But while the season may have ended abruptly, it ended with a big ol’ fun bang!

At MRG, we stomped the mush out of the bumps and then rocked out to an epic performance on the porch by the grift.  Check out some photos of our last day here. Meanwhile in Snowbird, MRG’s own, Silas Chickering-Ayers stomped his way to victory in the Subaru Freeskiing World Tour. So if the season had to end this early, at least it was warm and fun and full of things to be happy about!

Now put your skis behind your bike and get training for next season because I predict it will start out as fast and furious as this one ended!

Ski ya next time!!

Things you should check out in you’re in the ‘hood:

• Lawson’s Finest Liquids 4th Anniversary Celebration – March 24 at the Valley Players’ Theater, Waitsfield, VT
• Waitsfield Cash Mob – Support local businesses and bring (at least) a 20 dollar bill to spend at a small local businesses. Meet up afterwards to cheers the success of the day, (so feel free to bring more cash for beers and/or shirley temples!)

Dude #2: Dude. I was busy.

D1: Dude? Busy? And I ski on 220s.

D2: Hey. It’s my job to ski. We got a lot of snow last week. I was busy.

D1: Yeah, I heard the mountains got snow. But it’s been raining at my house so I don’t believe it.

D2: Hey, don’t worry. You and your 220s didn’t miss anything. Except for maybe 2 feet of snogasms.

D1: Snogasms huh? Pretty sure that’s not PG. But seriously – 2 feet?

D2: 2 feet and counting! But you probably don’t want to come up here because you might have to wait in line and then ski empty trails.

D1: Yeah. When I ski at other places there’s like no line and there’s tons of people on the trails. It’s like I’m in a video game and the object is to not kill anyone and not get killed.

D2: Gee, that sure sounds like fun. You go do that. I’m gonna go skiing at MRG. I’m mean work. I’m going to go do my job at MRG.

D1: Dude. You suck.

D2: Sorry dude. No friends on a powder day!

-

This week at Mad River Glen:

• THURSDAY: Free Fondue in the pub starting at 3:30 pm! Thanks Cabot Cheese! You guys rock!
• FRIDAY: The grueling, thigh-burning, ridiculous display of endurance and the first leg of the 2012 Triple Crown: The Vertical Challenge!
• FRIDAY: Free Heel Friday – Take your tele-flailing to the next level with super bargain deals on awesome two hour tele lessons!
• FRIDAY: Women’s Tele Clinic & SATURDAY Women’s Alpine Clinic – For the ladies out there! Taught by women, for women, these day-long clinics are a great way refine your skills!
• SATURDAY: Snowshoe tours galore! Explore Stark mountain like you’ve never seen it with a guided snowshoe tour of the mountain
• SATURDAY: The Starline Rhythm Boys will be bringing their twangy delightfulness to the pub for apres – broad collared western shirts encouraged!
• TUESDAY: Town Meeting Day! Vermont high school, middle school and elementary school students Ski FREE! A great reason to go back to school, huh?

If you’re on the waitlist we will certainly contact you as hooks become available. Thanks again to all of our faithful mugg club holders and waitlisters. We couldn’t do it w/out you.

Chris

Unfortunately this has been a ski season light on love. Brad Pitt is loooong gone and all that’s on the horizon are a bunch of pot-bellied prospects with comb-overs and bad breathe. Right now the skiing is very Keanu Reeves. It looks better than it performs. It’s not bad, and we really want to enjoy it more, but we can only take so much.

So the question is how desperate are we? Personally, I’m not throwing the towel in just yet. I’m still hoping there’s at least a Marky Mark in the forecast. I’d totally settle for a Mike Meyers. But I’m not sure I’m quite ready for Paul Giamatti or Jonah Hill.

The good news is that we don’t have to pick our poison just yet. Even though it’s already half way through February, it’s only half way through February! There’s still at least another 6 weeks for a major potential hook up. We always have hope, right?

We actually have some good looking events for you this weekend though:

• The Unconventional Terrain Comp! Rescheduled from last Saturday to this one, there’s still a chance the weather will force a new date so stay tuned – the official call will be made on Thursday.
• the grift! These guys are enough fun to make you forget all those awkward date moments and they will be rockin’ in the pub on Saturday.

