New Ski and Ride School Programs

**notorious** · 09-10-2006, 07:36 PM

The ski and ride school has several new programs, daily and seasonal, kids and adults. For seasonal adult programs, the Valley Vista Social Club, and the Bush Pilots are noteworthy. The Bush Pilots program in particular promoses to provide the most complete tutoring in the secrets of Valley style skiing, Sugarbush and beyond, and marks a revolutionary step in Eastern ski school programs. Great to see the VT North Pro Team officially involved with the MT. Great name, too!!

Small gripe. Can't click onto the sign up for this program from the SB websit. (N.B. Win.)

Speaking of Win, his op ed opinion piece in this weeks Valley Reporter is extraordinary. ( A fervent reminder to the valley towns and State of VT not to relentlessly hammer nonresidents and local businesses.) (Anyone listening/ Unfortunatly, I doubt it) Win's willingness to engage with the community, online, in print, and in person (see comments at MRVCofC now showing on cable access) deserves attention. Having real people, with a personal stake in the mountain and community, as owners, is just one of the many remarkable things about Sugarbush. (i.e. AIG/Stowe, Intrawest, G Gillet (sp), ASC etc.) Thank you Win, Adam, and Bob for delivering us from the clutches of ASC. What is going on at Sugarbush deserves more coverage by the national ski press.

Last comment for now. I visited the real estate development at Stow this weekend. They have a long way to go, so Sugarbush has a clear window of opportunity by being on schedule with Claybrook and Gatehouse for this season.

**Tin Woodsman** · 09-10-2006, 11:36 PM

Heck of a first post. Welcome, notorious.

The Bush Pilots program sounds interesting, though I'd like to hear more details. Will this consist of backcountry touring, or will it be primarily lift-accessed? If that latter, while cool, I wonder what the impact will be on many of the stashes that define the "secrets of Valley style sking".

**Treeskier** · 09-11-2006, 11:11 AM

The Bush Piolet program sounds interesting but early access to powder. As a passholder one of the reasons to have one is so you can wait in line and be the first lift accessed skiing after ski patrol clears the lifts/trails. To give certian groups early access is not fair. Plus if they let them hike up early but all other are told they must wait is also unfair. Everything else in the program sound good. Learning from Johm Egan this summer was a great experiance.

**Lostone** · 09-11-2006, 11:53 AM

I've looked for info on this on the site, with no luck.

Anyone care to post a link?

If there is an "early powder" benefit, that would be poor for the rest of the patrons. I'll believe that when I see it, but that would be a poor step.

**Bubba** · 09-11-2006, 12:13 PM

http://www.sugarbush.com/seasonal.aspx

Scroll, scroll, scroll.

"Powder day lift cutting privleges"
Same as any other ski school program. You cut the lift line on non-powder days, too.

**notorious** · 09-11-2006, 03:43 PM

Originally Posted by Treeskier

The Bush Piolet program sounds interesting but early access to powder. As a passholder one of the reasons to have one is so you can wait in line and be the first lift accessed skiing after ski patrol clears the lifts/trails. To give certian groups early access is not fair. Plus if they let them hike up early but all other are told they must wait is also unfair. Everything else in the program sound good. Learning from Johm Egan this summer was a great experiance.

It's always difficult to beat Treeskier to first tracks, but a man needs something to aspire to. I hear there is a lot of terrain at Sugarbush. No need for rivalry.

**Lostone** · 09-11-2006, 05:38 PM

Thanx Dave. That time I found it.

You weren't kidding when you said scroll, scroll scroll!

notorious, how did you find it?

It says they meet at 9:45. If we can't get the trail powder by then, we don't deserve it!

And as for cutting lines with lessons, yes, it has been done for years. I have no problem withthat as long as they don't just let the lessons go. There are enough different lessons that nobody else would be able to ski. But they usually work them in well, letting a couple sets fromthe lessons and a couple sets from the regular lines.

Besides, from the reading of it, it seems they're leading them to do more away from the lifts skiing?

**Lostone** · 09-12-2006, 10:31 AM

We had two subjects in the same thread, each worthwhile on its own.

I'm leaving this one for the ski and ride programs and have moved the tax commentary posts to their own thread.

**Tin Woodsman** · 09-12-2006, 10:32 AM

Originally Posted by Lostone

We had two subjects in the same thread, each worthwhile on its own.

I'm leaving this one for the ski and ride programs and have moved the tax commentary posts to their own thread.

Great minds think alike....

I was about to do the same. I took the further step of moving the thread to the MRV General forum since it's not SB specific.

**Lostone** · 09-12-2006, 10:37 AM

That caught me by surprise! I was thinking it might have been better in the valley board, but wanted to split it before it got too large.

Then I went into it (in the Sugarbush forum and looked up and foud it to be in the Valley forum.

Couldn't figure out how I'd done that!

