Stratton Seasonal Program Blog – March ’24 Edition

Hello Everyone,

We’re nearing the end of another amazing season and I want to thank you all for your continued dedication and support of our programs and our resort. Thank you! Our seasonal programs are unlike any other and I feel so fortunate to get to work with such an amazing team of supervisors and coaches.

March Events

While the season may be winding down, the fun is just beginning! We have a lot of great events planned that you don’t want to miss!

A reminder that you can find the complete list of our seasonal events on the blog we posted a few months ago – Stratton Seasonal Program Blog – Events Calendar

Going beyond our seasonal programs, here’s a look at some of the great resort wide events that are coming up:

• Vermont Specialty Food Day – March 15
  • The Ski Vermont Specialty Food Day Tour visits member ski areas with local Vermont food and beverage vendors. The tour showcases all the unique things that Vermont has to offer, right at the base of the mountain. Sample various sweets and treats in this farmer’s market style spread and go home with some too!
• 24 Hours of Stratton – March 16 – 17
  • The 12th Annual 24 Hours of Stratton is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to ride Stratton at night under lighted trails into sunrise. Join in camaraderie with hundreds of winter enthusiasts from across New England for a magical weekend of fun-filled activities, fireworks, food, and charity.
• Homesick – March 22 – 24 
  • Stratton Mountain and East Street Archives join to celebrate the history, tradition and progression of a sport that got its start right here at Stratton, Vermont. 

• Golden Watermelon Hunt – March 31
  • Come on out and search the mountain for the Golden Watermelon and a chance to win a Stratton Select Pass.
• Annual Pond Skim – April 7
  • Try not to take a dip during the 2024 Pond Skim at Stratton on April 7, 2024. The pond is back as participants try to skim across the water’s surface and make it out the other side just as dry as they entered.

Thanking Your Coaches

I have received several emails and calls asking how to thank your child’s coach for the season. While gratuity is not required, it is certainly appreciated by our team. Most families will tip 15-20% of the program’s cost per child. You are welcome to hand this directly to the coaches at the end of the season. If you are already done for the season but would still like to thank your child’s coach(es) or if your child’s coach is done for the season, please reach out to me and I can help connect you.

Please note that Cub Club has a different setup for gratuities, you can connect with Matt or Kristi for more information.

Next Winter and Program Trials

Many of you have reached out to start asking about next season and where the best place for your child would be. I’m always happy to chat about our program offerings but before we connect I recommend chatting with your child’s coach and/or program supervisor to get their opinion about what would be best for next winter.

If you/your child are interested in moving into our competitive programs next season, either Alpine Racing or Allegro/Freestyle/Freeski, the managers of those programs have graciously offered to allow trials before the end of the season to make sure it’s the right fit before you sign up.

For Alpine Racing, please use the link to sign up: SWSC Alpine Racing Trial

For Allegro/Freestyle/Freeski, they’ll have trials on 3/23, 3/24, 3/30, and 3/31. Please email Tim Massucco to arrange a trial. I have included the contact info for both of our competitive program managers below:

2024-2025 Seasonal Programs

Speaking of next winter, some of you have reached out to ask about how to sign up for next season. Over the next couple of months, I will meet with the SWSC program managers and we’ll come up with our product offerings, schedule and timing details, pricing, etc.

Our hope is that we’ll launch sales of our 2024-2025 seasonal programs on August 1st for the families that were enrolled in seasonal programs during the 2023-2024 season before opening sales to new families. More details will be communicated throughout the summer but the best way to stay in the loop is to do the following:

1. Follow us on social media
   1. Instagram
   2. Facebook
2. Subscribe to our mailing list
   1. Mailing list sign up
3. Check our seasonal program web pages starting in late July
   1. Seasonal Programs

Stratton Bike Park

At the same time winter is winding down we’re ramping up for another fun summer here at Stratton. Have you checked out our bike park? If not, what are you waiting for? Come up and experience the mountain in a whole new way! 

Interested? Here’s some great information about our park:

• Stratton Bike Park Home Page
• Tips To Plan Your Vermont Mountain Bike Trip Blog
• Do I Need A Full Suspension Mountain Bike Blog

This summer we’ll be expanding our lesson and camp offerings with youth summer camps and two day Women’s camps. More info about these camps coming soon but if you’re interested, please reach out!

Breaking News! Alterra just announced that 2024-2025 IKON Passholders will receive one free lift ticket to Stratton Bike Park!

Beach Boys Endless Summer Gold

Speaking of summer, all of us at Stratton are really excited for the recent announcement that The Beach Boys will be playing here on August 3rd! You can find more info and purchase tickets with the link below:

The Beach Boy Endless Summer Gold

Thank you again for choosing to spend your winter with us here at Stratton and we can’t wait to see you and your family again next winter! Below you’ll find some additional information from our seasonal program supervisors. Please reach out with any questions.

Best,

Tony Bailey
Seasonal Program Manager
Bike Park Manager
tbailey@stratton.com
802-297-4074

Cub Club

Hello Cub Clubbers,

March is here with a ton of activities for Cub Club!

