Fests Up! August in The Mad River Valley

August is Art in The Mad River Valley, and there are plenty of things to do here every day of the month! The Valley is home to the Vermont Festival of the Arts. Whether your artistic gig is painting, photography, music, theater, dance, pottery, woodworking, culinary or all of the above, it's all here. Rather than reproduce here an entire month's calendar of festival events, which they've already done quite nicely, here's a link to the website for the Vermont Festival of the Arts.

Our contribution to this year's festival in the culinary category is World Culinary Odyssey. Hope you can join us for a fabulous feast of intriguing world cuisine while enjoying other festival activities!

Beyond Arts Fest, here are our top picks for August's events in and about The Mad River Valley:

• August 03 - 07: "A Little Night Music", Skinner Barn, Waitsfield, 8 PM
• August 06 - 07: Gravity East MTB Downhill Race, Sugarbush Lincoln Peak Base Area, Warren
• August 09 - 13: Addison County Fair and Field Days, New Haven, 10 AM - 10 PM
• August 10 - 14: "A Little Night Music", Skinner Barn, Waitsfield, 8 PM
• Thursday, August 11: Loire Valley Wine & Food Seminar, Waitsfield Wine Shoppe, Waitsfield, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
• August 11 - 14: Lake Champlain Maritime Festival, Waterfront Park, Burlington, 11 AM - 11 PM
• August 12 - 14: 54th Annual Antique and Classic Car Meet, Nichols Field, Stowe, 7 AM - 6 PM
• August 13 & 14: Grand Point North featuring Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Waterfront Park, Burlington
• Wednesday, August 17: Rock the River Benefit, American Flatbread, Waitsfield, 5 - 10 PM
• Wednesday, August 17: Campania Wine & Food Seminar, Waitsfield Wine Shoppe, Waitsfield, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
• Thursday, August 18: "Locally Grown" - 3 Valley Bands, Big Picture Theater, Waitsfield, 8 PM
• Saturday, August 20: 6th Annual Last Mile Ride Benefit, Gifford Medical Center, Randolph, 10 AM
• Friday, August 26: Green Mountain Swing Benefit Concert, Valley Players Theater, Waitsfield, 7:30 PM
• Saturday, August 27: Mad River Valley Century Ride, Corner of Rt 100 & Rt 17, Waitsfield, 8 AM

If your looking for even more things to do, such as local band schedules, educational lectures and farmer's markets, "Like Us" on Facebook® and check out our weekly "Whaddup?" column.

Check out Weathertop's seasonal specials as well: Click here.

Book a room at Weathertop now: Click here.

Wishing you an Artful August! Peace, Love and BBQ...

World Culinary Odyssey - A Passport for your Palate

Beginning on Monday, August 1, join us at Weathertop Mountain Inn for a culinary tour of the globe. Our culinary contribution to this year's Vermont Festival of the Arts will be artfully prepared 4-course feasts from around the globe.

In prior years, we presented Asian Culinary Odyssey - a tour of the cuisines of Asia. In 2010, we expanded our portfolio to include some of the foods we've fallen in love with during our travels, and called our event World Culinary Odyssey. This year, Weathertop can become your own private dining room for an evening with World Culinary Odyssey!

All you need to do is come up with a group of 6-18 hungry, adventurous foodies, reserve an available date (any day except Saturdays) & time (any start time from 6-8 PM, one seating please...), choose an interesting menu, and you're on your way to an exotic destination...

Choosing a menu can be as interactive as you desire. Pick a country or region of the world, let us know of any meat, seafood, or vegetarian likes or dislikes, and we'll come up with a 4-course adventure to excite your palate and expand your horizons! As always, we will also feature an eclectic selection of very reasonably priced beer, wine, and saké to pair with your chosen menu.

No passport or visa is required, but please bring a hearty appetite!

Dinner is priced at $42 per person, tax included.

Please contact us at 802-496-4909 to "book your passage"...
Can't come up with a party of 6? Let us know of any dates for which you have an interest in dining with us. If another group books an event for that evening, and they don't mind others joining them, we'll call you!

To give you some ideas of what is possible, here are the menus we offered in 2010:

• Curry Cravings - A Tour of Southeast Asia
• Moorish Mediterranean - From Cairo to Casablanca
• Savor the Silk Road - From Xian to Damascus

July in The Mad River Valley

Summer is here and there are plenty of events & activities throughout The Mad River Valley to keep you busy all month long!

