Mad River Glen Ski Area

I have yet to find a serious powder destination resort on the ec. There’s nothing I enjoy skiing more than a foot or 2 of ungroomed powder on top of a soft recently groomed base. Berkshire east, a great mountain, is the closest I’ve found, but they don’t get a lot of natural snow unfortunately so pow days are rare. It’s either corporate ultra crowded (mt snow-​too crowded to enjoy untracked powder) and/​or groom almost everything on a pow day (okemo) and/​or too much wind (jay peak) causing wind affected pow, or it’s magic/​mrg.
Corporate or mrg/​magic. Pick your poison.. I’m a powder lover and this place could be epic, but it’s NOT unless you love icy moguls. Most of the trails have bumps and/​or ice on them much of the time due to lack of grooming. MRG is great if you want ice bumps, but I was looking for some powder over soft snow. That effortless flotation feeling. Not knee slamming bumps. Really ridiculous.
Also, because of a lack of grooming even on non bumped up trails, there tends to be sometimes boilerplate and hard scratching ice under the powder especially if they happen to get a low ratio snowfall.(champagne powder you just fall to the bottom). So you end up scratching on every turn and it can even get dangerous at times once it gets tracked out due to inconsistency between powder and ice. Not exactly the effortless/​soft feeling of powder skiing.
A lot of people call this is a core skier’s mountain. I disagree. Jackson hole fits that bill. Not mrg. Right now MRG mountain exists as some kind of «east coast ego challenge» of who can ski the worst conditions possible on a very steep slope with all kinds of hazards like half covered boulders/​ice/​ruts ect., and sometimes low snow cover. It’s very similar to magic mountain. Crappy, but with a ton of potential!
Simple way for MRG to up it’s game:
1)GROOM the trails regularly so when the powder from a storm does arrive, there’s a nice soft fun base to ski powder on top of. Simple. If you have a storm incoming. Start grooming that night at close and finish early and THEN let the pow fall on top of the cord. It will ski like a dream that morning. And while I understand some people like bumps and some trails should absolutely be left bumped up for them, there are simply too many bump trails. Every black trail is bumped. Some people call bump trails «natural». That’s not true. Truly «natural» powder is virgin and untouched by man. Not skied off into ruts/​bumps/​ice/​moguls and further ruined by the rain/​thaw cycles. And a lack of natural snow compared to out west means simply really bad conditions. A groomer is a necessity.
2)They need to increase snowmaking. It doesn’t need to have the ridiculous snow making capacity of mt snow, jiminy, killington ect, but it needs more than it has right now. The EC simply doesn’t get enough snow to be totally dependent on natural snow. It needs some snowmaking capacity.

Always a great day @ mad river., «it is what it is «., we make the trek once a year @ the same time each year., eom jan., each time offers a new adventure., plenty of friendly folks !

Old school down to earth feel and by far the most challenging ski area in the northeast. These peeps are the best you’ll meet a ski partner on the lift.

2014 – 2015 Ski season was very good for the northeast resorts. But, Mad River is simply a very awesome pace to ski on and visit. Very family oriented resort, no snowboarders (I have nothing against snowboarders) but I feel more at ease knowing that I do not have to watch out for them on Mad River Trails!
Great service from staff in general. The rental shop was quick and fast and they adjusted their skis to my boots well.
I found a lot of crust as I was approaching the base, but other than that the trails were spectacular with a soft powder day of 6 inches of new snow.
I left with a great impression of MAD River Glen ski area, this is a must goto place if ski is in your blood!
Suggestion: If you visit during the week, you will avoid the crowds in the weekend. Mad River has huge following of repeat customers from NYC, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Boston and more!
Enjoy!

First time at this mythical eastern resort. Loved it. We were blessed by a foot of fresh snow so the conditions were perfect.
My first time on the single lift was a little scary. There’s a bar that you have to reach out and flip toward you for safety but it was easy. Then you’re sitting all alone taking a magical ride up a mountain in Vermont surrounded by trees covered in snow and ice.
Only bummer is the long line for the singles chair. The doubles chair has shorter lines and gets you to nearly as good terrain.

