I was recently driving in the car with my daughter, casually thinking about blog content (as all normal people definitely do), and I asked her what she thought I should write about this week.
“It could be anything about the mountain, skiing, whatever,” I said.
“Skiing!” she exclaimed.
I corrected myself, “Well it’s summertime, there’s no skiing right now, so that probably doesn’t make sense. What else?”
“Write about the trails.”
“The trails in summer?”
“Yeah, the trails look different when there’s not snow on them.”
“They do, don’t they…”
And so here I am, taking content guidance from an 8 year old, writing about trails in the summer. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized hey, these trails really do take on a different character in the summer beyond just the color. It’s something we’ve all likely commented at one time or another.
I’m sure many of you have have visited Sugarbush or another ski resort in the summertime. Perhaps for a wedding, a holiday, or just some outdoor time. If you’ve ever hiked up the mountain, taken a summer scenic lift ride, or heck even looked up the hill with a courtyard beer in hand, you too have probably remarked on how different the trails look.
They feel…steeper. Wilder. Untamed. I mean have you really stopped and looked at Spring Fling from the base area? It sure feels a lot more precipitous than that blue groomer you cruise down without a second thought. Rocks, water bars, grasses and plants of all sorts. The daily grooming manicure gone (at least until mowing season). These features become even more magnified when exploring trails like Sleeper, Domino, Tumbler, or Looking Good. Don’t even get me started on Castlerock, Stein’s, Black Diamond of FIS. It’s a miracle many of us ski these trails with no second thoughts, deep in our flow state and already thinking about the next run. They’re intimidating in the summer! I even just ran into a couple that couldn’t believe there were roads up many of the trails, something you never notice in the wintertime (don’t drive them, these are work roads). In the summer, shed of its winter coat, the mountain feels that much more unadulterated.
Yet within that wildness it also feels simultaneously Zen like. Bereft of the resurfacing influences of our groomers a sense of peace presides. In the winter many of us get this same sense of feeling when looking around the mountain. I promise it’s even more powerful in the summer. Teaming with life yet oddly solitary. Certainly more quiet without the hum of the chairlift or scrape of skis on snow.
The mountain just evokes a different sort of awe when gazing upon it in the summer. Even more so when engaging with it. If you’ve never experienced that, I’d say it’s well worth a warm-weather visit. If my 8 year old can appreciate the difference, I have a feeling you will be able to as well.
See you on the mountain.