Here are our picks for July's top events:

• Friday, July 01: Vermont Symphony Orchestra "Symphony Royale", Sugarbush Lincoln Peak, Warren, 7:30 PM
• July 01 - 17: Vermont Festival of the Great Outdoors, Events around the Mad River Valley
• July 01 - 16: Arms & The Man, Valley Players Theater, Waitsfield, Thurs - Sat, 7:30 PM
• Sunday, July 03: MRG Community BBQ, Mad River Glen Base Area, Fayston, 12 Noon - 6 PM
• Sunday, July 03: Stars & Stripes Charity Airshow, Sugarbush-Warren Airport, Warren, 1 PM
• Sunday, July 03: Movie "History of Warren 4th of July Parade", Gate House Lodge, Sugarbush Lincoln Peak, Warren, 8 PM
• Monday, July 04: World Famous 4th of July Parade and Street Dance, Warren Village, 10 AM
• Monday, July 04: 4th of July Festivities, Sugarbush Lincoln Peak, Warren, After Parade thru Fireworks!
• Friday, July 08: Mad Hatter Kickoff Party, Castlerock Pub, Sugarbush Lincoln Peak, Warren, 6 PM
• Saturday, July 09: "Fungi Fest" Foraging Hike & Dinner, Timbers Restaurant, Sugarbush Lincoln Peak, Warren, 4 PM
• Sunday, July 10: Mad Marathon & Half Marathon, Mad River Green, Waitsfield, 7:30 AM
• Sunday, July 10: Benefit Cabaret - Cast of Rent, Gate House Lodge, Sugarbush Lincoln Peak, Warren, 6 PM
• Friday, July 15: Stowe Street Arts Festival, Waterbury, 7 - 8:30 PM
• Saturday, July 16: Stowe Street Arts Festival, Waterbury, 10 AM - 4 PM
• Sunday, July 17: Bill Carmichael sings Richard Rodgers, Skinner Barn, Waitsfield, 8 PM
• Sunday, July 24: Cabaret Series with Peter Boynton, Skinner Barn, Waitsfield, 8 PM
• July 28 - 30: RENT: school edition, Valley Players Theater, Waitsfield, 7:30 PM

If your looking for even more things to do, such as local band schedules, educational lectures and farmer's markets, "Like Us" on Facebook® and check out our weekly "Whaddup?" column.

Check out Weathertop's seasonal specials as well: Click here.

Book a room at Weathertop now: Click here.

Wishing you a Great Summer! Peace, Love and BBQ...

Condo Facelift Completed - Clean and Green

Just prior to Christmas, we put the finishing touches on the renovation of our Mountainside Condominium at Sugarbush, completing a year's worth of modifications and upgrades. For those familiar with Mountainside Condo Complex, you will find no other unit in the complex like ours, and for those who have rented from us before, we trust that you will be pleasantly surprised. NOTHING was left untouched.

Here is a tick list of what we accomplished during the last year:

• The old kitchen walls were busted out and an island installed, to give more space and an open floorplan. The kitchen ceiling was dropped slightly to define the space.
• All new, solid-wood cabinetry was installed in both kitchen and bath.
• Natural stone countertops and backsplashes were installed in both kitchen and bath.
• All new, ENERGY STAR appliances replaced our vintage 70's "dinosaurs".
• New stoneware, flatware, glassware and utensils; in quantities like a normal home, not your typical rental condo!
• Wherever possible, but especially in the kitchen and common space, we installed new (and very expensive...) LED lighting.
• Cork flooring replaced 70's linoleum in both the kitchen and bath.
• New carpeting was installed throughout the remainder of the condo. It's a new product from Mohawk - very soft, very stain-resistant and made 100% from recycled plastic bottles!
• All new thermostats throughout the unit that we calibrated for elevation. This is a great tip for anyone not living at sea-level...take the time to calibrate your stats...they are factory adjusted for sea-level and work much better if calibrated!
• New windows and patio doors were installed to keep the winter outside.
• The old wallpaper was stripped, the walls re-surfaced and a fresh coat of paint applied throughout the unit. We stuck with warm, neutral colors throughout, except for a splash of red in the kitchen.
• All interior doors were sanded and refinished to remove 25 years of ski scratches!
• While it doesn't show in the following photos (the photos were taken before the work was 100% complete...), we re-upholstered the ORIGINAL sleeper sofa and living room chairs (those chairs are so comfortable, we refused to part with them!).
• In the bedroom, we installed a new king bed and added a workstation with direct Ethernet connection and WiFi.
• We've added cordless phones. No more standing in the kitchen to talk!
• In the living room you will now find a flat-screen LED LCD TV with a Blu-ray player and surround sound system.
• New, all-weather patio furniture (far more useful in spring-fall...).

Is that enough work for one year? And now for some photos...

Now:

New, modern kitchen...	Efficient layout...
Open floorplan...	Freshly painted...

Then:

Vintage 70's appliances...	Less living space...
Tiny kitchen...	Showing it's age...

