Easily accessible and buzzing with youthful energy, Mount Snow keeps skiers coming season after season.
A view of Mount Snow’s iconic clocktower at the main base of the resort. Slopes freshly groomed into “corduroy” can be seen on a sunny day at the mountain. Corey Gambardella/Vail Resorts
Twenty years ago, high school math teacher Jessica Nemore was scrolling a popular dating site when Josh Tolk’s profile stopped her cold. Handsome—and on skis! But something else looked familiar.
The setting of his profile picture appeared to be Mount Snow.
Jess spent her childhood winter holidays at her family’s condo at the resort, and later, as a young adult, she worked as a children’s instructor for three seasons. It was her happy place.
An email exchange followed. Josh confirmed the photo was indeed taken at Mount Snow, and he’d also spent his childhood skiing there with his family. They agreed to meet at the mountain for the upcoming Presidents’ Day weekend.
A contestant dons a silly costume and competes in the annual Sink or Skim contest at Mount Snow, where skiers attempt to skim across a pond on their snow skis as spirited hecklers cheer or jeer their success. (Brooke Cerbone/Vail Resorts)
Cuzzins Bar & Grill
Despite the butterflies of a first date, conversation and laughs flowed easily as they had so much in common. They agreed to a second date the very next morning at Cuzzins Bar & Grill, the famed bar and restaurant on the second floor of the resort’s main base lodge.
“We entered Cuzzins at 10 a.m., and I never left,” declared Josh with a wink when he and Jess shared their story with me over a beer in their kitchen in Weston, Connecticut.
They were so entranced getting to know each other that they didn’t even ski that day!
Their friends arrived off the slopes as Cuzzins filled in for the Saturday après ski party. Mount Snow-famous musician Bruce Jacques had everyone dancing and singing along to rock classics.
It was an epic ski-town night where strangers become old friends with the help of good music and good cheer—where you feel part of a community of eccentrics who head north instead of south for the winter. Josh and Jess closed the bar, not wanting the night to end.
Two years later, Josh proposed on a jet ski in Sarasota, and soon they were married and expecting. In the years that followed, they taught their two girls to ski at Mount Snow shortly after they could walk.
Jessica and Josh Tolk enjoy adult beverages while their daughters enjoy hot chocolates at Cuzzins Bar and Grill at Mount Snow Vermont, the site of their pivotal second date that brought them together. Courtesy of Jessica Tolk
Former Mount Snow ski instructor Jessica Tolk poses with her daughters, who learned to ski from her. The girls are now high schoolers as well as expert skiers. Courtesy of Jessica Tolk
“They evolved from being babies, and we'd go up with my brother and his three kids … and then all of a sudden, like, we blinked, and they could go out on their own” reminisced Jess with the watery eyes of a proud mom who imparted an important tradition.
Now the girls are in high school, and they often rendezvous at Cuzzins with extended family and friends, sharing in the easy camaraderie after a day spent on the slopes.
The Tolks’ story is like that of countless other families and friend-groups that come to Mount Snow from all over the Northeast to connect with nature and loved ones.
I reached out to Bruce Jacques over email and he told me “Mount Snow is like no other place I’ve ever played. There’s just something about the vibe in that room (Cuzzins) and the personalities of the people who come out to the show. It feels like everyone is there to be part of something special—the kind of magic you really have to experience to truly understand. The energy of hundreds of people singing along, laughing, and dancing together is something I’ve never found anywhere else. Over the years it’s become more than just a show—it’s become a tradition.”
While unfortunately Jacques wasn’t playing on the recent weekend I took my family to Mount Snow, I experienced that magic he’s referring to.
Musician and entertainer Bruce Jacques regularly gets the crowd singing along at Mount Snow’s famed Cuzzins Bar and Grill. (Courtesy of Bruce Jacques)
A Local Guide
Over the years, Jess had developed her “Mountain Tour” to acquaint visiting ski friends with the resort.
Since you don’t have Jess’s number, taking a lesson is a great alternative. The kids and I did so on our visit and it simplified the awkwardness of learning a new mountain and helped us make the most of our limited time.
We were guided by veteran instructor Chris Shea, who began the lesson by asking what type of terrain we’d like to ski. He immediately put us at ease.
Chris Shea, a 33-year veteran ski instructor, gives a lesson to the author’s teens at Mount Snow in southern Vermont. Cary Dunst/The Epoch Times
However, we quickly realized our interests were different. My 13-year-old son wanted to learn how to hit jumps in the terrain park. My 15-year-old daughter wanted to go fast on groomers, and I prefer skiing bumps and natural gladed tree areas.
Shea devised a plan to accommodate these competing interests and even padded in some time for Dad to rest his legs and the kids to enjoy some hot chocolate. He explained that Mount Snow is unique in its ability to provide such a diversity of terrain.
“The park rats hang out at Carinthia. Powder Hounds head over to North Face (for deep snow stashes in the glades). Old School skiers like the fast groomers on the front-side, and Sunbrook has one of the resort’s best mogul runs.”
Shea has been teaching since 1993 and shared how the gig affords him a unique perspective. He instructed one boy named Jack over the span of a decade, watching him grow from toddler to teen. It’s a trusted role helping novices conquer their fear.
His approach is that of a host sharing his knowledge and love of place with his clients, colleagues, and other visitors, and has kept him happily at Mount Snow for over 30 years.
“The Mount Snow Ski and Snowboard School is a tight group of instructors … Being here feels like you’re on a team, or even a sense of family.” he shared.
