, upstairs in the Base Lodge

Tuesday, December 30^st

2:00 – 7:00 p.m.                      Indoor Amusement Center: Inflatable Games and Video Games.*

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.                      Free Ice Cream Social and kids’ movie in the Gardner Lane Room (A.K.A. the Family Room, fifth floor of the hotel)

Wednesday, January 31^st

2:00 – 7:00 p.m.                      Indoor Amusement Center: Inflatable Games and Video Games.*

7:00 - 9:00 p.m.                      Snowshoe to the top of Snowflake lift to watch Fireworks & Torchlight parade from above. Meet at Nordic Center.

8:30– 9:00 p.m.                       Torchlight parade and Fireworks: best viewed from the base lodge.

9:00 - 11:30 p.m.                     Teen Dance Party at the Indoor Amusement Center

9:00 - 1:00 a.m.                      New Year's Eve Party in Fireside Flatbread featuring live music from Full Cleveland.

Thursday, January 1^st

2:00 – 7:00 p.m.                      Indoor Amusement Center: Inflatable Games and Video Games.*

*Complimentary for hotel guests. $8 for general public, $6 for Bolton Valley lift ticket holders. $5 for Bolton Valley season pass holders. The Indoor Amusement Center is located in the Sports/Nordic Center, the white building at the opposite end of the parking lot from the main base lodge 

**Complimentary snowshoe rentals for hotel guests and season pass holders. $20 rentals available for general public.

Welcome Back Wednesday

How's that for an opening weekend?

Wow. I've had that stupid powder grin plastered to my face since Friday and I think my legs are still struggling to catch up with my stoke level. Everyone I talk to can't remember an Opening Day where the snow was so good and the enthusiasm so high, so I'll give Mother Nature a quick shout-out here for the epic storm, but extend a bigger thanks to everyone who came out last weekend. There was no shortage of smiles and you all made the day unforgettable. Cheers to a killer start and let's keep it going!

It's Wednesday, which kind of stinks (because it's not a weekend), but is kind of great as well. You're halfway there! A few more meetings, conference calls and extended lunch breaks and you'll be sliding on snow here once again. To energize and keep you going, here's what to expect for the next few days.

Weather: A little mixy this morning, turning back to snow by afternoon and possibly leaving us with a few new inches by Thursday/Night. Temps will slowly drop again, which is great news for snowmaking, and we might finally see the sun on Saturday. Really! Looks like a banner weekend.

Events: THIS SUNDAY, Dec. 21 is Santa Sunday. Dress head-to-toe in your best Kringle attire and receive a free lift ticket for the day. Reindeer, cookies and gifts for your friendly neighborhood snow reporter are optional, but highly, highly encouraged.

Deals: Late Night At Bolton Valley (every Friday): Two extra hours of skiing, live music, weekly food & drink specials and $19 lift tickets from 7-10pm. Oh, and Fireside Flatbread is scheduled to open this weekend. Wicked.

Bolton After Dark (every Saturday): $19 lift tickets starting at 4pm, food & drink specials and a ski movie from Meathead Films.

Buy Tickets Online: Always lower than the window rate. Always a great value. Order ahead of time and save your dough.

Don't forget - when you're visiting us this season, make a post on social media using #FoundAtBV and you could win FREE lift tickets & other prizes! Just take an awesome photo while you're here, upload it using #FoundAtBV and tag us in the photo and you're done! We'll pick out favorites and you'll be notified if you win. It's that simple.

10 Essential Things You'll Forget On Opening Day

It's almost here! Opening Day is FINALLY upon us, and we just got a bunch of new snow. If you're like me, which you probably are because you're reading this blog, you've been itching to slide around on some snow for a few months now. Thankfully, the wait is over and it's time to break out the gear and head up to the mountain on Friday Dec. 12 for the Longest Opening Day in Vermont. 10am-10pm w/$19 night skiing starting at 4pm. Get. Excited.

With that in mind, it seems like every season I ALWAYS forget something on Opening Day. One year, it was gloves, another it was boots (I know!), an iPod or a second pair of socks. I think one time I even drove all the way up to the mountain pumped to shred some lines, and when I arrived, I didn't have my skis... crushing. So I've created a list here of 10 things you'll probably (but hopefully not) forget this season when you step on the slopes for the first time. Please, prove me wrong and let's all have a fantastic season.

1. Skis/Snowboard - Pretty self-explanatory. You'd think this must be impossible, but if you keep your gear in a season locker at your favorite resort, it's an added thing to double-check before you leave the house. Have you brought them up to the mountain to store them yet? Are they still at the shop? That back corner of your closet or garage? Sneakily high chance to misplace these.
2. Poles - Some people plain can't ski without them. Don't be that person.
3. Gloves/Mitts - It might be early season, but it still winter and it's still Vermont. Put something on your hands, or you're gonna have a bad time.
4. Optics - For some reason, people forget/lose goggles pretty easily. Whether you're in the goggles or sunglasses camp, eye protection is vital when you're soaring down the slopes at 30+ mph. Bonus Tip: Don't lose your eyewear in the lodge after the first day on snow! 
5. Helmet - Yes, it's exciting to be on snow again. Yes your muscles will remember how to do it. Yes you're going to have a blast. NO, you can't cab triple cork 1440 on your first day. But I know you're going to try anyway. Protect your head while your body catches up to your stoke.
6. Dry Socks - Most people forget this. Don't drive to the mountain in the same socks you plan to ski in. They'll be damp with sweat by the time you boot up, and that leads to cold feet. Cold feet lead to a short day of skiing & riding. Bring extra socks.
7. Music - Because who can ski without Katy Perry blasting through their helmet speakers. If you forget this one, might as well just skip the access road and keep driving all the way home.
8. Boots - Again, pretty self explanatory, but triple-check your car before you leave the house. It's a real sinking feeling to get all the way to the lodge and have nothing to boot up in. Just don't do this.
9. Pass - Arguably more important than any piece of gear on your body, your pass can't be replaced. Worst case scenario, you could rent equipment for the day, but you can't get anywhere without a season pass. Stick in your ski pants pocket and leave it there. If you only wear one pair of pants, you'll be good all season.
10. Winter Tires - We're skiers & riders in Vermont. We know ski areas have access roads, and most involve driving up pretty steep slopes to get there, including ours. Please, please, PLEASE get snow tires. You won't just be making your own life easier, you'll be making the roads safer for everyone else on it as well. 

Lastly, don't forget your STOKE! Winter is back and it's going to be a wicked fun season. Get excited and stay excited. Show off your smiles all day long and if you're feeling great, come find me on the hill for some photos & videos of yourself. You might just make it onto the final cut for Bolton Valley Access! Ski & ride with care and passion, and make this season your best one yet.

~Mike