**ahm** · 09-14-2006, 01:39 PM

[quote="notorious"]The ski and ride school has several new programs, daily and seasonal, kids and adults. For seasonal adult programs, the Valley Vista Social Club, and the Bush Pilots are noteworthy. The Bush Pilots program in particular promoses to provide the most complete tutoring in the secrets of Valley style skiing, Sugarbush and beyond, and marks a revolutionary step in Eastern ski school programs. Great to see the VT North Pro Team officially involved with the MT. Great name, too!!

Time will tell just how much of a revolutionary step in Eastern ski school programs this is and just how much non lift served skiing it involves. The approach is an excellent idea. Bringing it to "be" is entirely different. In terms of a "earn your turns approach" SB will need to invest in a nice selection of touring gear and right now, I think that is a ways away. They have had some pseduo clinics/overnights in the past (and appropriate gear and knowledgable users were in short supply), but the bottom line is to introduce people to "touring' you need to have a cache of backcountry gear. SB/SV would go a long way by getting about 10 - 20 sets of touring gear with Fritschi freerides and skins, and adjustable poles. If you are gonna talk backcountry, then you need to provide the gear so people can check it out. It wasn't until 2005 that there was a fritschi jig in the valley (can ya mount em yourself ? yep, but it would help if the shops bought into it). SB has access to some of the best touring type terrain in VT, and it should be developed accordingly and the concept of teaching backcountry technique and skills should truly be embraced by the area. With JE's contacts at Dynastar, it should be pretty easy to stock the demo rack with 8800's with freerides. With JA as a Coulior editor it should be easy to beef up the bush backcountry instructional and marketing programs......................and that would be the true way to debute the "secrets of the valley"

**win** · 09-14-2006, 01:50 PM

Thanks for the comments, Notorious. I checked the online store, and it is working. If you have problems, you can call 800-53-SUGAR during businesses hours and one of our reps can help you. Think snow!

**john** · 09-14-2006, 03:07 PM

This program came out of requests we recieved for a very high end program that had a hard core group of instructors that could step outside the realm of most ski instruction . We needed coaches that had learned thier skills here but have proven them world wide ! We found them and I am very excited to have them on our team ! I don't know who started the rumor that this group would get early lifts but the times are set up so parents who have children in one of our other programs have time to drop off the child and still fit in some serious ripping of thier own ! Come join us ...if you think your up for it. John

**Tin Woodsman** · 09-14-2006, 04:04 PM

Originally Posted by john

This program came out of requests we recieved for a very high end program that had a hard core group of instructors that could step outside the realm of most ski instruction . We needed coaches that had learned thier skills here but have proven them world wide ! We found them and I am very excited to have them on our team ! I don't know who started the rumor that this group would get early lifts but the times are set up so parents who have children in one of our other programs have time to drop off the child and still fit in some serious ripping of thier own ! Come join us ...if you think your up for it. John

Nice. Welcome to the board, John.

**notorious** · 09-14-2006, 07:56 PM

Win, thank you for noticing and commenting on this subject. The mere fact that you do so impresses the hell out of me. Every user and lurker on this board loves your mountain and this valley, and it is wonderfull to see the shared passion of the owners. As for the Bush Pilot website sign-up, I gave up and used the 800#, but I trust the website is running smoothly today.

It may be taken as shameless brownosing, but I feel the need to thank you for allowing John to start this program. There are many points of view on the question, but the true believers are convinced that the future of Sugarbush lies, at least partly, in the maximum exploitation of lift served backcountry skiing. For those who are into it, the ability to access the immense terrain opportunities and get a ride back to do it again,and again, is equivalent to skiing in Europe where such a practice is common. There is no equal in the East.

I love Jay as much as the next guy, but hitchiking is a lot different than shuttle pick-up. And let's be honest, Jay's on mountain terrain can't compare with Sugarbush. Besides, they lie about snowfall.

Many of us who care for the future of our mountain have wondered if and when the mountain would begin to appropriately focus on this undeniably superlative ski experience. This is the soul of skiing, fresh snow, quiet woods, sunlight in the beech groves, the pure adreniline rush of a launch off a drop into soft snow.

Like a lot of others I've been content to secretly gorge myself on this terrain, but the highest pleasures are best when shared.(Pick your pleasure here, people) There are those who want to hoard their "secrets", or allow only the "select" in on the mystery. Thankfully John, and you feel differently.

Given the regulatory restrictions and respecting the habitat issues, we can never, nor would we ever want to, "develop" the wild areas. But exposing qualified skiers to the magical terrain of Sugarbush and beyond will create the best kind of word-of-mouth publicity among the lead user ski community. No amount of marketing money can buy this type of respect for the mountain.

The business success of your mountain protects the continuation of our ski experience. In your willingness to authorize John to start the respectful focus on the "real" Sugarbush you have merged the business end of skiing with the root experience. What a simple concept. What a revolutionary idea.

Thank you.