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

Winter On The Way

UPDATE (11/26 @8:30am): There's a Winter Storm Warning in effect from 9am today through 7am Thursday and we're now forecasted for anywhere between 4-12" inches of new snow by tomorrow morning. The map below has been updated to include these totals as well. Wax your skis and buy a season pass already!

We had a few inches of snow last week, and by "a few", I mean 7-10". Things are looking pretty great up here as we move toward the end of November and Opening Day (Dec. 13). As the average temperatures continue to plunge (supposed to be around 13 degrees on Friday) we should start to see more precipitation in the forecast as well.

Speaking of that, here's the latest forecast map for a storm that's been making its way across the continental US over the past few days. Looks like it's going to hit us Wednesday night through Thursday afternoon and it could be a big one, depending on how it tracks.

Looks like it's going to be a white Thanksgiving! 

UPDATE (11/26 @9am): OpenSnow.com has us pegged by name for at least 6-10" by Thursday morning. Wahoooooo!

It's looking more and more likely that we'll pick up AT LEAST 6" out of this storm, which would go a long way toward making Opening Day our best one yet. Keeps the snowmakers happy too. They're running guns on Sherman's Pass, Bear Run and Spring O' Pine. What it also means is the snow gods are as ready as we are to get winter up and running again. Keep an eye on the webcam this weekend. I'm always optimistic about a better winter when I see snowstorms on the horizon in November and December. Hopefully, they give us their full attention early-on and we'll have a great start to this season.

See you on Saturday, Dec. 13! Don't forget to check out our Cyber Monday deals if you're looking for some awesome discounts on products you'll probably buy later in the year anyway. Purchase early, save money, smile bigger.

Dreamweaver

Photo taken on one particularly gorgeous Autumn day here at BV

I had a dream about snowboarding last night.

I brought my 2 decks into some random hypothetical shop to be tuned and waxed for the start of the season. Just a new layer of hot wax and an edge. No base grinds, beveling or rebuilding work - pretty simple stuff. So, I handed over my gear to the technician with the promise of, "No worries bro" and planned on returning later to pick it up.

Then, as dreams so often do, the scene magically transformed into "later" and I was once again standing in front of the same technician, eager to pick up my snowboards and get out on the hill to slash my favorite pow line. Imagine my surprise when the tech responded with "Uhh... we don't have any tuning equipment here yet, man... It's only October..."

Well, that about sums it up, doesn't it? Like many of you, I'm wicked excited to hop back on my favorite piece of wood & plastic and slide down some snow. For me, autumn just accelerates the anticipation of what's to come, and it's easy to look past the end of foliage, Halloween & Thanksgiving and move right into snowy thoughts. Now, don't get me wrong, I love your snowy thoughts. When they all get together with our staff's snowy thoughts and have a snowy thoughts party in the ethereal plane, it's awesome. So awesome that sometimes we get the snow gods to party with us too, and the heavy wet stuff falls for a month straight. But I digress...

The point of this story, and this dream, I think, is to be excited for winter, yes, but to also dial it back a little and enjoy the "Now". To enjoy things like the photo above, which wasn't taken today, but you get the idea. We live in a pretty wonderful place where scenes like this can occur and it's easy to take it for granted - to just keep looking ahead to the first major snowstorm and skiing & riding season. We're all stoked in our anticipation for another winter, but let's enjoy the shifting seasons, enjoy the lead-up and enjoy the anticipation. BV will still be here in two months, so for now, keep on dreaming of pillowy snow drifts, 100-foot kickers and stomach-clenching fall lines. They'll be here before you know it.

Plus, if we skipped ahead two months, you wouldn't have any time to get your All Access Season Passes, Powder Passes or sign your kids up for season-long lesson programs like Ridge Runners. You'd be standing there at the bottom of Vista on Day 1 thinking, "Whoops. Guess I should've thought about this back in October."

Duh.

Wake Me Up When September Ends

I like to think of September as kind of a teaser kind of month, and in case you missed it, yes, we are more than halfway through September now. The summer is over and we're not quite ready for winter yet, but nature hasn't really kicked fall foliage into high gear either. It's just teasing us with a few colors here and there. A handful of days below 60 degrees. Nights below 50 degree. Just teasing us, filling our heads with crazy anticipation. Plain and simple, this is the month we start feeling the itch for winter.

It's kind of a weird time of year, but also a vital one to us die-hard snow worshippers. I hate the "calm before the storm" cliche, but there's a reason why it's a cliche to begin with, and that reason perfectly applies to this time of year.

Everything is better with anticipation, right? A thrilling football game, the smell of a home-cooked meal after a long hike, Apple's latest "invention", your favorite TV show's season finale. For those of us who plan our winter months around skiing & riding, the first snowfall of the season is tantamount. This is the month where anticipation runs as high as the mountain ranges in our backyard. This is the month we want to wear shorts and t-shirts everyday, yet welcome the warmth of pulling on our favorite sweater. This is the month we start to yearn for the crispness of cold air in our lungs. This is the month our minds wander to snow fields and wide-open bowls of the white stuff. As September continues to mock our feelings, keep in mind your anticipation for winter. We're getting there!

