The Mad River Valley Is Different. Here’s Why.
Most ski towns in Vermont have been quietly absorbed into the machinery of destination tourism — the same resort brands, the same hotel chains, the same aprés-ski formula. The Mad River Valley never went that way.
Mad River Glen is cooperatively owned by its skiers — one of only two co-op ski areas in the country. It still runs a single chairlift, by choice. It doesn’t allow snowboards, by vote. It grooms selectively and lets the mountain be what it is. The famous bumper sticker says it plainly: Ski It If You Can. The mountain has a constituency, not a customer base.
But the ski areas are only part of it. The towns of Waitsfield and Warren have resisted the drift toward resort-town homogeneity in ways that are quietly remarkable. The businesses here are independently owned and deeply local. The bartenders have last names people know. The guy at the takeout counter has been there for decades. The hardware store gives away free popcorn because it always has.
What you get in the Mad River Valley isn’t a curated experience — it’s an actual community that happens to welcome visitors. The difference is something you feel pretty quickly, usually around the time a stranger at the bar tells you where to ski tomorrow based on where the snow actually fell.
That’s what this site is trying to give you a head start on.
So, you’ve arrived.
A vacation or brief visit to the Mad River Valley, Sugarbush, Mad River Glen, or to hang with friends. You’ve found your lodging accommodations. But, now what? Where to go? What to see? Where do I find…? Who do I call, in case of…?
Mad River Valley Insider was born of a need to provide local guidance and information to short-term rental guests. It is intended to provide useful information and access to publicly available resources for visitors to the Mad River Valley in Central Vermont once they’ve arrived.
The Resort Guides guide book is distributed throughout the Valley. Local businesses advertise in it and it’s quite comprehensive. But I can’t carry it around in my pocket! What if I’m on the mountain or wandering around the Valley wondering where to go/what to do next? That’s where Mad River Valley Insider comes in!