Greetings from the middle of summer.
It’s July 19, and I’m 87 days from my last ski day, somewhere over 100 til my next. So yeah, if this isn’t the exact middle of the season, then it’s pretty damn close.
As skiers, it’s easy for us to wish away the time til the snow flies. But summer here in Vermont is glorious, and I’m working on living in the moment. The mountains are blanketed in green, the scent of wildflowers fills the air, and the weather’s fantastic. We haven’t had the extreme heat that’s been plaguing so much of the country. In fact, I bought an air conditioner this year and haven’t even turned it on yet.
So how have I been passing the time? A little bit of travel, visiting family and friends here and there: A few days biking at Lake Champlain, a trip to central New York, a couple weekends in Connecticut. Next week I’m heading to Florida to see my Mom, and in a few weeks I’ll be going to the Jersey Shore.
Biking around Lake Champlain
Speaking of biking, the highlight of the summer has been my purchase of a fat-tire e-bike. I’ve been a road biker for years, but over time I’ve become less enthusiastic about riding the twisting, narrow paved roads with cars whizzing by at high speed. That’s why I went with a fat-tire bike. Fifty-five percent of the roads here in Vermont are dirt —that’s more than 8,600 miles. To put this in perspective, 8,000 miles is twice the length of the continental United States and roughly the entire diameter of the planet. Which gives me quite a lot to explore. So about a month ago I bought an Aventon Sinch folding e-bike, and I couldn’t be happier.
Aventon Sinch E-Bikes. Mine’s the red one, or as I call it, “The Flying Tomato.”
This is one fun bike. It’s great to ride on the dirt, equally fun on the pavement. And because it folds, it’s easy to stow in the back of my Subaru Outback, so I can take it wherever I want to go.
I’ve still been keeping my eye on the ski news.
Here are a few things that are going on:.
• Suicide Six (VT) changed its name to Saskadena Six. Kudos to them for recognizing that honoring the area’s indigenous people is a much better choice than glorifying a mental health issue;
• Lightning struck and destroyed a lift shack at Plattekill Ski Area in New York State;
• Killington moved closer to constructing its long awaited base village, with the approval by the Vermont Economic Progress Council (VEPC) of its application for a master tax increment financing (TIF) district;
• Lots of ski areas moved ahead with lift and terrain projects, though the Park City Planning Commission voted to block two previously approved projects;
• Affordable employee housing is finally getting the attention it deserves from ski areas across the country.
• The Indy Pass keeps adding resorts to its line up. Today they announced the addition of Black Mountain of Maine; Meadowlark, Wyoming; and Aomori Spring, Japan as full downhill partners, bringing its total to 104 resorts.
Before too long summer will be over and I’ll be swapping my bike for skis. In the meantime, I’m enjoying the season. Hope you are, too.
