Where to Ski: Middlebury College Snow Bowl

The Middlebury College Snow Bowl in Hancock, Vermont, just a few miles west of VT 100, is a phenomenal alternative to the usual condominiums, extravagant restaurants and $100 lift ticket scene. This quaint ski area holds nothing back and is all about the whole, all thrills no frills kind of attitude. When people ask me where to ski I recommend the Middlebury College Snow Bowl.

I got the chance to catch up with a guy I’ve had the pleasure of knowing all my life, the president of Reliable Racing Supply, John Jacobs. John’s a Middlebury Alumni whose family has over 60 years worth of ski history and…education?...vested in the Green Mountains. Nonetheless he’s logged in some serious hours at the Snow Bowl.

The last time I skied the Ski Bowl was probably close to 20 years ago with the Jacobs family, skirtin’ around on my Olin Comp strait boards, I’m almost 25 now, do the math, as John put it,

“You were still pissin’ your diapers”.

I don’t know if I was still doing the deed in my undies but my Fruit of the Looms were tight and white without question. John also started skiing the bowl around the age of, well…pissing your pants, when his father Tom also a Middlebury alumni and Oslo 1952 Winter Olympic competitor started carting him up there from Glens Falls, New York.

At the time there was only a Poma lift running up the Allen slope that John said he rode more like a chairlift.  Allen is the primary black diamond trail cut right down the middle of the Snow Bowl. It has two fiercely fun pitches at the top, which run into a flat mid-section and empty into a consistent pitch to the base of the mountain. This years NCAA championships will be held on this world-class race trail, I assume it’s B.Y.O.K. (bring your own keg).

John attended Middlebury College from ’73-’78 after the double chair had just been installed in place of the Poma lift. Allen served as the training ground for some of the best skiers in the states and Olympic hopefuls, as it does today. Back in those days the NCAA only had two events, Downhill and Slalom. Part of the Middlebury ski teams training regiment at the time was unofficially poaching the 50-meter ski jump.

I used to think sliding down the ski slope on lunch trays was a past time for J5’s to partake in until some cafeteria staff member gets ticked off enough to come outside and stop the fun. Apparently the lunch tray thing was also popular back in the 70’s and may or may not have been ridden off the old 50 meter, this is the stuff insurance companies cringe over. Streaking was also popular in the 70’s and you shouldn’t pretend for a minute that it didn’t happen at the Snow Bowl.

The Middlebury Ski Bowl has some killer steep and not so steep terrain. Voter is a wicked fun windy green trail that takes you on a nice gallivant on skiers right off the peak. The Sheehan trail reminds me of The Little Pico Chairlift in terms of location and has a nice variety of trail options. The backside is served by the Bailey Falls Triple Chair and is game on when the snow flies, a.k.a. all natural only.

This Vermont gem has no bar, yeah, ya hear right…no bar. So it’s a bring your own party kind of place. As John put it, some of the most exciting times he had were getting to and from the hill. Take a look at VT 125 on Google maps and you’ll see what I mean. From what I gather it was a general understanding that between the Snow Bowl Parking lot and the fraternity house back in Middlebury the road served as a fine racecourse, this was no panel slalom however.

I’m not saying you have to go pledge a Greek organization to get a cold beer after skiing, just don’t expect it to be at the mountain.

Midweek lift tickets at the Middlebury College Snow Bowl run a cool twenty-five bucks. It’s worth a look.