There’s more in store for Presidents’ Week too so come on up and we can all commiserate together.

Coming up  at MRG:

• This Saturday, head up for some demo action from Icelantic Skis and then head to the General Stark’s Pub for some apres with Brett Hughes and the Lowbrow Backsliders.
• Next week smootch your sweetie in the ticket booth on Valentine’s Day and ski for $14 each!
• Thursday there will be free fondue starting at 3:30.
• Freeheel Friday there are bargain tele lessons and then we will get a special appearance from Jeffrey Ross.
• Saturday, local favorites the grift will be rockin’ the pub!

Hope to ski ya soon!

Wish we had as much snow as we did last Groundhog Day!

Happy Groundhog Day! Remember how good the skiing was this time last year? [sigh.] How many ski days do you have this year?

Believe it or not, the skiing is fairly good right now – relatively speaking of course. This winter hasn’t come close to what we’d all prefer it to be, but ya gotta take what you can get. Sharpen your skis. Get a fun crew to ski with. You’ll be having fun before you even know it! It sure beats the crap out of not skiing!

This weekend is chock full of fun-having of both the on and off-snow variety! Have a gander at the fun things going on below.

If you are a Mugg Holder – you might be getting called out if you aren’t paid up yet so scroll down through the latest update from our trusty barkeep and follow your marching orders!

Hope to ski y’all soon!

• 

  No, we won't have this in the pub. Maybe next year tho...!

  Thursday 2 – (TODAY and every Thursday for the rest of the season!) Free Fondue in the pub!

• Friday  3 – Freeheel Friday bargain tele lessons. Women’s day-long tele ski clinic!
• Saturday 4 -  Women’s day-long alpine ski clinic! Family Snowshoe tours! Abby Jenne & the Enablers in the pub!
• Sunday 5  – Mountain Hardwear Randonee Rally! J6 Giant Slalom ski race. Moose on the Loose Snowshoe tour! Superbowl pre-game!
• RECOMMENDED: Tuesday 7 – Full Moon Snowshoe tour & Dinner Join our Naturalist guides for a special evening as we explore the beauty and nature of the mountain under the full moon light! Enjoy a hearty dinner at General Stark’s Pub with Lawson’s Finest brews on tap (cash bar) then venture out for an easy to moderate one hour snowshoe trek. All ages welcome. RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED BY 4 PM THE DAY OF THE EVENT. CALL (802) 496-3551 EXT. 117. Cost: $30 per person. Full Moon Snowshoe only – $15 pp. Dinner service starts at 7pm; Snowshoe starts at 8pm.

Greetings  mugg clubbers!   As we approach the deadline for mug securement, payment, and possibly abandonment I feel much less urgency than I thought I would from the current crop of unpaid mug holders.  I suspect it is because many have not yet heard that we are making a serious push to tighten up the mug securement program and will actually reclaim hooks for resale beginning after February vacation.   So I implore any of you that ARE following along to reach out to anyone you can that you see on the list forthcoming and let them know …….  TIME IS SHORT!   Today is the 2nd of February.  There are exactly 24 days left to claim your hook for 2012!  This year’s opportunities for payment will be terminated on Sunday, February 26th.   The size of the waitlist dictates that we begin to hold fast to the process that allows the list to eventually diminish in size.   With that in mind I present to you the current list of 24 names that are potentially in jeapordy of losing a hook.    Remember you can call MRG, email me directly (chrism@madriver.com), or send an emissary to secure your place at the bar.  Please contact me asap to preserve the space you waited so long to secure.  We DON’T want to be the bad guy.

And lastly …. WELCOME to our newest Mugg Club member … Stacy Haskel (2006) who has secured #30 (unclaimed from last year).  Welcome Stacy.   Her husband Sam is next up on the waitlist.

