Winter scene with cross country skiers, horsedrawn sleigh and ice skaters at the Mountain Top Resort
Take country roads to Chittenden, Vermont to visit Mountain Top Resort, an inn that will remind you of the movie White Christmas taking you back to yesteryear. It is also one of the oldest cross-country (XC) ski resorts in the country starting in 1964 is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.
Mountain Top Resort has sweeping scenic views and varied terrain on groomed ski trails and it usually opens the trails for skiing before Christmas, and stays busy with locals and guests at the inn through the winter.
Originally a farm in the 1870s, Mountain Top became an inn during the 1940s growing over the years and then in 1977 a fire destroyed the original structure at the north end. The damage was rebuilt and the inn reopened in 1980. About the same time the XC ski area which has about 60 kilometers (about 35 miles) of trails on the site introduced snowmaking to compensate for years when there is unreliable natural snowfall. The facility has an activity center, rental gear, XC ski lessons, ski patrols, extensive trail signage, parking areas and even a cup of cocoa
Roger Hill, director of programs and facilities at Mountain Top commented about snowmaking “Alpine resorts were doing it, why couldn’t we?” Hill, started skiing in Mountain Top’s youth programs at 6 years old and by eighth grade was skiing with the Rutland High School team, who train there as well.
Hill’s predecessor, Don Cochrane, who ran the center for more than 30 years and taught Hill about the industry as a high school kid, got together with SMI, a snowmaking company and adapted alpine resort snowmaking operations to a smaller scale in order to make snow at Mountain Top.
Maryanne Levins, who has taught XC skiing at Mountain Top for 19 years claimed “We were the first Nordic center in the country to have snowmaking.” Hill added, “The introduction of snowshoeing has dramatically improved the ability for a center to stay alive.” Even when there’s not enough snow to ski on, we can minimally produce snow for snowshoeing so guests get outdoors and still enjoy some recreation on the snow.”
“On the climate change issue, we’ve seen shortened seasons or delayed seasons. I certainly think that it’s a factor, but it was also a factor 50 years ago at times and we’ve certainly seen a shift to later starts in the season.”
The Mountain Top Resort has varied offerings for guests and locals including youth and adult ski programs, wedding services, a spa, horseback riding, ice skating, a gourmet restaurant and a popular Thanksgiving buffet that they start getting calls for in August. While the resort is well known for its XC skiing, the inn really relies on the wedding business.
Trails at the Mountain Top Resort
In celebration of 60 years, the inn is offering discounts on seasons passes for the year, as well as special programming, like ski tours and moonlight snowshoe tours. On Saturday, Jan. 11, is Blue Cross Blue Shield’s “Snow Days,” in which they cover the cost of trail passes and rental equipment for the day. “Anybody who comes to the resort can go skiing on them,” Hill said. “They don’t need to pre-register, just show up.”
Additionally, the anniversary celebration offers a $60 season pass this year! “The goal is to get local people who otherwise wouldn’t consider this for an outdoor activity to give it a try,” Hill said. “If they ski three days versus paying for a day ticket, the season pass is paid for. It’s a great way to get people reintroduced or introduced for the first time to the sport.”
The resort also has a deal on rentals and guests can switch from skis to snowshoes at no extra fee. “Now they can put snowshoes on and go on a trail they wouldn’t feel comfortable skiing,” Hill said.
Mountain Top Resort is nearby to Pico Mountain and Killington Resort for those who also love alpine skiing. XC skiing and snowshoeing provides immersion in the natural outdoors which is known for physical, psychological, sociological, and spiritual wellness. Levins commented, “You feel like you’re just in the middle of a forest skiing, and that is the joy of cross-country,”