I’ve been skiing at Mad River Glen, in Waitsfield, Vermont, since I was 3 years old.

19 years later, and I still can’t get enough of it.

Most New England skiers, by my age, have skied at a decent number of mountains, and have likely hit the major ones. This is even more likely if they attended the University of Vermont.

Yet here I am, not having skied Killington, Jay Peak, Stowe, Sunapee, Sunday River, Loon…the list goes on.

You may wonder how this is possible. I spent four years of college in Vermont, how did I not make it to at least some of these places?

It is because I am always at Mad River. One perk is that my family has always had a condo in Waitsfield where I could stay for the weekend and be only 15 minutes from the mountain. And now we’ve moved into a house less than 5 minutes away- I can’t be expected to not take advantage of that!

So there’s the backstory. But that is only a small part of why I still find it hard to stray from Mad River. It really comes down to the community and the spirit of the people at Mad River, which you won’t find anywhere else.

I’m always surrounded by friends at Mad River. Even if I were to decide to go out by myself midweek, I’d likely meet up with someone to ski with. I’ll be standing in line for the Single Chair and find myself saying hi to someone ahead of me in line, to someone passing above me on the chair, to someone skiing down to the base. Skiing is such a social sport, and sure, occasionally, it can be fun to ski by yourself, but most of the time I’d rather be able to enjoy it with others. That way, when you’ve just finished an awesome powder run you can look at each other and say, “That was awesome!”.

Everyone at Mad River shares the same love for the mountain that I do. They know the mountain inside and out, have their favorite trails, and bask in the uniqueness of the experience. They don’t want to stray very far either, which creates a group of people that is passionate about keeping the Mad River spirit alive.

Years ago, when the mountain had to decide whether to replace the old single chair with a new single or go with a less expensive double chair, the skiers spoke up. Mad River Glen still has a single chair today because of everyone who said that the mountain wouldn’t be the same without one and pitched in to pay for it. That’s the kind of spirit I am surrounded by when I ski here.

When I’m riding the single, or eating lunch in the base box, or stopping at the birdcage for some hot chocolate, I appreciate just how different Mad River is. There are only two main lifts, and they both lead to the same base. The base box may not be the most glamorous, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. And yes, I’d rather take a 12-minute ride by myself to the top than be on a high-speed quad.

I also have a lot of pride from growing up skiing at Mad River. There’s everything I’ve described above, and then there is the skiing itself. Snow-making is minimal, and you can bet I’ve learned to carve on ice. And when it’s a powder day, there’s no place better. There are no double black diamonds, but every veteran Mad River skier knows which trails are the trickiest.

And when you’re a woods gal, like me, Mad River is a paradise. There are so many woods trails on the mountain that I’m learning new ones every season, with crazier and crazier names. Every time I ski a new part of the woods, I feel like that much more a part of the Mad River community.

I also won’t be modest when I say that skiing at Mad River has made me an expert. When there is so much versatile terrain, and truly not much of the real beginner trails, you get good fast. I love the steep, bumped up, wooded terrain. With all those woods trails to choose from, I could never get bored. And there’s always my favorite marked trails to go back to.

Skiing at Mad River provides so much familiarity for me, and that’s a comfort. Paired with the invigoration and challenge I feel skiing each weekend, it’s no wonder I’m always going back.