Here is a list of who we are currently waiting on to pay for their mugs:

27/28    Brian & Andy Grilik
35/36/37     Bill,Joanne, Joan Hale
44  Joe Tripodi
45  Michelle Adams
50  Tom Midney
52/108  Tory Rockefeller & James Hollowell
56  John Enniss
57  John Wilson
58  John Milligan
67  Dan Kenny
75  Jennifer Grace
77  Swing Robertson
83  Brian Haskel
85 Andrew Malewitz
88  Marion Wright
98  John Gill
104  Mike Hannigan
111  Liz Godwin
117  David Warren
118  Matthew Warren

Do you know any of these folks ??  Ask them to contact us asap about the future of their hook.   My humble thanks.

Chris

1. We have SNOW!! Our base right now is solid but remarkably edgeable and fun and currently it’s nestled under a blanket of  4 inches of fresh stuff. Where it’s been groomed and tracked it’s almost sandy. Everything else should be frickin’ fabulous with mixed-density fluff on top of frozen granular sugary deliciousness. There’s more snow in the forecast so this should only get better, and just in time!
2. Tuesday is Roll Back the Clock Day! We roll back the ticket prices to the 1948 rate, an unbeatable $3.50!! There will be ski demos, a PHAT helmet give-away and more. Plus the Starline Rhythm Boys will be rockin’ in the pub for apres. Retro ski outfits encouraged! See below for some inspiration…
3. Thursday there will be FREE FONDUE in the pub starting at 4pm! Thanks to our friends at Cabot Cheese! We couldn’t fondue it without them!
4. This Freeheel Friday, we’ll have TWO awesome tele programs: Our weekly bargain priced two hour tele clinics and a special women’s specific day-long tele clinic, both are great ways to take your tele to the next level!
5. Saturday hone your skills and check out our women’s specific day-long alpine clinic or the Family Snowshoe tour and then join us in the pub for some kick-booty apres with Abby Jenne and the Enablers!!
6. Sunday there will be a VARA race on the Practice Slope as well at the Mountain Hardware Randonnee Rally!
7. If you’re trying to have fun and your feet hurt, don’t forget that you can go into the Rental and Repair Shop and see Dave about getting your feet back to that happy place. Happy feet can make all the difference!!
8. Next week is chock full of awesome stuff like the Full Moon Dinner and Snowshoe tour, The Unconventional Terrain Comp and Brett Hughes in the pub!

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to check in with your friendly bartender if you are a Mugg Holder or are on the waiting list! We’re really trying to turn the list over, so if you snooze, you lose!!

yummy.

The weather may not be consistent, but the quality of beer in the pub is steady as a rock.

Right now the General Stark’s Pub is home to some of the best and hardest to find craft beers in the state. So come on in, weather or not and try one of these gems for youself! You might even get a face shot!

This week’s Drink It If You Can Recommendation is Steve’s Backyard Red Ale, created in collaboration some of MRG’s finest: Shop Boy and Home-brewer Extraordinaire Steve Robbins, and Naturalist Director and Craft Brew Demigod Sean Lawson. 

From the horse’s mouth:

Our first collaboration brewed at Lawson’s Finest in Warren, VT features local homebrewer Steve Robbins, with his talented use of specialty malt, a fine blend of hops, and a generous dose of Green Mountain attitude. This Red Ale is dark ruby hue with a rich malt character, full body and flavor, and has a nice overall balance of toasty grains and hop presence.

From the Brewski Bum:

This is a dang fine beer. It was a delightful treat after a Vermonty day on the slopes. A real easy drinker for something with so much flavor, but it’s lower in ABV than most Lawson’s offerings so you can have another without living the Lawson’s motto too badly (Straight from the Green Mountains to your head.) If you decide to eat with it, pair it with anything from the grill to bring out the richness. Cheers Sean & Steve!

Don’t forget that ManBando will be playing apres in the pub tomorrow! And break out your favorite retro outfits for Roll Back The Clock Day Tuesday, January 31 featuring $3.50 lift tickets, an assortment of demos and the Starline Rhythm Boys in the pub.

Mad River Glen 1/26/12

First and most importantly let’s all take a quick second to visualize our own versions of an epic powder day at MRG: Oooommmmmmmmmm.

