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 that the photo was indeed taken at Mount Snow and that he had also spent his childhood skiing there with his family. They agreed to meet at the mountain for the upcoming Presidents Day weekend.
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, a time when strangers become old friends with the help of good music and good cheer—when 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, Florida, 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.
“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,” Jess said, reminiscing with the watery eyes of a proud mom who had 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 through email, and he told me the following:
“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 has become more than just a show—it has become a tradition.”
While unfortunately Jacques wasn’t playing on the recent weekend, I took my family to Mount Snow, and I experienced that magic that he’s referring to.
A Local Guide
Over the years, Jess had developed her “Mountain Tour” to acquaint visiting ski friends with the resort.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 would like to ski. He immediately put us at ease.
However, we quickly realized that 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,” he said. “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 more than 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 said.
Toward the end of our lesson, we were taking laps on the front side, riding Mount Snow’s luxurious six-person Bluebird Express 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 line moving. The Bluebird’s seats are as plush as a living room couch, especially when your thighs are on fire from the last run.
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!” Shea explained with pride over Logan’s longevity as a reflection of the staff’s loyalty and hometown pride.
Après-Ski
As the lesson concluded, Shea delivered us to the back door of the slope-side 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.
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,” he said.
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.”
The Party Continues
With a solid snow base at 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 are opening their own long-awaited bar and restaurant, The Chase, in their hometown of Weston, Connecticut. They hope to bring that cheer and sense of belonging from Mount Snow and Cuzzins south to their own community.
If You Go
Where to Stay: We spent our weekend at the resort’s only slope-side 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.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.
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 fire pits and Adirondack chairs, making it one of Mount Snow’s best places 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 college towns throughout the Northeast.
