Mad River Glen

Mad River Glen may not look like the most appealing ski resort on paper. With only about 100 acres of trails and a ban on snowboarders, East Coast travelers often overlook this mountain for the larger destinations. But Mad River Glen isn’t for the typical ski resort crowd, and a number of circumstances make the mountain about as raw as it gets for in-bounds Northeast skiing.

Mad River Glen offers perhaps the most natural experience of any Vermont ski resort. Snowmaking and grooming are both quite limited, leading to little patch up of thin cover and hidden obstacles. However, these circumstances lead to some of the gnarliest expert terrain on the East Coast. Natural obstacles abound across the resort, with cliffs, moguls, trees, and bare ground all fair game. Frozen waterfalls aren’t even out of the question. And these challenges aren’t confined to any one resort area, with perilous lines present across varying lifts and elevations; while many mountains get easier near the base, Mad River Glen visitors should not let their guards down.

That being said, Mad River Glen’s lack of resiliency measures really hurt its dependability. If it’s been several days since the previous storm, or a freeze-thaw cycle has occurred, major problems start to pop up. Significant trail closures are a common occurrence during even the core winter months—especially when it comes to expert runs—and even if they’re open, trails can become spotty or icy to the point of near-unskiability. When conditions become unfavorable, don’t even think about cutting into the woods. If things get really bad, full resort closures aren’t unheard of. As a result, booking a trip to Mad River Glen months—or even days—in advance can be a risky proposition. February is typically the best month for good conditions, but it’s still not a guarantee, with plenty of variable condition days throughout even that month.

On the plus side, Mad River Glen does see its fair share of natural snow throughout a typical season. This accumulation is consistent enough to fill in rather hairy terrain, making for the perilous in-bounds lines the resort is known for. Additionally, the resort limits lift ticket sales on a daily basis, meaning that the snow doesn’t get tracked out as quickly as one might expect. That said, expect thin cover and some bare sections on expert runs even on the best days.

You go to Mad River Glen because of the quality of its expert terrain, not because it’s a well-rounded destination for all abilities. With just 115 acres of trails, Mad River Glen is much smaller than all noteworthy competitors. Beginner and intermediate options are slim, with only a handful of groomed trails, leaving very little variety for less proficient skiers. Beginners who do end up at Mad River Glen will find the best options off the mellower Birdland chair, but this terrain zone is fairly small. Intermediates will probably find their best terrain off the Sunnyside chair, although the blues off this lift aren’t always groomed. There’s also one blue route off the top of the single chair, but it takes a small uphill section to get to, which won’t be everyone’s forte, and it turns into a flat green trail about halfway down. Intermediates can also check out the lower-mountain practice slope (leave it to Mad River Glen to have a blue-rated bunny hill), but the terrain is short and not that notable.

But Mad River Glen does have some advantages when it comes to family-friendliness. The small footprint and singular base area make it very easy to keep track of others in your party. In addition, the Birdland zone’s isolated nature means that less experienced guests in this area will not need to face more aggressive skier traffic, except when traveling down to the base. Trail signs are carved out of wood and a bit easy to miss, but they’re kept up well, which mitigates the issue. Some expert trails are difficult to find, but this is somewhat by design. There are trail maps posted at the top of lifts, but they’re hilariously old-school.

Mad River Glen is an old-school mountain, and that includes when it comes to its lifts. The resort’s four chairlifts are low-capacity fixed-grip chairs, three of which are doubles. The remaining lift, which serves the mountain’s full vertical and toughest terrain, is a one-of-a-kind single chair—in fact, it’s the only one left in operation in the lower 48 states, and only one of two left operating on the continent. The Single Chair is the fastest traditional fixed-grip lift in North America, so while you can’t chat it up with a neighbor, the journey up isn't terribly sluggish.

Mad River Glen’s low capacity makes the mountain naturally inefficient at shuffling guests up the slopes. However, the resort mitigates this issue by limiting lift ticket sales on a daily basis; on the busiest days, only a fraction of the folks who try to buy tickets are able to secure them. This means that even on powder days or during the holidays, lift lines are never longer than 15 minutes, even at the Single Chair.

Part of the reason Mad River Glen is able to be so restrictive on ticket and pass sales is because unlike essentially every other ski resort in North America, Mad River Glen is controlled by a skier-owned cooperative. This means that the resort has no incentive to make a profit—and is run with the intention to preserve as much of the experience as possible. As a result, Mad River Glen is one of the least commercialized-feeling mountains out there, with one of the most local vibes of any resort in Vermont. The mountain isn’t tall or large enough to afford the same spectacular vistas as some competitors, but there are still plenty of beautiful views of the Mad River Valley and surrounding mountain ranges, and the lack of buildup results in a one-with-nature feeling.

Mad River Glen is a no-frills mountain, but for guests who get cold, there are warming huts at the top of both the Single and Sunnyside chairs. A lodge is present at the base of the Birdland area as well, with small food items available to buy. The base lodge has a cafeteria with some of the most reasonably priced food we’ve seen at any ski resort.

Getting There

Mad River Glen is located in central Vermont’s Mad River Valley, about three-and-a-half hours from Boston and five-and-a-half hours from New York. The resort is also about three hours from the Canadian city of Montreal. The final hour or so of the drive from any direction involves state roads that aren’t always well maintained, so visitors should make sure to bring the proper vehicle on their trip. Public transportation options to the Mad River Valley are essentially non-existent.

Lodging

Mad River Glen lacks public on-site lodging, but plenty of accommodations exist within a short driving distance of the mountain. Options range from charming economical inns to luxury condo rentals, but they book up quickly on busy weekends and holidays.

A few accommodations stand out. The Bridges Club and Resort offers a fitness center with multiple indoor tennis courts as well as an indoor pool and outdoor hot tub. Hostel Tevere, a shared-room hostel a short drive from the mountain, features an on-site bar and is a fantastic option for those looking to stay somewhere cheap or meet people.

Aprés-ski

Mad River Glen isn’t known for its nightlife, but the base area has a charming bar with lots of historical relics. Mad River Glen’s shareholders often hang out in this bar, so grabbing a beer here after a day on the slopes can be a great way to learn about the inner workings of the mountain.

There are some decent casual bars in the town of Warren that can be accessed via the free Mad River Valley shuttle bus; you can find late night bands at the Local Folk Smokehouse and Hostel Tevere on weekends. However, you won’t find any true night clubs here.

Verdict

Mad River Glen is notoriously unreliable and incredibly tough to master, but if you get there on the right day, it’s a whole lot of fun. While it’s not the best mountain to specifically book an in-advance trip to, the resort is best enjoyed if you already happen to be checking out other ski resorts in the area, such as Sugarbush, and conditions are decent. While lift tickets are demand-based, they’re never above $100—but be careful, because on a good day, they sell out quickly.

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