• The “Big Ski” – March 9
  • This season we’re putting a twist on the Big Ski. We plan to ski down West Meadow with the other Non-comp seasonal Programs to form a long ski line and set a new record! All parents are welcome to join us.
  • The current plan, (weather permitting) is to meet at 10 am at the top of West Meadow.
• Spring Eggstravaganza – March 23
  • Our annual egg hunt throughout the village.
  • The egg hunt will take place during the morning session, exact time will be on the board, parents are welcome to join us.
• Ice Cream Social – March 24
  • Our annual ice cream party will take place at 2:00 pm in the Cub Club room.
  • Parents are welcome to join!
  • Please note that we will not go back out on snow after the ice cream party.

Many of you have been asking about next year, we would love to see you stay, but if your child is aging out or you are considering another program and need some assistance or advice, please reach out or find me/Kristi at the end of the day.

Many of you have also been inquiring about tipping the staff. Ron has compiled a list for each child in the program with the day they slid, and the coach’s name. We can also provide a list of mailing addresses and Venmo accounts for the staff. If you have any questions please email me.

Thanks for another great season in Cub Club and we can’t wait to see you all again next winter!

Best,

Cross Cub

Hello Stratton Cross Cubbers! 

Can you believe that we are coming to our last few weekends of the program? We hope you can join us this these last few weekends as we have a few events left t help celebrate the end of the season:

• This weekend (March 9) is the Big Ski! If you have had children in Cub Club, you know all about this event. This year all seasonal programs are teaming up to make this the Biggest Ski yet!. Parents are invited to attend. We will meet at the top of West Meadow at 10:00 am.
• March 10 is Onsie Day (my favorite day of the year!). 
• March 16 we are bringing back Hot Dogs on the Hill! We will be taking our lunch break at the top of Emerald Forest where our coaches will serve hot dogs, snack and drinks to all Cross Cubbers. 
• March 17 is our annual scavenger Hunt coupled with St. Patrick’s Day! Be sure to wear something green for extra points in the scavenger hunt. 
• Our last event of the season is our Ice Cream Social. Please join us on the Jr School Patio on March 23^rd at 2:00 pm

The Cross Cub team has become family through the years, and it is always bittersweet when the season ends.  We all share and embrace a love of the mountains and winter sports, and I hope we passed some of this passion onto you and your family. Despite some difficult snow conditions throughout the season, we had a great time and the children had a lot of fun and learned to ski well. I have little doubt that you all were impressed with their ability on the slopes. I trust we met your expectations and hope we exceeded them.

I hope you had the opportunity to check out our Instagram page throughout the season. (@strattonseasonalprograms) as there are numerous great photos/videos of your children skiing.  

I again would like to thank you for skiing and riding with us at Stratton Cross Cub. We know you have many choices when skiing and we are glad you chose us. We hope you have enjoyed this season as much as we have and we serve you well.  We feel our coach’s hard work created proficient skiers who are capable of handling any terrain confidently and safely. Our combination of fun and learning in a safe environment is facilitated by some of the best teachers on the mountain and delivers an experience we are proud of.

Thank you for a wonderful ski season and for allowing us to teach and ski with your children. Have a safe, healthy summer and we look forward to seeing you next ski season!

Regards,

Frances Hoeffner
Cross Cub Supervisor
fhoeffner@stratton.com

Synergy

Dear Synergy Family,

First and foremost, I would like to thank all of you; students, parental units, family members, and puppers, for a wonderful and memorable 23/24 ski season. I know I can speak on behalf of all our Synergy coaches when I sincerely say how proud we are of our program and what we have built upon this year. Although Mother Nature challenged us in many ways this year, we made the most of it with laughs and noticeable improvements in technique. I was blown away with the skill displayed (and no mercy spared) at our annual Parent vs. Child Race (parental units, no hard feelings, right?). There is a reason why us skiers in the East, particularly in Southern VT, are known for being able to handle any condition and any terrain! I will always stand by the statement that if you can ski the East, you can ski anywhere.  

Most importantly, this Saturday (3/9), Synergy is hosting our End of the Year Pizza Party at 4:30 in Jr. Ski School. Please join us for pizza, chips, and refreshments as we recount the best memories of the season. Sunday (3/10) is the best day of the year; ONESIE DAY! 

Lastly, we are always looking for ways to improve Synergy for the next season, so if you have any suggestions, concerns, comments, etc., send them to either myself or Tony. We greatly appreciate your feedback and your support! Again, thank you so much for an incredible season! Have a safe and healthy off-season and best of luck with your next adventures.

Important Dates 

• SAT. March 9th – The Big Ski (All Programs) &Synergy’s End of the Season Party
  • Big Ski – 10:00 AM at West Meadow
  • Pizza Party – 4:30PM @Jr. Ski School 
• SUN. March 10th – ONESIE DAY 
• SUN. March 17th  – Scavenger Hunt 

Until We Ski Again,

Sarah Kneip (and Waffles 🐧)
Synergy Supervisor
skneip@stratton.com