Why I Love Mad River Glen

I skied Mad River Glen last Saturday. It was magical.

The first time I skied Mad River, I was in third grade. I have scattered memories from that trip. Getting up at 4 a.m. was not my idea of a great start to a weekend, but I realized by the end of the day that I loved that place. I remember the parking lot and the covered walkway between the two yellow buildings. I remember the red and white “Ski It If You Can” bumper stickers; my mother explaining what glades meant; and her comment to me after some guy tried to give me a tip on how to ski the glades better, which was: “He could learn a thing or two from you.”

Every time I go back, all these 20 plus years later, it is the same as I remember it, which as you can guess, in my opinion, is perfect.

I am definitely not alone in this sentiment. Mad River is a beloved mountain. There are so many reasons why this mountain has such a fervent and loyal following. Quite often, people who cannot explain why a place is special use the excuse that words cannot quite capture the majesty of it. But with Mad River Glen, it is easy to explain, but takes a really long time to do so.

If you have skied Mad River, then maybe you love it for the same reasons that I do, or maybe you love it for different reasons. In either case, instead of writing it all down, I made a list of what I love about Mad River Glen:

*The walk from the parking lot

*The bustling lodge

*The looping single chair lift line

*The single chair

*Music at the midstation

*Going right, or left, or anyway off the lift

*Skiing

*The stories about Roland Palmedo

*The stories about Betsy Pratt

*The stories about some of the shareholders

*Grilled cheese sandwiches

*The pictures above the bar

*The beer mugs

*The way natural snow skis – in any condition

*Perfect bump lines

*Skiing in the trees

*Sunshine on the deck

*Skiing

*Feeling really tired from skiing

*Sleeping really well that night

*Realizing the next morning that I dreamed about skiing

*Going back  

Read more New England Ski tips from Heather Atwell.