So, whether you're pretending to sit at work and actually work or sifting through videos from last season, consider this next month a primer for what's just over the horizon. In a few weeks time, we'll start to see snow in our backyard once again, and yours will likely follow shortly thereafter. Make some plans to find yourself here.

~Mike

Signs Of Winter

Yes, it's been a hot week. But, as I write this I'm looking out my window and I see some red leaves peeking back at me. Down at the Sports Center, there's over $1 million in ski and snowboard equipment and accessories. I also saw a particularly fat caterpillar the other day. Like the squirrel hiding nuts in a tree, we should all be getting ready, winter is on the way.

If you missed the ski sale last weekend, you have one more shot at it this weekend. Doors open today at noon and it runs through Sunday. You can purchase and pick up your season pass at the sale and pass holders receive an extra 5% off all items purchased at the sale.

Speaking of season passes we've got a little news to share. For the 18-25 year old set we have just introduced the Ski Bum Pass. The pass is only $159 and provides season long access to Bolton Valley. We've also added new benefits for all our season pass holders including a $100 gift certificate to Wendell's Furniture, discounts at the Alpine Shop and reciprocal skiing benefits at six partner resorts.

One final reminder, prices on season passes go up after Sept. 15. A family of four can save up to $160 if they purchase before the deadline. Get yours today and save!

Labor Day Weekend Events

Be sure to join us for dinner and drinks at Bailey's on Friday night, hit the Hop Jam After Party at Fireside Flatbread on Saturday, and grab breakfast at Bailey's on Sunday morning.

Thursday, August 28

• 4:00 – 8:00pm 
• Ski and Snowboard Sale at the Sports Center 
• 8:00am – 4:30pm 
• Bolton Valley Deli is open for breakfast and lunch

Friday, August 29

• 8:00am – 8:00pm
• Bolton Valley Deli is open for breakfast, lunch and light dinner
• 10:00am – 8:00pm 
• Ski and Snowboard Sale at the Sports Center
• 5:00pm – 1:00am 
• Bailey’s is open serving dinner (appetizers, salads, entrees and full bar) till 10:00pm, drinks till 1:00am.

Saturday, August 30

• 7:00am 
• Registration opens for the Bolton Valley 5K to Benefit Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports. Race begins at 9:00am at the Sports Center.
• 7:30am – 8:00pm
• Bolton Valley Deli is open for breakfast, lunch and light dinner
• 10:00am – 8:00pm 
• Ski and Snowboard Sale at the Sports Center
• 11:00am – 8:00pm 
• Hop Jam Beer and Music Festival. Slopeside of the main base lodge.
• End of Hop Jam – 1:00am 
• Hop Jam after party in Fireside Flatbread and the James Moore Tavern. We’ll be serving Flatbread with six beers on tap. Dance the night away in the James Moore Tavern with live music by The Full Cleveland.

Sunday, August 31

• 7:30am – 3:30pm 
• Bolton Valley Deli is open for breakfast and lunch
• 8:00 – 11:00am 
• Bailey’s is open serving a breakfast buffet
• 10:00am – 6:00pm 
• Ski and Snowboard Sale at the Sports Center

Monday, September 1

• 8:00am – 4:30pm 
• Bolton Valley Deli is open for breakfast and lunch
• 10:00am – 4:00pm 
• Ski and Snowboard Sale at the Sports Center

Labor Day Weekend Events

Did you feel that chill in the air the other night? It wasn't quite frost weather but it's getting closer. Before we get to full-on winter we have to at least get through Labor Day Weekend, and we've got a few events to help you pass the time. 

Vermont's Largest Ski and Snowboard Sale kicks off on August 28th. The sale will be here all weekend with over $1 million in inventory and deals up to 70% off. 2014-15 Bolton Valley season pass holders get and extra 5% off at the sale and we'll be on site selling and printing passes. A friendly reminder, if you have not already purchased your 2014-15 season pass, prices will go up after September 15th. 

Saturday, August 30th is the day you really want to be here. In addition to the ski sale we'll have an opportunity for you to get your workout in then cool off with some of the finest beer in the world.

Start the day off with the Bolton Valley 5K Trail Run to benefit Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports. Registration is open and all proceeds go back to Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports. The race kicks off at 9am and is run on a course consisting primarily of Bolton Valley Nordic trails.

Then, stick around, we'll make it worth your while with the Hop Jam. This event is bringing together some of the best beer in Vermont (and beyond) for one sudsy day of beer and music. Check out their official web page for the beer and music line up. Tickets are on sale now.