The skiing has been super fun, despite the recent short comings of Ol Man Winter. The impending choose-your-own-weather-adventure could go so many different ways, it seem useless to speculate. Hopefully we’ll get just snow! The stuff that’s coming down right now should fix right to our base and make for some cream cheesy turns if it stays frozen. Unfrozen stuff isn’t supposed to come until later so there’s a chance it does no more harm than a bucket of water on a pig.  But fluffer or nutter, we should come out the other other end with a thicker base. That’s gotta count for something right?

And it could rain pigs and the General Stark’s Pub will still be open! Currently we have some kick-booty local brews on tap such as Lawson’s and Fiddlehead. ManBando will be in the pub this Saturday and next Tuesday, Jan 31st is Roll Back the Clock Day with can’t-beat-em ticket prices of $3.50!! There will be all sorts of demos happening, plus the Starline Rhythm Boys will be rockin’ the GSP for apres so be sure to check it out.

Below, our trusty barkeep has some words for you Mugg Clubbers and MC wannabees…

Choice: Do you have a Mugg Club Mug?

• Yes – Read Below, then do a snow dance and/or make appropriate sacrifice to Ullr
• No, but I’m on the waiting list -  Read Below, then do a snow dance and/or make appropriate sacrifice to Ullr
• No - Very well then, carry on. Perhaps do a snow dance and/or make appropriate sacrifice to Ullr just for good measure.

So while we absolutely hate being the bad guy and selling off people’s mugs in their absence,  the monster that we have created demands that something be done to move the names along through the waitlist queue.   The process that we have said we would follow is to insist that the mugs be bought and paid for by Feb vacation (it used  to be MLK weekend) or be at risk of being sold to the next waiter on the list.   We have not held the line on that policy too well but this year will be the first that we are forced to do exactly that.   So spread the word to anyone you know that is a mugg holder …..  straighten out your mug business in Feb or risk losing your hook.

This Friday is Ski with the Point Day! Grab your ski posse and ski  with us for half off! Then come to the pub for a fun apres party with Chad Hollister and the cool kids at the Point – and these guys really know how to have fun! Now you have a great excuse to come check out the new renovations in the Pub!

Wait, what renovations?

Even if you have been up here you may not have noticed all the great work done to the pub this summer!  Here’s a recap of things from your trusty Barkeep, Chris.

The Booths:  Watch it happen yourself (below) … the end of the stationary booths in the center of the dining room.  Michael and Rob did a fabulous job taking them out and Thom refinished the new floor.  You hardly notice their absence and the flow in the room, as well as some much-needed versatility is vastly improved.  Yay.

The Cushioned Seats were also very well reupholstered by Dana Applebaum! Thanks Dana! They’ve never been more comfortable.

The Windows:  Four of the fixed-glass windows in the dining room have been replaced by sliding-frame style windows.  They’ll open in springtime & beyond for ventilation.  It will be heavenly in the summer.  Thank you Stevie & Nate.

The Floor: You may not notice that the floors are now actually carpeted with an indoor/outdoor type of substance.  It makes the room FAR less slippery for ski boots …. So far it has been fantastic.   We’re watching to see how it holds up under heavy traffic.  Thank you Michael.

The Fireplace Room:   This is where the biggest and most dramatic improvements were centered.  The old, cold ceiling was removed, insulated w/R38 and replaced w/ beautiful T&G wood ceiling.  The room is now wired for an overhead chandelier and Doug Macintosh of patrol was kind enough to donate one to us to use while we decide what the best unit to install permanently will be.  Thank you Doug!  All of the large windows were replaced w/new thermopane glass and the interior trim work in the room is some kind of sight.  Be sure and look at the pieces where the wood meets the stone along the side of the fireplace.  Beautiful work was done by Tom Clark & Co. getting everything ready right on schedule.  Thank you Tom & Brooks!  And last but certainly not least the hearth was replaced down to the bottom by MRG’s tireless Jack of Everything Donn Simpson.  It looks absolutely gorgeous.  Please tell him you think so and buy him a beer.   Thank you Donny!

Sound System:  We are amidst the process of still another upgrade to the sound equipment in GSP.  Through some very generous donations of time and equipment by ROn Ulrich of SwellSound Inc. we will soon replace our overhead speakers w/a more professional setup and allow an in-house sound system to be utilized by bands, speakers, etc.   Thank you Ronnie!