Mad River Glen is the best ski area ever! If you are looking for a fancy base lodge where you can get a hot stone massage and a glass of champagne, go elsewhere. If you are looking for fantastic terrain and happy people, Mad River Glen can’t be beat!
Ski it if you can : —)

Take a Step back in time and visit mad River Glen to experience skiing the way it was meant to be, pure and simple.
It feels like a skiers community and is reflected in the vibe you’ll feel as well as the $ 39.00 mid week lift ticket you buy.
I have been skiing here for 20 years and have Experienced every imaginable type of conditions .
From bitter cold New Years weekends to a powder day in April, to perfect soft spring skiing, the place never seems to ski the same .
This is a ski hill that is owned by a co op of skiers who vote on any and all updates.
The most recent decision was to replace the aging single chair
(the only one left in N. America) with a spanking new — Single chair!
You have to love the Unapologetic resistance to change here from the dated lodge to the lack of snowmaking and limited snow grooming to the fact that they don’t allow snowboarding.
But it all works perfectly, and keeps me coming back year after year.
I’ll admit, the mountain is the best when there’s a good base and new snow to ski on, but I have had my fair share of poor conditions too.
In that case, We hop over to near by Sugerbush resort, where they blow tons of snow and have the latest grooming equipment.
(Hey, it beats driving five hours only to see the Mt is closed!)
Thankfully, they are honest with their ski condition /​mountain report, so you learn to dbl check before you leave so you know what to expect!
Ahh, I degrees, back to the skiing:
Don’t worry, there really are plenty of trails for everyone, of all abilities, even from the very top of the mountain.
This is a family friendly Mt and there’s no lack of little kids who will ski better than you ever could, ha, ha…
Try Antilope off the single chair and you’ll enjoy a birds eye view of the valley below before taking a winding rolling run down the full length of the mountain.
Novice skiers will enjoy the runs off of the SunnySide chair.
And experts enjoy all the nooks and crannies the place is famous for.
There’s more hidden gems amongst the tress than you can imagine,
and you can find freshies long after the last flakes fall if you know where to look. :)
I come here with my wife who doesn’t ski, instead she takes advantage of the Naturalists snowshoe tour. It’s quiet the work out if you choose the advanced tour,
but there are tours for any ability to enjoy.
It seems that whatever you choose to do, the mountain will challenge you and you’ll leave feeling a good kind of tired.
Take a moment to reflect on your day at the base box lodge at the bottom of the hill and enjoy a local brew & soak up some late day sunshine.
The valley is filled with cool bed and breakfast type accommodations and there’s a good mix of bars and restaurants as well.
I have skied all across America and have to say that Mad River Glen is one of my very favorite destinations anywhere.
Ski it, if you can!

No attitude, just great skiing and a friendly vibe. People TRY to share the doubles with you, and they always chat. I love this place! Awesome pub too, good food great brews, reasonable prices.

Where can I start with this rat hole? they do everything wrong. The slopes are too steep, –1 star, the snow is only natural snow, –1 star. there are hills of snow on most runs, making it hard to get down, –1 star. it can take longer to get down than it did to get up, even on the pokey single lift. The bunny hill Bunny and the practice hills under the Practice lift have moguls on them, what’s with that? –1 star. Runs that start UPHILL (like chute, upper catamount) don’t make sense, –1 star.
Seriously, there is a danger on this mountain because they do not
adequately mark their black trails. Paradise, parts of Lift line (which
has multiple parts with different characteristics), Fall line, Partridge,
maybe Upper glade, are triple diamonds in that they are narrow,
with bumps and with chutes and/​or required jumps. Chute
on the other hand, is just unrelenting steep moguls and Lower
Antelope is unrelenting narrow moguls. Birch gives you glades and
moguls. These would be double diamonds most places. Most of the
rest of the blacks are just blacks. So, if you skied Waterfall and tried
Paradise or Partridge, or skied double blacks at Sugerloaf, you
would be, like, soooo surprised. There is the real opportunity for
somewhat novice skiers to not bite off more than they can chew,
but to bite off way way too much and choke. The locals think it is
humorous to note these qualitatively different types of runs are all
‘MRG black’. It is, however, genuinely dangerous and shows the type
of offensive, crass farmyard humor that went out in the 1940s. The
standard disclaimers about ‘know your level, ski under control, etc.’ are
not appropriate for this place.
I don’t mind that they think dirt is skiable, or that rocks and grass or trees are skiable (the web site notes below that it’s skiable!), because I have learned (from skiing here) that these are skiable in small amounts, and that i’m more important than my skis. I respect that they leave runs open far after a commercial resort would close them, giving you the choice to ski grass if you want to. I think that the snow description is either waaay optimistic, or the ski report dude did not ski the runs I put up.
«100% of our legendary main mountain terrain wide open! After over 2′ of new snow since last week the conditions on General Stark Mountain have been totally rejuvenated. We are currently enjoying some of the best skiing that we have seen over the past two seasons»
ps. we found David F’s ball that he lost at Sugarloaf at the bottom of Chute.

