The Big Kicker is Back

The Big Kicker is Back

Your favorite season kick off party is back for the lucky 13th year in a row! A crowd and community favorite celebrating opening day of the ski and ride season will be at Mt. Ellen November 18th from 5PM-9PM. Join us for a party, rail jam, bonfire mosh of a celebration to welcome back our favorite time of year. Everyone is welcome as we’ll have a host of activities to partake in or spectate! With food and drinks along with live music in the Green Mountain Lounge, join us to celebrate under the stars or in the warmth of the lounge.

Big Kicker Beginnings

Eric Friedman, then the Marketing Director of Mad River Glen, was inspired to create the Big Kicker after attending a similar event out at Crested Butte over a decade ago. The original idea of the event was to celebrate the beginning of winter. It were to be a party not only for the mountain, but for the community as well. We have been teaming up with the community to host the Big Kicker since the beginning. All in an effort to bring together the Mad River Valley skiing and riding community as a whole. Originally it was hosted at the Big Picture, and has moved around to Lareau Farm and Mt. Ellen in years past. The Big Kicker remains one of our favorite events as it has always been a great way to include various Valley businesses and organizations.

Event Details

After our projected opening day (weather dependent) of Lincoln Peak, head over to Mt. Ellen for our kick off party! The Big Kicker will be on regardless of weather and opening day status. Some of our partners like High Fives Foundation and Lawson’s Finest Liquids will have booths set up for you to check out. There will be free pizza and salad to snack on and the GML bar will be open. We’ll have a live band cranking out tunes to ensure a good time!

We’ve got events lined up all season long. Check out our calendar and make plans now!