Best Lift Ticket Pricing - Mad River, Sugarbush and Beyond

The holidays are over and we're now in the midst of a great ski season! How do you come to The Mad River Valley and get the best value for your skiing dollar? This question comes up virtually every time we take a reservation or get a lodging inguiry. The intent of this blog is to summarize what we know to be your best options for the various local resorts. While there are way too many options available to provide a comprehensive review, we hope the following information will be helpful to your vacatiuon planning:

If you're looking to sample all the skiing The Valley has to offer, the Ski The Valley ticket is the way to go. You can use the ticket interchangeably at Mad River Glen, Sugarbush and Ole's XC. While these tickets have a 2-day minimum (3 day on weekends), prices range from $49/day for midweek tickets to $56-67/day for tickets including weekends, depending upon how many days you ski. You can only purchase these tickets from us as part of a discounted lodging package as specified on our website!

New this year, a number of local businesses offer some freebies and discounts if you show them your Ski The Valley ticket. Details may be found on our Chamber of Commerce website.

For those of you who, like us, love Mad River Glen, there are a number of discount options. The very best offerings must be purchased in advance and are no longer available for the 2010/2011 ski season. KEEP THIS IN MIND FOR NEXT YEAR!!! They are The Mad Card and The Family Mad Card, costing $139 and $189, respectively. For these prices you get 3 unrestricted lift tickets and other discounts. The Family Card even gives a FREE season pass for ALL OF YOUR CHILDREN under age 12! Hopefully you purchased yours! Details may be found on the Mad River Glen website.

If you didn't purchase your Mad Card, all is not lost! You can also purchase vouchers for discounted tickets from us at $35/day for midweek and $60/day for weekends. That's ~$5/day off their already reasonable ticket booth pricing, and we offer lodging discounts to boot! Mad River also has a 3-day weekend lift ticket for $130, which you can purchase from us or them.

To ski and ride Sugarbush, your very best tickets are purchased directly from the resort via their eTicket Online program. These tickets range from $61-74/day, depending upon the number of skiing days. These tickets require 48 hour advance purchase and are non-refundable.

While not as highly discounted as eTickets, you can also purchase tickets from us, ranging from $63-78/day, depending upon the number of skiing days. Tickets from us can normally be purchased with 24 hour notice, and are refundable up to 9 AM of your skiing start day. With either type of ticket purchase, a lodging discount is offered as summarized on our website.

Want to try some skiing just outside The Valley? Bolton Valley would be a nice alternative, just 25-30 minutes north on the road to Burlington. Bolton is uniquely located, and can sometimes be fully functional when our local resorts are on wind hold. They also have night skiing, if you still have the energy...

We offer our guests vouchers for Bolton Valley that are good for $20 off the ticket office price any day of the week with no restrictions!

If you are interested in going a little further afield, we can also offer you vouchers for skiing at Stowe that are good for a 25% discount off the ticket office price, valid Sunday-Friday, excluding holidays. From our inn, you can be at Stowe Mountain Resort in about 45 minutes.

We hope you find this information useful in your skiing holiday planning. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to call us.

Happy Skiing!!!

World Culinary Odyssey at Weathertop

Beginning on Wednesday, August 11, join us at Weathertop Mountain Inn for a culinary tour of the globe. Our contribution to this year's Vermont Festival of the Arts will be a series of 3 artfully prepared 4-course feasts. In prior years, we presented Asian Culinary Odyssey - a tour of the cuisines of Asia. This year, we've decided to expand our portfolio to include some of the foods we've fallen in love with during our travels. Come to one event, or come to all. We promise to expand your palate's horizons! As always, we will feature an eclectic selection of very reasonably priced beer, wine, and saké to pair with these offerings. Visit 3 distinct regions of the world in 3 weeks! No passport or visa is required, but please bring a hearty appetite!

Each dinner is priced at $40 per person, tax included.

We will have one seating each evening, starting promptly at 6:30 PM. Participation is limited and reservations are required. Please contact us at 802-496-4909 to "book your passage"...

Our Itinerary:

• Wednesday, August 11 - Curry Cravings - A Tour of Southeast Asia
• Wednesday, August 18 - Moorish Mediterranean - From Cairo to Casablanca
• Wednesday, August 25 - Savor the Silk Road - From Xian to Damascus

Please visit our website for detailed menus.

Why not complete the evening with a stay at Weathertop? Come to any of our World Culinary Odyssey dinners and receive a 20% discount on lodging for that evening! To cash in on this offer you must mention this special at the time of booking and be a Weathertop Events Blog Follower.

Spring Countdown Special!

The sun is shining, the temperature is rising, and there's plenty of corn still on the mountains. The spring skiing is at it's finest, and we have one more week to go before Weathertop Mountain Inn closes for the season...

Come out and play! For our last week of the season, we're offering the following special - stay a minimum of two nights and get your lodging at $99/night (double occupancy, excluding tax, only applies to new bookings). Yes, that still includes our full, cooked-to-order breakfast each morning and the use of all inn amenities. We'll also be offering late season specials from our extensive beer and wine menu. At these prices, you can't afford to stay home!

Come on folks - help us fill up the inn for the last week of the season and make us earn our "Spring Break"!