Elation is elusive. It is a feeling that can’t necessarily be created from within, but one that must be sought. It’s whispered in the whisking of a ski’s skin sliding through snow on an ascent up a mountain. The reverence revealed in watching dawn’s tilt chase away night’s darkness during a daybreak hike. And it can be seen easily in the smile of a friend not seen in a long time.
But in seeking elation a key ingredient can be missed: the element of Surprise.
When one goes looking for something, there is the anticipation of finding it. Intentionality robs the heart of the skipped beat that jumps from dropping into something not at all expected. And it is in that space of a missed heartbeat that the purest form of elation lives.
It is the happy accident of not falling during an accidental trip down a trail you thought you had no business being on. The new view of a valley stumbled upon during a hike done a thousand times. And then there’s the ultimate gift of peering at a Patroller dropping a rope on a run touched only by feet of new snow just waiting for tracks to be cut.
It is the pristine euphoria of unexpected discovery.
So, welcome to Dropped. A new(ish) take on the old(ish) concept of a newsletter that will be hitting your Inbox every other week.
There will be the things you expect to be shared: the $20 million in upgrades we’ve been up to…nine miles of new snowmaking pipe, improving snowmaking capabilities to better ride the weather bull, a new cabin cat, winch cat and free groomer, and the myriad events and musical offerings that are on the docket. Just to name a few.
Mostly though we want Dropped to offer something of the unexpected. A balance of sharing and surprise. Because we’ve been thinking about what Sugarbush has meant to us over the years, but more and most importantly, what is has meant and continues to mean to you. And we’re looking forward to having a, ah…kinetic conversation in the coming months.
But if Dropped is to be just one thing, it’s simply an invitation to elation.
See you on the hill.