Unvarnished, pure skiing, the way mother nature intended it to be. The most honest ski report on their web page; when its not skiing like cream cheese and more like a crispy three-​day old bagel, they say so. I have hit it on powder days, spring days, icy days… it is what it is and you learn to deal with all the conditions God can throw at you. They do groom and in fact DOUBLED their snow making capacity since they have ANOTHER snow gun! Whooo Hooo! You really need to ski it on a midweek spring day when the sun is out and the bumps are soft and the sun deck is hoppin’ and there is no line on the single… just the friendly locals who know where to get the goods.
Plus the chicken wings and nachos are AMAZING as is the selection of draft microbrews. I not only love skiing here, I love to hang here when I am done with the most challenging, unconventional terrain anywhere.
Ski it when you can. Pick your days and you shall be rewarded.

If you consider yourself a serious skier, then make your pilgrimage to Mad River Glen. From the iconic Single Chair to some of the toughest terrain in North America, this place is definitely one of a kind.
There are no upscale boutiques, slope-​side condos, or gourmet restaurants getting in the way — just a gnarly mountain with lots of interesting ways to get down. This lack of luxury attracts a laid-​back crowd of ski enthusiasts who are generally some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet.
Are there drawbacks? Well, I’ve definitely waited up to 45 minutes for a ride on the famed Single Chair and suffered through one day of pretty-​crappy conditions, but these are problems that every ski area in Vermont has. I’d still rather hang-​out here then deal with the corporate amusement park vibe that most other ski resorts offer up.

Solid trails with plenty of challenges if you’re looking for them, particularly on the mogul runs. Really exhilarating drops and technical trails. Was very icy when we went, but sometimes that happens, can’t blame the mountain.
Would have been 4 stars if not for my experience with the manager in the rental shop. I went to return the equipment right at closing time (precisely 4:59) on their clock, and the both entrance doors were locked. The manager saw me approach both doors and because I was cutting it close, I didn’t want to be rude and bang on the door so I gave him some time to finish what he was doing … nothing, as he looked over twice and just carried on. This guy felt the need to punish me for cutting it close and it was obvious and lame.

Been going here for thirty years or so, and hardly anything has changed.
And that’s for the better.
Some of the most interesting, challenging runs anywhere in the USA. Heck, probably in the world. If you love skiing wide open bowls, this is not your hill. Windy, narrow paths that flow with the mountain, tree runs and woods, steep bumps. This mountain lives up to its slogan.
Apres ski at Mad River is equally, well, just quintessential Mad River. Great local brews on tap.(esp the Magic Hat «Singlechair» and the Maple Imperial Stout, yum). You will mostly hear jazz fusion, 70s classic rock, and Grateful Dead, and again, it’s perfect.
$ 39 midweek? All the sweeter.

This is a purist’s mountain. Simple, fun, and challenging. It’s also one of only three ski resorts in the US that doesn’t allow snowboarding.
Drove up from Philly when I had a couple days off. Unfortunately, all the snow hit everywhere except MRG. As a result, it was icey and windy but I still enjoyed myself.
With a midweek lift ticket price of 39 dollars, its hard to beat this place.
As other people have said, its simple. One small base lodge with food, and some tables. People come here for one thing and that’s to ski. Just like their slogan, Mad River Glenn-​ski it if you can…

Only reason I came here was because I heard it was a skier only resort and had to check it out. Glad I did because this place was unreal. It was like a giant step back in time. This is for true skiers. Nothing fancy, no expensive amenities, just plain simple skiing. Mt was really icy when I was there and the conditions sucked! Very very cold and windy. I’m sure they have a handful of great days there though. First time I ever felt truly comfortable leaving my gear and equipment anywhere and didn’t get that feeling of «I hope my shit doesn’t get jacked!»