Toward the end of our lesson we were taking laps on the front side, riding Mount Snow’s luxurious six-person Blue Bird bubble lift, the first of its kind in north America. The hard plastic see-through shell protects you from the wind and cold and its high occupancy keeps the queue moving. The Blue Bird’s seats are as plush as your living room couch, especially when your thighs are on fire from the last run.
Mount Snow’s six-person Blue Bird bubble lift on a sunny day. (Brooke Cerbone/Vail Resorts)Vail Resorts
On one ride up, we were paired with Shea’s colleague Chris Logan. Shea was excited for us to meet him.
“He’s been at Mount Snow since 1978, and he’s not even our most tenured team member!” explained Shea with pride over Logan’s longevity as a reflection on the staff’s loyalty and home-town pride.
Logan looked like central casting for an old-soul ski instructor—tall and spry, frozen snow clinging to his white goatee. He shared tales of the good ol’ days with laughs and a warm smile underneath his helmet and goggles.
Après-Ski
As the lesson concluded, Shea delivered us to the back door of the slopeside Grand Summit Resort Hotel where we were staying.
Soon came that cathartic tingle in our toes when we peeled off our ski boots and nuzzled into the couch with chips, salsa, and a drink.
A group of kids participate in Mount Snow’s annual spring tradition, the Duct Tape Derby. Teams build vessels consisting of cardboard, duct tape, zip ties, and paint. Brooke Cerbone/Vail Resorts
Next came hot tubbing, a great dinner of comfort food, and lots of laughs. Our jelly legs from exploring the mountain, along with Mount Snow’s laid-back atmosphere, left me with an overwhelming sense of contentment.
Josh described that intangible aspect of Mount Snow well.
“Compared to a lot of the other mountains, it’s kind of like a small town community … it doesn’t have any attitude … it’s a real fun, party-ish, kind of mountain.
A family enjoys drinks before their dinner at Iron Loft, on the upper level of the Carinthia base at Mount Snow. Menu favorites include truffle fries, brussel sprouts confit, burrata plate, brisket and short rib french dip, ribeye, skillet-baked cookie, handcrafted cocktails, and Vermont's famed IPA beers. Brooke Cerbone/Vail Resorts
In reflecting on his role in making Mount Snow a famed party-destination, Jacques told me, “One of the most amazing things is having kids come up to me now whose parents used to come to the show years ago. That’s pretty priceless… even if it does make me feel just a little old. After 35 seasons, I’m incredibly grateful to have been a part of so many memories at Mount Snow.”
That welcoming atmosphere embodies why people sacrifice the time, money, and effort to get up to Mount Snow. As the late ski filmmaker Warren Miller observed: “Skiing is the closest thing to flying—and flying is always better with company.”
Visitors enjoy an outdoor fire at Mount Snow in southern Vermont. Brooke Cerbone/Vail Resorts
The Party Continues
With a solid snow base, Mount Snow, Shea and Logan expect to be skiing into April, welcoming skiers and riders with live music, events, and parties, including the Duct Tape Derby, Reggae Fest, the infamous Sink or Skim, and spirited Bruce Jacques sing-along performances.
As for Josh and Jess, they’re opening their own long-awaited bar and restaurant, The Chase, in their home town of Weston, Connecticut. They hope to bring that cheer and sense of belonging from Mount Snow and Cuzzins south to their own community.
A rider launches a back-side grab over a feature at Mount Snow’s Carinthia freestyle feature park. Carinthia is often regarded as the most complete park of its kind in the eastern United States. It has over 100 features, a fully dedicated area of the mountain for freestyle, with a progression from beginner to professional level of difficulty, along with a renovated base area with fire pits and Adirondack chairs. Brooke Cerbone/Vail Resorts
If You Go
Where to Stay:
We spent our weekend at the resort’s only slopeside hotel, the Grand Summit Resort Hotel. The hotel has two restaurants, a ski shop, a dedicated valet to store the ski gear, and a full spa offering yoga classes, massage, hot tubs, steam room, cedar sauna, and an outdoor heated pool. My kids especially enjoyed the arcade with classic games and complimentary hot chocolate.
Beyond the onsite hotel, there are many other condos, hotels, and inns. For more information on resort accommodations visit MountSnow.com. Some are on the resort’s bus loop, and others are a short drive from nearby charming Vermont towns such as West Dover and Wilmington.
Food & Drink
Mount Snow has a variety of food options at the resort, including the famed laid-back Cuzzins Bar & Grill, the music venue Snow Barn, the 1900’ Burger, and the two beer spots—Canned and the Station Tap Room.
We enjoyed a memorable birthday dinner for my wife at Iron Loft, one of southern Vermont’s most interesting dining venues and creative culinary spots.
There are also many options at the adjacent town of West Dover and a short drive away in Wilmington.
The Mountain
Mount Snow is Vermont’s closest “big” mountain, with 86 trails, 1,700 feet of vertical drop, and 601 acres of skiable terrain. It also has one of the best dedicated freestyle areas in the country, Carinthia, which features eight terrain parks and 100 unique features.
At the base of Carinthia are gas firepits and Adirondack chairs with one of Mount Snow’s best place to socialize.
Outside of skiing, there is also snow tubing in the winter and a variety of summer activities.
Mount Snow is easily drivable for a day trip from New York City, Boston, the various “burbs” and the college towns throughout the Northeast.
The author was a guest of Mount Snow, Vail Resorts, and the Tolk Family kitchen. Vail’s multi-resort Epic Pass, which includes Mount Snow and 90 other resorts for one fixed price has recently just gone on sale for the 2026/27 season with the most perks and discounts available for those who lock in next year’s pass early.
