The Arrival of Wilderness and Other Revelations

Well, we have the first seven days of the season under our belts, Bolton fans, and it’s hard to complain about the story so far. The transformation from our warm November to what has become a snowy and wintry December has been remarkable—and, for snowsport enthusiasts such as ourselves, an enormous improvement. Much like when I realized that my rock opera about a vampire ski-jumper had to be set in outer space, a whole new world of possibilities has opened up. Happy exploring.

In this issue:
~ Weekend Projections: Wilderness debuts
~ Dining: Bailey's, Waffle Cabins, and the taste of happiness
~ Holiday Events: $99 ski-and-stay packages 

Weekend Projections: Wilderness debuts
Even with this block of cold air that arrived Wednesday, we’ve picked up new snow each day this week, adding up to about a foot of snow since Sunday afternoon. If you’re pro-snow, then all that white stuff has the mountain full of worthwhile carving. If you’re anti-snow, then I admire your open-mindedness in subscribing to, and then carefully reading, this newsletter. I’m sure you’ll do great when the “Bolton Valley Newsletter” category finally comes up on Jeopardy. We expect to see some slightly warmer air both Saturday and Sunday, with highs in the upper teens and a great deal of sunshine. Glancing ahead, the forecast continues to trend favorably through Christmas, with temps moderating and consistent snow showers. I know this all sounds good, but just remember to pace yourselves out on the mountain in the early-season. No more than 8 to 11 hours of vigorous skiing every day. That’s how Abe Lincoln died. Or Abe Froman.* Either way, it was an avoidable tragedy.

Since the time machine we ordered on the internet turned out to be a clock radio soldered to an old brass diving helmet, we can only predict what terrain will be open this weekend. We strongly suspect that we’ll have over 30 trails available for your carving pleasure, and our primary surface is most likely to be packed powder. But there are whispers around the mountain. Tempting rumors of another lift opening this weekend. Barring any change in conditions, or any sudden movements that frighten and confuse it, the Wilderness Chair will make its season debut Saturday. If anyone asks, I’m not the one who said it. To be safe, you should probably delete this e-mail and then light your computer on fire. The point is: ropes may be dropping. Until that gets confirmed, we’ll start things off both Saturday and Sunday at 8:30am with the Vista Quad, followed at 9am by Mitey Mite and the Mid-Mountain chair. Lift tickets this weekend will again be $39 for adults, $29 for youths, seniors, and college students, and $19 for night skiing. And there will be no discount for wearing a reindeer sweater that you hand-knit yourself. Even though it took me a long time and my mom said it made me look like an angel. For daily updates, sign up for our snow report here. And if once a day just isn’t enough, you can now follow Bolton Valley on Facebook and Twitter.

Dining: Bailey's, Waffle Cabins, and the taste of happiness
You know I don’t like to talk about myself, but I am quite the gourmand. I’ve cooked just about everything you can think of that only requires boiling water—from ramen soup, to oatmeal, to other flavors of ramen soup. So, I’m basically an expert. As such, I can state with authority that Bailey’s Restaurant is now open for the season. Every night, Thursday through Saturday, Bailey’s will be offering refined Italian dining, but with a broader range of Mediterranean influences—like when I add couscous to my shrimp-flavored ramen noodles. Last time my doctor checked the sodium levels in my blood he ran out of the room crying. You know what’s not a horrible portent of my inevitable death? The chance to save 10% on your food bill. That’s what holders of Season Passes or Powder Passes will get off their bill at Bailey’s all season long. Which reminds me: the deadline for buying a Powder Pass is looming. After December 24th, the Snow Day and Nor’easter will no longer be available for purchase. All remaining unsold Powder Passes will be locked inside a station wagon, set ablaze, and rolled into Lake Champlain. I assume.

Closer to the slopes, there’s another fantastic food-related development. Our slope-side Waffle Cabin has also opened for the season. I can never remember what it is they make, but I do know they seemed very confused when I ordered Pad Thai. What they finally gave me both looked and tasted a lot like a waffle. I don’t know how you feel about waffles, because I don’t like to pry, but the waffles coming out of that magnificent Cabin are thick, delicious, and the only thing that can quiet the Sadness Monster that lives in my belly

Holiday Events: $99 ski-and-stay packages,
I’m sure you all saw Bolton Valley’s New Year’s Eve festivities discussed in the Boston Globe this week. And I’m not just bringing this up again because they used one of my pictures, and now I’m basically a professional photographer. Sure, I’m going to sneak into the Guggenheim this weekend to tape some of my pictures to various prominent walls, but that’s not my point. My point is: it’s time to make holiday plans. If, like me, the sight of a torchlight parade making its way down a mountain fills you with whimsy and the magical promise of a new year, then you’re in luck.

That parade will kick off the action on New Year’s Eve, soon after the lifts close at 8pm. After that, the aforementioned Bailey’s Restaurant will host a special dinner that they stubbornly refuse to let me prepare. To distract/exhaust the kids, the Sports Center will host games, Guitar Hero, and inflatable bouncy houses which I still can’t picture, but sound like a sensible alternative to my current lease. And, to make things easier, I’ve been told that ski and stay packages for the holiday period will start at $99 per person. It includes a lift ticket, your lodging for the night in a hotel room at the Inn at Bolton Valley, breakfast, and the chance to bump into me when I get to the mountain at 5:30am. I’ll be the one wearing a shirt with an air-brushed picture of wolves howling at Bode Miller as he skis down a rainbow. You can book that package by calling 1-877-9-BOLTON. Or, you can pay me directly with checks made out to "Cash" sent to my house.

I think that’s all the Bolton news I have access to this week, Newsletter Friends. One of these days I’ll get my security clearance and then these e-mails will really be something. You know what’s inside each Wilderness lift tower? Pirate gold. Until then, we’ll have to satisfy ourselves in the knowledge that the skiing so far this season has been first-class. When you consider how the mountains of Northern Vermont looked at the end of November, that’s a non-trivial miracle. Right up there with the ninth Flaming Lips album and the time I carved Timberline Lodge from a single piece of drift wood. It was originally supposed to be a castle, but I’m no good with moats.

Justin

*See also: The Sausage King of Chicago