Nice unrefined ski spot in mid-​VT. Lots of wild-​looking mountain men on crazy vintage skis (probably highest percentage of non-​parabolic skis in north america) and locals. The utter lack of concern for the appearance of the base box, or what other places might call a «lodge,» is refreshing. Forces you to focus on the mountain and certainly isn’t a place members of the party who «don’t ski» will find comfortable for an afternoon of reading. A solid bulwark against the ski areas that take the focus off the mountain.
Don’t go on a day without powder — or do if you’re feeling reckless. No snowmaking, so runs get hairy, or in the parlance of one ski dude, «grumpy.» Boulders and ice patches are as common as skiers themselves and merely add to the challenge. The other people on the mountain are largely absent due to the single chair which really throttles the flow of skiers to the summit. It sounds frustrating but it’s highly refreshing to ski an Eastern mountain without finding yourself in a snow blanketed mob scene outfitted by Paragon. Runs here truly can be had without a glimpse of another person.
Great throwback mountain with friendly people, good terrain, gnarly runs and a great all around experience.

First of all, this is Mad River the ski area, not Mad River the bar. And it is way better. Awesome, challenging skiing, without all the fluff of big shiny resorts and without the obnoxious crowds that go along with them. Just classic old-​fashioned skiing. And no snowboarding.
Mad River is definitely old fashioned and rustic, with little snowmaking and grooming. No high-​speed quads or sprawling resort «villages» here. Just real skiers. The terrain is fun and challenging, and even the intermediate trails can be ungroomed and bumpy. But there’s definitely stuff for everyone, including the green and blue trails of «Birdland». Great tree-​lined views and windy alpine trails up near the top. Upper and lower antelope is a fantastic long twisty trail all the way down the mountain through the trees. And some great glades — some of which were too scary-​looking even for me.
The single chair (only one left in the country) is pretty cool. It gets pretty friggin cold, but the view is amazing. Lift lines can get long since the highest capacity lift is a double, but that just means the mountain is less crowded. Mad River gets a lot of hype, but it’s well deserved I think. And $ 39 for a midweek lift ticket? Sold!

If you’re looking for a swank resort with great food and comfy après-​ski amenities, MRG ain’t for you.
But if what you like to do is ski, and be around people who like to ski, this is your place.
MRG is bare-​bones: a small bar, a smaller grill, a bathroom with a deodorant smell worse than anything it’s covering up, but… it’s a real community; parents with kids, grannies and grampas who take the black-​diamond runs with ease, people cutting work for a few hours in the sun…
This is a real community (it’s a co-​op, shareholder-​owned and run), and it feels like one. There’s no whiff of «ski resort», just plain old folks doing something they love.
And no snowboarding, sorry (i’m not sorry, but snowboarders probably are; although a few sneak in every year on a dare from Jake Burton of Burton boards).

Awesome undeveloped mountain. I think Mad River has only one snow gun, so make sure you hit this place on a powder day… and you’ll be glad you did. If it’s not a powder day remember what I was once told — if you see a rock, stump or downed tree — turn. That’s it.
It’s hard to say whether their lack of uphill capacity (lifts) is a good or bad thing — but I’m all for it. Although the lines are long when the snow’s a-​flying, there are always fresh stashes to be found, and it doesn’t get tracked out by 10am. So cheers to them for deciding to keep the single chair alive for another 25 years!

No snowboards allowed? I’d say, ‘get out of the eighties’ but if you visit Mad River it’s pretty clear they aren’t stuck in the eighties; they’re stuck in the seventies. Anyhoo…
If you’re a skier, and Vermont has had a good snow year, Mad River is a place you should check out. The terrain is excellent and the atmosphere is something special. The people are a lot friendlier and more welcoming than at other resorts. You get the feeling that you are part of a skiing community.
I have only skied off the single chair but, from the map it looks like there is plenty of blue and green terrain so I wouldn’t take the «Ski it if you can» slogan too seriously.
Update: Mad River would get four or five stars if they didn’t have that snowboard ban.